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Designer Drugs, Designer Spirits
I have read numerous accounts of spirits associated with psychoactive plants, such as this:
The mushroom-taker is likely to hear voices telling him to perform bizarre actions, or the spirits of the mushrooms might appear to the individual and converse with him directly, or, even, he might feel himself turning into a mushroom spirit. The mushrooms spirits tend to wear wide hats on heads which sit on stout cylindrical bodies without an intervening neck, and the number seen depends on the number of mushrooms eaten. The bemushroomed person will run after the spirits, who tell him things as they lead him on a merry chase along paths known only to them that seem interminably intricate to the mushroom-taker and often lead past places where the dead reside. Eventually, the spirits are likely to take the mushroom eater by the arms and take him to the otherworld, and it is then stage three of the intoxication begins, and the person becomes unconscious of his surroundings.
Then there is also the Shepherdess, a goddess figure associated with the salvia divinorum plant, who I think I once encountered during a trip in the form of an old woman washing clothes by a river. Then there are Terence McKenna’s machine elves which he experienced on DMT. I’ve also read numerous trip reports of such things on peyote and a number of other drugs (I think Pinchbeck had some good stories about this, but I don’t have the sources in front of me).
The thing I have been wondering, then, is what happens when humans start tinkering with the molecular structure of drugs and start refining them out of their natural state? Do the same nature spirits associated with the plants still come through to the user, or are they perverted, or transmuted into other types of beings? Or does the refinement of drugs not so much modify the spirits as tune into simply different frequencies of consciousness inhabited by altogether different beings? Are there spirits associated with more common types of drugs - a tylenol spirit for example? A Flintstone’s Chewable Vitamin spirit? Maybe those last two are dumb questions, or maybe not… But what about drugs like Prozac and Ritalin - what kind of spiritual realms do those drugs tap into? Who are they calling down into our plane of existence and do we really want them hanging out here?
Anyone have any personal experience in any of this - encounters with spirits associated with especially plants, but also with more refined and even designer drugs?
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July 25th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
The Findhorn community, if I recall, was able to communicate with plants and get them to grow in unlikely conditions. There are some books which escape my brain on the matter probably something with nature spirits as keywords.
Some substances invite other beings to inhabit your body.
July 25th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Wow, this correlates really well with something a friend was telling me the other day about a story that someone was telling her… Pardon the crappy relay here… but loosely, the story goes that this Monk of some sort left his practices to come to the Western world to practice medicine or something scientific, and yet in his studies (whatever they were), he actually found that a lot of drug users were meeting with the same “spirit guides” in their “trips” that he himself encountered in his old meditations and journeys. So, this post seems very fitting. Do you by any chance know what I’m talking about?
I also vaguely recall that in reading something about plant spirits, they spirits do supposedly look like the plants… Cool. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can say I have seen any. At least, not that I’ve known.
Makes me wonder about coffee though; I’m such an addict…
I won’t be surprised if this manic, hyper Colombian man shows up soon.
July 25th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
I think Pinchbeck talked about the idea of Mushrooms being connected to ET’s. Some theories on asteorids bringing the strange mushroom fungal structure to this earth. I’ve talked with many hippies who belived fresh grown shrooms are essential to keeping the ’spirit’ alive. But to me, that just means the active ingredients are more potent then that found in the dried up form. Many magicians and just trippers have reported alien ‘contact’.
I dont remember if it was a thelemite or actually crowley himself, but I’ve seen a diagram of different drugs plugged into the various Sephiroth of the Kabbalah. Each substance apparently relating to the powers inherent in the Tree. Well, I suppose with the Kabbalah it ‘corresponds’ to ‘everything’. Anyway, I’ve been waiting myself to try out Pharmahuasca to see if it’s properties/effects/experiences are altered from the more natural Ayahuasca. interesting.
