Peace!
On this day of 'knowledge' I think it is important to emphasis such an integral principle in our mathematics. While we may become partial to other principles and degrees in 120, knowledge will always remain the 'foundation'.
Having full knowledge of something before you activate on an idea can be life saving and prevent someone from making a "fool" of themselves.
This morning I came across a Fox news link on Yahoo, for a video with a news report about 'salvia'. Of which I had previous knowledge of and experience with. Here's is a CNN video from a few months ago.
The news report talked about the concern of law makers for making salvia illegal, while it's currently legal in most states. Why? The fear that salvia is becoming the new marijuana. How so? It's cheap, 'legal' and offers LSD-like trips.
Being an advocate and pracitioner of herbal medicine, I decided last Spring to look into salvia, after hearing about it from a friend. Salvia Divinorum is a plant, an herb, and is a form of "sage", related to common sage used as a spice in cooking and in incense. What makes this kind of sage so unqique is it's hallucinogenic and psycho-tropic properties.
Salvia is native to Central and Southern Mexico and has been used by the Original people for thousands of years. It is used by shamans in Oaxaca to induce vision quests and to heal. In that arena, the leaves are chewed and swallowed gradually and there is always a designated 'sober' guide to care over the participants. Salvia is very similar to the 'cohoba' used by the Taino and the 'ayahuasca' used throughout the Amazon by Indigenous tribes.
The difference with the 'over the internet' doses of Salvia and it's use/abuse by people is that it;s sold in concentrated form- 5x, 10x, 20x, even 75x the normal botanical chemical composition.And it's being smoked, which allows it to hit the participant much harder and suddenly. There are tons of videos of people on Youtube smoking it and flipping out. Being a scientist and herbologist, I thought I should check it out for my self. So I did.
Let me say that, in all honesty, I was not prepared. Even with my previous stint with mushrooms and moments of being black-out drunk. I did, however, do the "knowledge" and strive to gain as much information about it as possible before I entered into that cipher. Still, while we say knowledge and understanding are one in the same, they still have their distinctness in being seperated by wisdom, or experience. To know something and to 'experience' is another. I decided to use it as just any regular person on Youtube would, at 15x. I took two seperate and deep pulls and then.... BANG! Alice in Wonderland meets Apocalypse Now. I will say that it was a life changing experience. Horrible. But life changing. As should have been, considered that I used it as a 'westerner' and not within the mindset of the Original people. The experience only last for 4-5 minutes but the 'come down' can linger for a few hours.
Substances of that degree can be very dangerous because the basis for the journey is rooted in the self. How balanced are you as a person, mentally, emotional, and physically? Substances like salvia, ayahuasca etc, truly all one to tap into that 90% of brain power we don't use. And if you aren't prepared than you won't know who or where you are, nor what's happening to you. While me hear shamans and medicine men say that it allows them to heal, talk with spirits, ancestors etc. It's true. It's that's your preception of reality. Whatever you think and have learned will become magnified and it is the shaman's responsibility to guide the person through the 'trip' and interpret the kaleidoscope of images, sounds, and thoughts, within their cultural framework. Without that good orderly direction, the person could be reasonably end up committing suicide.
A drawing inspired by Ayahuasca- showing a degree of the visual aspects of a ayahuasca vision.
I won't go into the details of my 'vision quest' except that everything that 'is' real in my life became a distant thought and my inner thoughts become my actual reality. That means EVERY inner thought, from cartoons to whatever. Those whom I shared the details with know what I am referring to. I then pondered on how our people used them and why? To open up their minds to the mysteries of the universe. To gain knowledge. Recognizing that all things must change and that history must be renewed, I also recognize that there isn't a need for such methods of obtaining knowledge. We live in the information age with so much readily available to us through the internet and other avenues. We have to re-write history and not repeat it, in thinking that substances alone lead to higher consciousness. They can, but only within a specific cultural framework. Likewise, there are many methods or manners of accessing and directing that untapped brain power.
There was a reason why, in Otisville, Allah mentioned how he had experiences with various substances before and that he wouldn't mess with LSD- "I ain't taking none of them trips!..." In my understanding, it's because they can make you other than your own self, beyond what marijuana or alcohol may do to you. Let's reflect on the fact that substances like Ecstasy and LSD were developed as 'mind-control' drugs, as part of the MK Ultra program during the 1940's and 50's. A program run by the C.I.A. and headed by ex-Nazi scientist Sideny Gottlieb. The drugs were devised as proto-types for an ultimate 'truth serum' to be administered to enemy spies or operatives. The C.I.A. was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, when George Bush senior became it's director, after the agency released the drugs to the public and experimented on masses of unknowing and unwilling citizens. Especially prisoners. Yet, salvia, a natural substance, rivials and surpasses them. Now, taking into consideration, that even amongst traditional tribal use of the herb, an unintoxicated guide is present to care for the participants, which means the need to be watched over because they have no control over themselves. This is counter to being the master of self and being in control, let alone 'wise' with what one will do and say under such circumstances.
With the recent news coverage and the contraversy over salvia, it is likely that it will become banned in more and more states. At the same time, it is becoming more and more popular. Salvia is NOT legal marijuana. I know, as I'm no stranger to 'bhang' and it's many strands. Over the internet concentrated salvia, is some ol- other shit.
Of course, there will be those super-men and rebel scientist's amongst us who think they can handle anything and who will read this and want to naturally try it for themselves. At least I gave you the knowledge, which was the purpose of this post. Be safe. Hide any/all weapons in your living space. Turn off any music or television. DON'T have your kids around and PLEASE don't go out in public. And no matter what some people say about "just keep telling yourself, it's not real" when the topic of hallucination and psycho-tropic images comes up, it's easier said than done. You think you've seen people trippin' off that 'loveboat' or that 'wet'?
In short I'll just say, leave it for those of that said ability- shamans and traditional healers 'trained' in that specific science. A science of which has been in practice for at least the last few thousand years.
Be informed. Make intelligent choices.
Here's an article from the NY Times- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/us/09salvia.html?fta=y
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