Yesterday manjit left a marvelous comment on my post, "Psilocybin could be in my future, thanks to Oregon's legalization." It deserved more attention than most comments get, so I've copied it in below.
There's a lot to appreciate in the comment. For now I'll simply note that manjit correctly draws connections between mystical experiences arising from meditation (often or usually) and psychedelic experiences arising from ingestion of a substance such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, or mescaline.
This is not at all a crackpot idea. The June 2024 issue of Scientific American has an article called "Beyond the Veil: What near-death experiences tell us about human consciousness." Here's an excerpt that pertains to what manjit says in his comment.
Roland Griffiths, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University who pioneered studies of psilocybin and who died last October, reported similar findings [to the similarities between people who have had near-death experiences, NDE, and people who have had a DMT experience] with his colleagues in 2022.
The authors compared 3,192 people who had undergone an NDE, a psychedelic drug trip or a non-drug-induced mystical experience. The team found "remarkably similar" long-term outcomes across subjects in all three groups, including a reduced fear of death and lasting positive effects of insights they had gained.
Of course, to have a NDE you have to almost die; to have a non-drug-induced mystical experiences you either have to trust it will happen unexpectedly sometime or try to induce it through intense meditation or some other spiritual practice; but to have a psychedelic drug trip you just need to ingest a psychedelic substance.
Here's manjit's comment. It's lengthy, but well worth reading. I've inserted an image that was linked to and broken up some long paragraphs into several shorter ones.
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Congratulations on making one of the best decisions in your life! My upmost respect to you for having the courage to try new and potentially "scary" (it won't be, it will be amongst the most beautiful, loving & healing experiences you will ever have in your life, if not THE most!) things in the spirit of open-mindedness, curiosity and exploring the depths of mind, existence and reality itself. Bravo Sir, Bravo.
If I may take a few moments to round up a few of the usual suspects from the comments section and re-capitulate previous comments of mine on this blog before I return to your upcoming sojourn with the sublime.....
"Brian dives down one rabbit hole after another - all mind games. Brian received Nam........ My answer to all of you is to receive Nam and prove it for yourselves."
No Kool-Aid
The Gratuitous Grace of Nam?
Yes sir. Follow these lifelong vows, wherever your life may take you. Meditate on my form for 3 hours a day, every day, for the rest of your life. However dull and joyless that 12.5% of your day that may be. Do this for 30 years and you may, just perhaps, if you're very, very lucky, get a snippet of a lucid dream that lasts 1 minute which you can obsess and fetishize over for the few remaining years of your life!
But only if you're one of the lucky ones (I mean, check out the endless stream of initiates in RSSB Q&As, many of whom are in the later stages of life, who have achieved precisely nothing with their "gift" of "nam", truth be told)!
The author of this comment has not considered how absurd and disconnected from reality this comment must be, to call "Nam" a "gift" to somebody who has not only been initiated and meditating using the prescribed method for DECADES, but was also considered "knowing" enough to be both a satsang speaker and official book author, and for whom this so called "gift", for which he and every initiate has had to pay a very large and oppressive price, has done absolutely fuck all for in that time. Maybe DO consider that, before flinging around claims of non-existent "gifts".
The Sacred Mushrooms on the other hand? Come, come one and all.....this way, entrance is free, just partake of this REAL Gratuitous Grace, no sacrifice or vows to make, just eat! Success is assured, regardless of one's worthiness or preparation.
That is what a gift is, or at least should be. You just need to have the balls to accept it, like Brian courageously has.
Ingesting the sacred mushrooms is like a GENUINE initiation into the mysteries, the real deal which the initiations of the son of men is a mere shadow of a reflection of. The "connection" will be immediate and known with 100% certainty, unlike the drab soul-less "initiations" of the son of men, beturbaned cultural patriarchs, conmen and fraudsters, which even 40 years and thousands upon thousands of hours of meditation later has "connected" you with absolutely nothing of any note beyond feeling slightly relaxed and a partially recalled lucid dream.
Where Mushrooms are like a wild, raging ocean, the initiations of man are like a singular drop of water in a vast desert....pointless. I know of someone who was shabd this and shabd that, but their entire "naam" bhakti was torn away with a few swigfuls of Ayahuasca, it was nowhere to be found. Imagine that, the drop gets swallowed by the ocean! This is not allegorical or even exaggerated, it is literally a true story. Y'all can't even get through a psychedelic experience without losing "nam", and think you will be able to cope with death by clinging to it? Hehe. Ahhh, jokes.
Sant64 wrote:
"Shrooms are totally safe."
Yes, they absolutely are (with a reasonable degree of certainty, with the right precautions taken)! Here is a chart from a scientific study showing the social and personal dangers of a variety of drugs, including tobacco and alcohol. As you rightly state, mushrooms are extremely safe, the safest of all the substances listed, which is incredible:
https://images.app.goo.gl/KSPpPXMrRUGsT2nJ6
"Did we learn nothing from the 60s?"
