This is just a general truth, but is more sensitively felt while tripping on mushrooms. Yes, depression has roots in your thoughts. It is your own value system that has de-valued yourself, and you accordingly feel the results. Remember I said adults cling to petty judgments -- even about themselves. Don't let yourself be your #1 enemy in your thoughts is the best advice I can give.

More generally, it's easier to hate than love in this world. Why is that? What purpose does it serve? Why are thoughts utilized this way? Understanding this is like a key to which you will unlock the gate to your true happiness. Yet be sure not to slip to temptation and justify attack or hatred. The same thoughts that project hatred or attack upon others will be used against oneself as both sword & shield (you will attack yourself for [x] and also start to become defensive about [x]).

I'll definitely hit you up on that -- I got friends in LA.

Yep meditation is yet another form of strengthening the resolution within yourself that you have power over your mind. Psychedelics show you this insofar as your effects are felt almost immediately -- this is why I said your thoughts can spiral up or down. Negative feelings must be taken responsibility for with one self and that is all. Even if you were burning at the stake, fear has no utility.

Fear is the ego's chief instrument in ensuring its command over your mind. Humans have not woken up yet to the deeper Life inside of them, and as a result feel victims, and as a result believe fear (and attack) is justified. Veiled in one action or another is the constant reminder that you will die, and it is this idol you serve when you are experiencing fear.

When one is completely silent in meditation, their identification is slowly dissolving from ego to Life. You are sinking into your mind and realizing more & more that your feelings come from your own valuations upon your projections. When this is recognized, the great game you play of devil & angel on each shoulder becomes meaningless and conflict (and thus fear) is dissolved with it. Yet to those who cling to their body for identification and purpose will have a sad life indeed for it is guaranteed to fail.

Now, if you really want to take it even further, I would explain that this world is not real but rather a dream of Hell that we have summoned after purposefully forgetting our creator ("biting the apple", "great fall") so we could be our creators in complete opposition to God. As a result, all fear is rooted in the fear of God and serves as witness that you are what you are not (you are life; you cannot be not life `A != !A`, but having infinite power you can will yourself to forget and live out a dream). Sleeping dreams are merely re-enactments of the great fall we took as one and you get to play out your egotistical desires & fears. In short, fear is never justified because of who you are and any value system with it as its underpinning is not to be trusted.

Meditation experience helps a ton! I tell anyone thinking of doing mushrooms/lsd to start meditating for 20 minutes to an hour a day.

Meditating an hour or so before ingesting your substance of choice and then continuing to meditate until you come up helps to ease the stress of going into a trip.. Stress and trips are bad so making that as limited as possible is always good. Set and setting are key here.