Well, I know a lot more about the pharmacology of drugs than their spiritual benefits or detriments, but I'll try my best.
QUOTE(valkyrie @ May 12 2009, 10:52 PM)
how do drugs, (and which drugs) help the process?
is it necessary to use drugs to obtain an experience, or certain experience, for some people?
do drugs hurt or help ALL spiritual practices, or only certain ones? which ones are these?
which drugs are better, which drugs are worse for magick purposes?
do some of you use drugs ONLY during a ritual...or do you uses it for recreational purposes as well?
if you use drugs to induce certain experiences, do you feel like every time and every experience is valid?
How can you distinguish true from false, and what is the consistent mentality behind accepting what you experience?
do drugs open up gates, or do they tear down the walls of your mind, or do they close doors?
what is the theory behind the spiritual quality of drugs (or perception thereof)?
1. Drugs, especially the stranger ones like LSD or salvia (!), get you accustomed to altered perceptions, and to the concept of "gnosis". That is, knowledge through realization as opposed to logic. I am a great fan of reason, but it's simply impossible to describe what it actually feels like to be super high or "tripping", and on occasion impossible to describe any insight obtained. You have to experience it to know it, and sometimes the experience is so
different it opens your mind up to other ways of thinking. This is how I became interested in Buddhism: I realized that the reason nirvana is never fully explained is because it's inexplicable, not because it's "religious bullshit" as I might have thought.
2. Absolutely yes. I think most people will disagree here because they consider "traditional" gnosis to be superior to any that drugs could give you, and I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong - but the effects of drugs are so many and varied I think it's impossible to fully replicate all them on your own. Some act mainly upon, or mimic, chemicals already in your brain, so I could see those; but I doubt there's a human ever born that could meditate themselves into a mescaline trip (for example). Now, if it's necessary to have these chemical experiences, I don't know; but drugs definitely do unique things to your brain.
3. I think it depends on the practitioner and their goals. Some spiritual paths specifically recommend drugs, shamanism chiefly among them; some don't say anything, like most older ceremonial magic; and some require you to renounce the use of intoxicants, like Buddhism. Not being a master, I don't know if that's always necessary, but interestingly enough I recall reading about some Tibetan Buddhists using psychoactive incense (for instance).
4. See #1. I personally actually favor cannabis for this purpose, but I think pretty much any non-harmful drug will do. Hallucinogens (psychedelics, deliriants, and disassociatives) probably have the most to offer, spiritually. Cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine I'd avoid, since they don't really feel weird so much as amplifications of ordinary feelings. Alcohol and tobacco are pretty useless too as far as I feel. Heroin and the other opioids... once you get past the desire to just sink back and loll around, I think they have some deep stuff to offer, but it's not as easy as with the more classically "spiritual" drugs - not stuff to mess around with, either.
5. Not... not be on drugs at some point in time? What? That's crazy! (IMG:
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6. I'm not sure what you mean by valid. Is it an experience every time? Sure. Does it always offer spiritual insight? No. I feel like the most important and beneficial thing is usually the thinking about it you do afterward, though.
7. Again, I'm not exactly sure what you mean. The experience isn't true or false: it's just an experience. For me, spirituality and drug use are more about internal realizations.
8. Tear down walls, most definitely. Open gates... it did for me. Close doors? I'm sure for some people, and there's nothing wrong with that either. The more open you are to it, the more useful, I think. Never forget about having fun, because it's about the journey!
9. I probably said enough above, but if you have any questions, comments, or criticisms, please post them. (IMG:
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This post has been edited by Vilhjalmr: May 15 2009, 12:19 AM
Yay! Or Nay! To Drugs?, pros and cons of using mind altering drugs for magical purposes
valkyrie Yay! Or Nay! To Drugs? May 12 2009, 09:52 PM
