I feel the previous post and theory of relevance because, it displays to us, how through the defintion and creation of -three- words, a system was established through which to discuss the phenomenological effects of consciousness on all things.
Every thing, idea, or force has, according to this theory - a "morphic field" that draws upon previous habits of its species and existence. Focused consciousness or action creates a run, or tunnel ("runnel") in a specific morphic field that can be compatively discussed and compared in depth by using the term Waddington, the unit to measure the depth of a specific runnel. These terms, coined by Ralph Abraham and Rupert Sheldrake demonstrate how language, ultimately the barrier to the liberation of perception, can be contorted and expanded to fit the needs of an evolving and maturing species prior to the point at which it collapses into itself and ceases to function.
More on this to follow.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Morphic Fields
I propose everyone should spend two or three minutes reading this article, right now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphic_field#Morphogenetic_field
Personal digressions on the matter to follow when I have time, I felt that this alone was worth posting as is for now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphic_field#Morphogenetic_field
Personal digressions on the matter to follow when I have time, I felt that this alone was worth posting as is for now.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Conspiracy Weariness
Article originally written March 4, 2o09, for binnallofamerica.com
I met up with an old friend this last weekend and we had a lengthly conversation over a couple of brews at a quiet local pub, reminiscing over past experiences that the two of us had shared. Of particular note was our discussion on conspiracy theory - and just how obsessive I was in my naivete, over every little thing I happened to hear or read in any one of the alternative news outlets available. It got me thinking just how much I've distanced myself from the conspiracy community lately, and how healthy it has been for me.
I recall a day when the paranoid rhetoric of several of the louder and angry conspiracy researches actually led to some degree of paranoia in my own life - which, upon reflection, seems utter madness. I remember when I saw chemtrails in the sky just how uneasy I would get, and being deeply concerned about the "Illuminati", and seeing negative esoteric symbolism everywhere. It got me thinking - just how many people have gotten into this paranoid rut and have not been able to find their way out of it? How many people spend their days stockpiling canned food and building a bomb shelter for the inevitable end of the world?
Now, certainly, I do not mean to target or attack any one person in particular - but having recently turned on the Alex Jones show, just to see what he was up to, I was rather dissapointed by what I heard. It seems he is still ranting about the same things he was years ago, still just as angry if not angrier, and still demanding that your purchase or burn his new videos to distribute in order to educate the public about how repressed they are.
It got me thinking - just how much good, if any, is this really doing? Worse yet are the plethora of researchers and writers out there who seem to do nothing but devote their time to decoding secret satanic hand signals, or ceaselessly examining dollar bills for encrypted messages, and again I ask - what is the point, what good does any of this obsessive nonsense do?
Naturally, almost all involved have some sort of agenda - whether it be a book to sell, a religious standpoint to try and reinforce, or some sort of political ideal which they wish to force onto the public at large. They seem so vehement about ending repression and replacing it with freedom - provided it is "their kind of freedom", and not yours. It always makes me shake my head when I hear the more extreme christian wing of the freedom movement preeching liberty and immediately dumping upon gay rights, open borders and drug legalization - some freedom, hey?
Certainly as well, none of these people seem particularly effective at getting their message across - since when is going out on the street with a bullhorn and yelling like a madman going to accomplish anything but make you and those with similar ideas to you look like absolute baffoons? Some of the yelling matches I've witnessed are akin to the Seinfeld episode in which two men fight ceaselessly over who is entitled to a parking spot - poo flinging matches between rigid dogmatic monkeys, little more.
I have learned that for me, freedom and liberation comes not through accepting some ideology that seems better then an old one, but rather in realizing that all ideology is inherently flawed by its nature, and anyone attempting to tell you how the world ought to be run is probably dangerously insane and should be avoided at all costs.
The most effective methods of changing the downward spiral our race seems to be embarking on is through creativity - expanding your own nervous system and leading by example, and doing what you can in your day to day life to liberate yourself and make a difference in the lives of those around you. Once this is understood, the notion of yelling at people on street corners seems laughably absurd.
Paranoia has never done anything but prevent one from living their lives, and a conspiracy community that seems to thrive on the amplification of the paranoia of those surrounding them is hardly one that I wish to consider myself a part of.
I met up with an old friend this last weekend and we had a lengthly conversation over a couple of brews at a quiet local pub, reminiscing over past experiences that the two of us had shared. Of particular note was our discussion on conspiracy theory - and just how obsessive I was in my naivete, over every little thing I happened to hear or read in any one of the alternative news outlets available. It got me thinking just how much I've distanced myself from the conspiracy community lately, and how healthy it has been for me.
