I recently had a lengthy discussion with someone who wanted to share with me their amazing mind-expanding experiences with psilocybin. This person had “an awakening” after the experience and wanted me to hear their version of “the good word”.
I won’t go into the details of their belief system, as it is really unimportant. People believe what they will believe and I try not to judge what they believe, although his awakening is based quite heavily on the use of hallucinogens and convoluted conspiracy theories treated as science by merely applying the word “science” to the material.
Anyway, I think he was trying to get me to join his psilocybin community. Most people would jump at the chance, honestly. Not interested, personally.
Even though I have the excuse of being a recovering alcoholic — I’ve always been extremely skeptical of the value of spiritual experiences via altered states. Even in my teens, when I had the most access to means by while to achieve an altered state, I was skeptical of the concept.
Why? Because the altered states as described (usually without the visual phenomena, but occasionally with different visual phenomena) were already available to me via meditation and other non-drug-induced activities (i.e. inipi, aka sweat lodges). I have never much understood the point of drugs and plants to induce an “altered spiritual state” as a result, unless one is looking for the express shuttle to that destination, which entirely misses the point — it is the journey, not the destination — that matters.
And then, as I tried to explain why I felt such things were unnecessary to him, he made the mistake of misappropriating “shaman”. As possible incentive, he suggested that I should perhaps become a “shaman”.
Most people have no clue what that word means, or they would never use it in such a manner. Being a shaman is not something one chooses; it is a deadly serious role with massive implications that a community bestows upon candidate (sometimes without their permission) and is based on proven ability in communing with the spirit world with consistent results. Quite often, there are other rare criteria that needs be met on top of that (for example, a near-death experience).
“Shaman” is certainly not some new age title that some white guy can grant another white guy with the wave of their Etsy-purchased wand while mg-dosing their mind-altering drug of choice. People in the communities where it is appropriate to use the word (which is very limited in spite of the broad, generalized misuse) would consider it a role best left to those who can fill those shoes, not something to aspire, or even desire, to be.
It is a responsibility, not a title.
There. Off my chest so I can move on…
TLDR; I disapprove of drugs to induce a spiritual state, and never, ever appropriate (and misuse) the word “shaman” if you expect me to take what you say in conjunction with it at all seriously.
11 responses to “Mild rant”
It’s okay to rant sometimes, Michael, and I agree with what you said. Any attempt to convert me to somebody else’s beliefs – whether involving mind-affecting substances or not – is an enormous red flag, and I’ll go no further with it. Believe what you like – but don’t try to take me with you. 😐
This person earnestly thought they were doing me a favor. So I didn’t rant at them. I just nodded and said I probably wasn’t the right person for such things because I didn’t need to see the light — he’s been trapped in another paradigm and he mistakenly thought I was trapped by the same.
But even when I was getting drunk all the time, I firmly believed the path of drugs towards enlightenment was the wrong path.
You could still see the difference, and I agree with you. Being under the influence of anything probably isn’t the right time to make life-changing decisions. 🙂
I quite agree with you on this: in an altered state, how can you experimentally verify the validity of someone’s words, separately from what’s planted by their suggestion?
There isn’t and you are in no state to critically evaluate what you are experiencing, so you can’t even say that you are having noetic-based enlightenment.
And if you are relying on a third person interpretation from someone claiming to be a spiritual leader, you really need to make sure they have the actual credentials to be doing that interpretation. Otherwise… Eesh. I’m not going there today. 😬
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Michael. The clue, I guess, is in the word ‘altered’ – by definition any inspiration afforded by an altered state surely is not one’s own, and certainly can’t be revisited and explored. Not that dabbling has ever been excluded, but to gain ‘spiritual enlightenment’ …Well, no.
There are, as you say, better ways to explore.
I think there are ways to use drugs safely and gain insight, but I never saw the need for them. If you are going that route, you have to be very careful about who runs the show or you end up in a cult or cult-like group.
And if there is money or something of value exchanging hands… forgetaboutit.
Yes, you’re not wrong. I always like to think that I have some control creatively, even if it’s subconscious. If other factors are involved it seems a bit like winning knowing you’ve cheated – hollow.
Exactly. Again: Sure, you’ve reached your destination, but that was never the point.
What did you miss along the way?
A rant can be mind altering too. But at least you are in control of it
Especially when you argue with yourself and write scathing counter-commentary.
Of which I am prone to doing on more than an irregular basis. I just don’t hit Send.