> I stongly believe that all the results of using LSD can be achieved without
> the drug, and I have been working on developing the types of states of mind
> that I experienced on LSD, for the past few years, with great success. I
> think that LSD and other psychoactive drugs are only one way to achieve
> certain results with one's mind. I think it is more beneficial to develop the
> mental discipline to put oneself in various states of consciousness at will
> (although I have nothing against using the drugs -- in fact, I enjoy using
> them, but haven't for a while, due to the difficulty of obtaining them
> safely). It's taken a lot of work, but my everyday experience now is far
> beyond anything I ever experienced on acid, and it keeps getting more intense
> all the time.
This of course can be related to Anders post about being more
creative when dead tired. I myself have found that states of
consciousness can bring with them intense experiences and open your mind
to vast new worlds. I have never experimented with psychedelic drugs,
because I have never felt the need, I have been able to attain states of
that rise me above "at the expense of the general intellect" to entirely
new realms, purely through what I call "atmosphere engineering". I find
that electro/ambient/techno music, and a good deal of world music, in
combination with a candle, or small suffusive night light, and
sometimes by the soft glow of a monitor and endless depth of the 'net,
allow me to easily shift states of consciousness. I believe that the
place in which you achieve this "exalted" state, the realm of higher
creativity, is in middle to low alpha state. Another great resource
for helping achieve these results is biofeedback, eeg interpretation.
It's not a coincidence that many primitive cultures around the world, both
modern and ancient, have used rythmic drumming, chanting and dancing in
rituals. All of these methods help one more easily make the transition
into alpha. This is where sacred "visions" occur, mere hallucinations,
but very powerful. In this state, "conscious and unconscious fuse
in a heightened realm of surreality", thoughts that you would not normally
conceive of are allowed to float free. It is said that what makes a
genius is the ability to combine two entirely unrelated fields in new and
unexplored ways. Make note of the new issue of Wired, in it is featured
software that analyzes something to the effect of three million or billion
(I don't have it sitting next to me, so please excuse the vagueness)
technical papers and looks for associations that would not normally have
been found. In this state, one thinks of some vary bizarre things, and
can make associations. What Anders experiences is probably just this, he
is dead tired so is less able to maintain a grip on his beta state, and
slips down into slight unconsciousness, rides the border, releasing a
torrent of new and creative unforeseen ideas.
(I seem to have neglected the concept of paragraphs here, oops)
If one uses this too often though, I believe that one can build a
tolerance to it. It may become easier to achieve alpha, but one maintains
a higher level of conciousness, or self-awareness if practicing it too
often, and they will realize that they are in alpha inhibiting more
unconscious thoughts, rising them a bit more our of the state, which
allows them to more fully grasp the situation, rising them...etc...It's a
feedback loop that is very difficult to escape. Go ahead, make a
conscious effort not to think, can you do it? These states are best
achieved on a more spontaneous level, you can choose a rough time to
experience it, but really you have to sit back and do something else and
just allow your mind to slip. That is why aids like ambient music and
lighting are so beneficial.
______________________________________________________________________________
>H >H
Roderick A. Carder-Russell
Transhumanist/Immortalist/Cryonicist
Suspension Member - Alcor Foundation
specializing in man-machine symbiosis
e-mail: rodc@shore.net WWW: http://www.shore.net/~rodc/home.html
>H >H
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