I recall a day when the paranoid rhetoric of several of the louder and angry conspiracy researches actually led to some degree of paranoia in my own life - which, upon reflection, seems utter madness. I remember when I saw chemtrails in the sky just how uneasy I would get, and being deeply concerned about the "Illuminati", and seeing negative esoteric symbolism everywhere. It got me thinking - just how many people have gotten into this paranoid rut and have not been able to find their way out of it? How many people spend their days stockpiling canned food and building a bomb shelter for the inevitable end of the world?
Now, certainly, I do not mean to target or attack any one person in particular - but having recently turned on the Alex Jones show, just to see what he was up to, I was rather dissapointed by what I heard. It seems he is still ranting about the same things he was years ago, still just as angry if not angrier, and still demanding that your purchase or burn his new videos to distribute in order to educate the public about how repressed they are.
It got me thinking - just how much good, if any, is this really doing? Worse yet are the plethora of researchers and writers out there who seem to do nothing but devote their time to decoding secret satanic hand signals, or ceaselessly examining dollar bills for encrypted messages, and again I ask - what is the point, what good does any of this obsessive nonsense do?
Naturally, almost all involved have some sort of agenda - whether it be a book to sell, a religious standpoint to try and reinforce, or some sort of political ideal which they wish to force onto the public at large. They seem so vehement about ending repression and replacing it with freedom - provided it is "their kind of freedom", and not yours. It always makes me shake my head when I hear the more extreme christian wing of the freedom movement preeching liberty and immediately dumping upon gay rights, open borders and drug legalization - some freedom, hey?
Certainly as well, none of these people seem particularly effective at getting their message across - since when is going out on the street with a bullhorn and yelling like a madman going to accomplish anything but make you and those with similar ideas to you look like absolute baffoons? Some of the yelling matches I've witnessed are akin to the Seinfeld episode in which two men fight ceaselessly over who is entitled to a parking spot - poo flinging matches between rigid dogmatic monkeys, little more.
I have learned that for me, freedom and liberation comes not through accepting some ideology that seems better then an old one, but rather in realizing that all ideology is inherently flawed by its nature, and anyone attempting to tell you how the world ought to be run is probably dangerously insane and should be avoided at all costs.
The most effective methods of changing the downward spiral our race seems to be embarking on is through creativity - expanding your own nervous system and leading by example, and doing what you can in your day to day life to liberate yourself and make a difference in the lives of those around you. Once this is understood, the notion of yelling at people on street corners seems laughably absurd.
Paranoia has never done anything but prevent one from living their lives, and a conspiracy community that seems to thrive on the amplification of the paranoia of those surrounding them is hardly one that I wish to consider myself a part of.
Approaching 2012 - The Fractal Of Nature
Article written on Febuary 18, 2009, for binnallofamerica.com
Nature seemingly exists as a fractal that builds upon itself at an exponential rate into higher and higher forms of complexity and intricacy. We can represent this growth curve mathematically via the Fibonacci Numbers, in which the previous two numbers are added to create the third - 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. These numbers can be extrapolated into the Fibonacci Spiral.
When these numerical patterns and the Fibonacci spiral are understood and recognized, we can begin to investigate nature in order to find what appears to be a hardcoded pattern for growth. All one needs to do is go outside and look at a flower or a tree, begin to count the petals on the flower and notice the spiral pattern that they form, or take an evergreen tree and count the lengths of needles from the tip of the branch moving inward - short of wear on the tree, and weather damage, inevitably you get something very close to the Fibonacci sequence of numbers.
What is most fascinating about this is how all encompassing this numerical formula becomes when you begin to recognize it, and how precisely it applies to almost everything in nature. The next time you go outside take a few moments to look at the plant life that surrounds you and see if you can spot the sequence in growth, or identify the spirals.
Now, seemingly - what we are seeing here is a hard coded mathematical formula that displays the preponderance of nature to favor exponential growth at a specific rate, and this rate speeds up with each new phase of growth, leading to a more and more complex organism. If one considers the Gaia theory, or any of its variants, to have any sense of legitimacy (and for the record, I do), then one can begin to see nature as a vast living organism - and all life that it spawns exists as a smaller scale fractalized representation of nature itself. Considering that fractals are self-similar across all scales, one could hypothesize that nature itself evolves and grows at an exponential rate consistent with all the life that reflects and mirrors its traits.
