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Thursday 23 June 2005

Using Hallucinogens For Spiritual Purposes

Using Hallucinogens For Spiritual Purposes Cover During the peak of one of my first LSD trips I came to the realization that all the knowledge of the universe was at my fingertips. So, I seized the moment and asked myself some the universal questions I had always wondered about.
I started with, "Why are we all here?"
And the answer came into my head as one word, "LOVE."
Then I asked myself, "What is the purpose of this life?"
And again, instantly I knew it was "LOVE."
I asked yet another question, "Who or what created us?"
And again "LOVE" cascaded throughout my being.

As you can begin to see, hallucinogens (or entheogens, as many of us like to call them) have helped shape, or unshape, my psyche and attitudes toward life. Before I used entheogens, I was not very interested in spirituality or discovering the answers to any of my questions about the universe. This is because I was the type of person that needed to see it, in order to believe it. I figured that there was really no point in trying to figure it all out, because no one could really ever know until they died.
Entheogens were a complete wake-up call for me; they totally changed my perspective on the nature of reality. They enabled me to see it, so to speak. By far, my entheogenic journeys were the peak experiences of my life – I wouldn’t trade them for any other experience in the world.
I am not alone in this belief; during a study at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, researchers gave 36 volunteers psilocybin, the active constituent in Hallucinogenic mushrooms. Two-thirds of the participants described the effects of psilocybin as among the five most meaningful experiences of their lives (Griffiths et al., 2006).

Overview of Spiritual Use

Entheogens have been used as a spiritual tool for exploring consciousness by many different cultures throughout history. Some examples are the kykeon of Eleusis, the soma of the Rg Veda, the peyote of the Native American church, the teonanacatl of the Aztecs, and the ayahuasca or hoasca of the Santo Daime and Uniao do Vegetal.
The word entheogen has a very spiritual connotation, unlike many of the other words used to describe psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs. Entheogens, like LSD, DMT and mescaline, can help you understand the timeless divinity that links us all together.
The word entheogen was originally created by Carl A. P. Ruck, Jeremy Bigwood, Danny Staples, Jonathan Ott, and R. Gordon Wasson (1979). Here is what they wrote about its meaning:

All languages grow together with the peoples who speak them, borrowing or inventing terms to keep pace with what is new and retiring others when they are no longer needed. When the recent surge of recreational use of so-called "hallucinogenic" or "psychedelic" drugs first came to popular attention in the early 1960s, it was commonly viewed with suspicion and associated with the behavior of deviant or revolutionary groups....

Out of the many words proposed to describe this unique class of drugs only a few have survived in current usage. It is the contention of the authors who have subscribed their names to this article that none of these terms really deserve greater longevity if our language is not to perpetuate the misunderstandings of the past....

[N]ot only is "psychedelic" an incorrect verbal formation, but it has become so invested with connotations of the pop-culture of the 1960s that it is incongruous to speak of a shaman's taking a "psychedelic" drug.

We, therefore, propose a new term that would be appropriate for describing states of shamanic and ecstatic possession induced by ingestion of mind-altering drugs. In Greek the word entheos means literally "god (theos) within," and was used to describe the condition that follows when one is inspired and possessed by the god that has entered one's body. It was applied to prophetic seizures, erotic passion and artistic creation, as well as to those religious rites in which mystical states were experienced through the ingestion of substances that were transubstantial with the deity. In combination with the Greek root gen-, which denotes the action of "becoming," this word results in the term that we are proposing: entheogen.


Conclusion

There is so much that I could say or explain about this topic. In fact, there's far too much to explain within a short article. I tried to give readers a Brief Introduction to the topic of using a hallucinogens for spiritual purposes. If you would like to learn more on this topic visit: http://www.NeuroSoup.com

References

Griffiths, R.R., W.A. Richards, U. McCann, R. Jesse. 2006. Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
Maslow, A.H. 1964. What is the Validity of Knowledge Gained in Peak-Experiences? Religions, Values, and Peak-Experiences. Appendix D. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lsd/maslowd.htm
Ruck, C.A.P., Bigwood, J., Staples, D., Ott, J. & Wasson, R.G. (1979). Entheogens. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs. 11(1-2);145-6.
Yensen, R., D. Dryer. 2007. Addiction, despair, and the soul: successful psychedelic psychotherapy, a case study. In Psychedelic Medicine. 15-28. Praeger Publishers.

