Reality, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club and the Crazies
Well, it’s been a while since I posted, but I thought it was time for another Mclovin mind spew!
( WARNING: This is not for the faint hearted, if bad grammar and typos annoy you. Leave quickly as I’m sure there will be lots here)
Here is what this is about:
I’m using Glenns post ” Close your eyes” as a springboard into a topic that I have been given quite a bit of thought to lately
So before I dive into a barrage of nonsensical brain dumping, let’s revisit a question that was raised in that post
“If you close your eyes, does the world still exist?”.
It raises the question at least in my mind of… What is the world?
Is the world what we perceive with our 5 senses?
Is the world the labels that we give to the objects, including ourselves that we perceive by smell, taste, touch, sight and hearing?
Of course to an extent, reality is or at least on a certain level accepted as being nothing more than that by the majority of so called ” rational” people
Heck, we even go as far as to make damn sure that if you want a JOB in this society, that you fall into that category of rational by making people take MMPI tests, and by GOD you better fall into the ” Rational” category or you are shit out of luck.
But here is the thing:
What happens when that reality that is built upon our basic 5 senses is screwed up?
What happens if we could recognize it being altered?
Interestingly enough…
If you get the chance, watch Jill Boltes Taylors Stroke of Insight presentation on TED, she has quite a story that could be somewhat related.
Anyway..
What would it tell us about reality?
How would it change the way we view death, life and beliefs that many people hold so strong
Recently, I was scanning YouTube videos, looking at the usual debates and bizarre thoughts in between the odd hypnotizing booty dances
And I came across a documentary called ” Sacred Weeds” it appears to cover in different episodes different natural plants that grow in various parts of the world that have strange effects on the body and our senses.
In particular I watched the one on Salvia which is split into 6 parts, here is part 1
Salvia has gained quite a lot of attention over the past 7 years mainly due to an increase in teens taken it, videoing themselves and then uploading it to youtube.
Videos range from giggle fits to outright freaky
What seems to have raised so much concern is that this plant is legal in a lot of places and unregulated.
Though that is changing.
Over the past couple of years many states and counties have banned it from being sold or used, Canada however is not one of them, though their is information that they are trying to push it through parliment to stop local headshops from selling it.
Essentially, this plant was brough to the forefront along with many others plants by tribes who used it and specifically Shamans.
Now I had heard of Ayahuasca being used by Shamans ( number of youtube vids on that and DMT plus a book by Graham Hancock called Supernatural ), its effect and the experiences that people have with that, and this sounded very similar.
But I’m jumping ahead of myself here…
After watching this documentary ( where the subjects experiences were mild to say the least ) I did some investigating into this, hit some of the forums, viewed a number of sites that sold it ( mostly botanical and headshops )
Here is what I discovered…
A few quick facts:
- Salvia appears to be sold in either leaf or extract formula
- Salvia divinorum is part of the MINT family
- Salvia is not addictive ( Medical folk say that ) but the fact that it gives such mental experiences I doubt many want to be addicted to it.
- Salvia divinorum is sometimes referred to as Diviners Sage, Ska María Pastora and Seer’s Sage
- Salvia in laymens terms has salvinorin A and when this is released into the blood stream it activates or attaches itself to some part in the brain and brings on a Hallucinogenic experience within around 30 seconds of taken it in and it lasts for around 5 to 10 mins ( longer if the leaf is chewed vs inhaled when smokes through a pipe or waterpipe )
- Shamans apparently chew on the leafs
- Most takers of Salvia have a “sitter” with them to watch over them, so that they avoid accidents, like getting up and falling over which most do, as in many ways they are in a full walking dream state.
- Salvia ranges in price from $10 for x10 for 1 or 2grams of extract
- Most report that if a glass pipe is used, that a butane torch should be used to burn it, and if its above x15 a person should only take one hit vs 2 hits if its 15x and under. Usually within 30 seconds of the first hit.. that person is gone.
- Generally it’s not classed as a social herb to take, but looked at as a way to experience deeper states of meditation, out of body experiences, healing and general mind fucks. ( hence the reason when you watch people on youtube taken it they are constantly saying WTF!!)
The majority of the time when you hear people are taking it, they speak of it being X something. i.e x10, x20, x30, x40, xetc etc… this relates to the intensity and amount of salvinorin A that is in it. Though some people say that this is unregulated and what is x10 for one site might be a x20 for another site. ( so some sellers don’t use this terminology )
The higher the intensity, the more you trip your balls off vs getting a giggle and a high.