July 25th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
“Some substances invite other beings to inhabit your body”
indeed. methamphetamine is a magnet for hungry ghosts, and worse, but they are surprisingly easy to banish. consecrated acid is noticeably more spiritual in effect than random samples. the plasticity of these examples, compared to the ancient naturals, would lead me to suggest that the synthetics “tune” to newer spaces which only started egregore accretion upon first human usage.
conversely, p. cubensis in particular seem like an example of a natural spirit having become tainted by its rampant black market commercialization.
July 25th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
oh, and most recreational drug users have at least one chakra that appears to have been knocked way out of wack
July 25th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
We talked about that sort of a while back:
http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005...10/27/the-psychoactive-coffee-spirit/
July 25th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Ooh, we did. And myself included in that “we.” Oops. Bad short-term memory… Well, I hadn’t quite personified him yet though. haha. Thanks for the memory-refresher.
July 25th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
Could it be that the plant spirits are projections emanating from a deeper level of our consciousness, possibly transposed from a mental frequency corresponding to the frequency inhabited by their respective bio-organisms? When we ingest a substance, it could be establishing a resonance between the vibrations of the outer material and its inner correlate in mental space, bringing the intelligence of that frequency to our awareness via an archetypal entity existing in our own consciousness.
In this scenario it appears unlikely that Tylenol could ‘generate’ spirits, as Tylenol is apparently a mix of all kinds of chemicals. This entails an incoherent mix of frequencies, unable to resonate within our consciousness. However, with LSD fitting so snugly in our neural receptors, it seems strange not to have experienced any recurring acid entities. I wonder if the same counts for its natural cousin, LSE.
I watched a few short clips today, of what would seem to be Terrence McKenna’s last interview, in which he briefly discusses this sort of topic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFh9HMXJWgo&mode=related&search=). I wonder if Tim recently saw these. I believe they were posted on FutureHi.net, but maybe it was here. Swishy swishy!
*pmp* I was hoping you might be able to elaborate on your notion that most recreational drug users have wack chakras.
July 25th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
It could be, but what does knowing the answer to that question allow us to do that we can’t already do simply by acknowledging them as “plant spirits”?
Yeah, I’m also curious about the chakra thing…
July 25th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
…..whew………this is SO HUGE of a consideration……….I had a personal encounter with the spirit formerly known as terrence mckenna….it was at a 3 day workshop with terrence at esalen in big sur about 10 years ago…….terrence learned,from his own experience that designer drugs,altho sometimes fun,and /or interesting,were devoid of any special spirit of the drug…….he goes on at length about this in 2 different books…….one is a history of drugs that i forget the name of,and the other one is called Creativity,Consciousness and______________something),and it is MINDBLOWING
terrence firmly believed and maintained that the mushrooms were themselves the bodies of e.t.’s,and that they had traveled thru space in their spore form and landed here on earth…………..if you have not heard of morphogenetic(sp ?) fields…READ UP ! also,if someones liver and or gall bladder is clogged up with toxins,then their mushroom trip may be ugly and weird and negative……..for a great guide to cleansing,go to healthandlight.com,,,,,,when you trip with the shamans they usually give you something to clean you out first………….
July 25th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
“what does knowing the answer to that question allow us to do that we can’t already do simply by acknowledging them as “plant spirits”?” [sorry don’t know how to quote and your ‘Tags’ page is down].
Knowing that plant spirits are part of my/our/the consciousness allows me to interpret their appearance as a form of *communion* rather than some kind of demonic posession. The difference in perception can change everything about the experience.
Furthermore, the significance of my comment was not that these entities are projections, but that they are projected from a level of consciousness which we share with the biosphere. Having this kind of ontological info allows one to place these encounters in a greater, more meaningful context.
Finally, through a deeper understanding of archetypes, this information can enhance one’s sensitivity to the symbolic nature of consciousness/reality– which, to my mind, can never be a bad thing. Hmmm… Tylenol. Telly On. Too much TV=>headache. Tell A Vision instead.
July 25th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
“Yeah, I’m also curious about the chakra thing…”
Well, I would say that the following applies primarily to recreational users, but also to people who think they are expanding their consciousness merely by using psychoactives, devoid of any larger context and supplemental practices to guide it. It could also be a danger for those who use psychoactives as their primary gnostic tool.