Yes; Civil rights, women's rights, anti imperialist war sentiments, awareness of the corruption of our own governments, the explosion of colour in our culture, be it through music, movies, tv, writings or other art forms, all of which by extension has revolutionised and evolved the human consciousness across the globe.
You see, like most of us, the author of these comments does not appreciate how the cosmos (our physical reality) and psyche (mind, being) are intimately related, and co-evolve. It is no coincidence that LSD was discovered just 2 years before the atom bomb, or that colour TV was invented, or that there were vast cultural and existential upheavals in all areas of life from the scientific, social, political and individual level which totally radicalised and revolutionised the western mind and society. It was literally a black and white world, and LSD was clearly one of the chief sacraments which helped catalyze this change.
Some people may be sad to see black people and women get equal rights, for colour to implode into our culture, but I suspect history will see this as evolution in a participatory epistemology.
In regards the alleged lack of benefits on the individual level, in Lennon, Ram Dass et al....really? Who is anyone to judge the subjective lived experience of these people? The evidence, scientific and anecdotal, is in and it is clear, and it is everywhere; psychedelics can be and very often are extremely beneficial for the user on multiple levels, increasing their sense of connection with life, joy, happiness and love for months if not years from just one dose!
The benefits in my life have been persistent and I suspect permanent. The world, from the outside, like Sant64, may question the value of these things, but the experiencer themself will have a knowing, inner smile, born of contentment which far transcends such petty, close-minded, impoverished views. The fraudulent "Satgurus" get less criticism than those who don't pretend to be holy but have, nonetheless, truly kissed the Divine. We are all human. But to be human has oh so much untapped potential!
To Ron, I would just say consider open-mindedness, curiosity and courage are positive and healthy human traits. Living in a small box, don't conflate it for the cosmos at large. In regards your constant referral to the "brain" and "chemicals" generating or altering human consciousness, I referred earlier to the remarkable, psychedelically soaked 50s & 60s.
I would suggest those who abide within a materialist reductionist worldview, and think that saying things like "the brain creates consciousness" is a smart, full and complete "explanation" for reality, move beyond 17th century Newtonian physics, catch up on 18th century Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant, then make your way to the glorious 1960s, 1962 to be precise (again, it is no coincidence), and familiarise yourselves on Popper's Conjectures and Refutations & Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
The "brain creates consciousness" is just a word-prison. And a banal one at that, dress it up how you might.
Reality is Mystery. With a capital M. Mystery on all sides, infinite and vast, and if you think your simple human conceptions of "brain creates consciousness" explains a single thing, you are suffocating in your little human conceptual word-prison.
Perhaps a healthy dose of psilocybe mushrooms can help you break out of that tiny word-prison and face the real, vast, incomprehensible Mystery that is being, consciousness and cosmos? :)
If you are not experiencing perpetual awe, astonishment, joy and love....truly and absolutely.....then you have not understood reality.
As for psychedelics not being "natural", this is one of those dualistic, conceptual canards, a belief system grounded in conceptual confusion and ignorance. Our everyday "normal" waking state of consciousness is itself connected to, modulated, mediated or filtered by, a whole cascade of "chemicals". Plants and fungi have co-evolved with humanity, and it is no accident that some of them have the ability to so profoundly alter our consciousness that it can generate huge & rapid leaps in human evolution (Indian religions are grounded in the Vedas, which praise "soma" as the vehicle to God realisation, and Soma is clearly described as a psycho-active fungi or plant.
Greek philosophers, mystics and all other culturally significant persons participated in the Eleusinian Mysteries, or other Mystery schools, which consisted of ingesting a psychedelic sacrament. They considered this the most important aspect of their culture, and the ground of their knowledge and understanding of higher things. The ideas that emerged from these experiences has profoundly influenced and guided the entire course of human history, thought and reality to this very day with the whole of western philosophy being essentially a cyclical recapitulation & evolution of the Plato-Aristotle dialectic.).
Our "natural" body contains within it DMT, it has been found in both the brain and lungs of human subjects. The chemical structure of psilocybin is 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-DMT. Yes, both the human being and the fungi have co-evolved with DMT running through their very breath and brains....a remarkable and "natural" connection!
So, whilst the yogi sits in a dark cave, squatting with his thumbs in his ears, following a strict diet and lifestyle restrictions, for hours upon hours, years on end, in the hope of releasing some endogenous (already existing within the body) DMT, the other fella falls upon some Gratuitous Grace and accidentally eats some psilocybe mushrooms, and finds themselves, even more reliably, in the same space of light and sound phantasmagoria. Nature provides.
