Merkabah

[Skarekrow]

Ya know Tool has a pretty cool, obscure song called Merkaba. Just sayin'

Here you go...lol!

[video=youtube_share;w4jCFmRyhGw]http://youtu.be/w4jCFmRyhGw[/video]

 

[digitalbum]

Here you go...lol!

OH rad! holy balls, I didn't know there was a video. When I was in my major psychedelic drug phase, this song (well several tool songs) put me in what I can only call "Trance States."

 

[Skarekrow]

No offence but, …

… something tells that this isn't going to be enough.

Oh, there’s more...if you want it, I’ll give it to you.

 

[digitalbum]

Here you go...lol!

[video=youtube_share;w4jCFmRyhGw]http://youtu.be/w4jCFmRyhGw[/video]

Christ on a platter. That was some twisted wicked unholy badass shit right there. Certified Tool. Man no one does it better. Awesome find.

If you're interested in more ill, dark netherworld art, check out Chet Zar, http://www.chetzar.com/ a major collaborator with Tool, including this video.

 

[Skarekrow]

OH rad! holy balls, I didn't know there was a video. When I was in my major psychedelic drug phase, this song (well several tool songs) put me in what I can only call "Trance States."

I think it’s a fan video...still, it’s a good one.
I’ve never tried any psychedelics (though I won’t say it isn’t on my list) I was too busy playing with opiates the Doctors handed me like candy...lol.

 

[digitalbum]

I think it’s a fan video...still, it’s a good one.
I’ve never tried any psychedelics (though I won’t say it isn’t on my list) I was too busy playing with opiates the Doctors handed me like candy...lol.

Yeah, I realized it was fan made, AFTER I watched it, haha. The kid did a really good job.

Yup, doctors will do that. Little tip, should you try psychedelics, Respect them. They ain't molly, where you pop and pill and go to a rave.

 

[LucyJr]

Well...
One could just dismiss that as you being incredibly empathetic

No, not really. I hardly believe so. Empathetic with what, with a plasma and some images on a screen? It doesn't make any sense.
Anyways, I have problems with the notion of empathy. Its rather a confusing term for me, because it has taken all kind of new and unproved connotations, so I don't feel like I'l entertain the idea of empathy.

via a vivid imagination see yourself in that position.

Yes, I kind of think imagination is the root thing of all this. Perhaps because I'm highly imaginative, I can create a entire world in my head as if is real, and deluding myself in thinking so.
But the question is: Is this healthy? Isn't something weird and irrational that you can 'enjoy' and remain with such high impressions from something that is basically non-real?

You could take it a step further and view it as consciousness creating or altering your reality...there is some really good and interesting scientific theories out there to support such a thing.
It’s like the power of intention...if you will something hard enough, you actually begin to create that reality.

[FONT=Verdana,Trebuchet MS,sans-serif]How the Power of Intention Alters Matter

with Dr. William A. Tiller

Scientific proof that human intention raises local symmetry in the substratum of space
[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif]As described in Celeste Adams's interview (see The Conscious Creation of a New Paradigm), Dr. William A. Tiller's studies and experiments have proven that human consciousness "changes space." And he explains how this works in a way that's easy for us to follow and understand.

But further – and of importance to the subject matter of our current issue – he demonstrates not only that Zero Point Energy is, for all practical purposes, absolutely limitless, but that in it lies our future potential.

It's not a hoax, and it's not "science fiction." It's science fact. It's real, and it's coming soon.

Proving Scientifically that Mind Affects Matter

Dr. Tiller's experiments to demonstrate the effect of mind over matter began by imprinting electrical devices with a specific intention. The imprinting was done by four experienced meditators, people who Tiller says were "highly inner-self-managed people."

Then this device – imprinted with the intent – was wrapped in aluminum and sent by overnight shipping to a laboratory 2000 miles away, where it was placed beside the "target experiment" and turned on.

So, for example, the electrical device might be imprinted with the idea of raising or lowering the pH of water. And if the device was turned on in the vicinity of a jar of water, the expectation was that the pH of the water would be raised or lowered, depending upon the original intent.

In the case of that particular experiment, they were looking for at least a full pH unit of difference, something large enough that the results could not be attributed to faulty measurement (it's possible to measure 1/100th or even 1/1000th of a degree of change in pH, so one full unit is a lot).

So the first result was that they were in fact able to achieve an unambiguous change in the water's pH state simply through its being in the vicinity of an electrical device that had been imprinted with that intent. And they were able to raise pH (or lower it, depending upon the intent) in this way by as much as 1-1/2 full units, a very large amount.

The Effect of Repeated Experiments

It was when the same experiment was repeated over and over, however, that the really significant effects began to show. For Tiller has found and proved that when intent is repeated in the same space, eventually it becomes permanent. And when that happens, the laws of physics in that space no longer operate as they did before! (For a homely but meaningful analogy, can you remember when it was "impossible" for man to run a four-minute mile?)

When they kept running the same experiment over and over again, Tiller says, the laboratory began to become "conditioned," so that the same result would happen more strongly or more quickly. And eventually, it would happen even after the device was no longer in the room.