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Frances Billinghurst - Is Wicca The Right Spiritual Path For Me
Scott Cunningham - Living Wicca A Further Guide For The Solitary Practitioner
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Wednesday 15 June 2005

Histoire De La Magie In French

Histoire De La Magie In French Cover

Book: Histoire De La Magie In French by Eliphas Levi

L'Histoire de la Magie est l'aeuvre essentielle d'Eliphas Levi. Cet ouvrage publie en 1860 fait partie des tresors de la litterature esoterique. Il ete constamment reedite depuis sa parution. Il est divise en sept livres contenant chacun seps chapitres. Dans cet ouvrage incontournable, l'auteur nous donne les clefs de l'histoire et de la pratique de la magie depuis l'Antiquite jusqu'a nos jours. Une documentation exceptionnelle!

This is the single greatest book on the history of the spiritual Art and Science of Magick. My only two complaints about the book are that it's written in a rather biased view, from a purely Christian perspective (not that any other religion's perspective would be any better!) and the translator/editor, Arthur Edward Waite, once again sees fit to make some useless and innacurate remarks here and there. But still read his footnotes! He makes some legitimate points in this book! (reader's review)

Buy Eliphas Levi's book: Histoire De La Magie In French

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Monday 13 June 2005

After Life In Roman Paganism

After Life In Roman Paganism Cover

Book: After Life In Roman Paganism by Franz Cumont

1922. Lectures delivered at Yale University on the Silliman Foundation. The author was invited to lecture at New Haven during the month of March 1921 on a subject relating to religious history. He chose the ideas current in Roman Paganism concerning the lot of the soul after death. Lectures included are: Historical introduction; after life in the tomb; the nether world; celestial immortality; winning of immortality; untimely death; journey to the beyond; sufferings of hell and metempsychosis; felicity of the blessed.

About the Author: Belgian archaeologist and historian FRANZ-VALERY-MARIE CUMONT (1869-1947) wrote numerous books, among them Texts and Illustrated Monuments Relating to the Mysteries of Mithra (1900), considered his masterwork.

Download Franz Cumont's eBook: After Life In Roman Paganism

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Sunday 12 June 2005

When Good Candles Go Bad

When Good Candles Go Bad Cover Most problems with candles occur from molten wax getting out of Control, or from wax getting too hot.

When molten wax gets out of control, it often drains away from where it is supposed to be. This exposes more of the wick, leading to a larger flame, and more heat. This starts a cycle that can lead to unexpectedly large flames very rapidly. You can often blow these out if you catch them before they get out of control.

When wax gets too hot, will burst into flame, Generating more heat and causing a disastrous grease fire in seconds. Thankfully, normal burning of a candle will almost never lead to the temperatures required for spontaneous combustion. If you see a molten wax puddle is on fire, your best bet is to leave the area and call for help. These are often uncontrolled grease fires, and are very dangerous fires to Deal With.

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Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Thirteenth Candle
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Wednesday 8 June 2005

True Friends And Non Wiccans

True Friends And Non Wiccans Cover There has recently flared up yet another flurry of criticism about the Church and School of Wicca's The Witch's Bible, a book past its thirtieth year of publication. When it was first published, as soon as we recognized that some readers had a problem with a passage or two in the Bible, we caused the publisher to insert explanatory notes. Despite these hard facts, still some people with their minds in the midden are unable (perhaps unwilling) to comprehend the roots of puberty rites. I can close my eyes to picture those individuals fondling dog-eared pages as they give full rein to their nasty imaginings.

All the negative comments in the hundreds of chatrooms have little or no effect on us and our work. Why? People who know us and people acquainted with the facts of Anthropology understand that we are scholastically correct in our discussion of puberty rites. People without that Understanding can froth and fulminate at us on the 'net and it will make scant difference. We very rarely read e-mails.

If you want to change us, want to set us straight, come to one of the gatherings that we attend and speak to us face to face before an audience. Point out to us and show us convincing scholarly evidence with legitimate Documentation, where we are wrong and how we can improve our thinking. We will be glad to discuss all these topics with you. If we need to improve our thinking, it's high time you helped us do so. As a Witch (not a psychic), I cannot guess nor divine the improvements you would fain make. You need to tell me to my face, in audible English, just where and how I need to change. If you cannot or will not attend such a gathering, even to improve our thinking, you might conceivably write a letter on paper itemeing our errors and naming sources we can consult. Then mailing this letter to the Church in Hinton with a donation will generate a response from one of us. That would really be an enlightened act.

