ricardobaltazar
02-03-2003, 09:58 PM
Glasko's thread about religion got me thinking about the experience I had when I did mushrooms for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
For about the first three hours of my trip I was seeing the usaul hallucinations and kind of borderline freaking out. The walls were breathing, the letters on my computer screen were moving all over, I saw colors everywhere. I was laying back on a futon and pondering whether the psychedelic things I was seeing were influenced by my preconceptions or if it was a universal experience: i.e. "that's just how our brains work". That got me to thinking about the nature of humanity and how my thought processes and perception of life would be shaped outside of society as I know it. I pictured myself existing in a vacuam and soon asked myself that universal human question: "Who am I?".
Then suddenly all the tripping stopped. I had this sudden inner peace which I've never felt before in my life. I felt as if I had shed my ego and I was one with the universe. It was like a feeling of broadened consciousness where my perception of the world grew from the here and now of where I had been and what I had experienced to the entire universe and beyond. I felt as if I was drifting through an eternal molecular sea which I myself was a part of. I went on an early morning walk with my friend Rachel and we had the most amazing connecting experience. We talked non-stop for six hours about the meaning of life and sprituality.
During this time my entire belief system and values structure fell away. I felt like I was completely clearing my mind and rebuilding the way I percieved the world. I realized that the true purpose of religion is to find that inner peace or spiritual connection that brings serenity to one's life. Amazing concepts for someone raised in the system and jaded after years of talk about rules, doctrine, and fundamentals. It's so easy to get the idea that all life adds up to is soley based on one's actions and not on their feelings. It's stressed that way to the point where one feels that it doesn't matter how empty you feel on the inside, that as long as you do things a certain way that your life will have some kind of meaning.
This is not to say that people don't find that inner peace in a religion. I know many people who have. They just had to see through the surface to the inner core where the true meaning lies. Different people find it indifferent ways though. I found it through a mind altering chemical but here's the amazing thing: I realized that I never needed the drug to find my inner peace. My experience showed me the way but I had the ability all along. All it required was a shift in mindset. My whole outlook on life has been changed. It's had the most profound impact on my life. I wish that everyone could have an experience like I did, each in their own way. Wherever you all may find it, you won't be disappointed.
<P ID="signature"><center>
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/flag/index.gif
Fuck Capitalism
</center>
http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/red87teg/index2.html</P>
For about the first three hours of my trip I was seeing the usaul hallucinations and kind of borderline freaking out. The walls were breathing, the letters on my computer screen were moving all over, I saw colors everywhere. I was laying back on a futon and pondering whether the psychedelic things I was seeing were influenced by my preconceptions or if it was a universal experience: i.e. "that's just how our brains work". That got me to thinking about the nature of humanity and how my thought processes and perception of life would be shaped outside of society as I know it. I pictured myself existing in a vacuam and soon asked myself that universal human question: "Who am I?".
Then suddenly all the tripping stopped. I had this sudden inner peace which I've never felt before in my life. I felt as if I had shed my ego and I was one with the universe. It was like a feeling of broadened consciousness where my perception of the world grew from the here and now of where I had been and what I had experienced to the entire universe and beyond. I felt as if I was drifting through an eternal molecular sea which I myself was a part of. I went on an early morning walk with my friend Rachel and we had the most amazing connecting experience. We talked non-stop for six hours about the meaning of life and sprituality.
During this time my entire belief system and values structure fell away. I felt like I was completely clearing my mind and rebuilding the way I percieved the world. I realized that the true purpose of religion is to find that inner peace or spiritual connection that brings serenity to one's life. Amazing concepts for someone raised in the system and jaded after years of talk about rules, doctrine, and fundamentals. It's so easy to get the idea that all life adds up to is soley based on one's actions and not on their feelings. It's stressed that way to the point where one feels that it doesn't matter how empty you feel on the inside, that as long as you do things a certain way that your life will have some kind of meaning.
This is not to say that people don't find that inner peace in a religion. I know many people who have. They just had to see through the surface to the inner core where the true meaning lies. Different people find it indifferent ways though. I found it through a mind altering chemical but here's the amazing thing: I realized that I never needed the drug to find my inner peace. My experience showed me the way but I had the ability all along. All it required was a shift in mindset. My whole outlook on life has been changed. It's had the most profound impact on my life. I wish that everyone could have an experience like I did, each in their own way. Wherever you all may find it, you won't be disappointed.
<P ID="signature"><center>
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/flag/index.gif
Fuck Capitalism
</center>
http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/red87teg/index2.html</P>