"In one of the spaces that we have used," Tiller says, "the alteration in the space of the room has remained stable for well over a year, and it's still going strong." (Today, if you can't run a four-minute mile they won't let you on the track team.)

In physical terms, what does this mean? What has actually happened to the "space" of the laboratory room?

Tiller explains, "The experimental data we gather seems to indicate that it raises what is called the 'physics gauge symmetry' of the room." For example, in one experiment they would put a disk-like DC magnet under the jar of water for three days with the north pole up, and measure the pH. Then they would do the same with the south pole up. They wanted to know whether there would be a difference in pH change in the water depending upon which pole was up.

"In a 'normal space,' which is called a U{1}-Gauge space," Tiller says,

[FONT=Comic Sans MS,sans-serif]. . .the magnetic force is proportional to the gradient of the square of the magnetic field. This simply means that if you do that experiment in a "normal space," there will be no difference, no matter which way the magnet is turned.

In this "conditioned space," though, we have been able to get differences of 1-1/2 pH units depending upon which way the magnet was turned. Very big effects.​

​

What this basically means is that the law of physics which says that the magnetic force is proportional to the gradient of the square of the magnetic field has been changed in this space! Tiller says:

[FONT=Comic Sans MS,sans-serif]The only way that can happen is if you've raised the gauge symmetry from the U{1} Gauge to something approximating what is called the SU{2} Gauge. With SU{2}-Gauge symmetry, you have electric monopole and magnetic monopole substances functioning, not magnetic dipoles as you have in a U{1} space.

So somehow, by our procedures, we have created mixed-gauge symmetry. We've produced some elements of SU{2}-Gauge symmetry, because that's the only way you can get a polarity effect.

That says that we are producing domains of order in the vacuum![/FONT]​

The Vacuum Contains Non-Physical "Stuff"

But isn't the vacuum a – well, a vacuum? Like, nothing?

No, Tiller points out, actually a vacuum contains dense energy potential. But in U{1}-Gauge symmetry, that potential is chaotic and amorphous. It has no basic effect on the physical universe.

But with SU{2}-Gauge symmetry, he says, there is an ordered alteration, a change that takes place. SU{2}-Gauge symmetry actually changes the state of the particles that make up physical reality. And since Tiller has shown that the order thus created in the vacuum is based upon human intent, this shows that we can actually harness the power of the vacuum through our consciousness.

How Much Power Are We Talking About

Assuming that we can use experiments like this to learn how to tap the energy of the vacuum, how much potential is there within this "vacuum stuff"?

Again, the answer to this begins with the understanding that the vacuum is not empty or void. It's empty only of physical matter. However, the vacuum contains "energy density." This is actually the central concept of "free energy."

As Tiller says:

[FONT=Comic Sans MS,sans-serif]Quantum mechanics and relativity theory are the two prime theoretical constructs of modern physics, and for quantum mechanics and relativity theory to be internally self-consistent, their calculations require that the vacuum must contain an energy density 10[SUP]94[/SUP] grams per cubic centimeter.[/FONT]​

How much energy is that? To find out, Tiller says, you simply use Einstein's equation: e=MC[SUP]2[/SUP].

Here's how this comes out in practical terms. You could take the volume of, say, a single hydrogen atom (which is incredibly small, an infinitesimally small fraction of a cubic centimeter), and multiply that by the average mass density of the cosmos, a number which is known to astronomers. And what you find out, Tiller says, is that within the amount of vacuum contained in this hydrogen atom there is, according to this calculation, "almost a trillion times as much energy as in all of the stars and all of the planets out to a radius of 20 billion light years!"

[FONT=Comic Sans MS,sans-serif]If human consciousness can interact with that even a little bit, it can change things in matter. Because the ground state energies of all particles have that energy level due to their interaction with this stuff of the vacuum. So if you can shift that stuff of the vacuum, change its degree of order or coherence even a little bit, you can change the ground state energies of particles, atoms, molecules, and chemical equations.[/FONT]​

In conclusion, despite our attachment to it and our feeling of its solidity and persistence, what we think of as the physical universe is an almost incomprehensibly minuscule part of the immensity of All That Is.

Our future, Dr. Tiller is telling us, lies in harnessing the energies that lie hidden in the spaces between the particles, atoms, molecules, planets, stars, and galaxies of the physical universe. . .

"Matter as we know it," Tiller concludes poetically, "is hardly a fragrance of a whisper."

[TABLE="width: 96%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 100%"]Dr. Tiller's website is at tiller.org. You may email Dr. Tiller at bill@tiller.org, but he asks that you include a snail mail address if you wish to receive a reply.

The quotes in this article were culled from a recent interview with Dr. Tiller by Jeff Rense. To hear the interview in its entirety, go to the Yahoo archives and select the November 14 broadcast, or click here. to load the broadcast directly.

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/FONT][/FONT]

This is something certainly interesting. Thanks, I will think about it.

 

[LucyJr]

I had just finished a long meditation session, and went and saw Letters From Iwo Jima. It was about 20 times more intense.

Imagination: she blunts the senses, or quickens them. - Blaise Pascal

 

[Skarekrow]

Yeah, I realized it was fan made, AFTER I watched it, haha. The kid did a really good job.

