"Sacred Knowledge: how psychedelics shaped an academic's life" is an article by Noah Berlatsky in The Guardian. (Sacred Knowledge)
The article gives an interview with William Richards, author of the book, and considers his thoughts regarding psychedelics in a personal and a scientific context. That his background is scientific does not mean the article is riddled with content such as whether psychedelics create a chemical stochasticism for ephemeral amusement. He doesn't use language like that and the last bit translates to whether psychedelics are random drug-induced sparks for a temporary thrill.
Richards' content is sharply different from any contention of cheap thrills and his connection of psychedelics with religious experiences is based on his personal exploration and also on hundreds of interviews.
There's no point in paraphrasing the article, it's much better to read it.
(pause so you can read the article linked at the top)
Moving right along with the assumption you agree there is or could be a relationship between psychedelics and religious experiences ...
The Great God Mescalito, the God who watches over all trippin' people, has been mentioned multiple times here but it's only in-part facetious. Mescalito is my own Walt Disney version of the visions Carlos Castaneda was experiencing. I wouldn't expect to see the same thing in the same way we don't see the same thing even when we listen to the same piece of music at the same time. It's not necessary the visions match each other, only that the fundamental metaphysical connection is there.
As said by Richards, only certain drugs under certain circumstances can yield the connection to any religious experience but stoners know which ones and those are the ones we seek. There are various mind-destroyer drugs (e.g. downs, pain meds, narcotics, etc) which are not germane and specifically because they don't so much open doors as close them.
There's not even a point in flogging it ... even if you have never used drugs, you have probably heard someone call it a religious experience, cosmic, or something of that nature. I've written and sung of the Necromancer countless times and he's always some force beyond this one who sends me lyrics and music. This is so much a part of my thinking it makes no difference if I am stoned or not.
Maybe you call him God and of course that's alright. It all comes out the same.
My number one candidate for eating some mushrooms would be Kannafoot and this is no joke either. There is little to no chance this could happen because he's been hammered since birth with about a billion reasons not to do such things. If he should see this and decide on trying an experiment alone, don't do it. Trippin' is never a simple amusement because it's much too powerful for that. For the first time it's always best with experienced trippin' people because you really do need guides just as for any other path.
For example, a common fear in trippin' is oh, no, I think I'm going crazy. That sounds grim and call 911 for the thorazine. Nope, the answer is to tell the person to go ahead and go crazy. They won't because you're already trippin' and really you're just hanging out together.
The biggest reason people of the conservative persuasion cannot entertain the idea of psychedelic drugs is the prospect of loss of control and that results in fear and, all together now, fear is the mindkiller. The state you need prior to such explorations is acceptance annihilation of self is the supreme art and many times you may have heard of becoming one with the Lord or statements of that nature.
The part which will blow you to your knees is this is the same thing. There is no heresy and please do read on.
For truly religious, Bible-believin' man, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a few grams of psilocybin mushrooms and to eat them in a European cathedral. As that man, I would reasonably expect a religious experience such as he has never known in his life.
Note: good chance you will vomit after 45 - 60 minutes but don't fight it and, ideally, do that outside. It sounds disgusting and it sort of is but your stomach vacates whatever it's carrying and recovery is almost instant. You go quickly from that point to a blissful state in which the world is painted in colors as you have never seen them before ... and they move.
This may seem blasphemy in the idea drugs can induce the religious experience so therefore it is not real. I'm anticipating those words but they are not what I write. The point of Richards' book is the connection to the religious experience and not the internal creation of it within yourself. The point is crucial to grasp this entire bit.
Warning: if you do this to test your own faith, you will have screwed yourself before you start. Don't do it. There's no particular consequence to ignoring my warning since likely it would play as a night full of anxiety, second-guessing, and discomfort. You won't die or get locked up in a nut house forever, tho.
Note: the reason for mention of 'people of the conservative persuasion' is researchers have seen some physiological and psychological differences between conservatives and liberals. One obvious example is in risk-taking since liberals are more generally likely to entertain such ideas. The physiological differences are not so clear and there's a citation for it but I sure don't remember where I left it. Will update if I find it.