For, isn't that, scientifically speaking, what is happening here? Isn't it clear with what we now know, that Soami Ji's Sach Khand and beyond were just intense internal cascades of endogenous DMT release enabled by the intense, "unnatural" practice or technologies of meditation? Is it a coincidence that DMT is found most heavily concentrated in the lungs, and that the original and most efficacious practices of shabd and most other yoga technologies involves breathwork or pranayama? God has given us a brain, so just as somebody evolved the shabd yoga practice, we have now evolved to understand what that technology is actually doing to our brain and bodies, so we can, nay, are obliged to evolve "shortcuts"......just when our society and culture requires them. Gratuitous Grace.
Having experienced an intense, completely "natural" kundalini and non-dual awakening some 25 odd years ago, I can from personal experience attest that the most intense aspects of that "kundalini awakening" were incredibly similar, if not entirely identical to, a very high dose of psilocybe mushrooms. Same same.
As for the cost, or people making money off it.....c'mon, what kind of BS idealist planet are people on! Are you expecting commercial enterprises to provide this service for free? In America? Isn't that a bit disingenuous? I've checked out the site Brian linked, and whilst I don't know anything about them or the price they charge, they seem perfectly respectable and I'm sure will provide a very decent and safe environment for Brian to have his first experience in.
Brilliant! It is SO about time decent human beings are able to explore their own consciousness and not be criminalised for it, and with such ease and security, especially for those who are a bit older. If he can afford it, why not? And besides, if money is a factor, mushrooms can of course be grown very easily and cheaply at home, especially for anyone with green fingers.....
In regards the above comments, there are an awful lot of experts around here who clearly disagree. Are they, however, "experts" who have absolutely no knowledge of the history & science, or personal experience of, psychedelics themselves, choosing instead to stick with their ignorant, small minded conceptual prejudice and biases? To each their own limiting reality.
To Brian - congratulations!
I had posted here in the past about taking large doses, 7g+, of good quality mushrooms to dive deeply into the nature of consciousness and reality...however, recent experiences in group Ayahuasca ceremonies with 20+ other people has shown me I may have been a bit reckless with my advice as I appear to have an abnormally high tolerance to these things. So it is not about the "correct" objective dosage amount per se, but rather the correct subjective dosage to get you where you want to go.
You are absolutely right to start low with 1.5-2g. There is a lot of machoism around dosages, and this is not the way to go, it's not about size of dose but the experience you have. That said, I don't want to lie or misrepresent truth. I have personally never taken less than 3.5g of good quality, regular cubensis mushrooms. At 3.5 to 5-6g, you can have exceptionally beautiful, moving, ecstatic experiences, experiences that far exceed anything most people ever experience in their entire lifetimes (I hesitate to say it, but it is true for me nonetheless, I feel a life lived without at least one genuinely powerful psychedelic experience in it is a tragic one, in today's world....:(....).
However, as I noted on the RSS forum years ago, I did not feel they were "spiritually significant", or comparable to the power of full on kundalini phenomena. However, when I got to 6-8,9 grams........that's when you enter the Holy of Holies.....Caveat Emptor: this is my personal experience, for someone else it may be 1.5g gives you the beautiful light and sound phantasmagoria, and 3.5g gets you fully immersed into the ocean of the divine, or even less!
Point is, Brian, be clear what it is you want. 1.5-2g will probably give you very joyous, beautiful experiences, experiences which will heal and soothe many of your mental and physical ailments, This is great, beautiful! Gratuitous Grace! However, if you feel comfortable with those experiences, don't be afraid to, perhaps 3 or 4 or even 24 months later, try again, but at a higher dose.....if you want, and feel up to, penetrating deeper into the heart of reality and consciousness. But also, nothing wrong with going again at the same dose, or even being happy with just that one experience! It's all good.
I'm sure they will provide a good set and setting for you, but you should know the effects peak between 1-4 hours after ingestion, this is best spent eyes closed, perhaps listening to music. Electronic music is perfect for me, but you may prefer something along the John Hopkins psychedelic playlist, which I believe is mostly classical music (I have listened to this on psychedelics, but I can't remember it at all :), which I'm sure your centre will have on their playlist as it's very well known.
When the effects start to transition from otherworldly to this-worldly, which can last from 5-12 hours after ingestion, you will be basking in a beautiful, warm afterglow. This is the time to enjoy yourself more "recreationally", ie. watch movies, listen to your favourite music in a more normal manner (during peak, music turns into multi-dimensional shape-shifting structures and is not music as you conventionally know it! :), hug a human or a pet, eat some fruit etc.
