A Mind-Bending Lawn Mowing Journey


Table of Contents


  • Introduction
  • The Setting and the Beginning of the Trip
  • The First Mowing Spiral
    • Level 4 Geometry
    • The Battle with the Trees
    • The Conundrum of Corners
  • The Rhombus vs. The Square
    • The Struggle Between Perception and Reality
    • The Impact of Drugs on Focus and Action
  • The Cyclical Nature of the Experience
    • Unconscious Movement and Overwhelming Visuals
    • The Frustration of Repetition
  • Reflections on Destruction and Life
    • The Mower as a Creature
    • The Thought Process Behind the Actions
  • Conclusion



Introduction


This story revolves around a unique and intense experience of performing a seemingly mundane task—mowing the lawn—while under the influence of psychedelics. The narrator reflects on how a regular chore transforms into a metaphysical journey, where personal perceptions, geometry, and nature collide in unexpected ways.



The Setting and the Beginning of the Trip


At the time of this experience, the narrator still resides with their parents, seeking solitude by venturing into the woods. It is there, beside a tranquil brook, that the individual smokes cannabis and ingests a dose of LSD. There’s also a mention of smoking a cigarette, adding to the medley of substances involved in this trip.


As the story continues, the narrator reflects on losing the remaining LSD tabs, which are later found by the same brook but are rendered useless by the rain. However, this detail doesn’t detract from the main narrative; it serves more as a passing moment of disconnection from reality.


The next scene unfolds in the yard, where the narrator notices that their father has already set up the lawn mower and the grass needs attention. They grab their iPod, put on Surfing On Sine Waves by Polygon Window, and begin their task, unaware of the mind-bending journey that lies ahead.



The First Mowing Spiral


Level 4 Geometry


The narrator begins mowing in a spiraling pattern, starting with the front lawn. At this point, they describe themselves as experiencing "Level 4 Geometry," which suggests a heightened awareness of shapes and patterns. The yard itself seems to be covered in a disorganized spread of trees—deciduous trees scattered in a seemingly random arrangement, and a row of coniferous trees lined along the road.


The narrator enters a mental state where the act of mowing becomes a complex interaction between the geometric patterns in their mind and the chaotic irregularities of nature. This becomes especially apparent when the narrator begins to mow around the trees.


The Battle with the Trees


The coniferous trees that appear near the fourth spiral turn seem to take on an almost menacing quality, described as “exploding fractalized pain cones.” Despite the perceived difficulty of mowing around these trees, the narrator compares them to the corners of the yard, which present an even greater challenge.


The Conundrum of Corners


Mowing around the corners, especially near the woods, proves to be a nearly impossible task. The narrator struggles with aligning the mower’s path to the already mowed grass, feeling as though they are a mechanical entity with a living organism inside. This dissonance between the mechanical process and the organic nature of the task exacerbates the difficulty.


The realization that the yard’s layout—straight lines along the driveway, road, and house—clashes with the irregular, squiggly line along the woods only heightens the frustration. The narrator becomes increasingly aware that they are stuck in a conflict between the neat geometric shape of a square they feel compelled to follow and the chaotic natural shape of the yard.



The Rhombus vs. The Square


The Struggle Between Perception and Reality


The narrator reflects on the conflicting demands of geometry and nature. In their mind, they believe the yard must be mowed in a perfect square, but the actual shape of the yard requires them to mow in a rhombus, with one side irregular due to the winding path along the woods. This mismatch creates an ongoing tension as the narrator unconsciously adheres to the square in their mind, while consciously trying to follow the true shape of the yard.


The result is a prolonged mowing process that takes two or three times longer than it normally would. The challenge lies in the difficulty of reconciling the idealized geometric shape with the reality of the yard’s physical layout.


The Impact of Drugs on Focus and Action


At this point in the trip, the influence of the drugs becomes increasingly apparent. The mowing process, though often performed unconsciously, is deeply affected by the psychedelic experience. The narrator’s perceptions are altered, and they find themselves caught between following their internal perception of perfect geometry and the reality of nature’s irregularities. The awareness of this conflict heightens the mental dissonance, further prolonging the task.



The Cyclical Nature of the Experience


Unconscious Movement and Overwhelming Visuals


Despite being so familiar with mowing the lawn, the narrator is unable to perform the task without a sense of disorientation. The repetitive nature of mowing—redone rows, forgotten realizations, and the need to adjust repeatedly—becomes a cycle that mirrors the cyclical patterns of the trip itself. The narrator finds themselves immersed in Overlapping Entoptic Visuals (OEVs), which further distract and disorient them during the task.


The Frustration of Repetition


The act of constantly redoing rows becomes a kind of mental loop, with the narrator caught in a cycle of discovery, forgetfulness, and repetition. Despite understanding the issue—being unable to align the mower with the previously mowed rows—the drugs’ effects on memory and perception create a situation where the task seems never-ending.


The continuous struggle to follow both the real and perceived geometry of the lawn provides one of the most mind-bending aspects of the trip. This repetitive motion feels like a constant state of trying to make sense of two conflicting realities—one structured and orderly, the other chaotic and unpredictable.



Reflections on Destruction and Life


The Mower as a Creature


As the mowing continues, the narrator begins to reflect on the destruction they are causing to the tiny life forms inhabiting the grass. The lawnmower, once seen as a mere tool, takes on an almost organic quality, transforming into a living creature in the narrator's mind. They observe its spinning blades and wonder about its purpose, imagining the mower’s mechanical parts as veins, teeth, and a stomach—a strange, living entity moving through the grass.


The Thought Process Behind the Actions


At times, the narrator contemplates the broader implications of their actions, considering the destruction of the tiny organisms in the lawn as part of a larger pattern of life and death. These thoughts seem to blur with their overall experience, where the nature of the mower, the grass, and the tiny living beings converge. There’s a sense of contemplation about the cyclical nature of life, death, and consumption.



Conclusion


The experience of mowing the lawn while under the influence of cannabis and LSD turns into a profound journey, where perceptions of geometry, nature, and self become entangled. The narrator's struggle to reconcile the perceived perfection of geometric order with the irregularity of the natural world creates a mental dissonance that extends the task into a timeless cycle. In the end, the mowing process becomes a metaphor for navigating life's contradictions, where idealized notions of perfection collide with the complexities of the real world. Through this experience, the narrator gains a unique perspective on the mundane, revealing the surreal complexity underlying every moment of daily life.