First of all, I would like to point out that many eastern guru-types have claimed that heavy drug use is unbalancing to the subtle bodies. Of course, they are severely biased and not to be trusted, but they do know a thing or two. It shouldn’t be too hard to find some references about this on the internet.
Some psychoactive effects could be modeled as having opposing spin or energy flow to the chakras that they effect, thus treating blockages homeopathically with short term use but exacerbating the instabilities with prolonged use; for example, a lack of energy or drive (a blockage in the navel center, for example,) may be pleasantly alleviated by stimulants but longer term use is actually draining or reversing the same chakra.
In addition to reverse stimulation, there’s hyperstimulation, expansion, and contraction. So, the same stimulant, in addition to reverse stimulating the navel chakra, could be contracting the heart chakra, hyperstimulating the throat chakra, and reverse stimulating the third eye.
For another example, this time a single major drug experience causing long term behavioral changes: the classic mystical experience of divine union. The very effect of expanding the heart chakra in such a manner, to feel that, “We are all one” (or, the experience as an identification with any person or thing; frequently this is exploited by New Age type brainwashing) is itself a constriction or blockage of the throat chakra. It is not the full divine union of the crown chakra. “We are all one,” really is a pathological meme if you examine it carefully.
Anyway, those are pretty simple and arbitrary examples, but using the energy flow of a chakra system as a model for the subjective experiences of psychoactives, their psychological effects, and the resulting behavioral trends, you should find it relatively easy to spot the ways in which various drugs affect various energy centers. Furthermore, it should, in a logical manner, illuminate the subtle body correlates of behavioral trends among various types of drug user.
If you’re sensitive to the energetics, or know someone who is, try to see and feel, or ask, if the theory is supported by the energy bodies of the drug users you know. Furthermore, some experience along these lines should suggest some proper, low dose, pseudo-homeopathic uses for rebalancing any energy centers that one feels to be out of balance. This is much more useful than brute force attempts at consciousness expansion.
As Zac of Alchemically Braindamaged put so well, it’s not about how far out you can go, it’s about what you bring back. Better yet to not have to GO anywhere.
July 25th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
On the Chakra-damaging thing…
So, yeah, I’m interested in substances and their effects, but I’ve always tried to consider both the downsides, physically and mental-spirtually, and I’ve come to believe that the effects of any substance on a mind-level directly relates to the nature of the undertaking, yeah what Timothy Leary termed set-setting.
But this is comming from someone who believes in the psycho-therapeutic qualities of psychedelics. Allot of people are confused by the idea of taking ANY drug (besides the ones perscribed) and reaping any positive benefits.
It might be of interest to note the success of many therapists using MDMA to bring a person to such a state where blockages do infact get broken down.
The description of the outcome of this patient’s treatment, sounds VERY similar (atleast to me) of the effects of un-blocking a clogged or unbalanced chakra that many energy worker’s describe.
Personally, I once underwent what I would of first described as a PAINFUL MDMA experience. It was amazing how bad memories and negative past experiences came flooding out. The whole time me thinking…”a drug, street-labeled as “ECSTASY” and considered THE love pill, is…making me concentrate on THESE of all thoughts?”
But at one point as the more positive aspects of the drug came to their peak, a sense of peace enveloped me and I was able to understand the experiences in an un-overly emotional way. I felt GOOD when MDMA enabled be to view negative things in a more ‘mentally’ secure light, while at the same time it seemed to counter-act all the (incorrectly) negative thoughts my past had made me live with and toil on.
Is that not therapy? or atleast, an unblocking of negative energy of SOME sort?
July 25th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
On Oct 30, 1998 I was in New Orleans to catch a Widespread Panic concert at UNO Lakefront Arena. While sitting in the stands waiting for the band to come on, a guy turns around and asks us if we “needed” anything. I deferred then asked the friends I was with if they needed anything. They gladly took the guy up on his offer. He went down the line to my three friends and set them up for the trip. Not wanting to be the odd man out, I decided to get in line with my friends and took him up on his offer. He then proceeded to drop liquid LSD on the top of my hand, in such quantities that it dripped all the way down to my elbow as I went to lick the top of my hand. I had taken mushrooms and LSD on numerous occasions, but not in an amount that would yield such a deep trip into the mystic.