Of course, one of the most important things about a fractal is the fact that it is self-similar across scale, and the microcosm is reflective of the macrocosm, and vice versa. That being considered, ponder the similarity between the way in which the subatomic particles rotate around the nucleus of an atom. Then, compare that pattern with the way in which the planets of the solar system orbit around the sun. On a larger scale - think of the shape of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and you have a representation of the same Fibonacci spiral that can be found in plant life here on planet Earth. One can look at the smallest building blocks of life and see the universe at work. This theory is what mystics have been cryptically hinting at for millennia (more on this to come), but it is only now that science is uncovering this truth and giving us a vocabulary with which we can discuss it.
Now, let us suppose for the purpose of this argument that nature is a fractalized organism that is consistently expanding and growing to higher levels of complexity and density. In this equation, as the universe expands (both physically, and metaphorically) to contain more information, all things within it grow and evolve at a rate consistent with the measurements observable within the Fibonacci sequence.
In addition, as the universe expands, time naturally expands and speeds up with it - as this is the force by which the expansion of the universe can be perceived by those things that live within it. Keeping this in mind - let us now look at some numbers concerning evolutionary history,
3.8 Billion years of single cellular life, 2 Billion years of complex cells, 1 Billion years of multi-cellular life, 600 Million years of simple animals,570 Years of arthropods, 550 Million years of complex animals,400 Million years of insects,360 Million years of amphibians,300 Million years of reptiles,200 Million years of mammals,150 Million years of birds,65 Million years since the dinosaurs ceased to exist, and the wide variety of complex mammalian life began to evolve, 2.5 Million years since the appearance of the genus homo,200,000 years since the prototypes of "modern man" began to show themselves, and 25,000 years since the Neanderthals ceased to exist.
So picture for a moment - it took about 2.8 billion years for a single cell to begin to form into a multi-cellular organism, yet it took only 65 million for the wide array of mammalian life to dominate the planet, 200,000 years for mankind to evolve from its predecessors, and 25,000 years for all of civilization and human history.
Using these numbers as a rough guide - one can see that evolution occurs at an exponential scale that speeds up - though the real question is how fast, and what does this mean for us as we continue to speed up along the evolutionary curve?
If one is to take this model as evidence that information is accelerating not merely as a result of itself, but rather is a reflection of some sort of inherent quality in time, the "quickening", then we could hypothesize that 2012 represents a sort of threshold point that after being breached will represent the next great evolutionary leap in our history. We must remember that 2012 was the end of the Mayan calander, and thus when considering its implications we should do so under the context of what that would suggest - a transformation or "end" of time itself, not myriads of cataclysmic disasters that the fear mongerers in the esoteric community would have you believe. This seems to be a time of great opportunity that we are being offered to change and transform in radical ways at an incredibly fast pace, and I believe we are all lucky to be here alive at this moment to witness what is coming.
Nature seemingly exists as a fractal that builds upon itself at an exponential rate into higher and higher forms of complexity and intricacy. We can represent this growth curve mathematically via the Fibonacci Numbers, in which the previous two numbers are added to create the third - 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. These numbers can be extrapolated into the Fibonacci Spiral.
When these numerical patterns and the Fibonacci spiral are understood and recognized, we can begin to investigate nature in order to find what appears to be a hardcoded pattern for growth. All one needs to do is go outside and look at a flower or a tree, begin to count the petals on the flower and notice the spiral pattern that they form, or take an evergreen tree and count the lengths of needles from the tip of the branch moving inward - short of wear on the tree, and weather damage, inevitably you get something very close to the Fibonacci sequence of numbers.
What is most fascinating about this is how all encompassing this numerical formula becomes when you begin to recognize it, and how precisely it applies to almost everything in nature. The next time you go outside take a few moments to look at the plant life that surrounds you and see if you can spot the sequence in growth, or identify the spirals.
Now, seemingly - what we are seeing here is a hard coded mathematical formula that displays the preponderance of nature to favor exponential growth at a specific rate, and this rate speeds up with each new phase of growth, leading to a more and more complex organism. If one considers the Gaia theory, or any of its variants, to have any sense of legitimacy (and for the record, I do), then one can begin to see nature as a vast living organism - and all life that it spawns exists as a smaller scale fractalized representation of nature itself. Considering that fractals are self-similar across all scales, one could hypothesize that nature itself evolves and grows at an exponential rate consistent with all the life that reflects and mirrors its traits.
Of course, one of the most important things about a fractal is the fact that it is self-similar across scale, and the microcosm is reflective of the macrocosm, and vice versa. That being considered, ponder the similarity between the way in which the subatomic particles rotate around the nucleus of an atom. Then, compare that pattern with the way in which the planets of the solar system orbit around the sun. On a larger scale - think of the shape of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and you have a representation of the same Fibonacci spiral that can be found in plant life here on planet Earth. One can look at the smallest building blocks of life and see the universe at work. This theory is what mystics have been cryptically hinting at for millennia (more on this to come), but it is only now that science is uncovering this truth and giving us a vocabulary with which we can discuss it.