This is also an optimal time to smoke some cannabis, if you have been able to cope with the intensity of the main part or peak of the journey, smoking cannabis can re-intensify and vivify the experience in a most pleasant way (again, caution, ONLY if you have been entirely comfortable with your experience, some people find smoking with psychedelics too intense). Nature or science documentaries are great, but if you can get your hand on them, the films Samsara or Baraka are the perfect visual accompaniments to the mushroom afterglow.
I think mushrooms, when used in a responsible manner as you are preparing to do, are an incredibly safe tool to explore your consciousness, reality and the "Divine".
With all due respect to your conceptual and ideological beliefs, I suggest you go armed with open-mindedness, a humble attitude, an acknowledgment and respect for your/our puny human mind's limited ability to understand reality and consciousness, surrender, and most importantly, love....rather than scepticism and conceptually reductionist beliefs about reality. For, at least at higher dosages, mushrooms WILL confront you with the Divine. The only question is, does one take the difficult or the easy route. Do not struggle, surrender.
Love is key. It is the secret mantra that opens all locks, removes all barriers.....banishes all "bad" or difficult experiences. Seriously, remember this if nothing at all from this long winded post, LOVE! If you feel overwhelmed, or encounter negativity of any sort, just remember, and say it in your mind or even out loud, just like a mantra; ALL IS LOVE, ALL IS LOVE.
Watch, read and listen to positive, uplifting materials on the lead up to your journey. Go lightly on the atheist stuff, and lean more heavily on the "spiritual", even if neutral or non-religious like Daoism, or Goethe, Whitman or whatever. Basically lean into mystery, connection, love, nature to whatever degree you are comfortable. Perhaps read or reread Huxley's Doors of Perception, that kind of ennobling stuff.
Watch documentaries like
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81183477
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80229847
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81409016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIVIfQaqVG4
Etc. There are several more great documentaries available on Amazon Prime.
Anyway, best of luck with your journey, I am sure it will be absolutely amazing. When are you planning on doing it? I will keep an eye out for your report.....and will ask the Mushroom Gods to go easy on you ;)
Blessings.
Sooo, . . now we only have the
beautiful
SERENDIPITIES every day
777
Posted by: 777 | May 29, 2024 at 04:23 AM
Brain, its never too late to abort an unknown risky mission. As I recall, your Wife is, or was some type of Therapist? How is she feeling about your new “Mission??
I have know many people in my past, that were really friendly, nice, rational people, who turned out to be egotistical Aholes, after venturing in to where you’ve decided to sample. But its never to late to abort . Please sit down with your Wife and read this Testimony of a Guy who was once at the similar Cross Road your now at. .
https://medium.com/the-shadow/hot-take-psilocybin-was-the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life-f93cf6598974
Jim Sutherland
Posted by: Jim Sutherland | May 29, 2024 at 07:18 AM
Manjit certainly puts a good case for the hallucinogen psilocybin. I’ve read a fair bit over the years regarding the positive effects of psilocybin and the other mind-altering drugs on mental health and other conditions. Neurologist Kevin Nelson’s was one of my first ‘go-to’ books some twenty odd years ago on this subject. “The God Impulse describes his three decades' experience examining the biology behind human spirituality.” And: - “Offers the first, comprehensive, empirically tested, peer-reviewed examination of the reasons we are capable of NDE's, OBE's and other mystical states.” But, by no means does he decry spiritual states, regarding them as a valuable aspect of human life and possibly, for some at certain times, helpful.
The gathering evidences certainly makes the case for incorporating psilocybin as David Nutt, director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London says: - “It creates a “very, very disorganized brain,” ultimately breaking down normal boundaries be-tween the auditory, visual, executive and sense-of-self sections of the mind – thus creating a state of “altered consciousness.” And it’s that disorganization that is ultimately therapeutic, according to Nutt: “Depressed people are continually self-critical, and they keep ruminating, going over and over the same negative, anxious or fearful thoughts.”
As regards to altering consciousness, I understand the principle though prefer to see consciousness as an emergent property – and with regard to hallucinogens, there is no doubt they do alter a person’s conscious experience. Brian’s blog of May14th: - “The mystery of consciousness actually isn't so mysterious” repeated an article from ‘Neurosciencenews’ – ‘Rethinking the mystery of consciousness.’ By Iris Benent. She talks about why consciousness is labelled ‘the hard problem’. Her final sentence in the story states: - Consciousness likely comes down to electrochemical functions in the brain, she says. “It’s hard for psychological reasons.”
Manjit puts much rather a lot on the positive effect of the LSD culture of the ‘60’s, and how it helped promote an evolved human consciousness across the globe. Rather, I understand that human life – culture, art, awareness of governmental corruption and “the explosion of colour in our culture, be it through music, movies, tv, writings or other art forms” as an on-going reality in human life.
Actually, human culture and awareness has always been evolving, people knew of USA government corruption in 1865. In the arts, the invention of new pigments accompanied the developments of art history’s greatest movements—from the Renaissance to Impressionism—as artists experimented with colours never before seen in the history of painting. 1300’s onward.
