Like other drugs that are native to certain areas of the world and very exotic, I say leave DMT to the natives of...wherever it naturally occurs. I saw a documentary where these white ass American kids went deep into some jungle and did Ayahuasca in an attempt to be like the natives of the area...I mean down to the last detail they copied the ritual. Well, the trips were all horribly frightening and sickening blah blah blah...I thought it was kinda comical. I mean, here these kids are trying to take part in something that is completely foreign to them, most likely not understanding shit about the meaning behind it and just trying to get high. L. O. L. Just an opinion and maybe I'm just scared to try such things, but it seems not only irresponsible but also a little disrespectful to people whose lives and spirituality is so deeply intertwined with something like DMT or Ayahuasca etc when a person has no intention of actually giving up their possessions, moving to that region and living their day to day lives like that but wants to pick and choose the most easily accessible/fun/interesting parts of the culture, discard the rest, and go home acting all righteous to their idiot friends with stories of how they got high with the natives (or read up on the ritual, ordered some product on online and got wasted at home, a more likely scenario). Thoughts?
I think some people are ready for it, and some people are not. that's why not every indigenous person is a shaman. i don't think it has anything to do with what you look like, or what language you speak.
there is something to be learned from DMT that everyone should have the right to experience if they feel they are ready for it. i agree with you that stupid kids looking for the next higher high should not have access to it, and they deserve to have their minds kicked repeatedly in the groin for desecrating the drug. but it should not be exclusive to natives, i mean, isnt that the nature of commerce? we advance because we share what we know/have with others, and they do the same. anyone who is strong willed and "spiritually stable" as i like to say, has something to gain from DMT.
I agree that emulating shamans and thinking that you have the same relationship with their ritual as they do is unfortunate. Whether it be drugs or masks or any ritual object. I think it's much more rewarding and informative to realize that as an observer you will only be able to get your own perspective on what different cultures experience, not to really feel what they feel. In some cultures, parts of the invisible world are just as real to the people as a tree or rock is.....I will never know what that's like. (It's almost like realizing that I will never understand what it is like to grow up black in the US....I can empathize but never fully understand.) All good anthropologists realize that they are an observer even if they spend years studying and living among people of a different culture. They also realize that there is some information that is given to them and some that is not...and that sometimes the information shared/not shared is used for manipulative purposes by the people they are observing. I think that many people who travel to Peru to meet the shaman for an Aya experience are definitely regarded as tourist to the people who provide the ceremony for them. I am sure that to a certain extent they are putting on a show for the visitors to try to get more people to come and spend their money. However, I don't think that means that because people in different cultures use a substance in their ritual means it is exclusive to them. I also think that any culture could benefit from having people who play the role of shaman to a certain extent by helping people experience certain states of mind and evaluate it afterwards....kind of like a professional sitter. If there were competent people available to help people experience in a safe secure setting, then I'd even say that almost everyone should experience DMT and other psychedelics at some time in their lives. I personally don't think it's possible to take DMT purely for recreational purposes because it is so powerful that it will almost definitely have a profound impact. I used to wonder how people could take LSD just for fun when I used to go to a lot of Dead shows. I'd always smile when I saw someone loud and obnoxious with a beer in their hand taking LSD because I would think to myself, "Sometime tonight that guy is going to have a new perspective on his behavior." I guess though that there are some people who can prevent self reflection even when on strong psychedelics...and I feel very sorry for them. I wouldn't know what to do to help someone like that. But, I don't think it's anything about the drug or the fact that the drug may also be used by people in the Amazon....there's just some serious zombies out there. The important thing it to know when you are an observer and not get caught up in a false sense of mysticism that will cloud the truth. Psychedelics certainly have a mysticism side, but pretending that there is more than there is by taking on the persona of a stereotype of a shaman doesn't help one understand it....it hurts. Respect yourself and your own path, don't try to pretend you are someone you aren't, and you will be fine. That, to me, is the most important thing. (As opposed to respecting a chemical or substance and adding false mystique to your persona.)
