These are two of my favorite people, for sure. They're two of the main people that come to mind that really understand the nature of reality, and are able to bring that knowledge into the modern world, even in terms of Western culture. This is the only thing about many Eastern type people I find "fault" in, regardless of how knowledgable they are. It's the same thing essentially as many environmentalist "hippy" types. They have this knowledge of reality, yet they see the knowledge as something that shows that we need to abandon things which are modern or technological. That's what I like about McKenna and Leary, they have great knowledge about the nature of reality, yet they see how it can be not only implemented into modern society, but used as a means to propel us far beyond anything which standard ideas within modern society are able to. This knowledge, then, becomes not an inhibitor, as it is normally presented, but rather a means through which we can progress to any degree that our minds can conceive. I only fairly recently started getting into Terrence McKenna. I had heard of him some in the past, but I had only heard of him in relation to his promotion of DMT, and other psychedelics. Psychedelics are not part of my present reality, so I wasn't overly interested in hearing his opinion on them. I think the reason these people aren't heard to the degree that they should be, is that people ONLY see them in relation to their stances on drugs, and therefore the moralistic society does not take them seriously, due to their anti-drug positions. We certainly should work towards this freedom of what we put in our body, and should not cover up these messages, but we should also point out that these idea have incredible merit, even beyond drug use. Then they can become accepted ideas within society, then we can start looking at the implications, including freedom to use marijuana and psychedelics. But yea, these people are geniuses, and I suggest you look into their work. Here's a video by Terrence McKenna that is very interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c8an2XZ3MU
I couldnt think any less of Terence McKenna even if I were to put all my energy into it. If some one asked me to sum up my philosophy I could easily just say its the exact opposite of his; I can't help but roll my eyes every time I see his name. And as for Leary--I think Huxley summed it up pretty good: "Tim is such a silly ass . . ." And I dont know what youre talking about when you say that these 2 arent well recognized figures. Even outside that self-satisfied universe of New Ageism theyre quiet well know for what they do.
Right, but their ideas are not really a part of mainstream thought, because usually when, say, timothy leary is brought up people say "He's the acid guy, right?" and then if the person is not pro-acid it's not gonna be taken fully seriously.
Yeh, but the sad thing is that calling Leary "the acid guy" isnt exactly being glib. After all, psychedelics basically were his main talking points. Same goes with McKenna. Of course they did discuss other topics, drugs were kind of the mainstay with them.
If you like those two guys, check out Alan Watts. I was a fan of both Leary and McKenna, and then when I stumbled upon Alan Watts I enjoyed a lot of his books and lectures so you may as well. And.... ?
Huxley was also an established author prior to his dive into tryptamines. It might be a little unfair to compare the words of an author to the words of a scientist
Depends on your interest... philosophy or objective truth. I love McKenna for his philosophical insight, and Leary for his very interesting dives into pseudoscience. Watts and Huxley are also great philosophers. Ken Kesey is another interesting philosopher that mixed an altering of consciousness into the mix..
and? lol, cannabis IS a psychedelic. if you disagree, take a long t-break then eat a brownie. sounds like someone hasnt ever experienced the Holy Fungus
McKenna is the man, i just wrote my thesis for my college major linking the archaic revival and modern environmental ethics, its fuckin boss. if anyone is interested in more information its pretty badass i can explain more later
^^I'm reading Food of the Gods right now by McKenna, incredible book. McKenna, Leary, Watts, Ram Dass, all guys who have inspired me greatly. Anyone who disregards them because of drug use, LOL. It's you people who just don't understand. To even develop your mind at such great lengths and learn the things these men did you can't do it without psychedelics. They unlock parts of your brain that you cannot unlock through sobriety unless your incredibly experienced in meditation, monk and buddhist level and even then questionable if they can reach the powers of psychedelics. It always amazes me when I meet people who are very interested in philosophy/spirituality and have never done psychedelics. It's like "...." just like Journey I've read several of your posts throughout the years man that blows my mind you have never done psychedelics. To all you people, DO IT. Shrooms. nothing else, don't even bother, go right to the magic fungi. "Come on down to river of sight and you can REALLY understand" Will change the way you perceive life forever. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQq_XmhBTgg[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMUUBepzHH0&feature=related[/ame]
I lol'd at this. It unlocks a place of your brain called being high. And it's very enjoyable, but it's just that, being high. All these philosophers who practice pseudoscience are silly really. I've never seen one do anything actually impressive aside from talk of big things. On the other hand, ACTUAL, scientists state some pretty awesome factual things.
