Huxley and Future Philosophy

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I cannot put into words the type of things I’ve experienced on different drugs because they are in essence beyond words, but suffice it to say, ego loss and complete trancendance are introspective things. We each exist in our own world, and words are but a thick, distorted peice of glass we use to peer into each other’s.

The aim of philosophy is often disputed, but it was assume it to be the quest to expand our mental capacities then we can see fairly well that any sort of discourse is often quite helpful, but in the end, not enough to really see the truth our minds hide from us.

We’re all alive, we’re all living… and this is perhaps something that we forget all too often. Nevermind if you’re in marketing, and feel like you’ve sold yourself out because we all sell ourselves out in terms of thought just to continue living. Thought creates our world, and we think to survive within it. Philosophy is a step in the right direction compared to the mental wasteland that comprises most of the brains on the planet, but I do not feel it to be enough when it comes for expanding our mental abilities.

Ultimately, we are reworking concepts in attempts to better ourselves - and that is a good thing. But discourse only changes a certain part of us; this board is a perfect example of how certain aspects of personality remain stagnant, attitudes persist, certain mental frameworks are just too cemented in to change. This is not to say that personalities are a bad thing, everyone will be different, there’s nothing anyone can do about that, but what we can do is learn to break down our frail, and problem ridden egos and rebuild them in a better, more efficient way, over and over within a lifetime. I’m not going to get into it again, but certain drugs allow you to do this. It is possible to examine every single thought you’ve had in your lifetime, and to analyze the base of all your assumptions in a fairly rational mannor.

There is a huge stigma around psychadellics drugs, and it is existent because of their ability to completely annhilate the buffet of lies the media brainwashes us with and let us see things in ourself for what they really are. The government has done tests on LSD, this is public knowledge, they know this stuff… but it’s not without its own problems. You have to ‘let go’ to a certain extent to achieve the type a positive results as they are in effect an expansion of your mental abilities. A closed minded person can essentially go ‘insane’ if they break down the wrong barrier, while holding desperately onto others. There is a certain degree of safety which must be exersized, and unfortunately there are just some people who are beyond saving so to speak.

This is my point. This kind of research is badly needed in the public realm, but to do so in today’s world would be considered taboo, anti-religious, anti-productive, terroristic, subversive, stupid or whatever else. We have at our fingertips the potential for mental evolution that would essentially skyrocket the results we see in today’s world but to do this, we need a radical paradigm shift.

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At first, I was like, oh brother, another one of these threads, but then I read the last part and thought differently.

I would love to know what exactly people are experiencing that’s so great while on drugs. I have had nothing special to report from any of mine and so I would like to see a list of average responses and their frequency.

So, what have you experienced?

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Hi Old_Gobbo:

I should immediately be disqualified from this discussion, because I have never taken an illegal drug. I can not categorically come to any conclusions about drugs. Huxley’s babblings strike me as irrational and I think that your use of his comments is also unsupportive of a categorical conclusion.

The main thing that I would like to say, and this is almost completely off point, is that I think you have an outstanding mind and periodically I become nearly distraught thinking that you might destroy your gift.

For some completely god forsaken reason, I have come to think of you in a paternal fashion, and I wish you would give this stuff up.

Any way these are the random thoughts of a senile old man.

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“Each person is at any moment capable of remembering all that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe.”

This is a very old-time idea most likely based on the faddish Indian philosophy that enthused 19th century style intellectuals such as Freud and Jung. The brain is a hunk of meat.

Also, when I have a couple of drinks, especially when I’m around other happy people, I feel alright with the world. Does that mean that alcohol opens my psychic connections with the world, or am I just a little drunk? See what I mean?

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possitive .–1 present time . negative – 2 .insanity, kind of. insanity is to dangerous. present time is precious. does anyone know what carl jungs stance was on psychedelics? rite now my stance is dont do them. its realy hard to be sure if this is the rite decision. on one hand, i can get into present time, on them, and literaly be my own psychologist. on the other hand, i once was convinced that, insanity was a natural progression of intelligence…good thing my mother didnt open my door. i feel like if i continue with psychedelics i could 1. reach enlightenment 2. go insane, in a bad way. 3. go insane, in a good way. 4. find a witch and have her follow me through narnia. the last fucking thing i need to find is a witch. (be content with your world, digory) but seriously, im serious, there seems to be a connection with psychedelics and the occult. fuck the occult, whether its real or not. so yeah i could figure out my life on mushrooms, but i could also learn shit i dont want to know, and meet shit i dont want to meet i.e.: evil. meditation and pot for now. later just meditation, probobly.

