alcohol:ego::psychedelics:ego-loss

[shadowbox]

I just wanted to say that I find it absolutely absurd that alcohol is legal & psychedelics are illegal. The negative effect (exploded ego) that alcohol has on the world is monstrous in comparison to what the world would be like if psychedelics were at the very least understood & accepted. The shrinking of the ego effect that psychedelics offer is incredibly valuable (one pure experience may change your perspective on everything).

No one ever discusses this on these forums for some reason. But this is a major reason the world is the way it is (a handful of awakened individuals versus the typical beer-guzzling mindless football fan, etc)

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[BlueGem]

hey shadowbox, you beat me to it with this thread!

I wholly agree with legalizing non-addictive substances such as psychedelics. It's very patronising to be told that "You can't have that because it's dangerous", without even making your mind up for yourself. Since the age of about 10 I wanted to try cannabis to see what the fuss was about, having seen plenty of images of happy rasta guys or college stoners etc. It's important to take the issue of legality into the argument. Look at Holland, it has pretty much the lowest percentage of drug use in Europe. I'm pretty sure it's because people there got bored of weed. In order to stop us realising such a simple truth, cannabis was labelled a "Gateway Drug", which is the stupidest thing I've heard in a while. None of my friends are on heroin yet, but I'm sure we'll be proven wrong soon enough, eh?

I think everyone should at least try one or two psychoactive chemicals in their lifetime. Apart from experiencing heightened senses, cool visualisations, feelings of extreme peace and harmony, they can help people become more open. They can change your perspective on things in a very positive way. I used to suffer from depression for years and was on a variety of medication, some of which actually made me worse. It was terrible but then I started smoking cannabis and tried mushrooms a few times. I took myself off all my meds and within a few months I was back on track. I can understand my mind a lot more clearly now, and am confident I have the power to eliminate depression from the rest of my life. Yes, drugs are powerful and some people have a bad time with them, but my theory is that they were not ready at the time, or were abusing the privilege.

Alcohol and cigarette related deaths are a leading cause of admissions to hospitals, costing us all a fortune. But instead of getting rid of these institutions (that would cost WAY too much) they simply increase tax, while at the same time they are funding anti-smoking campaigns and drink awareness advertising. Talk about the illusion of choice. Pretty patronising, non?

[Rantaak]

A lot of these psychedelics made their way to the west around the 60's, before Nixon started taking them and fatefully realized that the utilization of such tools inevitably resulted in giving power to the individual. They then went from being therapeutical tools to being brashly generalized as "rampage inducing drugs." Imagine if you were a pharaoh and you came to this knowledge. Would you want your slaves to wake up from their sleeping stupor and remember who and what they really are? Would you want them to take their power back? Of course not! You would want a nation of slaves!

Terence McKenna believes that this particular cultural disparity has existed since the beginning of agriculture, which I think is interesting.

The people who have effectively utilized these tools usually come to one of two conclusions:
1) This is wonderful and has the power to cure all of our internal problems on the level of the individual, resulting in the essential liberation of every human being from the shackles of illusion.
2) This is too powerful to fall into the hands of the common man, therefore I must keep this as secret as possible and make it difficult for others to obtain so that I can keep all of this power for myself.

The people who haven't done these things usually come to one of two conclusions:
1) According to scientific studies (which I place my faith in) these substances induce schizophrenia.
2) I am terrified that what people who have been experiencing these things say is absolutely correct and thus I am terrified by the implications so I will remain "little me" and let the bold and intrepid chart these territories so that the knowledge gained can naturally trickle its way through society in a global-conformist sense.

I am personally beginning to suspect that nature itself only has the capacity to support a limited amount of talented musicians (so to speak), and that the bifurcation of belief regarding these things as well as the fact that all of these wise people keep dying suggests some sort of emergent balance rooted very deeply in the laws of our energetic universe.

It is not only the surpassing of ego that these substances offer, but also the widening of ones channel to source by virtue of acquainting ones memory and thus mind with the most basic (though beyond time and space) properties of energy and matter. The primary lasting effects I have observed of the experiences engendered by these tools appear to manifest in the linguistic processes of ones consciousness. I believe that the natural language of our mind, spirit, and body are all connected from source, schematization, and all the way down to our DNA. This explains why one can notice that upon undergoing a transformation as such, the physical body will actually change to look a bit different. Ego talking: strangers stare at me all of the time, sometimes they will even say, "You look so familiar!" This is because I have furthered my alignment on these aforementioned levels with the archetypal nature of the universe, ultimately resulting in a deepened connection with source.

Use your knowledge wisely and conservatively. I would not recommend evangelism of any sort, as that can be dangerous. With power comes great responsibility.

[bodhii71]

While I agree whole heartily with the opinion that such plants and chemicals are of great importance and can and would benefit mankind, there can be a negative side to these as well.
It is of my opinion that it's an accelerated path to either destruction or enlightenment. Those who are unwilling to the experience and remain grasping to the self and ego have a hard time, especially without a mentor or shaman/ way shower.
Even with such a person, it still requires the assimilation of the experience, and that is up to the individual's strength and spiritual awareness.
It seems to me that a single 'trip' is probably a lifetime's worth of the "mundane", in a focused span of time.
It is in essence a miracle waiting to happen.

[BlueGem]

Bodhii71, I agree when you say its a path to enlightenment or destruction. That's why I say people who have a bad experience simply weren't ready at the time. For me it was, but I am not advocating the use of anything like that for recreational use, which I see as more an abuse of a gift than anything else.

It was the right time for to do what I did, and it helped me overcome some blocks in my life, so yay.