I took LSD (a hallucinogen) for the first time in early 1974. My family and I lived in San Francisco at the time. One evening, a friend, who was living with us temporarily, asked if I had ever tried LSD. I said, “no” and he asked me if I wanted to try some. I had read accounts of LSD experiences in college, which made me curious, so I said, “Yes!”
Since it was my first time taking LSD, he broke a small piece off a transparent square of Window Pane (pure LSD), the whole of which is normally considered a single dose. It seemed like a half hour had passed before I felt the drug kick in. The first thing I noticed was that as I thought about a new idea or concept, it seemed to take on a life of its own. Looking at each one from the inside-out, I could see pathways or variations in each one that, if I followed them, seemed likely to lead me to other ideas. Suddenly, every thought I viewed from the inside-out became a complex environment like any other. As I explored the possibility that every idea is connected to every other idea, I came upon a stream with stepping stones from one side to the other. While the stream acted like the membrane of a cell separating two unique and different ideas, the stepping stones connected them.
Without consciously intending to, I was experiencing the oneness and separation that makes all life, as we know it, possible*. Unlike the almost exclusive experience of separation as a human being in objective or waking reality, I could now see that, in subjective reality, each one of us is both a part of and apart from every other. Nothing is truly separate and nothing is truly one. We’re both one and separate at the same time.
As my understanding of who and what we are grew, I began to laugh inside. Soon, my sense of joy (and relief?) became so great, my laughter spilled outside and Sandy, who had refused to take LSD, asked me why I was laughing. I had already shared many of my past experiences with her so I began to recount the serious and painful moments in my life that seemed so funny now. Infected by the humor-filled portrayal of my old recollections, she began to laugh too. Before long we were both laughing so hard our guts ached. In bed, I continued to share funny moments from my past with her as they spontaneously emerged from my mind. I was looking at old, painful events in new ways that made it impossible for me not to laugh. Finally, exhaustion took its toll and we both fell asleep. It was an extremely cathartic experience.
* For more on oneness and separation, read Inside Ivy. Excerpt:
Even more astounded, I realized I was sharing my thoughts and feelings with another consciousness. The rootlet and I were in direct communication with each other! We were sharing our thoughts and feelings directly as if we were both one and separate. There was no language barrier….
*****
Disclaimer: Even though I’m sharing my drug-related experiences with you, I don’t advocate drug use. In many cases they’re considered illegal. Personally, I prefer a clear mind when I explore the nature of consciousness. Sober, I’m a better observer. In fact, my most profound experiences in altered states happened when my mind was at its clearest. Openness, fearlessness and curiosity also play a vital role in entering altered states of consciousness.
Many of us have been convinced that looking inward is dangerous. It’s not if we decide not to be frightened by it. However, like anything new, it’s best to start by taking baby steps. When we really want to know something it’s as if the entire universe conspires to make it happen. In other words, we get what we concentrate on whether it’s by design or default. There are no accidents so it’s up to us to be clear on what we want. Reading the Seth books served as a powerful trigger for me because Seth is supposedly talking to us from the “great beyond” and much of what he describes is related to inner, subjective experiences and abilities. His words put us inside ourselves to help us see how ideas we accept as beliefs, attitudes, values and expectations are projected out to form our experience.
Pete – http://realtalkworld.com
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having (creating) a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Instead of money, power and privilege, would love, truth and joy be a better measure of success? One isolates us in the material world of separation, scarcity and competition while the other not only acknowledges our oneness AND separation, it acknowledges our role in creation itself. Using love, truth and joy as a measure of success provides us with a moral compass. It encourages us to live for the love of Being and Creation, instead of running from the fear of suffering and death. It inspires us to find and express what’s best in all that we are.
“How you define yourself and the world around you, forms your intent, which, in turn, forms your reality.” – Seth
In other words, we create our own reality from what we choose to believe about ourselves, and the world around us.
If we don’t consciously choose our own beliefs, we unconsciously absorb them from our surroundings.
If beliefs, attitudes, values and expectations create our reality, can we afford not to question them?
What do we want most for our children, ourselves and the world?
The secrets of the universe lie hidden in the shadows of our experience. Look for them!
Change the world for the better with positive and inspirational ideas on clothing and gifts
Affirm what you believe!
