The ritual use of psychotropic drugs throughout history by holy men and shamans is well documented.
These plants contain chemicals that can awaken and open the human mind to higher consciousness, and if used with reverence, and not as a 'recreation' they are most useful.
The problem is when people make them habitual and it eventually does mess them up. Speaking from experience.
I had some amazing experiences with marijuana, acid, ecstacy and some others, and it definately propelled my evolution , for which I will always be grateful. I also ignored my inner compass which told me that I'd reached my own limit with MJ, and it messed me up.
It has taken literally years to pull myself out of the deep depression I fell into because at some point I began to derive a perverse pleasure from being down all the time, which is what marijuana does eventually, though it feels like an upper to start off with. Learning social skills again has been a huge thing for me, as I was withdrawn for so long and didn't speak for years.
Long term use will mess with a person, whether they see it or not...and I've seen more than my fair share of good people who have turned into agro, manipulative ******** because they are addicted to weed.
I will still smoke once in a while...like every few months or something...but I find reality to be the trip now
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi  I have also been a recreational and more than recreational drug user in my day. I have to say that I feel more resonance with Alphonse Daudet's "homo duplex" in Notes sur la Vie:
I've been on 5 different substances before and there's just part of me that never gets intoxicated. I suppose that's what led to the 5 substances. Desperate attempts at self induced anesthesia.
I realize that this is not the common experience, though, being that I was surrounded by oafs who were very obviously intoxicated to the point of ridiculousness.
Anyways, on the topic of marijuana....
Did you know that bhang was first used as part of a religious observation in India starting around 1000 B.C.?
I recall that this herb is associated with Shiva - used to go into eons-long meditative trances. Sufis use cannabis to attain states of spiritual ecstasy.
Just another perspective from around the world and through time. |