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I'm kind of happy people are finding remedies from nature, as opposed to chemically manufactured shit. But we should indeed also not underestimate the ability of big pharma to fuck things up.

Also, when speaking about mental illness please keep in mind that we are talking about people who have such mental problems, that they interfere with having a fulfilling or normal life with themselves or with others. I'm not talking about the mental health issues of having a fart sit edgewise as is usually the case nowadays. For those people that really need it, having an experience of opening the mind or lowering defences might just be what they need to kick things off in the right way. And, as said, in that case I'd rather prefer a solution from Mother Nature instead of a test tube.

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I'm all for natural remedies, but I guess the point is that these particular natural substances, with their psychoactive properties, are in a category of their own. I'm very keen to go back to herbal treatments and get away from any synthetic drugs, but the question about hallucinogens is what is it opening us up to beyond positive therapeutic effects?

For the naturalist this question is mute because there is no spiritual effect, because there is no spiritual realm. But for the spiritual, we are using a spiritual substance, so how is that playing into this current age?

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I know it's not considered very nice to answer a question with a question. But, after some thought, haven't they always tried to force feed us our beliefs and our gods? The risk is too great for it to be used to swipe away the framework beneath us, to loosen it's screws, and replace it with a more "acceptable" narrative. Besides the good itself, we need to take a good hard look at the sjaman too. And ours in the modern world have been proven to be unreliable. I say stay away.

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I'm with you!

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

I'd love it to be true, I'd love it to be the panacea to the loss of the divine in our lives. But I cant trust our institutions anymore, the institutions that we relied on for a reference point in the search for truth. If they are letting us have it, its because they think they can turn a buck from it.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

I am on board with your skepticism after everything we have just been put through over the past 3 years with corona and we are still being subjected to! Every trick they used to frighten us out of our minds, to guilt us, to encourage us to rat out our neighbour, to hypnotize and brainwash us all into compliance, were all military psyche ops to use on the enemy in war!!! The one thing I have now learned is… they want the least amount of resistance possible while they wipe 6.8 billion people off the face of this earth, they would like it to be as peaceful as possible without the masses uprising violently in revolt and the way to do this is to keep the masses ignorant of the big picture they are working on rather preoccupying us with the daily onslaught of all the continuous little shitstorms. I don’t trust this! It’s Big Pharma trying a different avenue don’t you think, once again stating “safe and effective” the words are still too painfully fresh in my memory to hear them again being touted so soon and as if they know lsd and magic mushrooms and mdma are safe and effective in such a short period of time yet again(sarcasm)! They stopped with these acid trips etc in the 1960’s after Timothy Leary.

In Canada they’ll help with Trudeau’s euthanasia don’t you think? I’m a hardened cynic now… once burned twice shy.

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yes, anything that makes us more docile is to their advantage.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

PS I forgot to add Winston just assuming you knew that in Canada our Trudeau Liberal government plans to add “ the mentally ill “ to their list of people who qualify for government assisted suicide in the near future to help with the depopulation the globalists have planned for us all. Before adding them they first want to include “dependent adult children”.

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I dunno dude. Take 5g of psilocybin in a dark room and report back.

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Hey Dollyboy I’m back with the report…

I was turning the lights down and I heard “You’ve got the fear!” from a fallen rebel angel. Then another voice said “Please leave… Run for your life!” – What the hell Andy? I couldn’t tell my left from my right, the blames the lies, the superantigen was safe and effective but Tony says these are the days of damage control… lights flicker… the Well was Max… I woke up.

;-)

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That's quite a trip! What could it all mean? Beats me. As long as you enjoyed it. That's the main thing. 😊

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Yes I did - you are a talent! Hope you are getting lots of listens.

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Haha... No but thank you for your kind words.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

dry or fresh?

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somewhere inbetween.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

Very interesting Winston.

You've raised many questions here, the only one I have an answer to is "Will Winston Smith stop struggling and truly love Big Brother?" ... That's a definite NO!

