Theos-Talk Archives (April 1998 Message tl00183)

thoa wrote
>I think that you can get deeply into your spiritual studies and experiences
>without using drugs.  I heard of a story in which a yogi ingested some
>pills and did not experience any effect from it because his consciousness
>was already expanded.

Of course, meditation is probably the safest method of acquiring inner
silence and I would recommend that any user of psychedelics practice
meditation regularly. But we are in the Kali Yuga, how many people are we
going to get to turn off Friends, Seinfeld and ER and sit down for 20-30
mins a day and meditate? For me personally and a lot of my friends, we
would never have encountered esoteric thought if we hadn't had certain
psychedelic experiences that caused a wholesale paradigm shift. 

I would also like to point out the obvious differences between
psycheledics, hallucinogens, narcotics and stimulants. The group I am most
concerned with is the psychedelics - Amanita Muscaria , Psyilocybin
Cubensis, LSD, Peyote, Ayahuasca and DMT (and possibly to a lesser extent
Hashish)etc. These drugs have been used in traditional rituals for
millenia, they are the original sacrament not some placebo bread and wine.

The story about the Yogi - is it the Ram Dass one? - It turned out 25 years
later the yogi had not even consumed the acid. I was in Madras and
Bangalore last year - Sai Baba consumes inordinate amounts of hashish to
enter the state that enables him to manifest physical items. 

>Using drugs may be a quick way to expand your mind, but it is also
>temporary.  The slow road up is much longer lasting.  The slow road up also
>is a builder of the strong connection to the higher mind, its compassion,
>its love.

I was not talking about spiritual growth but initiation. We accept a lot of
the theosophical teachings because they have a resonance with us I suppose,
but it is not until you have been 'turned on' that it all falls into place. 

>I grew up among a generation of drug using peers.  People will make up all
>sorts of excuses for their usage, from spiritual connection to financial
>gain to promoting good feelings.  From what I've seen, it's all a cop out.
>I did not see any wonderful, compassionate, enlightened beings.  Whatever
>delusions they were under about themselves, all I saw were selfish people
>who had no outside interests beyond their drug gatherings, who could not
>make relationship commitments, and who attracted those of their kind.
>Spiritual growth?  Give me a break!  Personal pleasure?  Yes!  Nothing
>beyond that.  Try to get people who uses drug daily to go cold turkey.
>You'll hear all sorts of excuses.  I got away from those people, and,
>believe me, my non-drug using friends were much more responsive and kind
>people.

You don't mention what king of drugs. If they are using everyday then it is
probably cannabis or amphetamines or heroin, these drugs do not provide any
spiritual growth. Can you also say yourself that you don't consume alcohol,
tobacco, chocolate or watch TV? These drugs do more damage to the
individual and society in a week than all the acid dropped from it's
discovery till now.
My non-drug using friends are generally less tolerant, more racist, more
egotistical, more materialistic and completely closed to any new ideas. I
can't even bring up reincarnation without looks of derision.

>An additional thought, my being against drug usage for most people does not
>include priests/priestesses in shamanic rites.  These are people who have
>gone through preparations that enables them to handle and use powerful
>hallucinogens for contact with their spiritual nature.  I think that most
>people in this modern day and age are woefully unprepared.  I see several
>good-intentioned people go awry with this.  As I said, it mostly turned out
>to be hedonistic instead of spiritual.  Plus, any brief contact with their
>spiritual nature did not produce any long term result.  I certainly would
>not consider them to be anywhere closer to arhat-hood.

Education is the key. If the primary goal of our society was spirtiual
growth then we would be open to all methods and people would have a greater
understanding of the uses of pyschedelics AND meditatiion. The main problem
is that drugs like LSD are seen as recreational. I beleive that my body is
like a sovereign nation. As ruler of this country I have control of the
borders - i decide what goes in and what goes out. If it is my choice to
ingest a few hallucingenic mushrooms then I should be free to do so. Every
law is a reduction of rights and responsibilities. 
If we just make a blanket decision to make these drugs illegal on the basis
of a few bad experiences by under-prepared travellers we are restricting
the rights of the individual. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.

I expect a big flame from the Homo Neophobus' on this, but let's just face
it if your not turned on then your a robot slave of the military-industrial
complex (insert United States of America).

Suggested reading for the Homo Neophilus:

Food of the Gods, Terrence McKenna 
Strange Fruit, Clark Heinrich
Psychedelic Shamanism, Jim de Korne
Alchemy, Johannes Fabricius

Namaste' and Hail Eris

NOS 
:p

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