Crucify The Ego

7th June 2011

Post with 29 notes

Psychedelic Intentions?

Something I often have spoken about here and something I speak about with my friends occasionally is the importance of having intention behind a psychedelic experience. Not everyone feels this way of course, and often people who don’t value the psychedelic experience as much or use it as an escape or to “get fucked up” will dismiss me outright..

I can’t quite explain why I feel the reverence or respect for psychedelics or entheogens that I do, but it is just something that’s always been there, even before I had tried them myself. Reading people like Terence McKenna, Aldous Huxley, & Ralph Metzner growing up lead me to realise these things can be of tremendous benefit to someones life. Whilst on the other hand reading thousands of trip reports (See Erowids Train Wreck, Addiction/Habituation sections), for example lead me to realise the great detriment they could also become if misused or used in vain..

So the original point, using psychedelics with intent and perhaps “purpose” is how I feel the most can be gained from such things. Going into any voyage with some idea of personal growth, deep introspection, spiritual development, creative play or perhaps even going in just being completely and totally open to the experience itself is all a form of intention. Just having that little spark of thought beforehand behind the experience can end up providing a deeply fulfilling journey..

Perhaps it depends how deep you want to go and what you are looking to “get out of” psychedelics.  I am all for partying and fun when the time is right but in the back of my mind there is always the realisation that this is a gift and I am humbled to be experiencing it. Often I will take a moment to sit by myself if in a group situation and just appreciate and take in the experience for a brief time.

So do you go into an experience with intent? Is it even something you think about?

Or do you think an experience should be taken for what it is as it comes?

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between?

<3

Tagged: psychedelicsexperiencelifebeautyloveculturehumanity

8th April 2011

Post with 26 notes

The Fear?

“Oh shiiiiiit Im gonna die man, that stuffs gonna make me die man, i never had it before man, that shits gonna make me freak out man, I seen those guys walk around my neighbourhood who had too much acid, their head look like a pumpkin man, oh shit”

“Mellow out man!
Just go Ommmmmmmmmmm..”


The Fear, something that those who have had it wont soon forget it, and anyone who has any amount of  experience with altered states will have almost certainly had it at some point…So what is it? And what can you do about it when you get it? 

“The Fear” is that feeling of all pervading and overwhelming impending doom, the feeling that everyone is looking at you, that everyone “knows”, that the world has turned on its head and is distinctly out to get you. Perhaps paranoia or anxiety taken to the extreme.

While in an altered state your surroundings are indelibly coloured by your perceptions and a negative vibe or setting can soon see things looking quite awry. With negative thoughts running wild, the happy and gentle tapping of some trees against a window becomes a scathing scratching and insidious beast clawing its way through from the outside..

There are many things that can bring on “The Fear”, all of them to do with Set and Setting. Perhaps being in the middle of a dark forest party around the witching hour when something like this sends the vibrations in an altogether spooky direction..Or perhaps a darkened room alone wondering whether you have “done too much this time”. Or the middle of a festival surrounded by thousands of seemingly hostile strangers…

A multitude of things can contribute to The Fear, and all of them are to do with your mindset and where you are, who you are with and what you are doing. It should be pretty obvious but psychedelics will act as amplifiers in any given situation. Thats why its so important to be with people you trust, and be in a good mindset at the time. I always stress this but it can’t really be stressed enough. If you have ever seen or had to deal with someone in the grip of a bad time, the sheer look in their eyes is enough to know you don’t want to go through that!

There is light at the end of the tunnel however! Once you realise “The Fear” isn’t a real thing at all. It is simply Your Perceptions being altered by Your Thoughts! The way to change it is simple really, just change the situation you are in.

That could mean something as easy as turning on a light, moving to a  different room or area, talking to a friend, even laughing at something or at yourself! Its amazing how quickly “The Fear” can disappear and people can then be laughing at themselves minutes later for ever having it in the first place!  Its not always easy to realise what you have to do at the time, but thats part of discovering things for yourself, and navigating through altered states. Every experience is valuable in its own way, even the hellish ones and you often learn more from them than any other.

Really though having a positive Set and Setting can both prevent “The Fear” from ever becoming a real thing. That and realising, its all in your mind!

Besides if it all does go awry,

”Just go Ommmmmmmmmmm…”

<3
 

Tagged: trippingpsychedelicsfearcheech and chongdifficult experiences