But here’s the thing:
Most of the people who say they have taken this, and have taken other pyschadelic substances say that its NOTHING like acid, marijuana or such.. Its in a class of its own
In fact, its considered one of the worlds most powerful Hallucinogenics
Essentially those who have taken it have said they are RIPPED out of this Reality, yes…. i said RIPPED, torn, melted.. whatever name you want to slap on it and while each person tends to see different things, MOST if not all experience a very very similar experience ( reality ) the more you watch the vids, browse stories on forums you hear of several things that people see, that kind of gets you wondering about inter dimensional realities
One of the major commonalities that each person has depending on the strength they take, their body make up etc etc… is.. a sense of feeling as though they are dying, things appearing in 2d, geometric shapes, beings, vines, pressure being pushed down on them, a sense they are being sucked into a hole to even seeing their body disintegrate in front of their eyes and becoming one with inanimate objects like walls or boxes.
There is a sense of confusion, not making sense of where they are, what they are, or what they are seeing.
( THIS NEXT PART IS TAKEN FROM A GUIDE, I THINK IT PROVIDES A CLEAR EXPLANATION OF THE DIFFERENT LEVELS PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE )
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Level – 1 “S” stands for SUBTLE effects. A feeling that “something” is happening, although it is difficulty to say just what. Relaxation and increased sensual appreciation may be noted. This mild level is useful for meditation and may facilitate sexual pleasure.
Level – 2 “A” stands for ALTERED perception. Colors and textures are more pronounced. Appreciation of music may be enhanced. Space may appear of greater or lesser depth than is usual. But visions do not occur at this level. Thinking becomes less logical, and more playful; short-term memory difficulties may be noted.
Level – 3 “L” stands for LIGHT visionary state. Closed-eye visuals (clear imagery with eyes closed: fractal patterns, vine-like and geometric patterns, visions of objects and designs). The imagery is often two dimensional. If open-eyed visual effects occur, these are usually vague and fleeting. At this level, phenomena similar to the hypnagogic phenomena that some people experience at sleep onset occur. At this level, visions are experienced as “eye candy” but are not confused with reality.
Level – 4 “V” stands for VIVID visionary state. Complex three-dimensional realistic appearing scenes occur. Sometimes voices may be heard. With eyes open, contact with consensual reality will not be entirely lost, but when you close your eyes you may forget about consensus reality and enter completely into a dreamlike scene. Shamanistic journeying to other lands–foreign or imaginary; encounters with beings (entities, spirits) or travels to other ages may occur. You may even live the life of another person. At this level you have entered the shaman’s world. Or if you prefer: you are in “dream time.” With eyes closed, you experience fantasies (dream like happenings with a story line to them). So long as your eyes are closed you may believe they are really occurring. This differs from the “eye candy” closed-eye imagery, of level 3.
Level – 5 “I” stands for IMMATERIAL existence. At this level one may no longer be aware of having a body. Consciousness remains and some thought processes are still lucid, but one becomes completely involved in inner experience and looses all contact with consensual reality. Individuality may be lost; one experiences merging with God/dess, mind, universal consciousness, or bizarre fusions with other objects–real or imagined (e.g. experiences such as merging with a wall or piece of furniture). At this level it is impossible to function in consensual reality, but unfortunately some people do not remain still but move around in this befuddled state. For this reason a sitter is essential to ensure the safety of someone voyaging to these deep levels. To the person experiencing this the phenomenon may be terrifying or exceedingly pleasant; but to an outside observer the individual may appear confused or disoriented.
Level 6 – “A” stands for AMNESIC effects. At this stage, either consciousness is lost, or at least one is unable to later recall what one had experienced. The individual may fall, or remain immobile or thrash around; somnambulistic behavior may occur. Injuries can be sustained without pain being felt; on awakening, the individual will have no recollection of what he/she did, experienced, or said in level 6. People cannot recall what they experience in this very deep trance state. This is not a desirable level, because nothing can latter be recalled of the experience.
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Many say that the experience is hightened when your eyes are closed but depending on the strength it doesn’t matter if you have them open or closed. Your going to trip big hairy balls.
While it only lasts 5 to 10 mins ( mostly 5 mins ) it appears as if REALITY as we know it, is completely and utterly screwed over. We are talking weirder than the Beatles ” SGT Peppers Lonely Hearts Club” album
What’s interesting to see, is that people who have experienced it are very hesitant to try it again because of how… crazy the journey can be when your on it, even though its short.. the say that those 5 mins is like hours in that experience. And while they look like they are having a giggle, many report they don’t recall the laughter only the experience and one that was at times scary because it tore away at the very thing we as humans cling so tight too… IDENTITY…
Which brings me full circle back around to the question that was raised
“If you close your eyes, does the world still exist?”.
It really depends, what the world is and how tightly we cling to ideas and beliefs about it.
Personal experience seems to be the only way we can truly begin to understand that.
But this may mean, getting on a boat which takes us down a river.. which we have never been on before.
