Hallucinogenic Plants May Be Key to Decoding Ancient Southwestern Paintings

a reply to: Trueman

There's quite a few different species of tobacco and some species are far more potent than the current domesticated species nicotiana tabacum, which is what you would find in a packet of cigarettes. It's native to south america and was introduced to the modern world by columbus when he got lost on he's way to india and found himself in the americas.

We all know that hallucinogenic plants and fungi played a huge role in native south american spirituality and probably also played an important role in primitive man developing the sense of self awareness. But having said that, I find it very interesting that accounts of ancient nomadic people when attempting to describe there past existence talk of a all powerful connection with the earth and a constant state of being one with mother nature, rather than separate entities as we view ourselves today. Basically, it seems that these nomadic cultures were in a constant state of mind of which modern man has described well under the influence of these plants.

Just found this nice tidbit of information, opens up for some thoughts.

Tabaquero shamanism (More inside)

The secret of Tobacco is that the less you use the more powerful it becomes. Smoking on a daily basis accustoms the body to tobacco and we do not perceive the message of the plant as clearly when our brain is be-sotted with 1 pack a day level of nicotine in our bloodstream. Smoking once a day or less, you will feel the connection between here and now and the spirit world when you have that smoke. You will be 100 times more attuned to every flavor and aspect of that one cigarette than if you smoked the rest of the pack. If you learn something about your tobaccos and use a pipe or roll-you-own you will deepen your enjoyment even more. Eventually you may become so sensitive to tobaccos power as to experience it while holding a pinch in your hand, and offering thanks to the four directions. Many who pray with tobacco only touch the pipe to their lips and do not inhale. But they look forward to the time they spend praying and making small prayer bundles with tobacco. The less you use, the more powerful Tobacco becomes.

a reply to: Mianeye

I know that some remote tribes in South America are smoking or eating the more potent wild tobacco and still use it as a hallucinogenic, and for healing .

Erowid has a great section on those types of plants, including the reasons why they used them...very good read.

www.erowid.org...

Amazing what wild plants can do.

After several decades of studying hallucinogens, Terrance McKenna reported that on more than one occasion, the shamans stated that they were doing "ancestor magic". They really emphasized it. He concluded that it's a distinct possibility that a veil was lifted, or a boundary was dissolved, which allowed the living to receive communications from relatives or other loved ones who've passed on.
Are the cave paintings relating these experiences?

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

That was a lot of nice reading, will enjoy that over the weekend or more...Thanks

a reply to: Mianeye

That was a lot of nice reading, will enjoy that over the weekend or more...Thanks

No problem, that seems to be the best source of info I have found when reading about those types of plants.

Enjoy the read.

originally posted by: ColeYounger
After several decades of studying hallucinogens, Terrance McKenna reported that on more than one occasion, the shamans stated that they were doing "ancestor magic". They really emphasized it. He concluded that it's a distinct possibility that a veil was lifted, or a boundary was dissolved, which allowed the living to receive communications from relatives or other loved ones who've passed on.
Are the cave paintings relating these experiences?

It's known scientifically that we take in more information through sight, sound and smell than we are actually consciously aware of. We might only consciously be aware of strong smells like ripe fruit, but subconsciously, our immune systems are aware of all the pollen and dust floating around. We might just see some grey clouds in the sky, but for someone who has spent all their lives outdoors, they could say that it was going to rain in ten minutes.

My guess is that those drugs switch off those "reality filters" and let our conscious connect directly to the other parts of our brains.

a reply to: ColeYounger

After several decades of studying hallucinogens, Terrance McKenna reported that on more than one occasion, the shamans stated that they were doing "ancestor magic".

Here you go...

a reply to: Mianeye

Many years ago, I went to Huacho, Peru and visited a "Curandero". One experience I won't forget. Between a few rituals he performed, I was asked to take out my shirt and sit (must say nothing physical happened if somone wonders). He started praying and singing, in one hand he had a hand-made cigar and a bottle with an unknown liquid in his other hand.

