Mild rant

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.