There is something more about the taking of intoxicants:
Any object in this world, is also a recipient of energy, and a storage of that energy. Thus dj’s rejection of the seeds that cc separated, due to the heavy concern he indulged in whilst undertaking the task.
Any intoxicant, due to the nature of our society these days, has already accumulated a load of nefarious energy. Surely I don’t need to spell this out in detail - I’m sure everyone knows of the vibe that surrounds different intoxicants, and it’s almost always bad nature. In fact this becomes a real problem for anyone wanting to procure such substances for knowledge purposes.
I’m assuming you have found some way to procure something, in a way that doesn’t land you in gaol, or make you want to puke. Now it must be ‘treated’ before taken. This is the subject of this post.
There are many methods - small rituals, mantras, offerings, incense, music etc etc. I think rituals are very useful, but they have no power in themselves, unless you have been initiated in those very rare and secret ones - I doubt anyone on a forum like this would fit that category. But even so, there is am important principle here: all power must emanate from the energy of a being, and for our purposes, that being is us. Rituals and mantras are only a means to assist. The real power is from our intention. This is then honed by our will and our mind, and then actions, words or sounds.
First, take careful note of how you obtain the substance - I’m assuming in this day and age, most would not produce their own, which is ALWAYS best - as they say in India, Khadi, or ‘home made’. If the scene from which you get your substance is too dark and gross, don’t do it. Put out your intention to the spirit, and wait until It offers an opportunity.
Next, store it in a special place. Everyone should have a ‘sacred place’ in their living area somewhere. Many little things are kept here - special feathers, stones and other objects that have been pointed out to us by power. Or things we ourselves have made with awareness and skill, or pure luck. I Ching’s and books that have changed our lives. But never objects full of personal emotional intensity, unless it is for your god or guru of course.
This helps to surround and slowly penetrate the substance with the environmental intention of our spirit. Eventually your whole home and garden should speak of this intention.
Then, on the occasion of taking the substance, remember, aspirants never take these substances for social reasons. Always take them alone, and always for the purpose of lifting your consciousness out of the bodily bindings, to soar towards your ultimate goal. This is where the intention reveals. That does not mean that you should never take them amongst others - that depends solely on the lessons you are seeking to learn, but it means that whatever, you are always alone, even in a crowd, because you die alone, and this exercise is a precursor to death, the ultimate disembodied experience.
Also it does not mean that you shouldn’t enter into physical action once the ceremony has begun, on the contrary, the body is an excellent tool to enhance and intensify the experience. BUT, I must caution. The nature of these experiences being to disentangle the spirit from the body, you are not in a good position to judge the limitations of the body - it can break. If you are skilled in this type of use of the body (eg drummers or runners etc) - you should build up the strength of the muscles you will use, over a long period of time. For everyone, who take intoxicants, the body must be kept fit and healthy. Or else you are doomed (speaking from experience).
The most important point, is that at the start of your ceremony, you should permeate the ceremony with your intention - we call this seeding. Never let anyone who you are not absolutely sure you trust has real knowledge, seed such an experience for you. Khadi is best. Some special utensils, that are used solely for this purpose are a good aid, and prayers, invocations or whathaveyou. We purify the experience we are about to have, then we ‘offer’ it to the pursuit of knowledge, such that what we perceive will in fact be true knowledge, and not fantasy. As you become accustomed to this - it can be done before any experience you are about to undertake (getting on a bus etc), you learn to very quickly condense your awareness to a pin point. Still if you must blabber on, then by all means do it. What happens after that is in the lap of the gods.
Always remember that the mental and physical side effects of this adventuring, can be quite serious. If this is a common component of your practices, take the time to learn all the necessary counter measures, to protect your body as much as possible - this includes energetic components of the seeding part mentioned above. One point - these substances place enormous strain on our liver, so blood purifying and liver stimulants are a good idea.
Some people may be alarmed that I have raised this topic. And with good reason. The dangers are considerable - never let the hubris of youth blind you to the serious risks involved.
I’ll add one more bit. There is a second ‘seed’. It is that which is most prominently in focus at the point of transformation. There soon comes this point, where your daily consciousness transforms into higher awareness, and whatever is being focused on right then, is of utmost importance.
tread carefully bikkhus
Michael Maher 2006