Yup, doctors will do that. Little tip, should you try psychedelics, Respect them. They ain't molly, where you pop and pill and go to a rave.

For sure...as a matter of fact....I have been reading about the use of psychedelics and marijuana being used historically for spiritual purposes. I believe that there is more to them than just chemical alterations in the mind being solely responsible for hallucinations...from my readings I have come to a semi-firm belief that they open our consciousness to other states not normally accessible.
Yes...the doctors fucked me up quite well...lol. Maybe permanently...we shall see....I went to pain management for arthritis in my spine for something like 12 years...until last spring when I cold-turkeyed it all - most painful experience ever...I would rather have my knee caps broken and then re-broken every day for a month than do that again.

 

[LucyJr]

Hey, I think its better to post the whole chapter on imagination from Pascal's Pensees. Here it is. Food for thought!


Imagination.

It is that deceitful part in man, that mistress of error and falsity, the more deceptive that she is not always so; for she would be an infallible rule of truth, if she were an infallible rule of falsehood. But being most generally false, she gives no sign of her nature, impressing the same character on the true and the false.

I do not speak of fools, I speak of the wisest men; and it is among them that the imagination has the great gift of persuasion. Reason protests in vain; it cannot set a true value on things.

This arrogant power, the enemy of reason, who likes to rule and dominate it, has established in man a second nature to show how all-powerful she is. She makes men happy and sad, healthy and sick, rich and poor; she compels reason to believe, doubt, and deny; she blunts the senses, or quickens them; she has her fools and sages; and nothing vexes us more than to see that she fills her devotees with a satisfaction far more full and entire than does reason. Those who have a lively imagination are a great deal more pleased with themselves than the wise can reasonably be. They look down upon men with haughtiness; they argue with boldness and confidence, others with fear and diffidence; and this gaiety of countenance often gives them the advantage in the opinion of the hearers, such favour have the imaginary wise in the eyes of judges of like nature. Imagination cannot make fools wise; but she can make them happy, to the envy of reason which can only make its friends miserable; the one covers them with glory, the other with shame.

What but this faculty of imagination dispenses reputation, awards respect and veneration to persons, works, laws, and the great? How insufficient are all the riches of the earth without her consent!

Would you not say that this magistrate, whose venerable age commands the respect of a whole people, is governed by pure and lofty reason, and that he judges causes according to their true nature without considering those mere trifles which only affect the imagination of the weak? See him go to sermon, full of devout zeal, strengthening his reason with the ardour of his love. He is ready to listen with exemplary respect. Let the preacher appear, and let nature have given him a hoarse voice or a comical cast of countenance, or let his barber have given him a bad shave, or let by chance his dress be more dirtied than usual, then however great the truths he announces. I wager our senator loses his gravity.

If the greatest philosopher in the world find himself upon a plank wider than actually necessary, but hanging over a precipice, his imagination will prevail, though his reason convince him of his safety.[49] Many cannot bear the thought without a cold sweat. I will not state all its effects.

Every one knows that the sight of cats or rats, the crushing of a coal, etc. may unhinge the reason. The tone of voice affects the wisest, and changes the force of a discourse or a poem.

Love or hate alters the aspect of justice. How much greater confidence has an advocate, retained with a large fee, in the justice of his cause! How much better does his bold manner make his case appear to the judges, deceived as they are by appearances! How ludicrous is reason, blown with a breath in every direction!

I should have to enumerate almost every action of men who scarce waver save under her assaults. For reason has been obliged to yield, and the wisest reason takes as her own principles those which the imagination of man has everywhere rashly introduced. [He who would follow reason only would be deemed foolish by the generality of men. We must judge by the opinion of the majority of mankind. Because it has pleased them, we must work all day for pleasures seen to be imaginary; and after sleep has refreshed our tired reason, we must forthwith start up and rush after phantoms, and suffer the impressions of this mistress of the world. This is one of the sources of error, but it is not the only one.]

Our magistrates have known well this mystery. Their red robes, the ermine in which they wrap themselves like furry cats,[50] the courts in which they administer justice, the fleurs-de-lis, and all such august apparel were necessary; if the physicians had not their cassocks and their mules, if the doctors had not their square caps and their robes four times too wide, they would never have duped the world, which cannot resist so original an appearance. If magistrates had true justice, and if physicians had the true art of healing, they would have no occasion for square caps; the majesty of these sciences would of itself be venerable enough. But having only imaginary knowledge, they must employ those silly tools that strike the imagination with which they have to deal; and thereby in fact they inspire respect. Soldiers alone are not disguised in this manner, because indeed their part is the most essential; they establish themselves by force, the others by show.

Therefore our kings seek out no disguises. They do not mask themselves in extraordinary costumes to appear such; but they are accompanied by guards and halberdiers. Those armed and red-faced puppets who have hands and power for them alone, those trumpets and drums which go before them, and those legions round about them, make the stoutest tremble. They have not dress only, they have might. A very refined reason is required to
regard as an ordinary man the Grand Turk, in his superb seraglio, surrounded by forty thousand janissaries.

