Salvia research + altered states of reality

So this even I've stumbled upon an interesting topic: people using drugs for psychedelic experiences!

I'm no druggy. Personally I don't find a use for it, but oddly enough I do question why others would want to use it. There's three reasons that I've come up with 1. curiosity 2. pleasure and 3. to self induce an altered state of reality.

What I find interesting about Salvia is that it is actually a plant which grows in the ground (hemp as well), but just like all things I believe using something in moderation is key. Salvia is actually a drug that was used by shamans for visionary purposes and spiritual healing. What's interesting about this is that it sounds very similar to people who practice self hypnosis. However, the main difference being that they aren't running the risk of so called "overindulging" or something or ingesting something.

Now, there are a few interesting factors I've come across while reading people's experiences with LSD and Salvia, and that is that they speak about experiencing reality in a different way and their their perception of everything is very different. Another interesting fact is that I often read things where they say they suddenly feel that everything is one, and they are all that they are.However, it seems that a lot of the few that I've read speak about feeling anxious and uncomfortable. Some people have even said that Salvia has changed their outlook on life, that they feel that anyone who does it has to be mentally prepared for the change.

Here's my take on what I think happens. If they are entering a state of altered reality, not being prepared for something like that can definitely be scary, which is why I rule out the fact of curiosity being a reason to try this.   Also, not having any kind of guidance can be another. I believe that they are leaving their minds opened and exposed for all kinds of things to pour in, images, sounds etc. They often mention they feel their bodies buzzing, which sounds similar to people who will feel a sort of vibration in their astral body. I basically think they have shut out the conscious mind more than normal when awake, and allowed for subconscious signaling.

Some people spoke of hearing sounds, humming, and voices. One man spoke about how his family left, but he kept hearing the sound of a vacuum cleaner and thought it was his mom, although he knew she wasn't there. One person explained the experience as dreaming while awake.

However, I think the main issue with doing this drugs are the physical issues that can occur. The fact that they want to get up and walk but their balance is messed up. Their speech is slurred, but it seems they are kind of conscious of what they're doing. They see hallucinations, but for the most part, the more experienced users mentioned how that they know how to deal with it. But back to the point, when one feels that the experience is very real (just like in induced hypnosis), they may try to act out on it. Which is why in hypnosis sessions they try to keep their patients calm. In their mind, the experience is very very real! Now, for the most part, the experienced users knew to have someone along with them who has had experience with the drug and know how to deal with someone going through a "trip"

So my thought on the layers and alter state of reality. I do believe that they may be experiencing something on a spiritual level, and some people do it because they enjoy the feeling of it (being in a spiritual kind of feel). However, what makes me a little nervous is the people who may become addicted to that feeling and living being the physical world. We came here for a purpose. Have your fun, but understand you're here for a reason. It's best to just suck it up and keep going.

Overall, I think it's pretty interesting reading about their experience. But like I said, I seriously don't see the point besides what I posted above as my reasons why anyone would. For me (and I understand they aren't me), I don't feel like I need to get into something like that. The same goes for meditation (at the moment). It's not something I feel I need to get into. But I do become curious and read about these things a lot.

I guess, more than anything, their may be a deep fear rooted beneath this exterior which nonchalantly exclaims that it's not necessary.  That perhaps, the one's who call their actions dumb or idiotic actually feel a bit of envy at the people who'll just hop right into something. Afterall, some parts of life call for us to move beyond our comfort zone in order to grow. Or maybe, we look at them and we feel that the effects can be either positive or negative. Due to the imagery we are given about drugs, I'm leaning more towards the latter. I believe that to us, a drug is a drug. Anything that is called a drug is bad. That there is no such thing as a safe drug. That there's too much of a risk trying it.

I definitely understand this. HOWEVER, let's look at this from a different standpoint. Would these past few years honestly be the first few years that human beings have ever come into contact with drugs?

Maybe I shouldn't say "drugs", because there are drugs that are actually pretty bad, things that are created and not from the earth. Things that cause all kinds of brain damage. This isn't the one I'm speaking about. I'm talking about the one that comes from the ground, from earth, things we would call natural.

Think about it, in the past there were settlers here before anyone from Europe came along. I'm sure they came across these plants and some may have even tried them. Some may have even sought pleasure by using them.

Here's another interesting fact, there are all kinds of plants that we ingest in order to gain health benefits, such as fruits and vegetables. However, these words have a positive connotation. I've often heard of a peace pipe, which was passed about by the Native Americans. And for that matter, that it's common to drink as a form a celebratory engagement. Yet these things are seen as harmless.

I'm not saying I promote the use anymore than I did before, mainly because it makes me nervous how some people use this and they don't have an actual clear purpose rather than to just "experience" something outside of the norm. But I do feel like we put way to much negativity on things. There's, like I stated before, categories. Good and Bad. We believe good to be good, and bad to be bad. In which case, sometimes good can be bad depending on the context, and something bad can be good depending on how it's used.

This raises an interesting factor about something I read, that as spiritual beings, we are very contradictory. I believe that the same holds true in life as well. Do we fight this? Or do we allow this? Also, who's moral principals do we live by? And why? Isn't possible that over time certain things move beyond being "bad" once we understand them? And that when we question the good, we see a different picture? That it's possible that maybe, just maybe, sometimes we aren't "right" about everything? That it's okay to say "it would work fine in this situation because..." rather than just writing the whole situation off?

Well, that's all I have to say. I'm just a viewer simply viewing things. I have my beliefs, which are questionable  to me sometimes too. :)

Oh! Before I go, I'd like to post some of the effects to using Salvia:

• Uncontrollable laughter
• Past memories, such as revisiting places from childhood memory
• Sensations of motion, or being pulled or twisted by forces
• Visions of membranes, films and various two-dimensional surfaces
• Merging with or becoming objects
• Overlapping realities, such as the perception of being in several locations at once

This seriously sounds very similar to what souls can do lol One other thing I want to note, are the fact that the people would mention how sometimes there's way too much coming at them at once. I believe that it's because, as reasoning creatures, we try to find an answer for everything, when in reality the answer is always changing. Because everything is always moving, there is no true clear answer (this is just my belief). Also, they mention how they start to question reality and that no matter how hard they try, they come to the same answer. Honestly lol this can even be done when questioning just about everything. This is why sometimes I need to pull back on finding answers because even I'll feel a little overwhelmed. I started reading a book today called Influence, and even the author spoke about how our brains can only tolerate so much. Our minds can hold countless amount of energy, but our brain is just an organ, just like the heart, lungs and muscle. Yes, using them can strengthen them, but over work them and they can just give out. Once again, moderation. 

I'd like to believe that we can do anything (I do believe this is true in my mind), however, there's only so much our bodies can take. As souls, I believe that urge to continue to push in life, to keep moving, is one of the soul. Being that we are souls, I believe something like this is very natural. We call it a human instinct to want to live, but I believe that, because the soul comes first, that it's a soul's instinct.

Oh! And I thought of a better way to state the curiosity part. Mainly it's something like, curiosity does not always aid beneficial affects. That you have to have a clear intention or reason for doing something, or else you'll likely be tossed a bunch of stuff you have no idea how to use. It's kind of like aimlessly floating through life without a purpose, or going to college with no clear purpose but just because (kind of like me lol but I enjoy art so I guess that doesn't count). Anyways, I've often read that the universe knows if we have good intention. And for the most part there might be some spirits who see an open opportunity to screw with people's minds. So I simply say be careful. Because in the end you're the person who has to deal with the effects. It's your body and your mind.

Mon