iconoplast posted:
Justify drugs' place in a shamanic repertoire
Drugs can shift the "assemblage point", or your point of awareness, dramatically and quicker for most people. I am not saying that some others cannot do this without drugs, but it is the nature of drugs to quickly change one's everyday, mundane awareness once it's properties are ingested and absorbed. For the average spiritualist/magician/shaman...the states of awareness achieved by drugs takes many years to accomplish by the various disciplines in different traditions, i.e., meditation, yoga, prayer, chanting...etc. There are beings that are born here or abide here on our planet who do not need drugs and are able to do this shift of the assemblage point easily and without years of training. They are but a few.
Drugs somehow, bypass our ego or trick it in some way so we are able to let go of our regular worldview and gain a different perspective on it or even, give us a different world to view. This can indeed be helpful. Magick though, is about will. If one does not learn to shift their own assemblage point, use their will, their intent, then they are not performing magick.
I think that the issue of whether it is harmful or not is expressed in the degree to which the mage uses their own will in relation to drugs.
You see, I perceive drugs as having some sort of sentience. They are entities of different natures that find a way into this world, (the world of man) through our egos and by using whatever plant or chemical they are able to attune with in order to be ingested and experience our world. Don Juan often refers to the being that manifests itself through peyote and insists Carlos call it by hir proper name. My guess is because he was introducing him to the being and not merely the plant or drug itself.
Having explained my own view, you might understand where the will issue comes in for me. Is it your will or the entity's will? Some drugs are doorways to harsh mistresses/masters (hehe, the PC term being mastresses?...LOL), which seem to compel us to continually ingest the drug that which gives them the ability to manifest through us and use our bodies as a host. These creatures have some very different moods but most, indeed, are just as addicted to this world as we are to the boost of energy we get from their entering into us. Not all of these beings are obsessive about manifesting here though. It is the difference between the will of a crack(being) or the will pot(being) but also the user's will. Crack has a very aggressive mood, heroin has a seductive nurturing mood, and mushrooms are generally happy and mystical. These moods, combined with the mood of the person can create some odd behavior and emotions.
If a person has not used other methods to discipline himself or herself and rely on the drug, they cannot achieve that state without the drug. Unless of course, they can do this easily and in that case, why would they bother with drugs?
There is a story I was told about one of the reincarnations of the Karmapa visiting America in the 60's. There were a bunch of hippies that went to go see him and they of course, had lots of dope on them. One of the drugs was acid and the Karmapa asked them to show him their stash. When they did, he grabbed a handful and ingested them. They did not affect him at all. His own will transcended the will of the entity and he chose where his awareness would be and was in control of his own mind the whole time. If someone has that kind of discipline, I suppose it doesn’t matter if they take drugs or not, they are already able to do what it is the entity offers.
My point is, whose will in play? Is yours? Or are you the drugs hand puppet?
~MT |
