posted October 29, 2010 12:55 PM         

The following review has special application to those who would seek to dismiss this book out-of-hand once they get an inkling of the controversial positions it describes. My questions and comments to these people are as follows:

Have you read Eisler's "The Chalice And The Blade", the anthropological text upon which McKenna bases much of his argument? More importantly, have you experienced psilocybin (not a small dose, but the 5 dried gram dosage recommended by the author)? Have you ever tried to induce a mystical experience by ingesting a sufficient dose of this sacred medicine? If not, then what makes you think you have a leg to stand on? Apparently, this is an experience which you won't even allow to be included in your model of the world. And, yet, did you happen to notice the cultural revolution in civil rights and anti-war sentiment which occurred during America's brief exposure to psychedelics?

Are you at all familiar with shamanism, the oldest form of spiritual practice on the planet? Have you researched the various indigenous societies around the world which have been safely utilizing plant allies for centuries, if not millenia? Are you familiar with their peaceful way of life? They work an average of sixteen hours a day -- they aren't slaves to a fanatical work ethic. They don't promote a way of life which entails the massive waste of human and environmental resources, and the accumulation of untold tons of junk. They never posed a threat to the survival of all animal life on this planet, as we're doing now. They don't live superficial, unreflective, spiritually-bankrupt lives, as the vast majority of Americans do. They wouldn't know the meaning of a "post-modern existential crisis". These people never fell from grace. They're dancing in the Garden of Eden as we speak. That doesn't interest you??

Psychedelics may seem to be a fringe issue, existing in the margins of human experience, but in many cultures, and for thousands of years, they are or have been recognized as a central part of how we establish harmonious conditions within ourselves, between each other, and in the natural world.

McKenna traces the history of man from a unique perspective, drawing attention to a previously neglected, yet formidable, dimension of human experience; namely, our relation to the plant kingdom. He illustrates, with the exactness and discipline of a true scholar, how we have co-evolved with certain plant species, and how human consciousness has (and, consequently, how human events have) shifted in relation to the chemicals we have sanctioned. The abiding interest of mankind in experiencing novel tastes and states of consciousness is, for McKenna, something we need to acknowledge and come to terms with, if we are to reach the next stage of evolution. Just as sexuality was demonized and repressed during Victorian times, our culture is demonizing and repressing the natural human urge to experiment with, and to expand, uncommon states of consciousness through the ingesting of psychedelic compounds.

As philosopher Alan Watts wrote in his book "The Joyous Cosmology; Adventures in The Chemistry of Consciousness": "There is no difference in principle between sharpening perception with an external instrument, such as a microscope, and sharpening it with an internal instrument such as one of these... If they are an affront to the dignity of the mind, the microscope is an affront to the dignity of the eye and the telephone to the dignity of the ear."

I suggest you look into the recent study conducted by John's Hopkins University, in which psilocybin was administered to subjects who subsequently rated it among the five most significant and transformative experiences of their lives. Rigorous scientific evidence now exists to support the claim that states of awareness induced by psilocybin are indistinguishable from those experienced by the great saints and mystics of all time. I submit to you that there is nothing more humble than a mushroom, and that nothing is more humbling than finding God in a mushroom. "The fool laughs when he hears the way. If the fool did not laugh, it wouldn't be the way." (~ Lao Tzu) In short, your dismissive scoffing is grossly insufficient to dispute the solid evidence in support of these claims.

posted October 29, 2010 12:58 PM         

"There is a world beyond ours, a world that is far away, nearby, and invisible. And there it is where God lives, where the dead live, the spirits and the saints, a world where everything has already happened and everything is known. That world talks. It has a language of its own. I report what it says. The sacred mushroom takes me by the hand and brings me to the world where everything is known. It is they, the sacred mushrooms, that speak in a way I can understand. I ask them and they answer me. When I return from the trip that I have taken with them, I tell what they have told me and what they have shown me."
~ Maria Sabina, Mazatec Wise Woman

Medical Magic Mushrooms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK06bEmk5jI

CNN story on John's Hopkin's University study
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7yKpvBQhTw

Richard Alpert Talk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mReRUfZf0_w

"I particularly like speaking to very conservative groups, where I 'm introduced with everything except psychedelics. 'He was at Harvard and did research on consciousness, and went to India." And, what happened, something's missing. I get up and I say, 'The most significant single event of my life happened on March 6, 1961 when Tim Leary gave me psilocybin.' And I can feel the lips [in the crowd] get very tight. And I say, 'I've taken it hundreds of times since then; LSD and all of them. And so you must assume that anybody who's done that must be psychotic. But I would point out that you paid to come hear me.'... And I can honestly say that what happened to me in 1961 was so - whatever it was, I am still growing into it now. That it has guided the course of my life. That it cut through at such a profound level my ability to keep people as them. And though I've tried (because this culture is very good at keeping everybody as them, so that you're almost totally alienated), whatever it was that happened to me then keeps undercutting my ability to distance myself from other people in my mind without realizing I'm doing a mind-trip on myself. Because the inner validity of the experience of us was so profound."
~ Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)

posted October 30, 2010 08:31 PM         

quote:

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if one is prone to instability, then using psychedelics can be harmful.