A modest stipulation: After 70 years on this earth we reserve the right to decline debate with obvious psycopaths or two-digit IQ's.

Many of the resentful comments come from two sorts of people:

1. Those who need a chance to enhance their own egos and
2. Those who have a financial stake in dragging down old leaders to perpetuate new and, often, unfounded, ideas.

There is a basic saying to which I fervently hope we all subscribe:

An it harm none, do what you will.

Thus to us it is a matter of simple black and white. People who use innuendo and outright slander to denigrate the Church and the work of the Frosts or the work of other Wiccan individuals are ipso facto not Wiccans, for their intent is the causing of harm.

So you Wiccans and friends out there, don't let the negation harm you. We Frosts can stand the pinpricks annoying though they be--because in the end, just as the Christians learned, when you attack us, you in fact enhance our standing on the world scene. If you live in such a way as to harm none, that will constitute adult, rational behavior. Anything else is irrational, immature, and self-defeating. Are you so eager to bring joy to the bigots of the world?

As usual, we invite your comments. We are not trying to offend anyone or scorn his or her tradition, so please be constructive. Our hope is that we all may arrive at a shared understanding of what we are doing. If you know a better way and the reasons behind it, please share that better way with the community at large.

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Saturday 4 June 2005

To Ride A Silver Broomstick New Generation Witchcraft

To Ride A Silver Broomstick New Generation Witchcraft Cover

Book: To Ride A Silver Broomstick New Generation Witchcraft by Silver Ravenwolf

Selling more than 300,000 copies, this popular guide to the Craft has been helping a new generation of Witches-those practicing or wishing to practice the Craft on their own-for over a decade. Filled with Silver RavenWolf's warmth, humor, and personal anecdotes, To Ride a Silver Broomstick introduces the science and religion of the craft.

Having seen a recent survey on the Witches Voice web site, I can say with certainty that the great majority of practicing witches in the U.S. today are NOT in Covens, but solitary practitioners who have no teachers, and no guidance as they begin. This sort of "this-is-such-a-schmucky-book-because-it's-not-written-by-Raymond-Buckland-and-doesn't-revolve-around-a-coven" talk should really be left to the more mainstream religions. In the Craft, all paths are paths to the Goddess. It's also not realistic; most of us can't find people willing to teach us, and may not feel comfortable even if we could. Buckland's books are great, but they don't speak to Witches who are outside the coven group. (I also didn't know there were such things as "real" rituals...are my rituals less real because they're written by me and not by Buckland or Gerald Garner? That sounds remarkably Medieval Roman Catholic Church-like to me....) For those of us who are not lucky enough or choose not to be in a Coven, this book is a strong foundation, provided it's used correctly. If you simply read through it quickly, it will be informative, but it won't function as a basic course in Witchcraft. If you choose this as your main text (and there are other books that will be equally good depending on who you are), then you should really follow it closely to get the full effects: buy your notebook, take your time, do your exercises, and most importantly...READ the supplementary texts suggested at the end of most chapters. Read them between your chapters in "Broomstick". They will give you more insight and enhance your study, and will also give you ideas of the directions you want to take as you grow. If you do this, you will find yourself better prepared to tackle the mountain of information available on the Craft. I know I sure did.

Silver RavenWolf is one of the most widely recognized names in circles of witchcraft, and with good reason; she has written some of the best guides to contemporary Witchcraft available. To Ride a Silver Broomstick is a handbook aimed at the beginner, and doesn't get bogged down in history, dogma, or gender roles. It is a workbook for the individual, whether one is a solitary practitioner or part of a coven, that covers the basics of the craft--from useful vocabulary to setting up an altar--and briefly delves into more advanced concepts such as Astral Projection and telepathy. To Ride a Silver Broomstick may not be the most comprehensive single volume on the subject of witchcraft, but RavenWolf focuses on the aspects most important to a beginner, and keeps her introduction to the craft approachable and easy to follow. --Brian Patterson



Buy Silver Ravenwolf's book: To Ride A Silver Broomstick New Generation Witchcraft

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