Also, don’t forget the world and life changing inventions of the steam engine; printing press; the light bulb; the telephone etc., all happening way before the 60’s. Human life and culture has always moved in fits and starts and probably always will. In that vein we can probably expect faith religions to re-emerge, permissiveness to fall away, right-wing extremists to disappear and climate change to prompt positive public and political action.
Posted by: Ron E. | May 29, 2024 at 08:56 AM
Christianity a magic mushroom cult?
https://www.samwoolfe.com/2013/04/the-sacred-mushroom-and-cross-by-john.html
I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Instead I think medieval artists were using the imagery to poke fun at the Church. Paganism was alive and well and still finding expression, but subversively. For example, once you see the trees as mushrooms, the human narrative shrinks drastically in scale and significance, turning comical. Pagan vs. Christian. Naturalism vs. anthropocentrism. Their message was double edged: 1) that the official Church was high on drugs, so to speak, and 2) that the ancient ways (which likely included entheogens) comprised the real religion.
https://egodeaththeory.wordpress.com/2020/12/13/images-of-mushrooms-in-christian-art/
Would I do mushrooms now? No, my experience in youth with hallucinogens was too uncomfortable.
Posted by: umami | May 29, 2024 at 03:06 PM
Neville Goddard has a easy technique for mystical experiences. I call it the Lazy Mans way to enlightenment or any goal really.
As you go to sleep imagine what it would be like to leave the body and explore the other worlds. If you need some visuals Jurgen Ziewe has some wonderous youtube videos. Feeling is the key so make it as intense as you can.
Then sleep and keep it up every night until you get your experience.
When I applied this tech it was if a light switch was turned on and the inner adventures are constant.
Posted by: Jim | May 30, 2024 at 05:21 AM
@Jim.
Thank you so much Jim, a few things I did not understand became clear after a video of Jurgen Ziewe.
Posted by: La Madrugada | May 30, 2024 at 11:43 PM
La Madrugada -What is interesting about Jurgen Ziewe is he credits meditation and Lucid Dreaming as the keys to his journeys. He once was a extreme meditator but lowered the time spent later on. Sometimes it was only 30 minutes spent in meditation then going back to sleep. Even then +90% of his experiences were induced by becoming lucid in a dream.
I took Neville's technique where you don't pray or start from the point of lack. You imagine you already are where you want to be the minute you think of it and applied it to lucid dreaming /other world projections.
Posted by: Jim | May 31, 2024 at 08:38 PM
Hey 777 - Yes, now all we have are the beautiful serendipities! Hope you stay blessed!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw6SPVukLbM
"Psilocybin, Depression, Synchronicity, Connectedness: Rosalind Watts, EP 241
Psychedelics increase meaningful coincidences as psilocybin researcher Ros Watts tells us. Depressed clients treated with psilocybin experience increases in synchronicities but are sometimes bewildered and frightened by them. Psilocybin therapists also experience increases but are reluctant to talk about them. These psychonauts discover basic nature codes which include sine waves, the web of human and nature connectedness, and the slow pace of substantial change."
Dear Ron E, thanks for your comments! Some brief responses:
Kevin Nelson's theories have been thoroughly refuted and are not considered remotely viable within genuine NDE science circles, never have as far as I can tell. But you are of course entirely free to remain crystalised within the conceptual belief-set you have gathered from this singular book you read decades ago. It's okay, we don't all have the bandwidth to make persistent, honest enquiries into all these subjects, do we! Too much knowledge to gather, not enough time! Just be careful not to put all your eggs into one out-sourced, poorly woven basket...you may find his book will be a very poor tool indeed to go armed into the death process with......
Re. not finding consciousness mysterious, my sincere commiserations. I find reality and consciousness incomprehensibly mysterious! Almost as mysterious as your apparent belief that your rather mundane and one-dimensional views about reality actually, somehow, CONTAIN it.....what a mystery, to believe such an obvious untrue belief! ;)
Dear Umami - I bow at your savory lotus feet. Re. not "jumping to that conclusion" on Christian mystery cults, I would take this up with Brian Muraresku, who "jumped" to this conclusion after anthropological research worthy of a TV show or movie. Just 2 minutes in his virtual company should convince you that you are in the company of an expert, and should probably shut up...;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNt6so9DEYM
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Immortality-Key-Uncovering-History-Religion/dp/1250207142
An absolute must read/listen book for anyone with an interest in a wide variety of subjects, not just psychedelics. Riveting story, genius author.
Re. your comment "Would I do mushrooms now? No, my experience in youth with hallucinogens was too uncomfortable." - there is a fascinating discussion to be had here that could potentially benefit thousands. I've made the argument before in more detail, but I think people vastly underestimate how the context, or "set and setting" of an experience, effects the experience itself on a fundamental level.
