Uncommonly Asked Questions

I am filled with gratitude that you would want to support this endeavor by purchasing more than one pen, while also feeling deeply apologetic that I cannot accept your generosity in full.

No one owns more than one ayahuasca pen, including myself.

Vine and wood which is suitable for being turned into pens is scarce, and there is precious little of it.  The idea of many different people holding this wood as possible is an ideal I'd like to accomplish.

If you desire more than one Philosophy of Pen pen but already own one, please tell your friends about us and the work we and you are doing here. Or consider giving a one-of-a-kind gift.

Woods have this incredible ability to hold energy, and to me, contain an aura of sorts. 

This project was born out of two hobbies intertwining themselves together: seeds sown at the same time.  Philosophy of Pen was created in order to form a community of people who like writing or use it as a means of expression of contemplation, who appreciate handcrafted artistry which also happens to be a useful tool, and who are fellow wanderers and students of life.  There are also very few places on the internet where people can talk candidly about psychedelic usage and how those experiences affected them, so this site is meant to be an archive of sorts.

Philosophy of Pen pens have been used to close on large financial deals, sketch blueprints and scenery, take possession of houses, sign letters of reconnection and condolences, transcribe poetry, write a first-born's new name, record transcendent experiences, and many more uses waiting to be discovered. They're the kind of accessory equally at home on a work desk, as an everyday carry, in an immersive retreat, or gifted into the hands of a highly beloved one.  

People notice when you write with these.

There are a handful of palo santo pens and the even rarer ginkgo ones if you go digging; I have not seen or heard of anyone else turning ayahuasca into pens. Indeed, most of my site hits come from people searching on a search engine for a fine writing implement made from these woods/vines and (last time I checked) there's no one else.

If you do have experience turning these woods, or have access to other sacred woods (like cacao, shihuahuaco, niwe rao, poison ivy or other vines like renaquilla or wisteria, etc.) please contact me. I'd love to talk shop with you.

Technically - your pen will be made from wood or vine that has been cured (and in some cases stabilized and/or encased in resin), then meticulously turned with a variety of carbide tools, polished to a glass-like finish, and finally wrapped, packed, and shipped to you via USPS with tracking.

Metaphysically - I treat this as something of a deep meditation and inner work.  The shop, tools, wood blanks, and components are blessed with ceremonial-grade tobacco smoke and prayer before beginning the work.  Sometimes while turning I receive songs and melodies, which I then sing to the pen being crafted. On completion the pen is sealed with palo santo shavings smoke and the creation of that pen's enso.  Each Philosophy of Pen pen is created from start to finish with no other competing for attention; I do not batch pens or make them "production-style".  Everything is enveloped with enduring respect, deep love, and gratitude - from when I received the wood to until your pen reaches your hands.  Ceremonial-grade writing tools require the most conscious process I can muster, and it's my sincerest intention that you will be able to feel the difference.

Each pen comes with:

• a scroll of an enso - or Zen circle - hand-painted with hand-ground calligraphy ink on rice paper. This enso is created on the completion of your specific pen and contains your pen's number and name,

• your choice of color in smooth writing rollerball or ballpoint ink,

• a Certificate of Authenticity,

• a small bag of palo santo shavings retrieved from the turning of prior palo santo pens,

• one quick-light hookah coal on which to burn the above,

• a wooden box suitable for gifting,

• a handwritten letter,

• ginkgo pens only: the pen will be lying on a bed of dried ginkgo leaves, and

• whatever other items I feel called to send :)

In addition, purchasing a pen means your answers to these questions will be published on the website. You can be as anonymous or detailed as you prefer. Here, you get:

• to name your pen, and share the story of why you're choosing that name,

• an aesthetically pleasing website on which to write about something that has touched you deeply,

• if gifting: to share your admiration for who you're giving the pen to, and,

• to enjoy the anticipation. We're building a private community consisting of those who have purchased or have been gifted a Philosophy of Pen pen. It might start out small, like a Discord server or password-protected forum, but we will grow.  Details coming soon.

I've experienced it time and again that these pens find who they're supposed to go to.  I'm merely the middleman who facilitates the movement.

As such, all pens purchased from me carry a lifetime warranty - for my lifetime or yours, whichever one comes first.  If you ever run into any issues with your pen, whether that's on arrival or thirty years from now: contact me and we'll find a way to get it restored to the condition the wood deserves. 

This warranty applies whether the pen remains yours or leaves your possession.

I pay for shipping to and from you.

I have been making and repairing pens since 2016.

A fine pen is a cherished companion, whether that's at work, on vacation, or even at retreat in a jungle.  Given the wide range of conditions it can be exposed to it's imperative that a Philosophy of Pen pen is durable, beautiful, and respects the wood that it is paired with.

The platings used here are of the highest quality, with no expense spared.  Inferior quality metal will flake or dull over time.  Not so with these.  When a piece calls for a golden metal component what you see is gold titanium, which wears much harder and patinas more nicely over time compared to 24k gold. Similar deal with rhodium plating versus chrome.

If a finish hasn't been rigorously tested by myself it will not be used.

33% of every sale will go to your choice of charity - this is one-third of the purchase price.  Below are your options.

• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.  This is the larger, more well-known of your two choices. I have given my time as a medical volunteer in psychedelic harm reduction contexts (Burning Man, Lightning in a Bottle and other festivals, and as an RN tripsitter) since 2012, and I firmly approve of MAPS' use of the scientific method to find effective ways in treating persistent mental disorders.  Their Charity Navigator score is here.