thats why i dnt do psychedelics! To me drugs r substances you use to feel a fake euphoric effect, so i dnt expect from drugs anything more than what i expect from nicotine or alcohol for an example. I dnt do drugs for spiritual reasons, or to knw more about myself or gain insight about the universe. There r other things u do for that, yoga, meditation, reading etc... Drugs r for fun, so I stick to stuff like cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin etc... I knw 90% of the forum disagree with me, but to each his own, so no flaming pls.
psychedelics essentially bring about the same effect as mediation/dreaming. did you know the human body naturally produces DMT during near death experiences and dreams? technically theres no documented evidence that DMT causes dreaming and NDE's, but the connection seems pretty obvious. i generally steer clear of drugs that simply fuck you up, i stick to the ones that i can get something meaningful out of, such as LSD, shrooms, DMT, mescaline, weed...i dont really see the point in doing drugs just to feel cool.
I dnt do drugs to feel cool LMFAO, I do em to have fun. Why is addictive shit addictive, cuz it feels fucking good. I dnt wanna get sumthing meaningful out of drugs. when I do drugs I do em cuz my life is so fucking meaningful n I need a break. Want something meaningful, read, excercise, travel etc... Wanna knw the secrets of the world dnt drop acid, just close ur eyes n think! ur mind is powerful, my mind is psychedelic on its own. Im trippin 24/7 so I do drugs to relax n stop thinkin for a couple of hours. Thats why I prefer hash more than pot, less mind games more body buzz. Thats why afghani hash is my favourite cuz its effect is mildly narcotic, so similar to opium. I also hate the culture that comes with drugs, I fuckin hate raves, glowsticks, vicks, massages, loud house music and sweaty people. I dnt need the "experience" that comes with ecstasy, I drop the pill n chill at my house, have a walk or maybe go to sum place like a strip club lol.
DMT containing plants are fairly common throughout the world. They (in South America) just figured out how to use them first.
some things can only be known through altered states of consciousness, whether it be through psychedelics, meditation, dreaming, sensory deprivation. your mind is like a hallway fills with thousands of doors. during waking hours only certain doors are open to go into and explore. you drop acid and suddenly those doors that were previously locked become unlocked, and the ones that were open become closed, causing a complete shift in mentality. its like looking at a 3-d picture without the glasses, and then suddenly putting on the glasses and the image pops out in perfect clarity. its not causing your brain to think in unnatural ways, its just delving into your own mind to explore what was there to begin with, but just didnt have access to before.
Good discussion here. As far as the "drugs are for self-exploration" vs. "drugs are for fun" debate, I guess it all comes down to personality and body chemistry. Take hydrocodone for example: some people get violently nauseous and dizzy, others itch incessantly, others pass out asleep, and others feel profound euphoria while others feel nothing at all. It's like this with all drugs. For me, LSD would be too scary to be enjoyable or enlightening. Shrooms certainly were (at a high dose at least). Similarly, meth or heroin, no matter how good they might make me feel, will never be a part of my life because of the havoc they can wreak. It's not so much about perspective and preference, but actual physical body chemistry that determines which drugs, if any, are worthwhile. When I'm looking to change direction in my life or find meaning, I turn to weed, shrooms, or san pedro. On a day to day basis, I prefer the "feel good" drugs like Vicodin and caffeine. I tend to have VERY vivid and oftentimes frightening dreams every time I sleep as well as a lively imagination and fantasy world, so reflecting on those things alone gets me so lost in my own head that psychedelics are rarely needed. Since I tend toward boredom, low energy and low self-esteem, drugs like ephedra and low-dose opiates work wonders in the right situations. I'm totally a self-medicator not by choice, but because none of the 13 or so psychiatric meds or natural supplements/treatments I've tried has helped me feel good mentally or physically. To summarize, most drugs can help us learn SOMETHING about ourselves whether they're hallucinogens or not--you just have to be seeking out answers and be in tune with your mind/body to pick up on it. And I think we can all agree that, while we don't all do drugs solely because "they're fun and feel good", we wouldn't actively seek out a bad or unpleasant experience either. You must get SOME enjoyment out of drugs or you wouldn't pursue the drug experience, right?