Youths with no ceremonial container or context within which to have and interpret the experience, a lack of philosophical & emotional grounding, the implicit criminalisation of those who ingest these medicines, etc, created a mass hysteria that with inevitability seeped into the experiences themselves. Youths taking unknown quantities of unknown substances of unknown quality or impurity, with absolutely no positive, structured "container" within which to interpret the experiences, other than being branded a criminal or an "undesirable", is by no means, whatsoever a fair trial of these medicines. Now the hysteria, amongst scientists and the general public under the age of 40, has gone, and is replaced by the actual reality and scientifically proven benefits, and is culturally accepted (if anyone here thinks even a single east or west coast TV show or movie is being made by creators and artists who haven't ingested psychedelics a plenty is totally out of touch with current culture, the creative advantage it occurs is just unfair to those who haven't partaken....likewise with Silicon Valley, just like history in general, society is created and shaped by adventurers, and NPCs just follow whatever script they're told to follow) - I feel the content of the experiences themselves have also changed.
Yes, psychedelics can turn people into crazy, irrational, delusional people........You see it here every time you even mention the word "psychedelic" to aging, judgmental old folks who have absolutely personal knowledge or experience of the subject, and feel that their irrational fear is sufficient reason to make public proclamations on the subject.....(I am not referring to yourself here Umami, obviously).
Hi Jim! - I note your frequent mention of Jurgen Ziewe. I have already gone on far too long here, only intended to briefly address a few of the comments before getting to the real issue of Brian's upcoming journey! However, it's an interesting subject. I myself "cut my teeth" so to speak with "astral projection", was obsessed with the subject from around 9 years old I believe. Read every single book written on the subject in English, up unti l1999 or so at least. Even keep up to date with big contemporary publications and what not despite having no interest whatsoever for decades now. Old habits die hard :) I read Jurgen Ziewe's book when it came out, what feels like at least 10-15 years ago now....was interesting enough, don't recall much except I liked his concept of the "multi-dimensionality" of being, which I felt was a good descriptor of some of my own experiences. Raduga's "Phase method" seems to be another more recent or "new" OBE or astral projection method many have claimed to have had success with. Have tried to watch a few of the online videos, but not really that interested nowdays as I say, tend to loose attention.
Anyway, I lost the desire to "astral project" myself in my late teens, early 20s....as soon as I found myself in the "OBE" or "astral" state, I would have absolutely no desire to pursue any of the DUALISTIC activities that can be achieved in such a state, and the state would dissolve into "white light" instantly.
I think this is the point, YMMV (your mileage may vary) and there is no linear trajectory through these things. It can be argued the psilocybin, ayahuasca or DMT experience are also dualistic catalysts, like astral projection, but for me they operate on a fundamentally more ontological level, more existential, more closer to reality.
In the astral projection state, you are generally still identified with an egoic entity, only one with a "dream body" instead of "physical". When I come here, I often check out the RSS forum at the same time....currently the (oft repeated) discussion of the day there is if the RS guru Kirpal's overtly obvious ego-driven and ego-centric astral fantasies about meetings with "past masters" like Guru Nanak were literally true or not, despite them being ridiculous and incoherent narratives that contradict physical reality. I mean seriously, is this dualistic silliness really as far as their mysticism goes? It would be funny if it wasn't so obviously banal! I am not surprised if and when one of these folks partakes of the real mystery, they are reduced to gibbering wrecks....just TOO many lies and delusions need to be scrubbed ;).
The psychedelics, at higher doses and within well constructed "containers", will with far more consistency and reliability take you to far more EXISTENTIAL and REAL realms of experience related to the very nature of being and consciousness, imo........
Right, I need a break, will grab a coffee, play with the dog, shake off all the above, and get back to Brian before his journey tomorrow!
Posted by: manjit | June 12, 2024 at 03:20 PM
Hey Brian...1 day to go? 😍
Thanks for your blogpost.
I just wanted to provide some tips, if you'd consider them. But before I do that, I do want to briefly address the endogenous DMT AND 5-MEO-DMT connection to meditation experiences of shabd, kundalini and Soamiji etc. I think this is a fascinating area that needs to be investigated further. Unfortunately, with the current state of RS being a dead, inert, religious belief system, there is no community of genuine seekers doing the research, or even asking the questions!
To summarise, DMT is found in the human body, in the brain, lungs and cerebrospinal fluid (as well as other areas). There is a lot of slightly complex biochemistry and biology to understand here, but basically if you ingest exogenous (outside of the body) DMT, either in the pure chemical or Ayahuasca brew forms, for eg., you can have experiences which are descriptively indistinguishable from the very highest meditation experiences as described in Soamiji's Sar Bachan, for eg.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rhln28YJcg
There are countless examples of such experiences recounted by many thousands if not millions of people with routine consistency upon taking these substances and medicines.