Exactly what I mean by not understanding. Obviously I take it you haven't done it yourself. "Being high" LOL. Ah my friend, see the thing is that when you reach that unbelievable state of mind that you never imagined existed, you can understand the states of mind humans go through. When people say "your high" or "your fucked up" it's a very strange thing, you realize on psychedelics that those drugs just slightly alter your sobriety state of mind, and make you goofy in whichever way, as all drugs have different characteristics. You never really get out of that plane, your still running on the same program, just slightly altered. Psychedelics your on a completely different plane of conscience. You lose your identity, ego, sense of self, what is called an "out of body experience".. your find yourself for the first time a free bird, free of yourself. As I said in a different thread your operate on completely different brain levels, see my post here to understand more: http://forum.grasscity.com/philosophy/1012021-8-circuit-model-consciousness-3.html To say these people are silly.. ah man you would eat your words and then some if you truly understood. It sounds arrogant I know, for me to tell people that you truly don't understand life and yourself unless they take a psychedelic sounds absolutely absurd and ego inflicting, I would never say such a thing without believing in it so strongly, but anyone who has been down a powerful spiritual awakening through psychedelics knows... exactly.. what Im talking about. Without psychedelics you've been running on the same program your entire life. The same thinking, same state of mind. Regardless of mild drugs that don't open your mind anywhere close to psychedelics. The reason psychedelics aren't boasted to unbelievable lengths around the world is because those who've been down the road and understand know that is just senseless to preach to others, you have to find the divine yourself, experience it yourself, explaining it just sounds fake, it's an experience truly every human being should do, it's an unbelievable gift from god to allow humans I keep saying it but it's just the best way I can describe.. to truly understand. To learn and comprehend all different aspects of life through the higher intelligence within us all. As McKenna says they are the lost key to our intellectual, moral and spiritual development as a race. And of course as I always say, where you are and who your with and your intentions are everything. If you go into it as a spiritual journey that's exactly what you'll get, if you do it at a party just trying to get fucked up, your going to have a strange ride and more then likely experience what it really means to have "a bad trip" . It's almost as if psychedelics only let those "inside" who are worthy and accepting of what's to come. "Of greatest significance to me has been the insight that I attained as a fundamental understanding from all of my LSD experiments: what one commonly takes as 'the reality,' including the reality of one's own individual person, by no means signifies something fixed, but rather something that is ambiguous—that there is not only one, but that there are many realities, each comprising also a different consciousness of the ego. One can also arrive at this insight through scientific reflections. The problem of reality is and has been from time immemorial a central concern of philosophy. It is, however, a fundamental distinction, whether one approaches the problem of reality rationally, with the logical methods of philosophy, or if one obtrudes upon this problem emotionally, through an existential experience. The first planned LSD experiment was therefore so deeply moving and alarming, because everyday reality and the ego experiencing it, which I had until then considered to be the only reality, dissolved, and an unfamiliar ego experienced another, unfamiliar reality. The problem concerning the innermost self also appeared, which, itself unmoved, was able to record these external and internal transformations. Reality is inconceivable without an experiencing subject, without an ego. It is the product of the exterior world, of the sender and of a receiver, an ego in whose deepest self the emanations of the exterior world, registered by the antennae of the sense organs, become conscious. If one of the two is lacking, no reality happens, no radio music plays, the picture screen remains blank." —LSD: My Problem Child, 1980
"Getting rid of one's ego is the biggest ego trip around." -Alan Watts I'd re-read your post if I were you. For some one who talks about loss of ego you're pretty confident in your own knowledge of things like all the "states of mind humans go through." I've definitely never eaten any psychedelics though *looks at name* no, not ever.
When I refer to losing your ego I'm referring to losing what controls your conscience and "protects" you from having an out of body experience.. losing identity.. allows you to dissolve.. and then your able to see and experience the external life without conflicting of self. And I said not everyone has a spiritual awakening on psychedelics. Some do it once and have the most magical experience, others do it 20 times and don't know what your talking about. Something that baffles me, is it luck, destiny, or just situation and personality, and it may be a lick of all three..
What you call a spiritual awakening is reality is just being on drugs. A mental experience. I've been there man, right where you are, so I understand how you're feeling. But what you need to understand is everything you're saying is the basic equivalent of ancient civilizations inventing gods because they were thrust into a world they completely misunderstood.