Now, let us suppose for the purpose of this argument that nature is a fractalized organism that is consistently expanding and growing to higher levels of complexity and density. In this equation, as the universe expands (both physically, and metaphorically) to contain more information, all things within it grow and evolve at a rate consistent with the measurements observable within the Fibonacci sequence.
In addition, as the universe expands, time naturally expands and speeds up with it - as this is the force by which the expansion of the universe can be perceived by those things that live within it. Keeping this in mind - let us now look at some numbers concerning evolutionary history,
3.8 Billion years of single cellular life, 2 Billion years of complex cells, 1 Billion years of multi-cellular life, 600 Million years of simple animals,570 Years of arthropods, 550 Million years of complex animals,400 Million years of insects,360 Million years of amphibians,300 Million years of reptiles,200 Million years of mammals,150 Million years of birds,65 Million years since the dinosaurs ceased to exist, and the wide variety of complex mammalian life began to evolve, 2.5 Million years since the appearance of the genus homo,200,000 years since the prototypes of "modern man" began to show themselves, and 25,000 years since the Neanderthals ceased to exist.
So picture for a moment - it took about 2.8 billion years for a single cell to begin to form into a multi-cellular organism, yet it took only 65 million for the wide array of mammalian life to dominate the planet, 200,000 years for mankind to evolve from its predecessors, and 25,000 years for all of civilization and human history.
Using these numbers as a rough guide - one can see that evolution occurs at an exponential scale that speeds up - though the real question is how fast, and what does this mean for us as we continue to speed up along the evolutionary curve?
If one is to take this model as evidence that information is accelerating not merely as a result of itself, but rather is a reflection of some sort of inherent quality in time, the "quickening", then we could hypothesize that 2012 represents a sort of threshold point that after being breached will represent the next great evolutionary leap in our history. We must remember that 2012 was the end of the Mayan calander, and thus when considering its implications we should do so under the context of what that would suggest - a transformation or "end" of time itself, not myriads of cataclysmic disasters that the fear mongerers in the esoteric community would have you believe. This seems to be a time of great opportunity that we are being offered to change and transform in radical ways at an incredibly fast pace, and I believe we are all lucky to be here alive at this moment to witness what is coming.
Entheogenics 101: Glimpses Through The Veil
Article originally written on January 21, 2009, for binnallofamerica.com
Entheogen - noun - any substance, such as a plant or drug, used in a religious or shamanic context to catalyze the spiritual experience.
Entheogen's are a touchy subject in today's world, and the validity has been systematically quashed through a thorough campaign of disinformation, propaganda and legislation since they were popularized in western culture in the 50's and 60's. I suppose I should clarify on what exactally I mean by the term "entheogen", which I use as a very seperate and distinct word from "drug". When I say entheogen, I refer specifically to those plants and chemicalls which occur naturally, and have a history of human use in shamanic contexts as allies for aiding in attaining spiritual experiences.
I believe very strongly in the benefits of such plants and chemicals if used properly by the right individual in the correct context, and I believe that the world of esoterica could benefit strongly from their study. When you have a substance such as DMT that has been studied in a laboratory setting under rigorous scrutiny by Rick Strassman in the early 90's, in which he reports that the majority of his subjects experienced "contact" with extraterrestrials, and described scenarios not unlike those of alien abduction, one needs to wonder why the esoteric community at large has not investigated this subject further. But more on DMT later, in part 2 of this series.
I should also preface what I am about to share by saying that I do not encourage nor reccomend that anyone take these substances - they are illegal, and by merely posessing them, you are committing a federal offense in most nations of the world. And though I look forward to a day in which we approach these things with a more open mind, and more evolved policy - thus is the case for the moment. Additionally, they can be extremely dangerous to those who are unprepared to handle to psychological (and in some cases, physical) consequences of their consumption. However, all could benefit of their research, and they may fill in many missing gaps in the world of esoterica.
I would like to begin this series of articles with a series of personal accounts of mine while under the influence of Salvia Divinorum.
Salvia Divinorium (Salvia, from here on), is a member of the sage family. It has a history of use by the Mazatec shamans of southern Mexico, they used it to facilitate and catalyze visionary states of consciousness - Salvia Divinorum translating to, literally, "diviners sage". If taken correctly it is, in my experience, one of the single most powerful psychadelic compounds that I have ever encountered - quite simply pushing the limits of "psychadelia" into a whole other realm.