We cannot even see an advocate in his robe and with his cap on his head, without a favourable opinion of his ability. The imagination disposes of everything; it makes beauty, justice, and happiness, which is everything in the world. I should much like to see an Italian work, of which I only know the title, which alone is worth many books, _Della opinione regina del mondo_.[51] I approve of the book without knowing it, save the evil in it, if any. These are pretty much the effects of that deceptive faculty, which seems to have been expressly given us to lead us into necessary error. We have, however, many other sources of error.

Not only are old impressions capable of misleading us; the charms of novelty have the same power. Hence arise all the disputes of men, who taunt each other either with following the false impressions of childhood or with running rashly after the new. Who keeps the due mean? Let him appear and prove it. There is no principle, however natural to us from infancy, which may not be made to pass for a false impression either of education or of sense.

 

[digitalbum]

For sure...as a matter of fact....I have been reading about the use of psychedelics and marijuana being used historically for spiritual purposes. I believe that there is more to them than just chemical alterations in the mind being solely responsible for hallucinations...from my readings I have come to a semi-firm belief that they open our consciousness to other states not normally accessible.
Yes...the doctors fucked me up quite well...lol. Maybe permanently...we shall see....I went to pain management for arthritis in my spine for something like 12 years...until last spring when I cold-turkeyed it all - most painful experience ever...I would rather have my knee caps broken and then re-broken every day for a month than do that again.

I can imagine. Really, I've been through Benzo withdrawal, and I've never experienced such total and acute agony. Didn't even think it was possible to be in that much physical, mental pain.

Yeah, well I've had PLENTY of psychedelic experiences, and, especially with high doses of mushrooms, there is NO WAY, the shit you see when you close your eyes is coming from yourself. It's mixed in their, but there is some kind of intelligence or dimensional portal that fuses with your consciousness/brain.

And trust me, I am as scientific and "show me the proof" as they come. I had read a bunch of Terrence McKenna literature about how shrooms are some sort of alien intelligence, that crashed on earth in the form of spores, as spores can survive the vacuum of space for millions of years. I laughed and laughed. UNTIL. I took a double dose of philosopher's stone (psychedelic truffles straight from amsterdam) alone, at night, by myself. And DUDE, the shit I saw behind my eyelids can only be described as some kind of indescribable alien hieroglyphics without any kind of 2d or 3d parameters. Other Fucking Worldly. Needless to say, I was like "Hmmm, maybe McKenna was on to something" but I also don't going around saying "Magic Mushrooms? yeah, they're aliens bro." But fuck if it isn't possible.

 

[digitalbum]

Imagination: she blunts the senses, or quickens them. - Blaise Pascal

Too true. And it was an epiphany, though one that perhaps should have been obvious, that the state of mind on is in has a huge effect on how you enjoy the film. And not to say that some are inherently awful or inherently awesome. They are.

 

[Eventhorizon]

[MENTION=11089]digitalbum[/MENTION] The following question is not intended to direct you. It is only a question regarding your last posts. Have you experienced DMT?

 

[Skarekrow]

Hey, I think its better to post the whole chapter on imagination from Pascal's Pensees. Here it is. Food for thought!


Imagination.

It is that deceitful part in man, that mistress of error and falsity, the more deceptive that she is not always so; for she would be an infallible rule of truth, if she were an infallible rule of falsehood. But being most generally false, she gives no sign of her nature, impressing the same character on the true and the false.

I do not speak of fools, I speak of the wisest men; and it is among them that the imagination has the great gift of persuasion. Reason protests in vain; it cannot set a true value on things.

This arrogant power, the enemy of reason, who likes to rule and dominate it, has established in man a second nature to show how all-powerful she is. She makes men happy and sad, healthy and sick, rich and poor; she compels reason to believe, doubt, and deny; she blunts the senses, or quickens them; she has her fools and sages; and nothing vexes us more than to see that she fills her devotees with a satisfaction far more full and entire than does reason. Those who have a lively imagination are a great deal more pleased with themselves than the wise can reasonably be. They look down upon men with haughtiness; they argue with boldness and confidence, others with fear and diffidence; and this gaiety of countenance often gives them the advantage in the opinion of the hearers, such favour have the imaginary wise in the eyes of judges of like nature. Imagination cannot make fools wise; but she can make them happy, to the envy of reason which can only make its friends miserable; the one covers them with glory, the other with shame.

What but this faculty of imagination dispenses reputation, awards respect and veneration to persons, works, laws, and the great? How insufficient are all the riches of the earth without her consent!

Would you not say that this magistrate, whose venerable age commands the respect of a whole people, is governed by pure and lofty reason, and that he judges causes according to their true nature without considering those mere trifles which only affect the imagination of the weak? See him go to sermon, full of devout zeal, strengthening his reason with the ardour of his love. He is ready to listen with exemplary respect. Let the preacher appear, and let nature have given him a hoarse voice or a comical cast of countenance, or let his barber have given him a bad shave, or let by chance his dress be more dirtied than usual, then however great the truths he announces. I wager our senator loses his gravity.

If the greatest philosopher in the world find himself upon a plank wider than actually necessary, but hanging over a precipice, his imagination will prevail, though his reason convince him of his safety.[49] Many cannot bear the thought without a cold sweat. I will not state all its effects.

