Alan Watts on Understanding Absolute Love

[impulse9]

I haven't done it so I can't say anything about DMT or any of its varieties. I will say however that I literally cannot imagine a stranger world than what Salvia throws you into. It doesn't blow the house down, it violently transports you into another dimension that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the things you know and love. I would describe my most potent trip as infinity spent with the spirit of Salvia, it's vague but that's my best description. It's by far the strangest, weirdest, most astonishing, most terrifying thing I've ever experienced in my life and it still deeply affects me almost a decade later.

[Raptorsin7]

@taotemu How does 5MEO differ from LSD?

I've only used LSD and Shrooms, and I've reached a point where I no longer felt a need to seek because I felt so amazing and aware. But it's in consistent with LSD, sometimes you can let it all go and sometimes you can't. Do you think 5 MeO could work well for this kind of dilemma?

I'm open to trying 5 MeO but I'm a little hesitant because I don't like the idea of being thrown in the pool without knowing how to swim, with LSD and Shrooms I've never had a sudden and drasatic shift in consciousness 

[taotemu]

@Raptorsin7 I’ve only done it one time and I probably did too much (20mg). I much prefer LSD but I may try 5MeO again at a much lower dose at some point.  LSD for me is more controlled and provides a deep sense of oneness with everything.  

5MeO basically blew me away and not in a good way.  I think I was a little cocky with it since I have done a fair amount of psychedelics before and I thought I could handle a heavy dose.  I had no visuals at all.  It basically felt like I died and came back.  It has only been a week and I keep getting flashbacks.  My wife says I have changed in good ways. She says I’m more patient and less judgmental.  I do look around the world and have the distinct feeling this is the hallucination most of the time.  

It really is like a different class of drug from a subjective perspective.  Just start with small doses and work up no matter what you think you can handle based on other drugs.  

Edited August 4, 2021 by taotemu

[Ry4n]

3 hours ago, Raptorsin7 said:

Prolonged can be once every 2 weeks for a 3 month stretch. 

even that is way too much in my eyes. Integration can take literal years if one is honest with themselves. The mind needs time as well to re-stabilise, it can seem as though taking more will help clarify the previous lessons when in reality taking time to simply contemplate/meditate for even longer will create a more grounded understanding that is less suspect to the delusions of grandeur that psychedelics can cause. Better to err on the side of caution and take lower doses less frequently.

2 hours ago, impulse9 said:

You shouldn't even use them honestly. I know, this sounds hypocritical but if I could go back in time and tell my young self not to use them as much, I would. Use them to get over the initial bump in spirituality, when the ego clings to material existence with such vigor that nothing else can really move it. That's when psychedelics shine, they can show you magic first hand, and that's extremely important, especially if you're not naturally spiritually gifted. But past that I don't believe they are useful at all, if anything they are a distraction from the true work. Meditation is far more magical than psychedelics to the point where it's not even in the same universe. That's why I said earlier that psychedelics look like childrens toys compared to actual enlightenment.

But I also realize we're all on our own path, and I was stupid with psychedelics too, so I can't blame anyone for trying.

I respect this take, and feel like I'm in a somewhat similar boat to you (not using any psychs atm), but I don't think closing oneself off  to the possibility of EVER using them again makes sense either. Prioritise the contemplation, study, yoga and meditation because that's where 99% of the work is, but I'm sure if say you used them again many years later it would have benefit. It's not needed per se but could still be useful. But it does seem many people on the forum don't respect just how long integration can actually take, and that prioritising psychedelics over other methods is simply unwise long-term. 

And agreed psychedelics can become a massive distraction. One may not even realise that to be so until they spend sufficient time away from them. 

2 hours ago, Raptorsin7 said:

@impulse9 @taotemu I'm not saying psychidelics are the only thing that a person should use on the path.

 

They shouldn't even be the main tool.