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Ad,

read erowid.com

It’s got a boatload of testimonies, I’ve read through countless numbers of them. The thing that really strikes me is that these people all talk about, or experience the same sort of things. These seem to be accepted by people in the ‘tripping’ community. Seriously… I’ve logged quite a few hours at erowid, some of the stories are well worth the read, if that type of stuff interests you.

As for your liquor question… i would say in a slight way, yes it probably does a little bit. Keep in mind our consciousness exists independant of our body, most of the time our brain is sorting out a whole bunch of information to allow us to function sensibly, but our bodies are still part of the universe… I don’t see why it’s so hard to imagine a greater connection, giving the right chemical makeup of the brain. We’re individuals… but we’re still part of the whole.

Ed,

I appreciate your kind words. I don’t actually do any of these drugs really… not the hard ones. I just like studying this type of stuff. I really do feel this area of study widely unexplored.

Try not to worry too much… I’m a reletively safe guy, besides… my mind is the result of my life so far so…

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GH,

Did you know that “witches” from a long time ago would make a cream out of different poisonous herbs and berries found in Europe and North America, and then rub it on themselves so that they could fly? I used to have the recipe somewhere.

They cream is really a powerful hallucinogenic, so ending up with a witch is not out of the question, if that is your true destiny.

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ad—all of the crazy mystical drug reports youv heard of are true. i can vouch. when people say " my mind was infinite"…thats what they mean, literally. theres to much information. if your going to do them, remember they are powerfull, and that you will come out of it with information. you might get lucky, and get the information you were looking for, or a fucking witch might show you her tits. be carefull.

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ad—burn that recepe. i think i would rather end up with a girl in headphones.

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erowid.com

Thanks, that sounds like interesting reading.

My bit about drinking was in part to suggest that when we are drunk we may feel extra good, but that’s because we’re drunk! It’s a simple explanation.

However, what’s up with knowing that someone is looking at you! Something strange is good on there. So, it could be the case that some drugs activate whatever that is. No one can explain the that yet.

One time while smoking weed, that was very strong, I got the impression that I had a golden aura that shot out like a telescope. I could feel, really feel, as if I was standing right next to the person that my “aura” was touching across the room. Now, I chalk this up to brain chem special effects, but I can see how some would think it more.

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I’ve found that the visual aspect to certain highs are just aesthetic value observations… it’s more the train of thought, or lack thereof that is important, the inner dialogue. Under quite extreme circumstances you can transcend and experience like… evolutionary timelines and stuff like that, but you gotta be doin like K, and acid and shit… that’s a whole other issue. I’d say for the most part if you’re seeing a green gnome dancing around… you might as well just laugh at watch.

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Yeah, well I thought that it was impressive to feel near people, as that is of value to me. That’s why I can see the draw of something like E.

The humanist in me counters that desire and commands me to be near people for real.

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Huxley wrote:

First, I’ve read Huxley’s The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell, both of which I found to be absolutely fascinating works. (Side note: I have never done lsd, but from what I’ve heard other people relate, and based on what I have read, I simply can’t wait to do it). Now, with that said, I have to say that I am skeptical about the aforementioned claim that Huxley makes. On the one hand, it would seem to fit nicely into Jungian psychology of the collective unconscious – which based on the empirical evidence Jung provides, I do not out of hand dismiss – on the other however, Huxley’s claim should automatically be ruled out because it is illogical. For example, if it is granted that one even believes they have a god’s eye view of the universe (that they are witnessing everything happening at once) they can never be certain that that is everything – they are only aware of what they are directly experiencing, and can never know if there is something more, therefore, the claim that “this” is “everything,” can never be made. (Incidentally, I wonder how theologians get God out of that conundrum).

Furthermore, I would also be interested to know if Huxley includes in his paradigm of transcending self and space, as to whether or not, the present, (time), can be transcended as well – of course, not on an individual level, we do that all the time with memory, rather, on a pure mental trip (granted that we could ever know or not know that this was or was not a hallucination). It would be especially interesting to know, if the feeling of transcending into the future is possible as well, according to Huxley, or any poster’s individual experiences. (This is just for my curiosities sake).

TheAdlerian,

On pot: an exploration of my unconscious. For example, if I read a book, sometimes I can contemplate many ideas I take out of the book, however, on marijuana, especially if I smoke soon after completing it, I have had the ability to relate entire passages of books, word for word. It really stimulates memory, especially of things that have had an emotional impact on me.

Also, it brings up fears and paronoias that I have floating around my unconscious – specifically those that I’m never consciously aware of; this allows me to become introspective, in that it reveals self-revelations, as well as the fact that it allows me to deal with any said fear that arises in a rational manner, since I am able to contemplate it consciously. (No marijuana does not create the fears, it reaveals them). An interesting example that I’ve observed, is that when people smoke pot, many times they will remember movies that have psychologically disturbed them, e.g., any horror movie that has managed to scare them; pot will trigger this unconscious disturbance – which means, that it can help reveal fears, which, with the help of a good rational friend, or with a trained mind, the individual can overcome.

