Discovering new realities

[Donkey1]

Does anyone know any substances I can try that aren't physically addicting and not completely harmful?

It doesn't even have to be a drug - I just want to think about something that I've never thought about before, in a way I never thought possible. If that makes sense.

[themaster]

Nothing is addicting.. that's just a excuse we make to play victim

But common drugs of choice that many use.. sugar, caffeine?

[martinogg]

Referring to your subject, Discovering new realities:

You could play video games for different realities. Most big games nowadays are set in a huge believable environment. Whilst it doesnt replace real life, you could always experience the world of conquering beasts and discovering new places in World of Warcraft, or discover a wonderful storyline in a Final Fantasy game.

[ar81]

Orbiter - A free space flight simulator
A new reality, unlike the one you have seen before.

[Mogget]

if ou want to explore altered states you can try many things - drumming, chanting, spinning, fasting - then you have hypnosis, trances, double inductions, hemi-sync (etc)... after that you can explore any number of semi legal entheogenic botanicals. Check out erowid.org for LOADS of info about state altering substances.

[Manomanman]

It's not illegal if you do it in a country in which it's not illegal.

What you want is to replace your serotonin with a flood of psilocybin. That will induce quite a nice shift in your thought patterns.

You can also flood your brain with DMT every night as you dream.

[Lamusa]

Experiencing alternate realities is a matter of tuning in to them. It can be helpful to return to a sense of play. When we were children we really respected our imaginations and let them run wild. Tap into this again. Re-read "Alice in Wonderland," "Lord of the Rings," watch Disney's, "Fantasia" before you fall asleep, every night until Mickey Mouse starts watching you. Let these things be springboards for journeys into other realities. Step back in time. Intend to do this before you fall asleep or meditate.

Bottom Line: Everything in your imagination is real whether or not it is a "reality" in this field of existence. Even if you don't believe this but you pretend to you can open yourself up to a greater range of mind-bending experiences. So tune in. Make it up. Intend to have fun! Journey while describing it into a hand-held recorder or writing it down, you can even do this with a friend. Trust that what you are making up is real somewhere, someplace. Enjoy the trip.

[Boldnut]

Originally Posted by Lamusa

Experiencing alternate realities is a matter of tuning in to them. It can be helpful to return to a sense of play. When we were children we really respected our imaginations and let them run wild. Tap into this again. Re-read "Alice in Wonderland," "Lord of the Rings," watch Disney's, "Fantasia" before you fall asleep, every night until Mickey Mouse starts watching you. Let these things be springboards for journeys into other realities. Step back in time. Intend to do this before you fall asleep or meditate.

Bottom Line: Everything in your imagination is real whether or not it is a "reality" in this field of existence. Even if you don't believe this but you pretend to you can open yourself up to a greater range of mind-bending experiences. So tune in. Make it up. Intend to have fun! Journey while describing it into a hand-held recorder or writing it down, you can even do this with a friend. Trust that what you are making up is real somewhere, someplace. Enjoy the trip.

What were you able to discover with this method ?

[Lamusa]

Boldnut:

For me, these methods have really influenced me as an artist the most and since I am a full time artist, I would say my entire life. Life is just more interesting. The interconnectedness of everything just thrills me. And this interconnectedness extends to realities we can't see with our two eyes but we can with our inner eyes. Imagine that eyes exist over every part of your body, every cell, and so on. True vision is a superpowerful thing.

As an artist, I create work according to the whims of my imagination rather than anyone else's. I really believe in the imagination as an actual place of wisdom and therefore respect it. You may have heard instances of writers saying that after awhile the characters they are "creating" seem to take on a life of their own. I believe this is because we are tapping into actual energies that do exist and they are having their say. We can be channels if we choose to be. Also my dream life is far more interesting. Especially since dreaming for me is an anytime experience I can choose to have rather than one that happens at only at night. I'm a constant creator of art so I definitely record my experiences. I think it's important to because it anchors the experience for one thing. I have also discovered that it sometimes really pays to be intentional with the experiences we want to have. State what you want to experience. Other times it can be nice to just see what happens.

If you close your eyes now you can tune in and see what images come to you. Most of us are taught to discount these images as nonsense. But once you really tune in you will find that the images, little scenes and stories take on a life of their own. You are not making things up. You are seeing what's already there. You may find you are tapping into other realities. Some may seem real than others. You will find yourself saying things like now that really happened or I felt lke I was there, and you were. It's wild. Just trust it. Other times things might seem more detached and removed but interesting all the same. If you aren't ready to trust these experiences yet record them anyway without judgement. Build trust for it. It will grow and expand from there. At times fears may come up. It might be wise to protect yourself with yellow light before you tune in and if you are religious/spiritual connect with the energy you feel the most love from, aka Jesus, Buddha, Kuan Yin, etc.

I've been doing this stuff for years so it comes easily to me but really once we step out of years of rigorous academic conditioning and over-conscious thinking the mind becomes what it is a dynamic, electrified, flexible, amazing, exciting thing.

Now, I will admit, I've never tried the "Fantasia" experiment in the way I described above(that just came to me) but I would be curious to see the results if anyone tried it. It's a film that always expands my awareness and leaves me feeling as if I'd just taken a long colorful trip. The classical music coupled with the visual imagery is a wild ride.

The biggest advice I have is: study the work of artists. I believe most artists tap into other realities all the time that's why the places they describe or paint seem so real.

[Gene]

Meditation brings on an altered state for me. I just close my eyes, breathe deeply and clear my mind. It grounds me and brings me back to the now. When I do this I release the past and stop trying to project the future as if it were already real. YMMV

[HEROpureLOVE]

Psychedelic drugs are generally not habit forming or addicting given the intensity of their effects. As someone who's used in the past I recognize them for what they are and I cannot fully recommend it. However, some of the most intense and wondrous feelings, thoughts, visions and emotions I've ever had have come about by their usage. I'm really torn in a way. I used to think everyone should experience it, at least once. Yet, it can be bad. It can be very bad and I've had it both ways. As the saying goes, you've got to go through hell before you get to heaven". I no longer use and will never use again. I've seen what I needed to see. I don't recommend it, but i don't don't recommend it either. Just make intelligent conscious choices. It's not something to be played with.