• The International Association of Penturners, the all-volunteer forum where I learned how to turn, and you can too.  This hobby at this junction is populated by wise older men who have spent their lives as engineers, mechanics, house-builders, coal miners, and LOVE pens. This site concentrates all their brilliant tips and tricks into one place. This is important to me because every year we lose a few more of these "pen grandpas" to sickness and old age. Sometimes they're awkward in the way older men can be but it's a wholesome community that really cares about its members - even right past the end. Your donation helps build outreach for a hobby where you can really make a difference as an individual, preserving knowledge that would otherwise be lost and attracting young creatives looking for a pasttime that may influence the time they spend alone in a positive way.

There is also the option to split your donation - that is, 1/6th of the total price of your pen goes to both - equaling one-third.

Working with vines comes with its own special considerations.  As opposed to wood, vines don't have growth rings and do not grow in a predictable upright manner, like a tree.  These lead to unusual areas of tension and compression/decompression within the vine itself, and seem to me to be a little more difficult to work.

The ayahuasca used in these pens come from a single 3' long vine of sustainably-sourced Ecuadorian ayahuasca.  It was a beautiful piece - even dried - and quite difficult to obtain as most such vines harvested are used in ceremony.  When it is discoverable as a whole piece, it's usually found merely in slices as beads, ornaments, and so forth.  It was then stabilized and placed into resin by Casey at Wine Country Woodworks, and he did an amazing job.  Never gotten bubbles or voids in the resin or wood. He puts effort into his blank-making and it shows.

After making pens for my closest friends and family there is not much of this vine left.

Side note. The ayahuasca brew one drinks is comprised of two components: a DMT-containing plant (usually chacruna) and the ayahuasca vine itself (which contains the MAO inhibitor necessary for said DMT to not be broken down rapidly in your liver). These pens only contain the ayahuasca vine. You will not get high from touching, using, or even swallowing your pen.  Which, please don't do that, because voiding your lifetime warranty would be the least of your problems. :)

Palo Santo trees are typically cut down and left to cure on the ground, sometimes for upwards of a decade.  During this time the volatile compounds in the heartwood migrate to the outer, lighter sapwood - imbuing it with its characteristic scent.  Indeed - like a fine wine or aged spirit - a longer wait produces strength and nuance in the smell.  As demand for the wood goes higher, this cure time decreases, resulting in a blander smelling wood.  The splinters of palo santo now found in metaphysical shops usually contain a fraction of the fragrance the wood from even five years ago used to have.  And because it's economically advantageous to splinter the palo santo for sale as incense, it's challenging to find pieces suitable for mounting on a lathe to turn.

Philosophy of Pen's palo santo is harvested through a partnership with a small-scale farm in Peru, where the fallen trees are left to age accordingly.  After the curing process the wood is cut into blocks instead of splintered.  This helps it retain its scent.  After the pen is created, one can still smell the wood through multiple layers of cyanoacrylate.  Every palo santo pen comes with a bag of the shavings cast off from the making of the very same pen.

You can dive into any facet of ginkgos being awesome, and this is my favorite fact - these trees can switch sex.  Although Ginkgo biloba is a dioecious species, meaning it has separate male and female trees, certain environmental conditions or stresses may induce a sex change.  A tree that predominantly functions as one sex may produce branches or portions of the other sex, or even completely change its sex over time.  This rare feature is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to ensure survival and reproduction under varying circumstances.  Prepare for a ride if you click on that article. :)

Philosophy of Pen's ginkgo was harvested from a tree in Illinois, USA which was felled to widen a road.  It's unknown whether it was a male or female tree.  I was able to obtain two blocks roughly 10"x4"x8" in dimension.  Being a softer wood without obvious growth rings, it's necessary to stabilize this wood in order to prevent tear-out while turning.  This process hardens the ginkgo: making it durable, increasing the heft to a pleasing level in the hand, and adding visual interest. 

Your pen's number - also found on your pen's enso scroll - tells you how many pens have come before yours in this collection of sacred woods.  These numbers will one day have a use; for now, they're just for bookkeeping.

We're working one establishing a partnership with a local business so you can hold pens/tools that have not been claimed yet.  The vibe has to be right; we'll update you when we've found it!

No special care is needed for a Philosophy of Pen pen, but there are some common sense tasks you can do to keep it looking its best.

• Do not submerse or drop your pen in liquid, as this increases the risk of delaminating the protective cyanoacrylate finish from the wood.  

• If you suspect there's acid on your hands, wash them before you touch your pen. This includes after eating acidic fruits (such as those found in the jungle on retreat) or vomit from post-psychedelic consumption.

• Keep it in a sleeve when not in use.

• Wipe with something soft and grit-free to spiff your pen back up. Eyeglasses cloths or chamois will work.

I am accepting custom orders on a limited basis - for bullet pens only.  Details are here.

Examples of special materials I've worked with have included:

• "the climbing tree" in front of a grandparent's house given in a pen to all five grandchildren at the grandparent's funeral,

• lilac from a bush beside the client's first home,

• bullet pens made from the spent casings from the military gun salutes at veterans' funerals (see above),

• decommissioned stadium seats specific to your sports team,

• alligator jaws cast in resin,

• wedding and funeral flowers cast in resin,

• cremain pens with the ashes of a loved human or pet,

• hybrid burl pizza cutters and other fine kitchen implements,

• etc.

If it can be mounted on a lathe, it may be able to be turned.

If there is a pen available for purchase, click the black button beneath the listing. From there, you will be directed to a form with questions to be answered at your leisure. After submitting this form, the link to pay will appear.

Understand that buying a Philosophy of Pen pen means that your answers to the following will be published on the website, as part of the project.

• What's your name?

• What is the story behind the name you've chosen for your pen?

• What words would you like to share with others who might be reading this, or might get to know you through this project?

• Giving Back fund choice:

Inquiries kindly use renee@beechens.com.  I endeavor to respond as quickly as life allows.