I used to own an account with a drugs forum and I was really into hallucinogens despite having only ever done weed. Are drugs useful to help connect to spirits or are do they trivialise the months if not years of dedication, meditation and patience it takes to perfect an affinity with a spirit?
2 Likes
Drugs can be useful, but then you have to put the extra work into differing a simple hallucination from an actual entity experience.
7 Likes
It depends completely on the substance, and the context.
Sacred plants, such as psilocybin, tobacco, ayahuasca, cannabis, and dimethyltriptamine, have been used for spiritual purposes for thousands of years.
Poisonous plants such as wormwood, and belladonna have also been used throughout history, mostly topically ( main ingredient in “flying” ointments) as ingestion is fatal, to bring about altered states.
However, drugs can become a crutch, especially in this day and age of common recreational use for many. Removing the substance from the sacred context of ritual and ceremony can cheapen the experience, and actually inhibit the spiritual experience one is trying to have through the bodies adaptation response.
And, of course, you have massively addictive drugs, like meth, whose affect on one’s health far outweighs any possible perceived spiritual experience one might obtain.
10 Likes
I used to smoke weed to calm myself, helped me focus on meditation better. Dont do it anymore though. Just don’t use anything like meth or cocaine that shit will do more harm than good. Have had family whose lives were destroyed by such substances.
3 Likes
Adding onto @DarkestKnight’s post, hallucinogens are designed to fuck up your senses. Just because the drugs tell you there’s a spirit in the room, that doesn’t mean they actually are.
4 Likes
There is one contemporary author saying that (amongst the various paths) in High Magic the drugs aren’t used, and the magician must be always lucid, in control. Perhaps some such as peyote and salvia divinorum represent a sort of middle ground.
In my opinion. Yes. Experiment’s like mk ultra and others like it. Drugs (hallucinogens) are used to connect with entities. Yes hallucinogens can help with connecting with entities. But, like with any drug if you abuse it. IT, will abuse you and permanent psychosis can occur. So basically don’t be a dumbass and use it responsibly. It may or may not be for you. Myself. I prefer an all natural organic experience without hallucinogens.
3 Likes
If this does happen, summon Belial and he’ll kick the crap out of that addiction.
1 Like
i asked hermes to guide me on a trip before ingestion - acid. i found a plant on the walk i just fell absolutely in love with. i couldnt get enough of its soft velvet leaves. i had no idea what it was but when i had cleared up, i did my research, and i found out it was verbascum thapsus - great mullein - known by many names, some of which are Hecates torch and Lucifers torch - im devoted to Hecate, but mullein had not even appeared on my radar for my garden devoted to sacred and magical plants until that point. i thought i was aware of all plants with hecatean associations. i did not see any spirits, but the immediate attraction and obsession with a wild growing plant that just so happens to have a rich history in magical use gave me shivers. but i did ask him to help teach me magic! i made it a ritual to return to the place and harvest the plant - i brought roots and all back to my garden, and it became a monstrous thing. but in that way, i connected to both hermes, and the spirit of mullein. i dont think the drugs were a requirement though or maybe it depends on the spirit? i mean a trip - i asked the god of travelers to guide me, and you know he had a sense of humor when i put it that way! i dont know. but i have mullein in my cabinet and garden because of it. 
4 Likes
Heya,
I had experience with mescaline ceremony, psilocybin and have had some experiences with DMT.
I was curious in the same way as you were I think.
I had some really confronting experiences as well as some really profound experiences.
I think drug use, in a controlled setting and with people who are experienced can be a good experience to have.
But from what I’ve experienced (and obviously this is only anecdotal); these experiences are also really unpredictable and I think it really depends on the person.
I think that experiences with lucid dreaming and meditation might be useful practices to have beforehand as well as a really sound mental state, with firm roots into your life. Obviously, not going to tell you what to do - but these are things I wish I had known myself.
I’ve used different types of herbs that help induce trance including blue lily and damiana - they’re helpful! Very mild; but helpful for getting into a state where you can practice connecting with your spirits.
From my experiences with my own magical practice both with and without drugs I think that you can achieve connection with both.
Although from experimentation I really like my practice of meditation, ritual and divination as a way of connecting with spirits. I think it takes a longer time, and more effort; but I’ve found it to be better in the long term for my mental health; but also for the quality and solidity of my own experiences of connection with spirits. I found it to be generally more grounded and easier to assimilate.
I don’t think drugs trivialize your previous experiences at all. I think it’s just like different brands of phones haha!
Hopefully this is helpful to you!
Good luck
2 Likes
That sounds cool
Wow awesome!
Or ruin your life and have obscure thoughts and voices in your head constantly.
Psychosis and mental “diseases” arent all their touted to be.
In shamanic culture having a mental illness was a form of initiation.
Id say the best course of action is usuing them ceremonially a few times a year. Usuing them to connect like @DarkestKnight can be a crutch.
Now evetime you wanna have a deep experience you really on frying your brain.
Dont get me wrong chaos can be helpful but too much is just chaos.
From what I understand that was only the case sometimes. Not all mental illness equated to shamanic initiation but I do not know much on the subject and mental illness is a vague term.
2 Likes
Sure you can use drugs… if you want to fool yourself, be deceived and harmed. Power comes from you, not chemicals.
4 Likes
i disagree. drugs that create altered states have a long history in magic the world over, but they must be respected and given a context. Abuse is foolish, but so is discounting them altogether.
3 Likes
I would answer no. Each expierense with Spirits should be a result of a clear and focused mind. But this is my opinion only.
1 Like
I agree with this mostly, however, many of our ancestors have used drugs in their journeys and some have today, but they didn’t rely solely on it as most would today or abuse it as most would today. Then you also take in that back then they didn’t have many things that their mind could exaggerate…nowadays we have tons of things the mind can exaggerate off of with drugs, cartoons, anime, comics, video games and so forth.
Someone can end up seeing a skyrim demon or God while on drugs and think it has some divine meaning to it when it’s just their minds under the influence.
2 Likes
I was friends for a short while with a voodoo priestess who was born and taught in the USA. For your graduation ceremony from trainee to practitioner they get you wasted. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, including those relating to your abilies.