Psychedelic Ayahuasca now legal in the United States, page 3

Originally posted by apacheman

So the next problem is: define spiritual.

Some will want to claim that some sort of organized religion or group is required for validation, some will argue that it is at its essence a purely individual thing.

I recently read this little piece at: www.tranceparents.org...

Imagining Ritual

Mar 18th, 2010 by MetaBaron

This little text offers some ideas on Earth-centred psychedelic ritual -we are talking about work with Earth/biospheric intelligence here, catalysed by magical plants or fungi- as an individual or collective work and play for adults, which only works if it is spontaneously performed. This is not to say that it is something that spontaneously occurs, because quite plainly, it generally doesn’t. The true function of intent in this context is in the intent of the participants to individually and collectively enter a ritual state of consciousness. This is a meditative active/receptive state that can only be innate or perhaps learned by practice (meditation, esp. dynamic forms) and repeated experience of the sacred. Ritual as described here can only occur among individuals who have grasped the function of this process in human nature through their own experiences, in other words it is by necessity not a public activity.

The purpose of the ritual is sacred work, in whatever way this is emergent at the time; and grounding. That is, the participants(s) do not attempt to “control” or “guide” the unfolding psychic currents but interact in the way they are called to and according to their capacity- this may or may not involve control of one’s mind. The only psychic manipulation is grounding or coupling, the “feeding back” via inspired symbolic or not-so symbolic actions. The real shaman or master of the “ceremony” is the guiding psychic intelligence(s) associated with the ritual underway, and we are talking about work with non-dissociative plant catalysts of known credentials, tried& tested over millennia. The design of the ritual is inspired and arrived at by experience, and cannot by definition be copied or used by others; it will not be effective. It is very much a code meaningful and effective only for the person/group that created it and for the time it was performed. The idea that by reciting spells in magic books or following their instructions you will make magic was undoubtedly spread by magicians with the intent to mislead, or sell books!

It is the responsibility of the participants to strive for the right set and setting so that no unwanted psychic forces or other external influences overtake the energy field of the ritual, by preparing themselves and planning and designing the session accordingly. Excluding the “unwanted” should generally be carried out before the session, and psychic forces that come up during the session are there for a reason.

The difference of this to religious ceremony is quite plain. Religious ceremony is generally part and parcel of one religious tradition or another (or a combination) with all the baggage that entails. Tomes have been written on the subject. There are the socio-political and psychological implications too, as the effects of religious ceremony on the participants’ relations to the the world and on their spiritual growth remain questionable.

Ritual involves the bypassing or undoing of habitual patterns of thought and behaviour, without replacing them with new ones. Mechanically following the pre-defined steps of a ceremony or the words of a psalm you did not write is the antithesis of ritual activity, which intensely involves all participants. Someone defined ritual as moments of living at the highest intensity. It is those sacred magical moments in which we break out of our cocoons and open & re-frame our reality windows. This calls for attunement, creativity , imagination , humour as well as self -reflection- the only quality that brings true humbleness and respect. It all starts by looking deeply into the mirror, then shattering it, then looking through it. I guess that’s what Jim was singing about!

If we imagine that, from a point of view, certain human beings are broadcasters, receivers and transmuters of psychic energy, the process then involves the formation of networks among compatible individuals. These networks become like channels for the Earth, nodes for amplifying and raising the vibration what will sustain life and consciousness on this planet and define whatever the next chapter of the human story is, if any…

Books of Magic are useless. Designing a psychedelic earth-centred ritual is as important as actually doing it, they are both part of the same magical process of transformation. Let’s not waste any more time with trivial and eventually fruitless and boring activities. Our time together is precious. We need to tune into the planet and each other…

TBC

1 Comment »
Currents, Writings
Magic, Psychedelic, Ritual

Its really hard to convey the fact that each incident of consuming whichever substance allows one to transcend their corporeal self is divinely unique, and that in itself, sets the psychedelic journey apart
...and lets say 'sanctified'....
i have 'coached', 'led', or otherwise walked others through their experience & each is a custom creation, that only has relevance for that time/place/person & the results are always to positive growth... not confusion or damnation. (as authorities would say)

thanks,