Encountering things that may at first be fearful
Where all ideas of what we know to be reality is put up on the blackboard to be questioned again.
I once commented to someone that.. people cling to religions because their identiy is so wrapped up in it, that to let go of it is just too damn scary for people. Who would they be without it?
At the time I said this, I have to be honest I thought it only related to people who were religious.
Letting go of religion myself, I felt liberated, fearless even.
Yet now, I still find myself facing the same, no different, just the security blanket has changed from religion to my 5 senses, the 5 things which I think tell me what reality is.
It applies to ANYONE who holds a belief about something.
What would happen if the fabric of that belief was torn away? So there was no reference point to determine what was true?
Am I really fearless?, have I really freed my mind if I am unable or scared to let go of the IDENTITY that I am left with ( the reality of the 5 senses? )
Am I really any different than that of a religious person who clings to their beliefs about absolute truth and reality, if I cannot let go of that which is left after religion no longer serves as a foundation for what is true and real about existence?
I often wonder if FEAR itself is the greatest challenge in this life.
I’m reminded of this quote “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself makes you fearless.” ~ Lao Tzu
So..
- What plants are here for us to experience alternate realities?
- What natural plants on earth are here which offer different states of reality?
- If Shamans have used them for years for spiritual journeys, healings, medicine, should the west be more open to them instead of seeking to ban them?
There is only one known case of a teen that committed suicide where the government are blaming salvia ( even though his death was from using grill gas )( it was actually why one state banned salvia ) Yet the say its unclear how salvia was involved in that decision to take his life
Not sure if the unfortunate choice the teen made was used as an escape goat for government to say ” SEE, SEE ” this is what comes of unregulated and legal plants being made available or if indeed it did play a role ( I am aware that it can be dangerous if a person takes it without noone around, yet according to the report on this incident… salvia itself was not the cause of the teens death, it may have attributed to his decision to check out, in which case there may be some merit to saying its negative)
Here are a few opinions from wiki concerning this case
Tiffin University psychologist Jonathan Appel, who co-authoured a 2007 paper in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction on the rising popularity of salvia, expressed reluctance to draw any firm conclusions about Brett Chidester’s death. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying it caused him to commit suicide,” he says. Such explanations are, “a way to try to make sense of something that’s pretty senseless. We’re always looking for rationalizations and reasons, particularly when there aren’t any
Bryan Roth, a psychiatrist and pharmacologist at the University of North Carolina who has led the research into how salvia’s active constituent salvinorin A works, says it’s difficult to say what role the drug might have played in Brett Chidester’s suicide. Although “it’s tragic that this young guy killed himself,” he says, “there’s no way of knowing if salvia had anything to do with it. It would seem, given the apparent widespread use of salvia, that if these are side effects, they don’t occur at very high prevalence. Otherwise, the ERs would be filled with people having bad salvia reactions.”
Salvia expert Daniel Siebert has said, “He must have already had some thoughts about suicide. I don’t think salvia’s just going to put thoughts into peoples’ heads. Mentally healthy people don’t decide to take such a drastic action based on [an idea] they had during a drug state. Psychedelics basically amplify a lot of your own internal stuff. If you’re already having some kind of dark thoughts, a psychedelic experience could amplify that, and it could lead to a problem for some people.”
Richard Glen Boire, a senior fellow at the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, has said that the theory that using salvia encouraged Brett to reach conclusions about the nature of life that were conducive to suicide could apply to some of the greatest pieces of art in the history of the world. “It would make Nietzsche a controlled substance. There is a lot of cultural production out there that shows a way of looking at the world that isn’t all sunny and rosy.”
So it seems the opinions are varied..
The interesting part though and I do not want to make light of this tragedy in any way as its a horrific loss for the family is something said in the suicide letter by the teen after he was found
“Salvia makes me realize that humans have no reason to be on Earth. We are all just grains of sand on reality beach.”
‘Once one surrenders the five earthly senses and the mind, they are free,’
His mother said
“I believe the use of salvia was reshaping Brett’s mind, distorting how he viewed himself and the world around him,”
But is it the reverse case? that the world around him was shaping his mind, distorting the view of himself, his view of reality?
Which brings me to the topic Glenn raised in his post concerning ” Good and Bad”
Is this world good and anything experienced beyond it that we can’t nail down, categorize or fit within the framework of our 5 senses bad?
What is reality? this world that we perceive with our senses, the world that is discovered through plants? both or neither?
The question I have to ask is… What matters? This reality or another?
What reality should we cherish, knowing we can’t hold on to this one forever?
Which about wraps up my brain spew for now.
P.S ) i checked the local towns water pipe store and sure enough they sell this right over the counter… but some might say its only for the crazies or people wanting to get a little crazy.
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