A third dimension of pot, is that it triggers old personalities. I’m sure that your personality, your ideals and such, probably temperament as well, were very different when you were 10 years old in comparison to your current age. Marijuana, at times, allows you to sift through old personalities – which is a very interesting psychological introspection. This is really evident, if you ever see a pot smoker, who when high, acts like a child – the pot has simply, first of, eliminated many inhibitions, and second of, brought back that aspect of their personality (which is, when a person is sober, usually unconscious). A perceptive mind, will see this shift occur within itself; however, there can be many times and many people who during the high fail to notice themselves drift of into an old personality.

Another aspect of marijuana smoking is that one’s senses become enhanced. But this is more than just perception of color; I’m talking about becoming extra sensitive to one’s environment, especially, of other people. My awareness on pot around others, for example, typically focuses on the other persons idiosyncricies, body language, etc., – which all become especially revealing on pot. For example, one of the greatest insights of my life occurred when I smoked some pot and went into my local bookstore full of strangers. (I should mention pot enhances one’s curiosity – it almost becomes childlike, hence all the satires of pot smokers looking at tinfoil at the 7-11) . In the bookstore, not only was my awareness of other people enhanced nearly 5fold, but so was my curiosity. What I noticed mainly, was people’s body language; almost everyone who I encountered was incredibly insecure – I guess the environment may be a part of it too, a bookstore – and most people seemed to be really preoccupied and worried about themselves; especially when I eavesdropped on a lot of the conversations.

Yet but another aspect of marijuana (and I will end the subject on this note) is the awareness of sound. When I listen to music, I can hear things in the music that I don’t normally hear when I listen to the music sober. This is most likely due to the fact, that marijuana, helps one become absorbed into either one’s thoughts, or one’s surrounding environment – if it happens to be music I’ve had experiences where it seems that I have simply drifted of into the music, as if in a trance.

It also allows me to manipulate philosophical theories in the real world, and draw interesting connections, as well as, write poetry.

Old_Gobbo wrote:

I would really like you to talk a little more about these barriers. One, I assume, would be the concept of an ego. Perhaps, another would be the idea that matter is static, unmoving. But, what are some others?

(edit: dreadful spelling, and grammar…)

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Also, what if it is all just brain special effects? Does that change the meaning for you?

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Wow, that is an interesting web site!

I found this story though, and oh shit, I think that I will pass!

I was sixteen. I had smoked weed a few times. This girl I worked with gave me 3 eighths of cubensis. I had never taken mushrooms before. One night, a friend of mine (who had never done drugs before) and I rented some movies. My mother was asleep upstairs.
I ate the entire bag of mushrooms (not knowing what to expect) and pretty soon after began to laugh uncontrollably. Everything became very ‘cartoon-like’. Finally, I calmed down enough to go watch a movie. We put on The Shining. Not a good idea. About ten minutes into the movie I had become very quiet, as opposed to my hysterical laughter earlier. My friend asked me if I was OK, in a very concerned way. That was the wrong thing to ask. I then began to compulsively question whether I was ‘OK’. Outloud. I soon came to the realization, outloud still, that not only did I not know if I was OK, but I was also unsure as to who I was, and what exactly was going on. My friend became very concerned. The next thing I remember, everything began to wobble visibly. Slightly at first, yet growing moment by moment in intensity. The ground began quaking with the same intensity. I ran up to the bathroom, and sat down on the toilet in the dark.

I began crying uncontrollably. I didn’t know who was, where I was, and what was going on. I certainly did not know that I had taken any kind drug, as I had no idea of what drugs were. After what was probably a long while, my friend came upstairs to see if I was OK. Somehow he coaxed me from the bathroom darkness and got me to come back downtairs with him. By this time everything was visually flying all around me (whoever I was), and the earth was shaking violently. I sat down in the lazy-boy babbling incoherently and crying. My friend was seated on the couch across from me, which was bouncing up and down, from side to side, clearing about 4-6 feet vertical. I was hysterical. Somehow I managed to grope my way upstairs to my mother’s room in the dark. I stumbled through the door and fell in a heaping mess onto her bed, waking her up. It was sometime after midnight. My mother woke up and threw on the light with a start. My friend had followed upstairs as well and came through my mother’s door in tears, feebly trying to explain what was going on. He told her that I had eaten a large bag of mushrooms, he didn’t know where I had received them, and that I had become very upset. This was obvious, as I was writhing around on the bed now, shaking violently, sobbing uncontrollably and babbling the word ‘Mommy’ over and over again very quickly.