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If one is prone to instability, then driving a car can be harmful. Doing anything can be harmful. Indeed, NOT having a psychedelic awakening can be harmful. And this is absolutely true, I think, in the vast majority of people whom we tend to think of as "stable". By not having this experience, they are likely to contribute to far more harm, to themselves and to the community.

In cultures where entheogens are prevalent, so-called "unstable" people are considered gifted. They become the medicine men and women who take entheogens most regularly. Of course, our culture is very different. Our instability is not the same as theirs, since ours is often induced or exacerbated by the instability of the culture itself. But the sensitivity, once awakened, is the same, whatever it's causes may be. The real difference has to do with the environment in which the entheogens are taken, and to which one must return when the trip ends.

In a culture like ours, unless you have a rural area, far removed from anyone who might take issue with your altered state, you can only take this medicine in an atmosphere of paranoia, under threat of persecution. The chief "side-effect" to be concerned about is possible imprisonment. Not the mushroom, but the culture, is the real danger. Great care must be taken in a culture like ours. One should be in the company of a trusted friend, or friends. Preferably, at least one friend present should be "sober". The likelihood of running into unknown people, and especially authorities, should be minimal. If you've never partaken before, your first time should be with a relatively small dose. Risks can never be entirely eliminated, but the benefits far outweigh the risks, provided you use a little common sense.

Taking them alone is very risky, since there's nobody to stop you if you decide to do something likely to draw attention to yourself (always a bad idea). Although, if you are already somewhat familiar with the experience, and if your dose is not too high, you can get away without having a "sitter" present. In my youth, I frequently took them with a group of friends, all of us tripping. We never got into trouble. But I don't recommend that. And I strongly discourage tripping alone.

As I said, the other problem involves returning to this culture, after having seen "the truth". You've read about Near Death Experiences. Upon returning to the body, the subject is overcome with depression, -- sometimes mild, sometimes severe. This is difficult to describe, because there is tremendous ambivalence. On the one hand, you return strengthened, encouraged, validated, and purified by the trip. On the other hand, you may be all the more sensitive to how tragically the culture denies and betrays the values and insights of the psychedelic experience. You have seen the mountaintop of revelation, but now you return to the valley of tears. Every mystic reports identical experiences of this.

Lastly, with your new insight and conviction, you may be motivated to take a greater part in the struggle. Throughout history, the experience of authentic revelation has inspired mystics to become martyrs. Identified with the whole, and less concerned for their personal well-being, they make a public stand. The immediate and inevitable result, of course, is the cross, or the stake, -- or, in modern times, the asylum or the penitentiary. From the perspective of the ego, this is a tragedy. But, from another perspective, it may be a truly heroic victory. One small step into the fray for man, one giant leap into the future for mankind.

It depends what your mission entails. Even fully inspired, it's not always necessary to call attention to yourself, or engage in something which will make you a target of the establishment. You have to be smart. Many people find ways to covertly, yet not-so-subtly, undermine the culture. Whatever action you take, though, will almost certainly be a victory for the soul, and for the people. Of course, there will always be fools and, though few and far between, Charles Mansons. But the percentage is minuscule, and not worth a great deal of apprehensiveness.

posted November 05, 2010 10:08 AM         

I'm learning to respect other people's beliefs, provided they aren't hateful. The visual stuff you mentioned is fairly common at low doses, and it is, unfortunately, what most people think of when they hear the word "psychedelic". (For my part, I mostly encounter those visuals when I try to meditate; I see all sorts of distracting colors and patterns of the backs of my eyelids.)

The things that really interest me, though, including the experience of ego-death, occur at higher doses. Granted, you can meditate for ten hours a day, for the next forty years, and you might experience these states. Maybe that's the safest and surest way to do it. Maybe not. Maybe it depends a lot on your predisposition. I'm more Uranian than Saturnian, so I tend to believe in the existence of short-cuts. We'll see. In any case, I'm not about to spend my life in the lotus position. I'm still exploring this method, and finding it fascinating.

posted November 06, 2010 09:46 AM         

It sucks that I'm still thinking about this on my birthday. You had an idea about avoiding threads you don't like. But here you are, trying to cut down, with one narrow, snarky little sentence, something I care deeply about, and have compiled numerous arguments and articles of evidence in favor of. Seriously, WTF?

posted November 07, 2010 03:20 PM         

Youve taken my simple statement way too seriously & read into it too much. It was a funny comment meant to make you chuckle and I didnt think it would upset you! It wasnt given in a snarky manner!

posted November 08, 2010 10:29 AM         

yes, i do know "what I did" & my intentions of just being fun.

posted November 08, 2010 11:17 AM         

Do me a favor and think before you make dumb jokes like that.

And, while you're at it, stop alluding to past disputes between us on other threads. I appreciate you not using my name, but the hints are still there. If you MUST discuss past conflicts, try to be honest about it. Don't put words in my mouth. And don't pretend you didn't do anything to provoke the words I did say. Also, try to remember which one of us apologized at the time, and which one of us is still dragging it through the mud months later. Basically, if you have nothing nice to say, then drop it. Go talk sh!t with your catty friends behind my back, and keep it off the forum. Thanks.

As for starting drama...

posted November 08, 2010 11:49 AM         

Obviously neither of you gets where the other is coming from. Both of you get under the other's skin. Why not just avoid each other?

I don't think T is an insensitive person. She just seems insensitive to Valus. And vice versa.