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I like your faith Mr Charrington!

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There's no such thing as a free lunch: powerful hallucinogenic drugs have huge potential psychological benefits but also huge potential harms. Their use requires great responsibility and of course we all know how responsible Big Pharma is don't we!

Yes, they do tap into the 'spiritual realm', i.e. they enable you to bypass the normal rational conscious mind and access areas of the psyche far more ancient and far less ordered and rational, including the collective human subconscious realm. You don't want to be treading there unless you have a very good guide or you are a very mentally stable individual up for the challenge of the unknown, willing to learn from exploring the inner realm of human experience. It can be immensely therapeutic and energising to Walk with the Gods, but you don't want to make a habit of it. Psychedelics are a free pass into the Spirit World for the unitiated. A taster. A sampler. You absolutely must learn how to get there under your own steam, without using drugs. It worries me that Big Pharma may be using this opportunity to hack into our collective unconscious for the purpose of exerting greater control over us. Such an ambition is doomed to failure of course, but it could cause a lot of damage in the meantime.

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"...hack into our collective unconscious..." yes my concern exactly. Such a powerful thing in the hands of Big Pharma is frightening.

"It can be immensely therapeutic and energising to Walk with the Gods" - I guess it can be, but be careful which gods you are walking with!

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In my now-distant youth I had several experiences with psychedelics-- more than 5, less than 10 -- a majority of them positive, a couple of them negative (but not traumatically so), and on the whole I think I learned from them.

However, a relative who was experienced in esoteric matters warned me that they can weaken ones natural boundaries between this realm and others. Later, as a near-middle-aged adult, I recounted one of my experiences to a meditation instructor and he concluded that a demonic entity had attached itself to me, and that this attachment could explain various life problems I was having. There was some work involved in ridding myself of this entity, and I believe that work was successful.

My conclusion is that psychedelics are doorways, that it is sometimes useful to pass through those doorways, but in general it is dangerous without a guide who can be trusted.

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Peyote, outside with friends, was a pastel painting soothing glowy thingness.

Synthetic windowpane was a jagged backstreet alley frightshow.

Combine synthetics with a doctor and one might never come back.

No thanks to big bro farma controlling my trip.

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I went to raves in the late 90's and took a lot of LSD. No great spiritual revelations, although I did briefly feel like I understood the universe. And no obvious lasting negative effects, except persistent "trails".

A few years later, ayahuasca. Which is very different and much more challenging than LSD. Basically felt myself die several times. I did receive three revelations.

1. Life is a test.

2. One aspect that I will be judged on is the kindness I show others.

3. I need to improve my posture.

I do think psychedelics are powerful medicine and as such, can create positive change, but should always be approached with care.

What's interesting is that some stories from the Bible sound very much like trips - and there are possible ayahuasca analogs in middle eastern plants that could have been used at that time.

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Interesting experiences you've had.

I do read much about how Biblical stories of visions, etc, (Ezekiel for example) are explained as psychedelic trips - but only from proponents of psychedelic use - other Biblical scholars have a different take, that it's a Divine pulling back the veil (no drugs needed).

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

Many years ago, I had some experience with these things.

Attempting to reprogram my own brain seemed to work well during the immediate experience, but many profundities seem to whither and subside as normalcy returned. Some progress was made working alone.

Group experience varied greatly. Some ingredients go better with others, in the soup.

Groups with trusted friends were mostly positive.

Groups with little known acquaintances occasionally turned into nightmares.

Groups with wannabe cult leaders sometimes had members lured into manipulative relationships with (people who later I identified as) probable psychopaths.

Having had these limited types of experience, and now knowing how easily manipulated is the human mind (and spirit?) by powerful chems, I would not willingly place myself under the influence of powerful chems in the hands of the 'licensed'. That license would appear, in many cases, to have been retained at the price of the 'licensed's conscience ... perhaps even soul.

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Psychedelics appear to help create a true gnostic experience (a direct "knowing") of the divine.