My mother called 911 immediately, and within minutes the ambulance had arrived. On top of the violent visuals I described, which by this time had become a fast and furious twisting and twirling barrage of color (incomprehensible), the auditory assault was just as terrifying. At a very high volume I heard an onslaught of sound something to the effect of ‘tzeaughcheewafeshweatcheza’ over and over ad infinitum. When the paramedics arrived I remember blue gloves coming at me from every angle along with everything else and they apparently carried me out the waiting ambulance with my mom and friend in anxious tow. In my utter and total confusion amongst all said turmoil I recall thinking I was being carried on some kind of alien spacecraft to hell. The ambulance arrived at the hospital and the extra-terrestrial demons proceded to strap me down to a table. They tried to get me to drink charcoal fluid which I thought was blood. It got all over me and I was now screaming a totally improvised language at the top of my lungs. Hours went by which seemed like everlasting eternities. My mother and friend stayed with me holding my hands and crying until I came down. And down I did come…slowly.

The next morning I began to understand again who I was, what had happened, and the place I had landed. By that afternoon the hospital released me, and I was a wreck. Exhausted totally. Not to mention my poor mother, God bless her. As they wheeled me outside to my friend’s waiting car, the entire staff looked at me with such awe and pity, that only added to my feelings of overwhelming guilt and embarassment. After getting back home, I noticed that I was completely covered with that charcoal fluid. It was in my hair ,on my face, on my body, my clothes (I must have been really fighting with them). Not to mention the fact that I then proceeded to crap it out over the next day. My poor mother, in desperation, begged my estranged father to come over that afternoon and help figure out what could have possesed me to take this drug. He came over, sat down at our table and said, ‘Drugs are bad.’ Or something very helpful like that.

It took me a long time to get over this experience, and my mother never has. I hurt her terribly. And the worst thing is that the devil possessed to me to do more psychedelics over the next eight years. I sold acid for a while. I took dxm (cough syrup) every other day for about three years (about twenty oz. at a time aprox.) and smoked weed daily. The only drug I’ve taken for years now (besides caffeine and nicotine) is medication for schizophrenia. The drugs I took didn’t cause this condition neccesarily, but they did hasten and intesify its onset. Psychedelics and disassociatives are a loaded weapon. Don’t play russian roulette with your brain. God bless…

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underground man, regarding ways of going insane 1. conciously deciding to go insane. there is no basis for sanity. if your going to do this, have a couple of months without a job, or freind/ family interaction, set up for after. there is nothing worse then loosing your ego, and then haveing your co-workers and freinds build you a new one. i personally would recomend lucid dreaming, instead. just remember halucinogens are high stakes, and even if you hit the jackpot, it might not last. meditation, is longer, but i think enlightenment is more likely to stay with it vrs. drugs…because its easier to believe, remember, and make sense of. lucid dreaming though, seems to be just as if not more powerfull the psychedelics, you can dissolve in a dream. also if you get scared or start to go insane in a dream, you can wake up. you cant on psychedelics. regarding huxley, he was smart, and he wanted to wake up, so he did psychedelics. he motives seemed pure. he used the drug for more than self analysis. he was intrested in shaminism. when he was on his deathbed, he had his wife, inject him with a huge dose of acid, and he drifted off into who knows where. thats the one thing with huxley, he never made it to a permenent level of spiritual conciousness (i dont think). if the doors of perception could be clensed, everything would appear as it is; infinite.—william blake

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Yes, that, I’ve heard on K. I was once in a K-hole, holy shit, I was hallucinating sounds of a beast comiting murders upstairs – it was terrifying, but at the very same time, exhilirating. I had the dual feeling of never wanting to leave this absolutly surreal and interesting experience and the feeling that I wanted out, right now! Anything to get me out of here, but at the same time, anything to stay in the trip – yes, I really felt both emotions, or desires, simultaneously. See, I figured I was hallucinating – but I thought I was just hearing the upstairs t.v. at a greater sensual percetion due to the drug, when I came down, my cousin told me the t.v. was never on. Come to think of it… hmm… I knew there was a beast somewhere inside of me.

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I have one simple question. What would be the observable difference between the drug(s) making you see more and the drug reducing the amount of information you can process? It occurs to me that the feeling (which I know) that you can get from hallucinogens could be a augmentation of experience or a reduction of capacity and either would produce such feelings.

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blake saw what huxly saw on acid, all the time. heres a quote from salvador dali “i dont need drugs, because i am drugs”.

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underground man–what is a k-hole? theres a song by coco rosie that says “tiny spirit in a k-hole”