serendipity wrote:Hi G, and Co.,.....,
"Of what possible use is that perception or understanding?"
To view knowledge in terms of practical gains, is to look through the eyes of the merchant.
Then of what use is knowledge? Isn't the ultimate purpose to understand? If that is achieved, it's priceless and of no use to a merchant. Further, the question never got answered...of what use are they?
serendipity wrote:"A warrior risks everything, on an adventure without end",......or, so I'm told.
I note that, you always mention, the inevitability of returning to the everyday world.
I recall that, not returning to this world, was definitely one of the options on offer on "The Sorcerer's Path". This option could be viewed as an escape from imprisonment, by some.
Not returning to this world is usually considered death, and is always an option. The point I've tried to make is that in my opinion we are here, in this world, at this level of awareness and consciousness for a purpose. The purpose is to experience the mud, the blood, and the beer: the ordinary. However, forays into other realms have the possibility of modifying or clarifying perception upon return.
serendipity wrote:I also, note that, you say, "nothing has changed".
Obviously, this cannot be a factual statement, as change is the one constant in life.
To maintain that one is left unchanged by experiences gained outwith normal perception, merely illustrates that, the speaker has limited experience of such altered states.
To clarify, in my opinion, the true essence doesn't change; what changes is misperception of self by self, as well as misperceptions of others. Experiences in altered states may certainly have impact in this regard.
serendipity wrote:Perhaps, you might be willing to consider the idea that, your attitude towards the question of "whats the point", where such "journeyings" are concerned, is more influenced by your personal dislike of chaos and disorder, than by any lack of value in the experiences themselves?
I have greatly valued many altered experiences and learned things from them I suspect I could not have learned any other way. However, as you point out, my dislike of chaos and disorder has steered me away from those entheogens which produce chaos and disorder. It's quite possible there are profound things learned from them, however, I remain unwilling, at this point, to explore them.
serendipity wrote:After all, whether such experiences are accessed through the use of psychoactive substances, or, by natural or spontaneous means, they are usually pretty disruptive. So much so, that "psychedelics" are not popular amongst the masses, despite widespread availability, whereas alcohol is guzzled by the ocean-load. ( Mr. Bud,).
Heh. In my opinion the vast quantity of psychoactive substances as well as alcohol are consumed for recreational purposes, so of course disruptive ones are avoided. Those who use them for spiritual reasons are quite the minority. The only ones I have found to be disruptive were LSD and Salvia. My jury remains out on Sally.
serendipity wrote:How many of you have dared to delve deeper into Sally-D, for instance?
I would like to suggest that, it is unwise to write a travel guide, if you haven't spent quite a bit of time in the location concerned.
BTW,....do you think, when one is totally under the influence of a psychoactive substance, and one's attention is completely absorbed by the experience, one could be said to be "not in the moment", etc?
Of course. My one "trip" with Sally, as I'm sure you're aware, essentially destroyed the moment.
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:59 pm
