Are psychedelics spirituality?

[Athiest-420]

[Talishi]

I believe psychedelics give one a glimpse into the spiritual realm, for lack of a better term, although there are other ways to reach it, such as meditation.

You might be on to something. The entire book of Revelation reads like John of Patmos had a touch of ergot fungus poisoning.

Psychedelics are drugs that invoke a typically reversible bout of psychosis. But not always reversible, as Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac and Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd could attest.

[Delphi]

I believe psychedelics give one a glimpse into the spiritual realm

In my early 20's I might have agreed with you. I did a lot of LSD, and I had a romantic idea that it could reveal a 'spiritual realm'.

I was reading a lot of Carlos Castenada at the time and this only reinforced the delusion.

Turns out I was just high on drugs.

Now that I am older and smarter, I can recognize that the physics of matter and energy in our little universe is all that there is. Bummer dude, but true.

[Yahu]

I believe psychedelics give one a glimpse into the spiritual realm, for lack of a better term, although there are other ways to reach it, such as meditation.

Yes, drugs can open you up to spiritual encounters. They drop your resistances and allow evil spiritual forces access. Yah never used drugs to have spiritual encounters.

Christians used to burn people for being witches, it is now known that some of these "witches" were poor people, that had no where to live, besides caves. These caves were full of intoxicating fumes thats caused them to hallucinate. Other times, girls accused of witchcraft simply ate shrooms they found in the forest. When they were found dancing naked, people claimed they were witches. Are there not many more cases like this?

Generally it was those practicing paganism that were burned. Witchcraft is a major part of many pagan religions. Of course, some could have been falsely accused BUT open practice of the ancient pagan religions were driven underground and nearly wiped out as a result of the 'burning times'.

I don't have a bit of problem with the extermination of those pagan religions. The most evil individuals I have ever known were high priestesses of an ancient pagan goddess. At one of them's trial, the judge stated that he had always been anti death penalty but now he understood why witches were burned at the stake in the past. If it was up to him, he would gladly sentence her to death and have the bonfire on the parade grounds (It was a military trial) and light the fire himself. But he didn't have the authority to do so but gave her the maximum sentence he could. Her coven had committed treason at her orders.

[theStudent]

[Replying to post 1 by Athiest-420]

It's not only drugs, but persons can become portals to spirit forces, simply by performing specific rituals - yoga, tantra, tai chi, and many ancient Asian arts.
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[dio9]

In the early days `people like Huxley and Watts took LSD as research subjects wwith psychiatrists . Huxley described the experience as a chemically induced psychotic episode. Watts saw it as something as an aid for meditative satori experience, a oneness with the universe. Watts thought it could be used sacramentaly like communion . As a sacrament, LSD does not escape one from reality, it rather puts one right in the middle of reality. And that can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on what your current reality is.

[hoghead1]

[Replying to dio9]

I agree. Pahnke, who unfortunately died before he cold complete his research, did some interesting research which found psychedelics could pretty much duplicate some of the key features of mystical experiences reported in the Christian mystical literature. The oceanic feeling of oneness and the dedifferentiation of subject and object are of particular interest to me. That is because they square well with the principle of relativity or essential relatedness, a major dimension of contemporary process theology. Accordingly, all entities enjoy internal relationships with all others. As Alfred North Whitehead, the noted British philosopher and mathematician, argued, every entity is an item in the real internal constitution of every other. In Europe, there are major psychotherapists who do effectively use LSD as part of their therapy. In nonwestern cultures, psychedelics are widely used in religious rituals. So there definitely can be a spiritual dimension to psychedelics. Problem is, all this got such a bad rep.

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 2 by Talishi]

It all seems to depend on how the psychedelics are being used. As I just said, in another post, LSD is being sued successfully by European psychotherapists. Also, more than one study found positive effects of psychedelics, in the US. However, the whole drug scene got a bad rap and few today sees psychedelics as anything but negative.

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 4 by Yahu]

I'm not sure exactly what evil priestesses you are referring to, but it does seem like you are stereotyping pagan religions. As far as paganism goes, "pagan philosophy" was very much incorporated by the early church. Only in modern times, did this sharp contrast of Christian vs. pagan crop up. In fact, the classical concept of God as he is in his own nature came largely from Hellenic metaphysics and standards of perfection.

We all have different tastes in music. I have a strong background in French horn and conducting. I'm very much into Wagner's "Ring Cycle." That is about as pagan as you can get. From this musical perspective, I am overwhelmed by the beauty and spirituality of paganism. Some people play air guitar, I air conduct. Well, off to air conducting "Die Walkurie." See you at intermission.

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 1 by Athiest-420]



[center]
Stoners for Christ[/center]

I believe psychedelics give one a glimpse into the spiritual realm.

Please define "spiritual realm".
There are many such described in the authoritative Bible.

Are psychedelics spirituality?

If you define it that way, sure, why not?
I don't know what the authoritative Bible has to say about it, though.

I think you may have to spend a few years refining your theology.
But as with all other theologies stemming from the authoritative Bible, they say you can pretty much prove anything at all with it. So.. if you care to .. get to work.

You may start a whole new branch of "Dopers for Christ" or something.

Can all mystical experiences be explained by psychedelic drugs?[/b]

I know you can do it if you try hard enough and if you have enough faith in Jesus.