I had known this for years, but what really blows my mind is that we ALSO contain 5-MEO-DMT within our body! For those who understand the implications, this is astonishing. DMT induces dualistic visions & "entity encounter" experiences of the type described by Soamiji. 5-MEO-DMT induces experiences of the Ramakrishna, blinding white NON-DUALISTIC light. Absolute, pure Oneness without any visual component. (all links in my posts are ones 've just quickly searched and posted without watching fully myself, except the Muraresku book link, which I have on Audible):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIXl65xfg-8&t=1s
(I notice the first youtube comment under this, something I have read and heard thousands of times: "My session took place November 30, 2022. I suffered from clinical depression since I was a child until that day; a miracle that blesses me every second of everyday ever since.")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyJlJbHJCN0
So we have within us chemicals that can cause these experiences which are indistinguishable from the very highest visionary and unity experiences of the any mystic.
There is a mountain of relevant data here that should be very interesting to anyone with a sincere desire to understand truth and reality, as opposed to simply mindlessly believing in anachronistic religious beliefs. I don't have the inclination to provide extensive references to scientific studies and experience reports etc, given the general lack of interest here, but they can be easily searched out. But it should be noted that endogenous DMT & 5-MEO-DMT levels are at their most elevated at 3am, and that dark spaces such as caves are conducive to elevating endogenous DMT & 5-MEO-DMT levels.
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=9b1bc1bb0a6760d70bd95f1ee5459cf2a49e08f5
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02698811221104054
Psilocybin is orally active DMT, it's chemical name being 4-PO-DMT (if you eat pure DMT, the gut will not absorb the DMT due to MAOs in the gut, mushrooms are just one of nature's DMT interfaces with the human consciousness).
Anyway, back to your upcoming experience.....deep breaths, and ignore all of the above, which is irrelevant!
First of all, completely ignore all the critics and naysayers.....their comments will take on an entirely different tone after your experience. You will see THROUGH them, and their threatened egos.
The mushroom experience is INCREDIBLY safe. Jim S posted a "just so" story from 5 years ago or something about somebody who has ongoing issues after their experience. In their fear, they have searched a story to confirm their a priori, ignorant, biases and prejudices.
It doesn't take a genius to understand you can take a specific case of anything; somebody getting robbed on the way to school or work, somebody getting run over and losing limbs whilst crossing the road, somebody being murdered on the way to church, etc, and then somebody writing an article about how dangerous going to school, crossing the road, or going to Church can be......this is simply an ignorance of risk, statistics and acceptable risk. You should take Jim's in context of them being a fan of riding his Harley motorcycle on roads, whilst in his 80s. They do do not understand that the risk to reward ratio is stacked overwhelmingly in your favour.
Jim S also posted a ridiculous bot-chat output which simply highlights the flaws of AI......it is ludicrously laughable to suggest psilocybe mushrooms are addictive. This is so silly it isn't really worthy of a response. Being probably the foremost proponent of psilocybe mushrooms here, I have only taken them 5 or so times over 8-10 years, and the last significant experience I had I think was in Jan'20! I think I may have taken something like 7g once since, a few years ago, but the quality of the mushrooms had degraded sufficiently for the experience to merely be "recreational" and rather forgettable (but as always, very enjoyable on a mundane level). Addiction is simply not possible.
As for going crazy or what not, the risks are grossly overstated and incredibly rare. Something like a thousand people in the UK alone (? I go from memory, it may be worldwide) die from taking a medically recommended daily aspirin every year. This is mind-blowing when taken out of context (again, a lack of understanding statistics).
Nobody ever dies from taking psilocybe mushrooms. Hardly anybody, ever, who has even a modicum of respect for the experience and takes all the necessary precautions, hasn't had an excessively traumatic life and state of consciousness (as an aside, I love the use of Manson as an example of psychedelics gone wrong. Well, aside from the obvious CIA influence, is it fair to use somebody who had spent more than half their life in jails or correctional facilities, that had both been the victim and perpetrator of child rape, etc, before they had ever even seen a psychedelic as a role model for the risks of healthy and judicious psychedelic use?).
Just remember, even if things do get a bit rough, that the experience will end and you will, absolutely and with certainty, return to your "normal" self within 4-5 hours. Relax, keep an open mind, and as per your post today, just let go of your mind, your fears, your beliefs etc, and surrender to the process, the flow. Just relax and let go, and trust everything will be okay. The more you trust the mushrooms and let go, the more you will learn and the pleasant it will be. If you start worrying you may go crazy, ALLOW yourself to go crazy, because then it is certain you WILL return to normality, because the vanishingly small percentage of people who do get some lingering issues (I personally think for the best in the long run, working through issues isn't always pleasant) usually have some pre-existing trauma, and were unable to surrender and let go into the experience, instead trying to fight it. Let go and everything WILL be okay, I assure you!