Every one knows that the sight of cats or rats, the crushing of a coal, etc. may unhinge the reason. The tone of voice affects the wisest, and changes the force of a discourse or a poem.

Love or hate alters the aspect of justice. How much greater confidence has an advocate, retained with a large fee, in the justice of his cause! How much better does his bold manner make his case appear to the judges, deceived as they are by appearances! How ludicrous is reason, blown with a breath in every direction!

I should have to enumerate almost every action of men who scarce waver save under her assaults. For reason has been obliged to yield, and the wisest reason takes as her own principles those which the imagination of man has everywhere rashly introduced. [He who would follow reason only would be deemed foolish by the generality of men. We must judge by the opinion of the majority of mankind. Because it has pleased them, we must work all day for pleasures seen to be imaginary; and after sleep has refreshed our tired reason, we must forthwith start up and rush after phantoms, and suffer the impressions of this mistress of the world. This is one of the sources of error, but it is not the only one.]

Our magistrates have known well this mystery. Their red robes, the ermine in which they wrap themselves like furry cats,[50] the courts in which they administer justice, the fleurs-de-lis, and all such august apparel were necessary; if the physicians had not their cassocks and their mules, if the doctors had not their square caps and their robes four times too wide, they would never have duped the world, which cannot resist so original an appearance. If magistrates had true justice, and if physicians had the true art of healing, they would have no occasion for square caps; the majesty of these sciences would of itself be venerable enough. But having only imaginary knowledge, they must employ those silly tools that strike the imagination with which they have to deal; and thereby in fact they inspire respect. Soldiers alone are not disguised in this manner, because indeed their part is the most essential; they establish themselves by force, the others by show.

Therefore our kings seek out no disguises. They do not mask themselves in extraordinary costumes to appear such; but they are accompanied by guards and halberdiers. Those armed and red-faced puppets who have hands and power for them alone, those trumpets and drums which go before them, and those legions round about them, make the stoutest tremble. They have not dress only, they have might. A very refined reason is required to
regard as an ordinary man the Grand Turk, in his superb seraglio, surrounded by forty thousand janissaries.

We cannot even see an advocate in his robe and with his cap on his head, without a favourable opinion of his ability. The imagination disposes of everything; it makes beauty, justice, and happiness, which is everything in the world. I should much like to see an Italian work, of which I only know the title, which alone is worth many books, _Della opinione regina del mondo_.[51] I approve of the book without knowing it, save the evil in it, if any. These are pretty much the effects of that deceptive faculty, which seems to have been expressly given us to lead us into necessary error. We have, however, many other sources of error.

Not only are old impressions capable of misleading us; the charms of novelty have the same power. Hence arise all the disputes of men, who taunt each other either with following the false impressions of childhood or with running rashly after the new. Who keeps the due mean? Let him appear and prove it. There is no principle, however natural to us from infancy, which may not be made to pass for a false impression either of education or of sense.

Very nice post! Thanks @LucyJr!
Imagination CAN account for some very bizarre experiences for sure!
Certain things that I personally have witnessed I probably would have written off as all just in my head....were it not for the witnesses besides myself that saw and experienced those things along with me.
That is why I have very strong opinion on things science alone cannot explain...the paranormal, psi, etc.
I’ve seen too much, as have those around me, to call it imagination alone.

 

[Skarekrow]

I can imagine. Really, I've been through Benzo withdrawal, and I've never experienced such total and acute agony. Didn't even think it was possible to be in that much physical, mental pain.

Yeah, well I've had PLENTY of psychedelic experiences, and, especially with high doses of mushrooms, there is NO WAY, the shit you see when you close your eyes is coming from yourself. It's mixed in their, but there is some kind of intelligence or dimensional portal that fuses with your consciousness/brain.

And trust me, I am as scientific and "show me the proof" as they come. I had read a bunch of Terrence McKenna literature about how shrooms are some sort of alien intelligence, that crashed on earth in the form of spores, as spores can survive the vacuum of space for millions of years. I laughed and laughed. UNTIL. I took a double dose of philosopher's stone (psychedelic truffles straight from amsterdam) alone, at night, by myself. And DUDE, the shit I saw behind my eyelids can only be described as some kind of indescribable alien hieroglyphics without any kind of 2d or 3d parameters. Other Fucking Worldly. Needless to say, I was like "Hmmm, maybe McKenna was on to something" but I also don't going around saying "Magic Mushrooms? yeah, they're aliens bro." But fuck if it isn't possible.

I believe that...but I will have to withhold total judgement until I experience it for myself...my mind is always pondering alternate possibilities.
Here’s an article from 'Psychology Today’ about psychedelics and spirituality -

​

Psychedelic drugs, including LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline, have long had an association with spiritual pursuits. For example, psychedelic plants, such as psilocybe mushrooms, peyote, and ayahuasca have long been used in shamanic traditions in the Americas (Lerner & Lyvers, 2006). Recent research has found that administering psychedelic drugs in a supportive setting can occasion profound mystical experiences. For example, a recent study found that about 60% of volunteers in an experiment on the effects of psilocybin, who had never before used psychedelic drugs, had a “complete mystical experience” characterised by experiences such as unity with all things, transcendence of time and space, a sense of insight into the ultimate nature of reality, and feelings of ineffability, awe, and profound positive emotions such as joy, peace, and love (Griffiths, Richards, McCann, & Jesse, 2006).