Incredibly, is is legal to posess and purchase in North America and most countries of the world, and can still be purchased at a number of stores all across Canada and The United States. The only explanation as to its legality I've been able to discern is the fact that what is experiened while under its influence, is so far removed from anything that could be considered even remotely "recreational", that it scares away those who would abuse it. Having inquired for years about peoples experiences, it has been described as terrifying and extremely unpleasant by some, and profoundly illuminating by others.
Salvia is particularly unique in its effect - after smoking an extract or chewing on dry leaves at a sufficient dosage, one will experience complete dissociation from their body in a matter of seconds, followed by an indescribaby vivid and intense visonary state that lasts for no longer then five minutes. When the effects wear off, one literally "snaps back" into their body, almost instantly, followed by a 10 minute "hangover" type of effect where one feels slightly groggy, but is more or less functional - and after this, almost no physical effects remain.
It should be noted that when I say dissociation from ones physical body - I mean it. This is a very dangerous chemical to ingest while alone, which is why it is always reccomended to have someone around, who is sober, to sit next to you during the experience and make sure you do not harm yourself. According to a friend who "trip-sat" me during an experience in which I was experiencing somthing utterly compelling "out there", I was, in my body, "flailing madly on the ground, while chewing on my fist and groaning loudly for five minutes", this is not a chemical to be taken lightly.
For the record - I have consumed Salvia more times then I can count, I estimate it to be about 60 times, to reaccount all of these experiences would be pointless and off topic. I will share the two experiences that were the most profound, that I still remember the most vividly, and that are most relevant to the world of the esoteric. Both experiences took place over the summer months of 2006, both with my partner and fellow explorer at the time.
Experience #1: The Matrix
I refer to this expereince as "the matrix", as upon reflection that is precisely what I was shown. After smoking an extract, I fell on my back, closed my eyes, and was dissociated fully from my body within a matter of seconds. This is also the experience I referred to earlier, where I was chewing on my fist and flailing madly, it seems almost humorous, though suiting, given the intensity of what I was experiencing.
It began with a vision of a single null point in space, and from that point of nothingness, my field of vision began to zoom outwards. As it moved further and further outwards the contours of a giant machine that resembled some kind of mechanical spiderweb began to reveal itself. As I moved back, layer by layer, I began to notice that at each linkage point on this web, there was a sort of node, and upon this node was a human being, strapped into place on this machine. Most of them were asleep, but some showed signs of being awake, almost aware that they were trapped here against their will. Eventually it zoomed out to a layer of such staggering complexity that each node became an almost infinitesimal point, one among billons. A voice began to speak to me telepathically, telling me that what I was witnessing was the symbolic representation of the machination known as "consensus reality", and that while some people were aware of this higher level, and some even escaped this machine, most were utterly oblivious. At the center was the null point from which all of this sprang - still visible, its meaning I have yet to wrap my head around.
My field of vision then began zooming in rapidly on one particular node where I saw myself, strapped in, but eyes open - kicking and screaming to be let loose. Around me on the nearby nodes were every human being I had ever met or ever effected, and around them - every human being they had ever met, as though we encountered and experienced souls in our human lives relevant to their position on this "machine", it certainly leads creedence to the notion of "soul mates" or "kindred spirits". Those in my life who were closest to me were next to me on the machine. And then again, my field of vision zoomed out from myself, rapidly expanding at an indescribeable speed, and then, instantly, as the entire machine became visible - I snapped back into my body, woke up in a cold sweat, and opened my eyes.
Experience #2: My Birth
This trip was of an intensely personal nature, and I had some difficulty coming to terms emotionally with what I was shown - I do not often share this experience with others though I believe it to be valid and topical. It seems that this was the plants way of showing me the phenomenon referred to in the esoteric community as the "indigo" or "crystal" children.
What I witnessed upon being dissociated was the symbol of a tree, this tree was a place of complete and infinate love, and neverending extatic bliss. Upon this tree were a series of branches, branching out endlessly - each branch made of needles. Below the tree was this sort of strange barrier, and beneath the barrier I could make out the outline of what I knew was Earth. Eventually, as I watched, a needle would fall from the tree, and form what resembled a luminestent raindrop, and as it passed through the barrier, making a ripple, it began to take form as a human being who fell to planet Earth.
