Blog number five

Walsh, Part IV 179-199

I’m a skeptic in hypnosis. When I read about the man who was hypnotized and had his gangrenous leg amputated under hypnosis sitting there calmly smiling, I didn’t really know how to react. It seems unfathomable for that to have happened, seriously. Maybe because I’m programmed to believe hypnosis is a sham (cultural programming), or maybe I’d rather be ignorant to the truth. I don’t know.
In terms of modifying the consciousness, it appears we’re biologically programmed to seek out ASC’s.

It is an “innate normal drive analogous to hunger or the sexual drive.” I believe it. It’s the need to take break from reality. A break from what is real to us.
Is the induction of an altered state of consciousness as simple as Figure 13. on page 187? It’s a bunch of circles that are together, spread apart, moved around, and then move back together. Um, OK… Is that what an ASC looks like? I think an ASC would look more complex than that.

OK, here’s where I agree 100 percent, “Overdosed America points out that we are bombarded by drug advertisements and each year gulp down billions of dollars worth of tranquilizers, sacrifice about 500,000 people to tobacco consumption, and lose another 100,000 to alcohol. Yet we subsidize tobacco growers while imprisoning marijuana grows and make no distinction between socially destructive and sacred drug use.” Yup, that is so incredibly on point.

When it comes to the shamans and drugs, they’re definitely respectful of the ways in which they use them. I just think if people approached the matter with maturity and an open mind, the drug debate in the aspect of ASC’s would be better understood.

Hughes, Chapter 12

Drugs influencing artist’s creativity is inevitable. Maybe it’s just part of the lifestyle to a degree. I think a good synopsis of the way drugs are incorporated to art is decently explained on page 161, “Artists create from things that they experience and see and hear-if they use drugs, then drugs form part of that experience.“

I like how it’s stated in the West that popular drugs range from coffee and tea, to tobacco and alcohol, with marijuana which is a recent addition. It’s very true, and as basic and minute as coffee and tea is, those beverages are still “drugs.” Just like, even if you speed, you’re still breaking the law.
The section about opium reminded me about Johnny Depp who played Inspector Fred Abberline in From Hell. His character was dependent on opium and it killed him in the end (spoiler… oops).

The days of opium must have been crazyyyyy.
And the medicinal properties of cannabis sativa have been known since prehistoric times. Hmmm… It also looks like one of my favorite jazz musicians Louis Armstrong was a regular pot smoker, he was even arrested. The breakdown of all the different drugs was definitely pretty on point and informative. I was definitely entertained at the same time.

Amanita muscaria and Santa Claus

The idea of Santa Claus is related to mushrooms, hmm. That’s interesting, and I’m going to allow it. Why not? It makes a bit of sense. There also seems to be enough evidence backing the idea that Santa is related to a psychedelic mushroom. Down to his looks, his reindeer, his location, the elves, etc… I'm more prone to let people believe what they want. Why not? Though, I get the sense that the author is desperately trying to get us to believe him.

At the same time, I don’t really celebrate Christmas. Nor do I get excited about it, so my enthusiasm on this article was lacking. After I grew up and moved out, I became apathetic to the holiday. It works for me, because I don’t have to put up or take down decorations, and I also save a lot of money. Maybe because the idea of Santa is probably derived from this mushroom, Christmas might make its way back in the DeNoyelles household.