• The Acid Wars
• Psilocybin and Personality
• The Psychedelic Renaissance: The Drugs Are Back, And They Mean Business This Time!
• Psilocybin and Brain Function
• Psilocybin for Anxiety and Depression in Cancer

Due to the association between psychedelic drugs and mystical experiences, some recent research has looked at how the spiritual beliefs and attitudes of psychedelic drug users compare to users of non-psychedelic drugs and to non-drug users. A study by Lerner and Lyvers (2006) compared people who used high doses of classic psychedelic drugs (e.g. LSD, mescaline and psilocybin) with people who used other illegal drugs (mostly marijuana and amphetamines) who had never tried psychedelic drugs, and people who had never used illegal drugs. (Only high-dose psychedelic drug users were included, as high doses are required to induce mystical states. Low dose usage is popular with people who primarily enjoy the perceptual effects such as enhancement of music during raves.)

Psychedelic drug users endorsed more mystical beliefs (such as in a universal soul, no fear of death, unity of all things, existence of a transcendent reality, and oneness with God, nature and the universe). Psychedelic drug users also said they placed greater value on spirituality and concern for others, and less value on financial prosperity, than the other two groups. This accords with findings from another study (Móró, Simon, Bárd, & Rácz, 2011) that found that psychedelic drug users regarded spirituality as more personally important compared to users of other drugs and non-drug users. Spirituality in this latter study was defined as “one’s relationship to God, or whatever you perceive to be Ultimate Transcendence.”

These findings do suggest that people who use psychedelic drugs consider themselves more spiritual, and perhaps less materialistic, than people who prefer other drugs or who do not use illegal drugs at all. A more difficult question to answer is whether taking psychedelic drugs induces people to become more open to spiritual beliefs and values, or whether people who already have these beliefs and values are more inclined than others to use these drugs. Lerner and Lyvers suggest that the answer is probably a combination of both as persons on a spiritual quest are more likely to take these drugs and their subsequent experiences may strengthen and deepen their spiritual values and beliefs.

There does seem to be evidence that there may be a two-way relationship between psychedelic drug use and having spiritual and mystical beliefs. A study on psilocybin by Griffiths et al. (2011) found that people who had never used psychedelic drugs before reported long-term (assessed over a period of 14 months) increases in “death transcendence”. That is, participants expressed an increased belief that there is continuity after death, e.g. belief that death is not an ending but a transition to something even greater than this life. One of the core features of mystical experience is “an intuitive belief that the experience is a source of objective truth about the nature of reality” (MacLean, Johnson, & Griffiths, 2011).

As noted earlier, about 60% of volunteers in the Griffiths et al. study reported a complete mystical experience, which they regarded as having sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance months later. From this it seems reasonable to think that one of the outcomes of the mystical experience was to convince volunteers that consciousness does continue after death. Additionally, as noted in a previous post, volunteers who experienced a complete mystical experience on psilocybin had a subsequent increase in the personality domain of openness to experience. People high in openness to experience also tend to endorse more mystical and spiritual beliefs, although they may also endorse less conventional religious belief.

On the other hand, a person’s motives for taking psychedelic drugs in the first place are most probably related to their pre-existing beliefs and values. There is a subculture of people called “psychonauts” who are interested in taking psychedelic drugs for purposes of self-exploration, which can include religious and spiritual motives. Móró et al. referred to such purposes as autognosis (self-knowledge) and found that autognosis was one of the main motives for using psychedelic drugs and for preferring them to other drugs. Furthermore, as noted elsewhere, people who are high in a personality trait known as absorption (a tendency to “lose oneself” when focused on something of particular interest, within or without oneself) have a much stronger response to psychedelic drugs and are more likely to have a mystical experience compared to people low in capacity for absorption. This would seem to indicate that some people are more likely than others to “benefit” from psychedelic drugs, in terms of having a profound spiritual experience. Hence, people with certain personality traits as well as the desire for autognosis are probably more predisposed than others to seek some sort of spiritual awakening through psychedelic drugs.

Having considered that psychedelic drugs may be conducive to mystical and spiritual beliefs and experiences, it may be worth considering what benefits psychedelic drug use might have. Griffiths et al. (2008) found that fourteen months after taking psilocybin for the first time nearly two-thirds of volunteers rated the experience as in the top five for both most personally meaningful and most spiritually significant experience in their entire lives. About 64% said the experience had increased their personal well-being and life satisfaction over the fourteen month period. Having a mystical experience while on psilocybin appeared to play a central role in these high ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance. Additionally, volunteers said that they experienced positive changes in their attitudes towards life and to the self, as well as increased positive mood and a sense of greater altruism (Griffiths, et al., 2006). These self-ratings were confirmed by people who knew the volunteers well. The finding of increased altruism seems to concur with the finding by Lerner and Lyvers that psychedelic drug users reported greater concern for others compared to users of other drugs and non-drug users. Additionally, a study I discussed elsewhere suggested that psilocybin could reduce anxiety and depression in people with terminal cancer.