After witnessing this take place a number of times my field of vision zoomed in on a specific cluster of needles on the outermost extremeties of one of the branches, and I became quite aware that I was one of these needles, and I was connected to the divine - the tree. A voice told me, "Its time for you to go, you need to be born on planet Earth, you have work to do", at this suggestion I became terrified, almost downright angry - here I was in extatic bliss and perfect love, and this damn divine presence was telling me to go to EARTH? Hell no! So I argued, I said I didn't want to go, and I would refuse. The voice told me I had no choice - and at this I continued to refuse, I began to lose my grip on the tree, and I could feel myself slipping into human form, but still, adamant and indignant as ever, I held on for dear life. Finally the voice began to bargain with me, it told me that it would send others like me down to Earth - I would meet them, they would help me, the divine presence was authoratitive - but it was not cruel. And as I began to fall, and those around me began to fall as well, I grabbed onto the nearest "needle", and pulled it off with me, being the jackass that I naturally am, and the two of us fell down to planet earth together. I took form, was born, and, needless to say - here I am.
Entheogen - noun - any substance, such as a plant or drug, used in a religious or shamanic context to catalyze the spiritual experience.
Entheogen's are a touchy subject in today's world, and the validity has been systematically quashed through a thorough campaign of disinformation, propaganda and legislation since they were popularized in western culture in the 50's and 60's. I suppose I should clarify on what exactally I mean by the term "entheogen", which I use as a very seperate and distinct word from "drug". When I say entheogen, I refer specifically to those plants and chemicalls which occur naturally, and have a history of human use in shamanic contexts as allies for aiding in attaining spiritual experiences.
I believe very strongly in the benefits of such plants and chemicals if used properly by the right individual in the correct context, and I believe that the world of esoterica could benefit strongly from their study. When you have a substance such as DMT that has been studied in a laboratory setting under rigorous scrutiny by Rick Strassman in the early 90's, in which he reports that the majority of his subjects experienced "contact" with extraterrestrials, and described scenarios not unlike those of alien abduction, one needs to wonder why the esoteric community at large has not investigated this subject further. But more on DMT later, in part 2 of this series.
I should also preface what I am about to share by saying that I do not encourage nor reccomend that anyone take these substances - they are illegal, and by merely posessing them, you are committing a federal offense in most nations of the world. And though I look forward to a day in which we approach these things with a more open mind, and more evolved policy - thus is the case for the moment. Additionally, they can be extremely dangerous to those who are unprepared to handle to psychological (and in some cases, physical) consequences of their consumption. However, all could benefit of their research, and they may fill in many missing gaps in the world of esoterica.
I would like to begin this series of articles with a series of personal accounts of mine while under the influence of Salvia Divinorum.
Salvia Divinorium (Salvia, from here on), is a member of the sage family. It has a history of use by the Mazatec shamans of southern Mexico, they used it to facilitate and catalyze visionary states of consciousness - Salvia Divinorum translating to, literally, "diviners sage". If taken correctly it is, in my experience, one of the single most powerful psychadelic compounds that I have ever encountered - quite simply pushing the limits of "psychadelia" into a whole other realm.
Incredibly, is is legal to posess and purchase in North America and most countries of the world, and can still be purchased at a number of stores all across Canada and The United States. The only explanation as to its legality I've been able to discern is the fact that what is experiened while under its influence, is so far removed from anything that could be considered even remotely "recreational", that it scares away those who would abuse it. Having inquired for years about peoples experiences, it has been described as terrifying and extremely unpleasant by some, and profoundly illuminating by others.
Salvia is particularly unique in its effect - after smoking an extract or chewing on dry leaves at a sufficient dosage, one will experience complete dissociation from their body in a matter of seconds, followed by an indescribaby vivid and intense visonary state that lasts for no longer then five minutes. When the effects wear off, one literally "snaps back" into their body, almost instantly, followed by a 10 minute "hangover" type of effect where one feels slightly groggy, but is more or less functional - and after this, almost no physical effects remain.
It should be noted that when I say dissociation from ones physical body - I mean it. This is a very dangerous chemical to ingest while alone, which is why it is always reccomended to have someone around, who is sober, to sit next to you during the experience and make sure you do not harm yourself. According to a friend who "trip-sat" me during an experience in which I was experiencing somthing utterly compelling "out there", I was, in my body, "flailing madly on the ground, while chewing on my fist and groaning loudly for five minutes", this is not a chemical to be taken lightly.
For the record - I have consumed Salvia more times then I can count, I estimate it to be about 60 times, to reaccount all of these experiences would be pointless and off topic. I will share the two experiences that were the most profound, that I still remember the most vividly, and that are most relevant to the world of the esoteric. Both experiences took place over the summer months of 2006, both with my partner and fellow explorer at the time.