Praying and singing were constantly paused, so he could put some of the liquid in his mouth and spray it to my chest, back and my head too. Then he performed a similar action using the "smoke". He repeated all that for a while until I found myself in a different state of mind.

I can't describe what exactly was recorded in my memory, very complicated. Thoughts and vision experienced are only valid during that state of mind and all that lacks of sense when you "come back from the trip". It's like you are another "you" in that moment and all that belongs to that other "you".

I certainly felt like a weight was taken out of my shoulder when the experience finished. Side effects on my way back home made me sleepy and willing to reach that state of mind again, probably that's when addiction starts, I mean not as a physical dependence but an strong wish to be in "that" other reality.

Never did it again, but maybe I would if one day I come back to Huacho.

a reply to: Mianeye


Ever since first seeing the following 'In Search of' many moons ago, I've wondered often about what some Natives once knew.

Linky

originally posted by: AthlonSavage
The ancient indians in the American Southwest have a

Modern Oscilliscope Sinewave

Petroglyph Squarewave with ripple

Modern Oscilliscope Squarewave with ripple

Ancient Petroglyph Comparing two Sinewaveforms

Modern Oscilliscope Comparing two Sinewaveforms

Ancient Petroglyph Triangular wave

Modern Oscilliscope Triangular wave

Ancient Petroglyph Pulsed complex wave

Modern Oscilliscope Pulsed complex wave

a reply to: SLAYER69

Oh yeah...i remember that thread, very awesome and just up my alley as a synth player all my life. I love waveforms and the things you can do to them to produce sounds.

And yes, the petroglyphs could very well resemble waveforms, and connected to the hallucinogenics it could become very interesting...just not sure exactly how they could visualize to depict unless we include entities from space

In the article they suggest the sawtooths resemble water in some way, kind of like that idea too.

a reply to: Mianeye

They 'Under the influence' may somehow be able to tune in to what we normally can't see or perceive?


Third eye?

a reply to: SLAYER69

Ever since first seeing the following 'In Search of' many moons ago, I've wondered often about what some Natives once knew.

Maybe they just liked a nice pattern?

a reply to: Kandinsky

True

Just seems very coincidental that they were able to show those exact types though.


Some interesting Roman designs *not just the Swastika* which had later meaning.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Maybe they just liked a nice pattern?

I don't think the pattern you exhibit is very nice at all.

It's a bit one sided and very lame.

It could be argued that our baseline consciousness is an hallucination mediated by the neuro-chemicals in our brain.

Hallucinogenic Plants, or rather the chemicals in them, produce profound visualisations and states of hyper contextualisation. These state of mind are key to many wonders. ( Aliens, Pixies, Faeries, God, Technology ). Some can kill you.
Shamanic altered states have been the spiritual basis of most cultural/spiritual beliefs for all of human history, but without 1st hand experience, the connections can not be fathomed.

Attempts at painting visionary states are everywhere in art, there are not words to describe, let alone decode.
A lot of the freaky stuff on ATS could easily be attributed to endogenous dmt production.


I hope the mods don't delete this thread.

a reply to: SLAYER69

Some interesting Roman designs *not just the Swastika* which had later meaning.

Interesting how?

Considering the topic.

a reply to: SLAYER69

I have never spiritually visualized any waveforms though i could imagine them from already knowing how they look, all i can say not to break the T&C

a reply to: SLAYER69

It's interesting stuff. It's like the way maths is apparently hard-wired into all of existence. Spirals, waves and zig-zags might also be embedded in reality and what we see are the attempts of our early ancestors to express them.

From my point of view, I consider the appeal of patterns was on an aesthetic level rather than implying the ancient guys knew something we don't. That isn't to say they weren't also generated by hallucinogenics and I think there's a strongish case to be made that South American art has been influenced by such experiences.