Psychedelics & Marijuana

[Pure Ahimsa]

So, talk about your spiritual experiences with psychedelics and marijuana, if you have one. I feel this would be a pretty interesting discussion.

[Windsmith]

Oh, man. Once. Just once, I tried combining ritual and marijuana. It was a solitary ritual - my tradition has only drug- and alcohol-free group rituals. I can't remember if I thought it would be useful specifically for this ritual, or if I just wanted to try to see what it would be like.

It was a disaster. I was so distracted I could barely get through casting and invoking. During the part of the ritual where I was supposed to be, you know, doing something, all I could manage was to lay on my back in the middle of the floor and marvel at how amazing the ceiling was. Eventually, I got hungry and horny, so I did the most half-hearted devoking and circle-opening ever and wandered off to find some brownies and commit the sin of Onan. I didn't even take the time to clean up my ritual space, which is usually the first thing I have to do before I feel right doing anything else. The next day, I realized I'd done such a crummy job of the ritual that I ended up redoing the whole thing.

So...it's not for me.

[bigolalaskan]

I've never used hallicgens in a ritual, and don't know if I really would. I do remember my first acid trip way back in the '70's and it was the first truely spiritual experience I have had. It was out by a lake in Interior Alaska, during the summer, with a thunderstorm rolling in over the lake. As I sat there, with the wind blowing, the trees bending, I felt one with earth. That probably was the experience that started me on the path I found 28 years later.

As for mother nature's weed, our groups generally don't even want you using pain killers before a group ritual. Something I respect.

But for my private rituals and meditation, I probably have a tad bit of attention deficit and always had. Weed does help tremendously with getting all the voices from the day to shut up and allow me to focus on what I'm doing. Now I'm not talking about sitting down and smoking a joint or a bowl. I'm talking about taking a couple of puffs and putting it away.

I would only use hallicigens if I was on a guided journey with someone who knew what they were doing. Many cultures have used peyote, mushrooms, and an assortment of other herbs and substances provided by mother nature for rituals and ceremonies since the beginning of time. Again, though, it is my belief you need to know what your doing and/or have an experienced guide with you.

Jennie

Edit: And of course, being the voice of experience, no one under the age of majority, whatever it is in your state, should use drugs or alcohol in any way, shape, or form. No matter what you think, it does cause problems further down the road -- think about it -- why are so many boomers on anti-depressants, bi-polar, and otherwise impaired some way? It maybe because we used too many drugs, drank too much alcohol, before our brains fully developed and could handle it.

My two bits.

[Garm]

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=128097

[Anubis RainHawk]

Nothing out of the ordinary for me when I tried weed. I got the same feeling of sacredness when I was in deep mediation, prayer, or ritual. I was suprised that the feeling of "getting high" was so similar to my physical experiences with magick.

With ecstacy, I was definately in ecstacy, but it felt fake, very unnatural. It felt like I put chemicals into my body to produce and effect that I can get through ecstactic dance or deep communion with the gods.

[kotu]

Marijuana puts you into a meditative state and can awaken your psychic abilities.

*EDIT*
I tend to be against psychedelics, although every person is different.

[TheWomanMonster]

totally doesn't work for me...
mind you they don't work for me on a day to day basis either.

nothing but bad news and ill effects so I'll pass on that next time thanks.

The one wierd thing though, mushrooms totally solidified my faith,
because my Goddess was the only thing that pulled me though.
(I had too much and poisoned myself... long brutal story).

[brymble]

i tend to use the Mother Weed either medicinally (migraines, ugh!) or as a celebratory herb. I very seldom use it for magic or ritual.

i used to take half a glass of wine before meditation to help me relax, but i really don't like alcohol that much anymore.

[Pure Ahimsa]

I've noticed i'm naturally immune to most dissasociatives and psyechdelics.

[Drouach]

My spiritual experience with drugs, involves my little brother slowly and surely becoming a total addict.

Oh it's all cool in your teens, it's all done recreationally, you are Mr. Party animal, you have sooo many friends.

But slowly and surely he has sank into a very dark pit. Now at age 26 he's doing his best to destroy our extended family. His three year old son is traumatised. He's cheating on his wife. He's $500,000 in depth (wtf why did they (banks) lend him money??)


Also my best friend from school has brain damage. Very smart guy, became an aircraft mechanic. But slowly and surely his life went into the toilet. Now he speaks all slow and stuttery. Has to go live with his parents at age 30. (All from grass)

** Oh latest news on the wekend, my brother is in hospital with "blood poisoning". His wife just filed for divorce last week. He's in a mental psychosis state. YEAH DRUGS ROCK YEAH!!


Yeah go ahead, experiment with drugs, have your trip outs........the reality is another story.

All the people I know that have drug problems, all started out experiementing and being in total control.

Taking drugs is a bunch of stupid crap if you ask me.

[Sequoia]

The one time I've tried marijuana, I wasn't exactly focused on spirituality, but it fuzzed out all of my "receptors" so to speak.

From what I've heard from others, you'll get so enlightened you don't remember it once you're sober again. :lol:

I dunno, I like the natural high I get from lots of energy. Ever been to a drumming circle with like 20+ people? Good stuff.

[brymble]

i have had neither the experience of "enlightenment" nor being "fuzzed out", nor going on a downward spiral of addiction and ruining my life.

it has helped my migraines though, and if i lived in a medical state like oregon (not california because the distribution system is a 3-ring circus and i think it does more to harm legalization politics than help them) i'd probably get a prescription so that i could have it on hand to stop them at the first sign of an "aura" (pre-migraine).

migraines suck, man.

[sheila ellis]

In my experience any sort of mind/mood altering substance just screws everything up. I've tried everything and when I'm "doin' my thing", I need a clear head.

[Dawa Lhamo]

It depends on the ritual. For our group rituals, a little bit of alcohol or weed doesn't effect the flow terribly much. Some of us work better when loosened a bit. A lot of either, though, and it gums up the whole works. I don't do well, myself, having drunk any alcohol beforehand.

There are rituals, though, that, by their nature, require strict sobriety, and rituals of another nature which benefit from the loosened mind or psychedelic experience. I don't think I could give a flat answer.

Marijuana does absolutely nothing for me, and I tried mushrooms once and was not in a position to do anything but sit and stare at the fire. But everyone is different.

It's all about other chemicals mixing with your own chemical composition which is different from anyone else's. What you eat and drink has an effect on it, too, which most people seem to ignore. There are traditions where one fasts before initiation.

It all depends on who you are and what you're trying to do, IMO.