Experience #1: The Matrix
I refer to this expereince as "the matrix", as upon reflection that is precisely what I was shown. After smoking an extract, I fell on my back, closed my eyes, and was dissociated fully from my body within a matter of seconds. This is also the experience I referred to earlier, where I was chewing on my fist and flailing madly, it seems almost humorous, though suiting, given the intensity of what I was experiencing.
It began with a vision of a single null point in space, and from that point of nothingness, my field of vision began to zoom outwards. As it moved further and further outwards the contours of a giant machine that resembled some kind of mechanical spiderweb began to reveal itself. As I moved back, layer by layer, I began to notice that at each linkage point on this web, there was a sort of node, and upon this node was a human being, strapped into place on this machine. Most of them were asleep, but some showed signs of being awake, almost aware that they were trapped here against their will. Eventually it zoomed out to a layer of such staggering complexity that each node became an almost infinitesimal point, one among billons. A voice began to speak to me telepathically, telling me that what I was witnessing was the symbolic representation of the machination known as "consensus reality", and that while some people were aware of this higher level, and some even escaped this machine, most were utterly oblivious. At the center was the null point from which all of this sprang - still visible, its meaning I have yet to wrap my head around.
My field of vision then began zooming in rapidly on one particular node where I saw myself, strapped in, but eyes open - kicking and screaming to be let loose. Around me on the nearby nodes were every human being I had ever met or ever effected, and around them - every human being they had ever met, as though we encountered and experienced souls in our human lives relevant to their position on this "machine", it certainly leads creedence to the notion of "soul mates" or "kindred spirits". Those in my life who were closest to me were next to me on the machine. And then again, my field of vision zoomed out from myself, rapidly expanding at an indescribeable speed, and then, instantly, as the entire machine became visible - I snapped back into my body, woke up in a cold sweat, and opened my eyes.
Experience #2: My Birth
This trip was of an intensely personal nature, and I had some difficulty coming to terms emotionally with what I was shown - I do not often share this experience with others though I believe it to be valid and topical. It seems that this was the plants way of showing me the phenomenon referred to in the esoteric community as the "indigo" or "crystal" children.
What I witnessed upon being dissociated was the symbol of a tree, this tree was a place of complete and infinate love, and neverending extatic bliss. Upon this tree were a series of branches, branching out endlessly - each branch made of needles. Below the tree was this sort of strange barrier, and beneath the barrier I could make out the outline of what I knew was Earth. Eventually, as I watched, a needle would fall from the tree, and form what resembled a luminestent raindrop, and as it passed through the barrier, making a ripple, it began to take form as a human being who fell to planet Earth.
After witnessing this take place a number of times my field of vision zoomed in on a specific cluster of needles on the outermost extremeties of one of the branches, and I became quite aware that I was one of these needles, and I was connected to the divine - the tree. A voice told me, "Its time for you to go, you need to be born on planet Earth, you have work to do", at this suggestion I became terrified, almost downright angry - here I was in extatic bliss and perfect love, and this damn divine presence was telling me to go to EARTH? Hell no! So I argued, I said I didn't want to go, and I would refuse. The voice told me I had no choice - and at this I continued to refuse, I began to lose my grip on the tree, and I could feel myself slipping into human form, but still, adamant and indignant as ever, I held on for dear life. Finally the voice began to bargain with me, it told me that it would send others like me down to Earth - I would meet them, they would help me, the divine presence was authoratitive - but it was not cruel. And as I began to fall, and those around me began to fall as well, I grabbed onto the nearest "needle", and pulled it off with me, being the jackass that I naturally am, and the two of us fell down to planet earth together. I took form, was born, and, needless to say - here I am.
Change
Article originally written on Febuary 4, 2009, for binnallofamerica.com
I told myself that I would attempt to shy away from the political sphere in these writings, but it seems almost unavoidable given the happenings of the last couple weeks. What follows it a work of opinion and observation and does not reflect the views of anyone else on this site, nor its maintainer.
I am not pleased with the results of the recent election and inaugration of Mr Obama, and I find myself even less pleased with the manner in which people seem utterly spellbound by his presence. It is my opinion that a democratically elected leader ought not be supported under any circumstances - because democracy represents the latest and most effective manifestation of tyranny, presented with a friendly and palletable attitude. Democracy has never, does not, and will never equate freedom, liberation, or most importantly - change.
By its very nature, democracy subjects the various minorities of a culture to the repression of the majorities, though the methods in which this operates are more complex and total then I suspect most people notice. It is easy to look in the past to see examples of minorities being repressed, our history is rife with examples of slavery, ethic repression, sexism, and other atrocities - but do not forget the inquisition and how it still carries on today. By the nature of the method in which democracy operates, it prevents the fringe elements of society that have devoted themselves to finding new and better ways of living life from assimilating their intellectual findings into the public consciousness.
