curated espresso can unlock the bitter-sweet complex or the tikta madhur rasa, one of the six rasas or complexes of Āyurveda. i have written about this algorithm with reference to the astringency complex that can be accessed through single malt scotch, which triggers a process of systemic cleansing. similarly, accessing the bitter-sweet complex in its purity has significant impact: as explained by Dr. Sumit Kesarkar in the BitterMatrix foundational video, it pacifies the inflammatory parameters that occur when the system is overwhelmed or overloaded by hormones or metabolic waste that it cannot digest and cannot throw out.
i introduced espresso as a sacrament in my dinacaryā in spring last year, in what happened to be a period of extreme stress for me. notably, i didn’t introduce espresso because i was in a period of stress, and i did not begin exploring with a set target, the events just happened to align in this way sequentially. as i have previously shared on my social media, i have exhibited symptoms of mild ocd since childhood, which used to be triggered and intensified in periods of high stress.
this was the case in spring, as well; my system became overwhelmed while trying to process the stressful input i was receiving and my mind became prone to compulsions. although i was using mind-based techniques (such as REBT) and other tools to process and manage myself, it was only when espresso was coincidentally introduced that i was able to reach a baseline on top of which the mind-based techniques could function effectively, and on top of which my whisky explorations came as a most effective culmination.
the transmutation was definitely not easy nor an over-night one, yet i can confidently share that through the combination of these tools, themselves entwined with tools of sound and breath of experiential Tantra, my mental landscape is incredibly different than it was almost a year ago. in fact, i find that the tools are continuously rewiring it on an almost day to day basis, as experiential Tantra goes.
additionally, i have learned that incipient academic studies are being conducted on the effects that caffeine (espresso or dark coffee). additionally, i have learned that incipient academic studies are being conducted on the effects that caffeine (such as espresso or dark coffee) have on treating conditions such as ocd, which i’m very excited about. will share more about my own explorations and the BitterMatrix research, too.
last year in the Himālayas, i was bundled up in dozens of layers, and sought with my all to be as warm and comfortable as possible (which, looking back, was a futile attempt regardless!). this year, i challenged myself to wear as minimal clothes as i could (although i did succumb to the puffer jacket at times!).
amaryllis 