I was having an in-depth discussion with a spiritually-inclined friend about the role drugs can play in one's spiritual development. She described some of her experiences with hallucinogens, including enlightening revelations, spiritual insights, seeing "the face of God", overwhelming feelings of love for everyone, encounters with gnomes and nature-spirits and other beings outside the realm of everyday perception. Sounds like an experience, right? What could possibly be bad about that? Why WOULDN'T any spiritual seeker go in for this? Well, I can only speak for myself....but I personally have always felt intuitively repelled from taking any mind-altering substances, and I tend to listen to those inner promptings. What I have observed of the drug culture has proved my intuition right.
There are a whole lot of hippie types out there - dating back to the "revolutionary" 1960s, when everyone was jumping on the Beatles' bandwagon - who seem to think that taking drugs is the way to higher consciousness, peace on earth, and other nice fluffy-sounding things. There's nothing wrong with wanting world peace, but what are these people DOING to bring it about, besides going to lots of parties, getting high, talking a load of pseudo-spiritual mumbo-jumbo and generally living rather hedonistic lives? Even my decidedly hippie-ish friend admitted that many of her drug-taking friends became progressively more and more selfish and pleasure-seeking over time. Yes there is a new generation of spiritual seekers out there who I believe are sincere in longing for a better world - that's great, but there are also a hell of a lot of ways to divert and derail those would-be truthseekers/lightworkers (to use a slightly cringeworthy New Age term). What I'm saying is, I believe that drugs are very possibly a tool of the dark to distract/suppress people who could otherwise be doing amazing things.
There is also a glaring lack of discernment in the drug community (which of course extends to the New Age movement in general). So you got high and talked to God? Angels led you on a mind-expanding trip round the cosmos? Did you consider that not everything "out there" is good and spiritual? I've got no time for false gods or evil spirits masquerading as beings of light. I'm willing to bet that drugs seriously impair your ability to discern "who's who" in the spirit world.
Following on from that, most of the enlightening experiences and profound insights obtained through drugs turn out to be less meaningful, if not total nonsense, after the trip. Tool's song Rosetta Stoned is supposedly a parody of this phenomenon. In my aforementioned friend's case, the big revelation she got was this... "It doesn't matter what you do in life, so long as you dance with the Universe"! Whoa, that's deeeeep! That insight could really, like, change the world.
Basically I take issue with people making out that drugs are THE way to enlightenment, or a shortcut to real spiritual evolution. If you're so spiritually advanced, why do you depend on substances for inspiration? Surely any fool can get high and receive so-called enlightening insights. Genuine spiritual attainment has to be earned; how could it be any other way? As far as I'm concerned, taking drugs is "cheating", and can only ever produce a pale reflection of the true spiritual reality.
Of course, there's the argument that drugs can be used once to get a taste of higher consciousness, and after that you try to get to the same state without the drugs. That assumes, though, that there isn't anything inherently harmful about taking drugs just the one time. What if there IS? What if it causes damage on some level that hinders your ability to make spiritual progress in the future? What if it opens you up to some nasty stuff from other realms that, once "in", won't want to leave? Things to consider.
Ultimately when pondering the possible pros/cons of drug use I have to think of people I know, famous or otherwise, who have done it or advocated it. There are cases of ordinary people, good people, getting sucked into a downward spiral of hedonism or self-destruction.... then there are those who might trip occasionally for a thrill, at music festivals or with friends, who don't seem to be affected negatively but nor do their lives appear to be enhanced by it (to my mind, these people are just following the crowd like they would with any passing fad). And then there are well-known figures who advocate use of psychedelics for mind-expanding spiritual purposes - e.g. Bill Hicks, Alex Grey, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Tori Amos. These are generally deemed to be deeply spiritual individuals. The latter two musicians used to be idols of mine. But when I ask myself, would I really like to emulate them? Is that state of consciousness where I want to be? - the answer is no. They honestly give me a slightly bad vibe these days. As for Bill Hicks - he is a classic example of someone who mixes a lot of untruth with a little bit of truth to hook in people who fancy themselves free-thinking but lack discernment. How is he revolutionary, really? He's not even that funny. He's the voice of the disgruntled hippie generation who just want to opt out of society, talk crap, get stoned, belittle the rest of "unenlightened" humanity, diss the government, and basically change absolutely nothing. So why is he promoted? Diversion, diversion, diversion.
