While your argument is compelling, how would you differentiate between the ritualistic use of psychedelics, which was deeply intertwined with the Aztecs' religious beliefs and practices, and the therapeutic use of these substances in a scientific context aimed at treating mental health disorders?
The Aztecs' use of psychedelics could indeed be considered a form of pharmakeia, a term used in the Bible to refer to sorcery or the use of drugs in religious rituals. However, would the therapeutic use of psychedelics, which involves controlled dosages administered under the supervision of healthcare professionals, fall under the same category?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
I do discuss the therapeutic argument in my book at length but I will give you a quick recap here. One of the things I point out in my book is that many psychedelics are fundamentally spiritual. Consider this quote from pro-psychedelic researcher Michael Pollan,
“You go deep enough or far out enough in consciousness and you will bump into the sacred. It’s not something we generate; it’s something out there waiting to be discovered. And this reliably happens to nonbelievers as well as believers."
And I think that is the whole point of these type of drugs. They were discovered/created precisely for their spiritual qualities. That is an inherent effect. And what I state in my book is that the reason this is an inherent effect is that these drugs are modifying our brain chemistry such that we are able to see something we are not otherwise able to see (other dimensions). And if this is true, it doesn't matter what our intent is. It doesn't matter if we are doing it for evil purposes (sorcery or whatever) or for good purposes (therapy). We are opening a portal that let's things in no matter what. So pharmakeia doesn't really require intent. It is an action.
It is sort of like standing in front of an oncoming train. It doesn't matter if you are being intentionally suicidal or not. Death will hit you either way. In the same way, it doesn't matter if you mean to open the portal or not when you take mushrooms. It opens either way.
The problem is that he is wrong. The people who do not have these experiences rarely talk about them that much, because they are not these "peak" experience of mystical union, etc. The problem is that all of this was studied in the 60s, and there is no universal experience except MAYBE a SLIGHT increase in SUGGESTIBILITY, but even that is along a gradient for a pool of subjects.
Some people just smile, enjoy the intensity of colours, their interactions with others, drink a few beers and go to bed, to go to work the next day. I knew a hairdresser who would take acid instead of drinking coffee because she got less jittery.
You cannot honestly be suggesting that drug policy should be guided by the notion of some spirit realm to which these drugs open portals, that is utterly nonsensical. Some percentage of users report experiences like that, but it is not everyone, and anyone who says it is is lying or ignorant.
I mean, if you want to take a christian stance against pharmacy (magic, sorcery, really, a lot of things...words are like drugs...) then it inevitably means you need to prohibit all writing that is not "holy" which is why we had censorship of books, because books are an aspect of pharmakeia, that is well established in Greek philosophy, e.g. Plato. And there is nothing wrong with that stance, but, like, literally your whole book, why were you not praying the canonical hours, why were you writing a book, young man?
Bro you don’t know what you’re talking about. I read hundreds of accounts and testimonies, scientific studies, and have personal friends who have experienced it.
DMT is the synthesized version of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca was developed and used by the Inca. The Inca were almost as bad as the Aztecs in terms of brutality and human sacrifice.
I think that the entities often pretend to be nice at first. Otherwise no one would ever use the drugs. It is only after being widely accepted and relied upon that the dark requests for blood start coming.
This is spot on. The concept of the encounters with "loving entities" is part of the danger. Of course manipulative and demonic beings have evolved to entice humans through kindness. They've been studying us for eons. What's more, look at how many human serial killers use those same techniques. It's a lot harder to find willing victims if the beings scare them away the first time they meet. Leading with "love" makes the recruitment process a lot easier. Look at how many prominent podcasters are promoting these drugs on behalf of the demons without fully realizing it.
While your argument is compelling, how would you differentiate between the ritualistic use of psychedelics, which was deeply intertwined with the Aztecs' religious beliefs and practices, and the therapeutic use of these substances in a scientific context aimed at treating mental health disorders?
The Aztecs' use of psychedelics could indeed be considered a form of pharmakeia, a term used in the Bible to refer to sorcery or the use of drugs in religious rituals. However, would the therapeutic use of psychedelics, which involves controlled dosages administered under the supervision of healthcare professionals, fall under the same category?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
I do discuss the therapeutic argument in my book at length but I will give you a quick recap here. One of the things I point out in my book is that many psychedelics are fundamentally spiritual. Consider this quote from pro-psychedelic researcher Michael Pollan,
“You go deep enough or far out enough in consciousness and you will bump into the sacred. It’s not something we generate; it’s something out there waiting to be discovered. And this reliably happens to nonbelievers as well as believers."
And I think that is the whole point of these type of drugs. They were discovered/created precisely for their spiritual qualities. That is an inherent effect. And what I state in my book is that the reason this is an inherent effect is that these drugs are modifying our brain chemistry such that we are able to see something we are not otherwise able to see (other dimensions). And if this is true, it doesn't matter what our intent is. It doesn't matter if we are doing it for evil purposes (sorcery or whatever) or for good purposes (therapy). We are opening a portal that let's things in no matter what. So pharmakeia doesn't really require intent. It is an action.
It is sort of like standing in front of an oncoming train. It doesn't matter if you are being intentionally suicidal or not. Death will hit you either way. In the same way, it doesn't matter if you mean to open the portal or not when you take mushrooms. It opens either way.
The problem is that he is wrong. The people who do not have these experiences rarely talk about them that much, because they are not these "peak" experience of mystical union, etc. The problem is that all of this was studied in the 60s, and there is no universal experience except MAYBE a SLIGHT increase in SUGGESTIBILITY, but even that is along a gradient for a pool of subjects.
Some people just smile, enjoy the intensity of colours, their interactions with others, drink a few beers and go to bed, to go to work the next day. I knew a hairdresser who would take acid instead of drinking coffee because she got less jittery.
You cannot honestly be suggesting that drug policy should be guided by the notion of some spirit realm to which these drugs open portals, that is utterly nonsensical. Some percentage of users report experiences like that, but it is not everyone, and anyone who says it is is lying or ignorant.
I mean, if you want to take a christian stance against pharmacy (magic, sorcery, really, a lot of things...words are like drugs...) then it inevitably means you need to prohibit all writing that is not "holy" which is why we had censorship of books, because books are an aspect of pharmakeia, that is well established in Greek philosophy, e.g. Plato. And there is nothing wrong with that stance, but, like, literally your whole book, why were you not praying the canonical hours, why were you writing a book, young man?
Bro you don’t know what you’re talking about. I read hundreds of accounts and testimonies, scientific studies, and have personal friends who have experienced it.
Very peculiar carry on and completely at odds with anything I’ve personally experienced with psychedelics.
What about the loving entities people see on DMT?
DMT is the synthesized version of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca was developed and used by the Inca. The Inca were almost as bad as the Aztecs in terms of brutality and human sacrifice.
I think that the entities often pretend to be nice at first. Otherwise no one would ever use the drugs. It is only after being widely accepted and relied upon that the dark requests for blood start coming.
This is spot on. The concept of the encounters with "loving entities" is part of the danger. Of course manipulative and demonic beings have evolved to entice humans through kindness. They've been studying us for eons. What's more, look at how many human serial killers use those same techniques. It's a lot harder to find willing victims if the beings scare them away the first time they meet. Leading with "love" makes the recruitment process a lot easier. Look at how many prominent podcasters are promoting these drugs on behalf of the demons without fully realizing it.
"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." - 2 Corinthians 11:14