The effects became apparent during the break between the opening band and Widespread Panic. I needed to go to the bathroom, but already knew I was in no condition to navigate my way there and back. Thankfully the lights soon went down and the band began to play. During the middle of the first set, I was in awe and I watched the sold-out crowd all up on their feet and dancing. It was a marvelous site, giving me a real glimpse of one-ness underneath the veil of reality. Near the end of the set however, the guy who had set everyone on their voyage left with his girlfriend. Soon after, it felt like I could read into the minds of everyone in the arena; I guess you could say a mind-reading of anyone in the arena I wished. This soon turned to paranoia as I got into my head that this guy had dosed the whole arena and we were one large mind control experiment! The band finished their set and a slight bit of terror was residing in me.
I sat silently for 5-10 minutes, trying to calm myself down, when I turn to a gal I was with to ask her how she was. Upon turning my eyes I do not see her face, but instead what appears to be some kind of a face akin to the beast in the movie “Predator”. I couldn’t even get a word out, turned back, and tried to collect my thoughts again. She soon left, and I look over to my long time friend, and tried to express what was going on in my hand. All I could do was reach out my hand at that point. He took it and we held hands for a couple minutes, which had to have been the longest I’ve held a guy’s hand since my father led me across a street or through a crowd when I was a kid. But it felt re-assuring, and at that moment I felt like that guy from the Maxwell logo. It left like I was literally flying through the air and the only thing holding me down was this touch.
The second set started and I could literally feel the electricity flowing through my body. It felt like my hair was standing on end. I’ve always felt since that time that LSD morphes the bodies’ electricity current in some fashion, but I have yet to research this posibility. While dancing to the first couple songs, I felt like the floor was literally about to open up and I would fall right through. I sat down and closed my eyes, trying to shut out as much information as possible. Periodically I would look up, one particular site of two guy’s dancing that looked straight up like sex made me soon close them again. Next thing I knew my friend was tapping my shoulder telling me it was time to go home.
Sometime during the second set my other friend had taken off both his shirt and pants and was apparently running up and down the aisles and generally raising hell. He had to walk out of the arena in his boxers. On the walk to our car I lost track of my friends and my ride home. Eventually I found a cab and got home some hours later, no small feat considering my condition. On the drive back to the hotel, I could literally feel the spirits of new orleans. And let me tell you, then are some really dark ones that reside there!
July 26th, 2006 at 6:12 am
One more for you - the Green Fairy of Absinthe!
July 26th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
This is thought-provoking because years ago I dated this dealer and she would get the most amazing pot/hash. Sometimes, when she got this one strand (sorry I never kept up with what kind) I would talk to this angel. It was always the same angel. She was very pretty and kind and made me laugh. It was like being with a dear old friend. My girlfriend would be like, who are you talking to? and she would laugh when I’d tell her.
I’ve met spirit guides and I work with Reiki guides all the time but this was the only spirit I ever met when not sober. of course, I never did many drugs in the first place. and who knew pot could make you trip?
But I’ve always wondered who she was or if that was just a hallucination. so I like this post - gives me information that helps me see the experience again.
July 26th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Yeah, people don’t talk about that too much, but it’s happened to me before as well.
Oh awesome! I hadn’t even thought of her…
July 28th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Here’s a quick question:
If we take a holographic look at consciousness (ie, the smallest part contains an image of the whole), would it not be too far-fetched to imagine that spirits can exist both within our mind (as pieces of the holographic whole), AND as separate entities outside ourselves?
July 28th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
Yeah, we have talked about that elsewhere Ktulu:
http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005...the-wave-particle-duality-of-spirits/
July 28th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
lol, it seems we’ve covered a little bit of everything here