The article gives an interview with William Richards, author of the book, and considers his thoughts regarding psychedelics in a personal and a scientific context. That his background is scientific does not mean the article is riddled with content such as whether psychedelics create a chemical stochasticism for ephemeral amusement. He doesn't use language like that and the last bit translates to whether psychedelics are random drug-induced sparks for a temporary thrill.
Richards' content is sharply different from any contention of cheap thrills and his connection of psychedelics with religious experiences is based on his personal exploration and also on hundreds of interviews.
There's no point in paraphrasing the article, it's much better to read it.
(pause so you can read the article linked at the top)
Moving right along with the assumption you agree there is or could be a relationship between psychedelics and religious experiences ...
The Great God Mescalito, the God who watches over all trippin' people, has been mentioned multiple times here but it's only in-part facetious. Mescalito is my own Walt Disney version of the visions Carlos Castaneda was experiencing. I wouldn't expect to see the same thing in the same way we don't see the same thing even when we listen to the same piece of music at the same time. It's not necessary the visions match each other, only that the fundamental metaphysical connection is there.
As said by Richards, only certain drugs under certain circumstances can yield the connection to any religious experience but stoners know which ones and those are the ones we seek. There are various mind-destroyer drugs (e.g. downs, pain meds, narcotics, etc) which are not germane and specifically because they don't so much open doors as close them.
There's not even a point in flogging it ... even if you have never used drugs, you have probably heard someone call it a religious experience, cosmic, or something of that nature. I've written and sung of the Necromancer countless times and he's always some force beyond this one who sends me lyrics and music. This is so much a part of my thinking it makes no difference if I am stoned or not.
Maybe you call him God and of course that's alright. It all comes out the same.
My number one candidate for eating some mushrooms would be Kannafoot and this is no joke either. There is little to no chance this could happen because he's been hammered since birth with about a billion reasons not to do such things. If he should see this and decide on trying an experiment alone, don't do it. Trippin' is never a simple amusement because it's much too powerful for that. For the first time it's always best with experienced trippin' people because you really do need guides just as for any other path.
For example, a common fear in trippin' is oh, no, I think I'm going crazy. That sounds grim and call 911 for the thorazine. Nope, the answer is to tell the person to go ahead and go crazy. They won't because you're already trippin' and really you're just hanging out together.
The biggest reason people of the conservative persuasion cannot entertain the idea of psychedelic drugs is the prospect of loss of control and that results in fear and, all together now, fear is the mindkiller. The state you need prior to such explorations is acceptance annihilation of self is the supreme art and many times you may have heard of becoming one with the Lord or statements of that nature.
The part which will blow you to your knees is this is the same thing. There is no heresy and please do read on.
For truly religious, Bible-believin' man, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a few grams of psilocybin mushrooms and to eat them in a European cathedral. As that man, I would reasonably expect a religious experience such as he has never known in his life.
Note: good chance you will vomit after 45 - 60 minutes but don't fight it and, ideally, do that outside. It sounds disgusting and it sort of is but your stomach vacates whatever it's carrying and recovery is almost instant. You go quickly from that point to a blissful state in which the world is painted in colors as you have never seen them before ... and they move.
This may seem blasphemy in the idea drugs can induce the religious experience so therefore it is not real. I'm anticipating those words but they are not what I write. The point of Richards' book is the connection to the religious experience and not the internal creation of it within yourself. The point is crucial to grasp this entire bit.
Warning: if you do this to test your own faith, you will have screwed yourself before you start. Don't do it. There's no particular consequence to ignoring my warning since likely it would play as a night full of anxiety, second-guessing, and discomfort. You won't die or get locked up in a nut house forever, tho.
Note: the reason for mention of 'people of the conservative persuasion' is researchers have seen some physiological and psychological differences between conservatives and liberals. One obvious example is in risk-taking since liberals are more generally likely to entertain such ideas. The physiological differences are not so clear and there's a citation for it but I sure don't remember where I left it. Will update if I find it.
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