Okay, end of Bill Hicks rant. You get it - I don't think drugs are of any use to the genuine spiritual seeker. Spiritual perspectives aside, perhaps drugs are fun; I still wouldn't take them myself. I'd rather be me, even if miserable, than have the fake "I love everyone!" chemical-induced bliss that drugs provide!
There are a whole lot of hippie types out there - dating back to the "revolutionary" 1960s, when everyone was jumping on the Beatles' bandwagon - who seem to think that taking drugs is the way to higher consciousness, peace on earth, and other nice fluffy-sounding things. There's nothing wrong with wanting world peace, but what are these people DOING to bring it about, besides going to lots of parties, getting high, talking a load of pseudo-spiritual mumbo-jumbo and generally living rather hedonistic lives? Even my decidedly hippie-ish friend admitted that many of her drug-taking friends became progressively more and more selfish and pleasure-seeking over time. Yes there is a new generation of spiritual seekers out there who I believe are sincere in longing for a better world - that's great, but there are also a hell of a lot of ways to divert and derail those would-be truthseekers/lightworkers (to use a slightly cringeworthy New Age term). What I'm saying is, I believe that drugs are very possibly a tool of the dark to distract/suppress people who could otherwise be doing amazing things.
There is also a glaring lack of discernment in the drug community (which of course extends to the New Age movement in general). So you got high and talked to God? Angels led you on a mind-expanding trip round the cosmos? Did you consider that not everything "out there" is good and spiritual? I've got no time for false gods or evil spirits masquerading as beings of light. I'm willing to bet that drugs seriously impair your ability to discern "who's who" in the spirit world.
Following on from that, most of the enlightening experiences and profound insights obtained through drugs turn out to be less meaningful, if not total nonsense, after the trip. Tool's song Rosetta Stoned is supposedly a parody of this phenomenon. In my aforementioned friend's case, the big revelation she got was this... "It doesn't matter what you do in life, so long as you dance with the Universe"! Whoa, that's deeeeep! That insight could really, like, change the world.
Basically I take issue with people making out that drugs are THE way to enlightenment, or a shortcut to real spiritual evolution. If you're so spiritually advanced, why do you depend on substances for inspiration? Surely any fool can get high and receive so-called enlightening insights. Genuine spiritual attainment has to be earned; how could it be any other way? As far as I'm concerned, taking drugs is "cheating", and can only ever produce a pale reflection of the true spiritual reality.
Of course, there's the argument that drugs can be used once to get a taste of higher consciousness, and after that you try to get to the same state without the drugs. That assumes, though, that there isn't anything inherently harmful about taking drugs just the one time. What if there IS? What if it causes damage on some level that hinders your ability to make spiritual progress in the future? What if it opens you up to some nasty stuff from other realms that, once "in", won't want to leave? Things to consider.
Ultimately when pondering the possible pros/cons of drug use I have to think of people I know, famous or otherwise, who have done it or advocated it. There are cases of ordinary people, good people, getting sucked into a downward spiral of hedonism or self-destruction.... then there are those who might trip occasionally for a thrill, at music festivals or with friends, who don't seem to be affected negatively but nor do their lives appear to be enhanced by it (to my mind, these people are just following the crowd like they would with any passing fad). And then there are well-known figures who advocate use of psychedelics for mind-expanding spiritual purposes - e.g. Bill Hicks, Alex Grey, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Tori Amos. These are generally deemed to be deeply spiritual individuals. The latter two musicians used to be idols of mine. But when I ask myself, would I really like to emulate them? Is that state of consciousness where I want to be? - the answer is no. They honestly give me a slightly bad vibe these days. As for Bill Hicks - he is a classic example of someone who mixes a lot of untruth with a little bit of truth to hook in people who fancy themselves free-thinking but lack discernment. How is he revolutionary, really? He's not even that funny. He's the voice of the disgruntled hippie generation who just want to opt out of society, talk crap, get stoned, belittle the rest of "unenlightened" humanity, diss the government, and basically change absolutely nothing. So why is he promoted? Diversion, diversion, diversion.
Okay, end of Bill Hicks rant. You get it - I don't think drugs are of any use to the genuine spiritual seeker. Spiritual perspectives aside, perhaps drugs are fun; I still wouldn't take them myself. I'd rather be me, even if miserable, than have the fake "I love everyone!" chemical-induced bliss that drugs provide!
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