Naturally, this religious impulse and method are trying to be co-opted by big corporations working seamlessly with the state (their preferred religion for all of us, the Corporate State, under Roman statutory-style law). They're trying to copy what God gave via nature to profit & control others from it.

Unfortunately for them, God doesn't work that way, and appears to have strong opinions about men trying to co-opt & replace him. They should be be humble and cautious, because history seems to show God doesn't like that very much and tends to take exception, and on occasion make pointed examples.

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Exactly my concern - the co-opting by the State - it can't lead anywhere good.

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It won't. Thing is, the ones it won't work out well for are the members of the Corporate State. I could elucidate why, but they'll find out the hard way (not that in knowing they would repent and change their evil ways).

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Here's someone who can comment directly https://runesoup.com/2019/03/how-and-why-to-do-mushrooms-solo-show/

Here's another https://odysee.com/@434:0?view=home

Although many enjoy these gifts recreationally, that is not the reason God put them here with us. Tread lightly, and respectfully. I do not recommend taking them unless you are called to them, and if so, seek out a "professional", or perhaps better: someone who's religion includes these.

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

I was always terrified of psychedelics growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, (those movies I had to watch in Jr. High really got to me!) and only ever smoked pot for a few brief rebellious years. Gave that up too eventually, after becoming a Christian; for the few times I’d do it post-conversion, I felt an overwhelming sense that I was putting my soul into a state of a lockout of grace.

I know paranoia can be a side effect of smoking pot, and certainly others mileage was not as my own. But I just can’t shake the kernel thought that it’s playing with fire and one risks getting burned badly.

I also had several youthful experiences with some of the forces that sing their siren song to come and play with powers we do not understand, and are strongly warned against in scripture as well. It can be an easy door to open, but not so easy to close once access is granted.

We know so little about our brains, and even less about our souls. It seems highly suspect to me that “the science” is now actively encouraging the use of these substances.

Hubby, who did play around with LSD and the more natural psychotropics in his teen years, now regrets that choice. And not just from a spiritual perspective. He’s pretty sure that his brain got rewired somehow along that journey, and it has led to problems in his life with negative emotions that can rear up repeatedly, unlooked and unasked for.

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I know of cases of psychedelic use leading to psychotic episodes, but you never hear about it in the mainstream - not part of the overly positive narrative they now want to paint for the new wonderdrugs.

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Mar 10, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

Exactly why I always steered clear. Hubby had told me of some of his trips and nothing about them sounds in the least appealing because of the loss of control factor.

Give me a martini any day! Lol

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

I tried to reply, but you made me start a substack.

https://easternow.substack.com/p/a-response-that-was-too-long-for

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Sorry about that.

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My take - psychedelics can indeed kick open the door to hyperspace, and there is indeed the possibility to make contact with the other side. The problem, however, is that without sufficient preparation, entering those realms is extraordinarily perilous.

Notice how the psychedelic cheerleaders talk of 'spiritual experiences' in a solely positive light? Almost as though the demonic plays no role in their ontology. At least not publicly. Curious, that.

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There's probably the same resistance to negative reports as there are to reporting adverse reactions to mRNA jabs! If it doesn't fit the narrative it doesn't exist - Totalism

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Mar 9, 2023Liked by Winston Smith

Mildly interested, tried some, as did we all back then; recently when researching MK Ultra was amused/aghast to see that Timothy Leary was at least partly in their agency.

The guy living above me at the “small ivy” university lived on beer, apples and LSD for a month. He survived.

We moved to Belmont, MA across the street from McLean Hospital which Sylvia Plath immortalized in print. They were pioneers in the practice of frontal lobotomy. I often used the ParCourse on their grounds.

Urinals around Boston used to have graffiti at eye level: “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.”

Now I am simply trying to re-read Carlos Castaneda, as Dr. Tom Cowan suggests. I also would refer folks to Dr. Kelly Brogan. She was a practicing psychiatrist, indoctrinated into the notion of SSRI’s. She has had many rebirths. Diet and detoxification.

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