Hi Granny Magda,
My opinion is that your drug experience will be shaped by your cultural expectations. If you expect to feel "spiritual" (and I'm never quite sure what that means exactly), then you will. If you expect to giggle and see pretty colours, you will. Environment has a big impact, as does the company you are in.
And notice that our environment and the company we keep usually dictate how people interprete those religious experiences as well. For the most part, your geographical location and people you hang with is what you'll grasp at when you have an experience, that is deemed religious.
With drugs, the company you keep can make the trip better, but with religion, it seems that it becomes a confirmation bias.
The fact that we can so effectively trigger such experiences with chemicals is telling evidence that religion comes from inside our heads and this is a point that I often bring up when confronted with "I felt the love of Jesus" style anecdotes from believers.
And interestingly, they felt the love of "Jesus" specifically.
This reminds me of a game we played while triping called "call it - see it." Basically, stand in front of a mirror, call something out, and see you become it. It's fun, not that easy to do, but freaks you out.
Same thing I would say with "Jesus" specifically. Surround yourself in his history and when an experience happens you automatically "see" him.
Oh, and... regardless of whether or not it is a drug and how you choose to define that term, mushrooms are fungi, not plants. Fungi are actually more closely elated to animals than plants.
Science nerd
Also, I don't feel that magic mushrooms (I am referring to Psilocybe semilanceata here) have any advantage over LSD for those seeking a spiritual experience.
I don't either, in fact, I found them less potent than LSD. I just prefer them over LSD for some stupid "from mother earth" belief I have now.
I also associate mushrooms with muddiness of thought which does not seem to me to be especially helpful.
Hmm, I never felt that. I try them about once, maybe twice a year. With a few friends while we camp, or something like that. I really have no idea which type of shooms they are. But I never felt bad on them, queezy or otherwise, but I did once with LSD long ago. And you know, one bad trip and the fun is over.
I feel that way almost whenever I am alone amidst nature, no drugs necessary.
Same here. I feel studying science is how humans were meant to "experience" nature before these silly god(s) plagued peoples minds.
This is the closest thing in my experience to what others seem to regard as spiritual. I don't feel that it would be improved by the addition of any kind of supernatural or religious element though. In fact, I find that what heightens this feeling is an understanding of the manifold species and natural processes going on around me.
Very well said. I feel the same way.
- Oni
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