On the other hand, it might be tempting to expect too much from psychedelic drugs. Lerner and Lyvers noted that they were expecting that psychedelic drug users might cope better with stress than non-drug users because they believed that mystical and spiritual experiences would act as a buffer against stressful events. On the contrary they found that psychedelic drug users did not differ from non-drug users in their self-reported ability to cope with stress. Interestingly, both of these groups did report better coping than users of other drugs. This seems to suggest that users of non-psychedelic drugs do not cope well with stress, and this may well be a factor in their drug use. Móró et al. also found that psychedelic drug users did not differ from others (including users of other drugs as well as non-drug users in this study) in their apparent ability to cope with stress or in their sense of having a purpose in life.

Additionally, I think it worth noting that Móró et al. found that their spirituality measure had only quite weak positive correlations with coping ability and purpose in life. This seems to suggest that one’s spirituality (i.e. one’s relationship to God or “ultimate transcendence”) may make little practical difference to one’s ability to cope with daily life or to conceive a sense of purpose in one’s life. I am inclined to speculate that mystical and spiritual beliefs might be of particular benefit when dealing with ultimate concerns such as dying, but may have considerably less practical value when dealing with more mundane concerns or even in relation to deciding one’s life direction. More research may help to make these issues clearer.

Additionally, Lerner and Lyvers were somewhat surprised to find that psychedelic drug users did not differ from the other groups in the value they placed on humility. Mystical experiences tend to be associated with a sense of self-transcendence that the authors initially thought might induce people to feel more humble about their place in the greater scheme of things and to attach less importance to their own ego. However, this notion is debatable. Sceptical writer John Horgan considers that in some people mystical experiences could actually inflate their egos leading to grandiose beliefs about their superiority to others. That is, a person having a mystical experience might come away convinced that they are a prophet or a guru, or otherwise feel that they are more “enlightened” than other people.

One final note of caution I want to make is of a more philosophical nature. I think psychedelic drugs have great potential value, both as therapeutic tools and in research about the nature of the mind and consciousness. Mystical experiences induced by these drugs appear to have quite profound personal significance for those who experience them. One of the apparent features of the psychedelic mystical experience is that people experience, at least temporarily, a sense that deep truths about the nature of objective reality are being revealed to them. After the psychedelic trip ends some people might come away convinced that these experiences are genuine indicators of something real, whereas others may conclude that the experiences are an illusion. I don’t think research has clarified the proportion of people who find these “insights” convincing” compared to those who have doubts, so I think this is worth further study.[SUP][1]
[/SUP]
My own belief is that while such experiences may indeed be wonderful and worthwhile, they do not provide valid evidence about the nature of reality. I agree with Sam Harris who has stated that we need to make a distinction between describing the nature of the psychedelic experience and making claims about the nature of reality. He says we should be very slow to extrapolate from what one experiences in the darkness of one’s closed eyes to what is true of the universe. He goes on to say that we need to be interested in the full spectrum of human experience and to be able to speak about it rationally without engaging in pseudoscience. Perhaps, future research might consider what benefits psychedelic drugs might have for people who are open to the full psychedelic experience, yet willing to remain sceptical about their ability to reveal “ultimate truths”.
________________________________________
[SUP][1][/SUP] In a previous pair of articles (see here and here) I noted that many users of the drug DMT experience striking visions of non-human entities, and that some users were left convinced that these were somehow objectively real.
Please consider following me on Facebook, Google Plus, or Twitter.
© Scott McGreal. Please do not reproduce without permission. Brief excerpts may be quoted as long as a link to the original article is provided.
Other posts about psychedelic drugs and/or spirituality
Psilocybin and personality
Psilocybin and brain function
Psilocybin for anxiety and depression in cancer
DMT, aliens and reality — part 1
DMT, aliens and reality — part 2
Precognition and the search for the soul — part 1
Precognition and the search for the soul — part 2
Troubled Souls: Spirituality as a Mental Health Hazard
What Oprah doesn’t Understand about Awe and Atheists
References
Griffiths, R., Johnson, M., Richards, W., Richards, B., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2011). Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects.Psychopharmacology, 218(4), 649-665. doi: 10.1007/s00213-011-2358-5
Griffiths, R., Richards, W., Johnson, M., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2008). Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 22(6), 621.
Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance.Psychopharmacology, 187(3), 268-283. doi: 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
Lerner, M., & Lyvers, M. (2006). Values and Beliefs of Psychedelic Drug Users: A Cross-Cultural Study. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 38(2), 143-147. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2006.10399838
MacLean, K. A., Johnson, M. W., & Griffiths, R. R. (2011). Mystical Experiences Occasioned by the Hallucinogen Psilocybin Lead to Increases in the Personality Domain of Openness. Journal of Psychopharmacology. doi: 10.1177/0269881111420188
Móró, L., Simon, K., Bárd, I., & Rácz, J. (2011). Voice of the Psychonauts: Coping, Life Purpose, and Spirituality in Psychedelic Drug Users. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 43(3), 188-198. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2011.605661

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[digitalbum]

[MENTION=11089]digitalbum[/MENTION] The following question is not intended to direct you. It is only a question regarding your last posts. Have you experienced DMT?

