Psychedelics: Inducers Of Madness Or Lights Shining On The Soul?
Aldous Huxley invented the word psychedelic in 1957, shortly after LSD became well known, but shamans had been using mind altering substances for thousands of years to induce healing and spiritual and mystical experiences. Psyche comes from a Greek word meaning "soul" and delic from a word meaning "to make visible" Thousands of years earlier the root words meamt "breath" and "shine" or "light."
There were a couple of decades of research on psychedelic drugs. Bill W. took LSD in the early 60s and i have never heard what the results were. As the 60s became more frightening to conservatives, a war on drugs became part of the general Right versus Left warfare. Research on psychedelics was shut down and we lied to ourselves about the results of previous research. When my son was given treatment for alcoholism, he was also "treated" for his use of LSD as the two "addictions" were considered similar. It is dangerous to take a spiritual journey alone, so i would never advise taking a psychedelic without religious, psychological, or spiritual guidance. But, researchers are saying that the so-called "hallucinations" induced by pshchedelics are "phenomonologically indistinguishable from the enlightenment or spiritual experience of the mystics."
Healers are findin opioid addiction particularly difficult to treat. Some of these opiods are fifteen (or is it 50 -- my hearing aids were not working when i heard the number) times more powerful than heroin. Opioiids are said to kill so quickly and 12 step programs can work so slowly that an opioid addict will probably die without "medically assisted treatment/" Such treatment includes a psychedelic drug.
When Bill W. was dying of his Alcholism, his old drinking buddy, Ebby visited him and urged him to attend a meeting of the Oxford Movement. This was the origin of the 12 steps and of AA. But shortly before Ebby's visit, doctors had tried a "new" drug which seemed to be having some success. This drug had not emerged out of the laboratory, it had supposedly been "revealed" to a lay person without any medical background. It was based on the belladonna plant (the "Deadly Nightshade). It was a psychedelic. So some have asked, "was it spirituality or belladonna" that started Bill W.s recovery. Well maybe it was both; and maybe psychedelics are spiritual. Spirituality is certainly one of the best psychedelics.
As for me, i am excited about possibilities of pschedelics for physical or emotional or spiritual healing--for other people. My spititual progress has been halting: full of doubt, lazy, undisciplined, too much intellect and too little heart, too many questions and too little submission, and way to much ego. My social and constructed self screams at me that ir is my true self. I could sure use a good dose of instant mysticism. But there is a little bit of conservatism still within me. I don't totally trust "enhanced" or instan solutions to my probems. Besides, this whole post has been off the cuff and based on too little knwledge and wisdom. As i learn more i will share it.
Love, peace. and happiness to all sentient beomg.
There were a couple of decades of research on psychedelic drugs. Bill W. took LSD in the early 60s and i have never heard what the results were. As the 60s became more frightening to conservatives, a war on drugs became part of the general Right versus Left warfare. Research on psychedelics was shut down and we lied to ourselves about the results of previous research. When my son was given treatment for alcoholism, he was also "treated" for his use of LSD as the two "addictions" were considered similar. It is dangerous to take a spiritual journey alone, so i would never advise taking a psychedelic without religious, psychological, or spiritual guidance. But, researchers are saying that the so-called "hallucinations" induced by pshchedelics are "phenomonologically indistinguishable from the enlightenment or spiritual experience of the mystics."
Healers are findin opioid addiction particularly difficult to treat. Some of these opiods are fifteen (or is it 50 -- my hearing aids were not working when i heard the number) times more powerful than heroin. Opioiids are said to kill so quickly and 12 step programs can work so slowly that an opioid addict will probably die without "medically assisted treatment/" Such treatment includes a psychedelic drug.
When Bill W. was dying of his Alcholism, his old drinking buddy, Ebby visited him and urged him to attend a meeting of the Oxford Movement. This was the origin of the 12 steps and of AA. But shortly before Ebby's visit, doctors had tried a "new" drug which seemed to be having some success. This drug had not emerged out of the laboratory, it had supposedly been "revealed" to a lay person without any medical background. It was based on the belladonna plant (the "Deadly Nightshade). It was a psychedelic. So some have asked, "was it spirituality or belladonna" that started Bill W.s recovery. Well maybe it was both; and maybe psychedelics are spiritual. Spirituality is certainly one of the best psychedelics.
As for me, i am excited about possibilities of pschedelics for physical or emotional or spiritual healing--for other people. My spititual progress has been halting: full of doubt, lazy, undisciplined, too much intellect and too little heart, too many questions and too little submission, and way to much ego. My social and constructed self screams at me that ir is my true self. I could sure use a good dose of instant mysticism. But there is a little bit of conservatism still within me. I don't totally trust "enhanced" or instan solutions to my probems. Besides, this whole post has been off the cuff and based on too little knwledge and wisdom. As i learn more i will share it.
Love, peace. and happiness to all sentient beomg.