Don't believe anything the fear mongers say.....I can promise you I know this subject very, very well, and I keep a close eye on reports from people on social media like reddit, as well as the scientific literature, so I do not just extrapolate from my own personal, overwhelmingly positive and beneficial, experiences.
The secret is to create a "container" (as they say, and I witnessed firsthand, in Amazonian Ayahuasca ceremonies). I hinted at this when I said the mantra "all islove" is very powerful, and contains the experience within very positive and uplifting realms. Other techniques include the media you are absorbing in the lead up....perhaps stay off the socials and your blog for tonight at least, spend time with yourself. Calm yourself, secure yourself mentally. Find you spiritual, psychological or emotional "anchors"....for me it is the experience of "divine love", and my "mantra" reminds me of it. Set some sort of intention, even if vague and general, but obviously I suggest uplifting and positive ones, be it personal (improving relationships or healing for eg.) or transpersonal (understanding the nature of consciousness, reality, God etc). Remember it is a temporal experience and will pass. Remember to breathe (VERY important, remembering to breathe, on many levels.....one it can calm you down by focussing on breathing if things get overwhelming, and two sometimes you can be in SUCH an intensely ecstatic state you forget to breathe, a big deep breath is lovely in these situations......your guides or sitters there should be knowledgeable to spot when you need to take a breath, but don't worry there is absolutely no physical risk, I am just referring to comfort and pleasure here :)
Create a CONTAINER for your experience, and it will keep you safe and aid in whatever you may be hoping to achieve or experience. Imo, make the foundations of this container love, compassion, empathy, acceptance, non-judgement, surrender and HUMOUR (psilocybin has a GREAT sense of humour :).
I read you will be taking 1g....in all honesty, this is far more likely to be underwhelming rather than overwhelming! Consider, if it is not too late, nudging this up to 1.5-2g, imo. It is of course smarter to start small at 1g, but only if you are aware this in all probability will not give you the more intense experience, and that you don't make a judgement of their power based on this amount, and do go back for a larger dose, aiming for 5g+ at some point, as it is at these kind of doses the more powerful healing & exploration of reality and consciousness tends to occur. But even 1.5-2g should give you a good, beautiful taste....not so sure at 1g. But this is of course your prerogative! Knowing they are safe and you'll be good, I more worry you being disappointed than not being able to cope with it!
Anyway, good luck with it. I am sure all will go well. I can't wait to read the report! Here's a recent research article from the past few days re. chronic back pain and psilocybin, I hope you find some sort of relief and healing from the medicine.
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/could-psychedelics-simultaneously-treat-chronic-pain-and-depression
Remember though, the higher the dose the greater the healing! And, ALL IS LOVE!
🙏🙏🙏🍄🍄🍄🍄🙏🙏🙏🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🙏🙏🙏
Posted by: manjit | June 12, 2024 at 05:23 PM
PS Jim - I don't know your attitude to psychedelics, but I forgot to mention this book which is one of the very rare texts to discuss lucid dreaming (astral projection) in relation to psychedelics. A great book and worth reading for anybody with an interest in either of these areas, regardless of the other:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreaming-Wide-Awake-Shamanic-Psychedelics/dp/1620554895
From one of the book's reviews:
“For millennia, many tribal shamans have used lucid dreaming and psychedelic plants to obtain information that they have used in helping and healing members of their community. In this groundbreaking book, David Jay Brown has brought together findings from contemporary science to demonstrate the similarity between these two types of altered consciousness and how the insights they provide can help alleviate nightmares, restore health, hasten recovery from injuries, and even yield creative insights. Dreaming Wide Awake may evoke a new field of research, both experimental and applied, that will enhance human potentials in ways that have been too long neglected.” ― Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., coauthor of Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them
Posted by: manjit | June 12, 2024 at 05:28 PM
I hope the post I wrote to Brian hasn't been lost?! Because I didn't save it doh!
In summary, Brian, create a container or safe and happy mental space for your upcoming journey. Love, compassion, surrender and humour are essential. Trust the medicine and let go, everything will be okay, it is an incredibly safe medicine! Ignore the critics here, they are genuinely clueless! Remember to breathe, either to calm down, or a big deep breath to release inner tension caused, for eg., by too much ecstasy!
I hope my post can be located, because I have to log off. Otherwise, trust me all will be well, you will have a great and fun experience......1g should be pure fun (perhaps consider increasing to 1.5-2g, or at least be committed to a larger dose if this one doesn't go deep enough!). I look forward to your report! 💓💓
Posted by: manit | June 12, 2024 at 05:34 PM