I wish. Harder to come by, and I'm a bit too old to go looking for it. You?

 

[Skarekrow]

@digitalbum The following question is not intended to direct you. It is only a question regarding your last posts. Have you experienced DMT?

Can DMT ‘Connect’ Human Brain to a Parallel Universe?







Rick Strassman in his book «DMT: the Spirit Molecule», claims that DMT, which is one of the most powerful psychedelic drugs, can provide a reliable and regular access to the other planes of existence.
In fact, they are always there and constantly transmit information. But we cannot perceive them because we are simply not designed for this: our ‘program’ keeps us tuned to the standard, mentally ‘normal’ channel. Just a few seconds are needed for the spirit molecule to reach the brain and change the mental channel, opening our minds to other planes of existence.

HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?

What if DMT can lead us to parallel worlds? Theoretical physicists assume that the existence of parallel worlds is based on the phenomenon of interference, writes Strassman. One of the demonstrations of this phenomenon is what happens to the light beam when passing through a narrow hole in cardboard. Various rings and colorful edges that appear on the screen on which the light falls are not just the outlines of the cardboard. As a result of more complex experiments, the researchers concluded on the existence of “invisible” light particles that collide with those that we can see, refracting light in unexpected ways.
Parallel worlds interact with each other when the interference occurs. According to the theoretical hypothesis, there is an unimaginably huge number of parallel universes, or multiverses, each of which is similar to our own and is subject to the same laws of physics. This is the reason to the fact that it is not necessary that there is anything particularly strange or exotic about different multiverses. At the same time, they are parallel due to the particles that form them and that are located in different positions in each universe.

DMT CAN ALLOW OUR BRAINS TO FEEL THE MULTIVERSE.



Strassman refers to the British scientist David Deutsch, a leading theorist in this area and author of «The fabric of reality». He has corresponded with Deutsch discussing the likelihood that DMT can alter brain function so as to grantaccess or knowledge about parallel worlds and the physicist doubted this possibility because it would require«quantum computing». This phenomenon, according to Deutsch, “could distribute components of a complex task among vast numbers of parallel universes, and then share the results. One of the conditions required for quantum computing is a temperature close to absolute zero.” That is why the physicist finds prolonged contact between universes in a biological system unlikely.
However, Strassman notes that since DMT is the key substance that changes the brain’s physical properties so that quantum computing may take place at body temperature, establishing contact with parallel universes could be possible.


[video=youtube;eMOC44vby9g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eMOC44vby9g[/video]

 

[sprinkles]

[MENTION=5045]Skarekrow[/MENTION]
Who's back?? I'm back!
[video=youtube;rTLJ-navt9A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTLJ-navt9A[/video]

 

[Eventhorizon]

I wish. Harder to come by, and I'm a bit too old to go looking for it. You?

I dont know that I "wish" as well but I am also too old and I am not willing to take any chances with my health these days even though theres no reason to believe it would affect that. Blood pressure medicine etc... Plus I may want to get another government job at some point. They like it when you can tell them its been 20+ years since touching an illegal substance.

What I find interesting about DMT though is that it is in almost everything we see. Plants, animals etc... Our brain manufactures it and yets its one of the most illegal substances in America.

I have found this. If you talk to someone who has not done any drugs in their life, they think that people who are on drugs are a completely different person. "The President took a sleeping pill?! OMG we all almost died!" Type of thing.

Im still not convinced that these drugs do anything to connect you with anything other than your own mind. I am interested in hearing what people who have actually done them have to say though. If nothing else it gives us a window into how the mind works that we did not have before.

 

[digitalbum]

I dont know that I "wish" as well but I am also too old and I am not willing to take any chances with my health these days even though theres no reason to believe it would affect that. Blood pressure medicine etc... Plus I may want to get another government job at some point. They like it when you can tell them its been 20+ years since touching an illegal substance.

What I find interesting about DMT though is that it is in almost everything we see. Plants, animals etc... Our brain manufactures it and yets its one of the most illegal substances in America.

I have found this. If you talk to someone who has not done any drugs in their life, they think that people who are on drugs are a completely different person. "The President took a sleeping pill?! OMG we all almost died!" Type of thing.

Im still not convinced that these drugs do anything to connect you with anything other than your own mind. I am interested in hearing what people who have actually done them have to say though. If nothing else it gives us a window into how the mind works that we did not have before.

So you say you're not convinced that these drugs do anything to connect you with anything other than your own mind? But, and I wasn't clear on this, you haven't tried anything hardcore (psychedelic) yourself?

Well let me tell you man, that's like saying "I'm not convinced I'd fail at Navy SEAL BUDS training." You could never be convinced unless you tried.

On top of the fact that a hardcore psychedelic experience is a VERY personal spiritual experience. I have some very firm beliefs about them, including part of it being outside of the mind/ego. But I would also never try to convince anyone of that, as I couldn't even if I wanted to. There's simply no scientific way to measure that (that I am aware of, and I probably would be, as it would have been proven/disproven by now).