Change has never come from the top down, and it never will - because the nature of change is to come from one particular unit within the structure of a society who thus becomes marginalized, and often persecuted by the majority via the democratic process. Thus, when one so high in a political structure speaks of "change" I not only find myself incredibly skeptical but also deeply concerned.
I believe it was David Icke on a Coast to Coast program not too long ago who used the metaphor of the "blank screen" to describe the process by which Obama would brainwash people, using himself as a blank screen upon which they could project whatever hopes they had for the future, while stating nothing specifically, and almost certainly - over his administration, doing little to effect any real change of course for the human species as a whole. This is particularly worrisome to me - as I have to ask you, what is a more dangerous scenario for the future, a crime syndicate running the show with the public well aware of the corruption, or the public suspecting that we have finally received an altruistic leadership and going back to sleep?
I have tried my best to observe people and their behaviours, and have found that in switching from one ideology to another, no progress is ever achieved, regardless of the ideology in question. I am curious to see how this plays out over the coming years, but I have utterly given up on the notion of democracy, the political system, and the notion of "leadership". These are facades that people cling onto for comfort and to absolve themselves of the idea that they must at some point take responsibility for their own life and for the progress and growth of humanity.
We can not change anything with a vote, nor should we - we can only change ourselves and it starts with liberating our consciousness from the linguistic constructs that have been programmed into it. The political system ought to be renounced, but ultimately ignored, and simply left to die of old age, as it is no longer of any relevence to us, and clearly flawed in every manner conceivable.
I told myself that I would attempt to shy away from the political sphere in these writings, but it seems almost unavoidable given the happenings of the last couple weeks. What follows it a work of opinion and observation and does not reflect the views of anyone else on this site, nor its maintainer.
I am not pleased with the results of the recent election and inaugration of Mr Obama, and I find myself even less pleased with the manner in which people seem utterly spellbound by his presence. It is my opinion that a democratically elected leader ought not be supported under any circumstances - because democracy represents the latest and most effective manifestation of tyranny, presented with a friendly and palletable attitude. Democracy has never, does not, and will never equate freedom, liberation, or most importantly - change.
By its very nature, democracy subjects the various minorities of a culture to the repression of the majorities, though the methods in which this operates are more complex and total then I suspect most people notice. It is easy to look in the past to see examples of minorities being repressed, our history is rife with examples of slavery, ethic repression, sexism, and other atrocities - but do not forget the inquisition and how it still carries on today. By the nature of the method in which democracy operates, it prevents the fringe elements of society that have devoted themselves to finding new and better ways of living life from assimilating their intellectual findings into the public consciousness.
Change has never come from the top down, and it never will - because the nature of change is to come from one particular unit within the structure of a society who thus becomes marginalized, and often persecuted by the majority via the democratic process. Thus, when one so high in a political structure speaks of "change" I not only find myself incredibly skeptical but also deeply concerned.
I believe it was David Icke on a Coast to Coast program not too long ago who used the metaphor of the "blank screen" to describe the process by which Obama would brainwash people, using himself as a blank screen upon which they could project whatever hopes they had for the future, while stating nothing specifically, and almost certainly - over his administration, doing little to effect any real change of course for the human species as a whole. This is particularly worrisome to me - as I have to ask you, what is a more dangerous scenario for the future, a crime syndicate running the show with the public well aware of the corruption, or the public suspecting that we have finally received an altruistic leadership and going back to sleep?
I have tried my best to observe people and their behaviours, and have found that in switching from one ideology to another, no progress is ever achieved, regardless of the ideology in question. I am curious to see how this plays out over the coming years, but I have utterly given up on the notion of democracy, the political system, and the notion of "leadership". These are facades that people cling onto for comfort and to absolve themselves of the idea that they must at some point take responsibility for their own life and for the progress and growth of humanity.
We can not change anything with a vote, nor should we - we can only change ourselves and it starts with liberating our consciousness from the linguistic constructs that have been programmed into it. The political system ought to be renounced, but ultimately ignored, and simply left to die of old age, as it is no longer of any relevence to us, and clearly flawed in every manner conceivable.
Two of the Most Important Quotes I Have Ever Heard
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted"
-Hassan i Sabbah
“It’s all in your head. You just have no idea how big your head is.”
-Lon Milo DuQuette
-Hassan i Sabbah
“It’s all in your head. You just have no idea how big your head is.”
-Lon Milo DuQuette
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