ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS

For long, man has sought to know himself, and many have considered this to be the highest achievement. The philosophers and the laymen have sought. There have been many verbalizations but only occasional insight. The great Teachers have known their true Identity and have longed to share the experience with others, who would not, or perhaps could not, accept it. Jesus, in his longing to share this wondrous secret, cried out, "O! Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks, -- but you would not!"

Even the Masters, however, have been able only to point the way to Self-knowledge, and most of their disciples, instead of following the pointing, have deified the pointers! The Masters have told us that the Way was narrow, perhaps, as a razor's edge, and found by way of a "little gate, which most men miss because they are looking for a larger and more impressive entrance." Few have found the Way, but those few have changed the face of our world, by changing the heart of the world.

The gate is said to be straight and narrow, the rigors of the Path most demanding -- but the rewards are very great. Few, however, can forego an immediate pleasure for a delayed happiness which is bliss incomparable; for this requires both faith and effort, apparently rare commodities in our world. Then, too, it is difficult to believe that the rewards are as great as the mystics tell us they are. To achieve the wisdom of a Buddha, or the love of a Christ, seems beyond our capacities. We just cannot believe that Jesus meant what he said when he told us that "Greater things than these shall you do!" Oh, we of little faith!

MIND-CHANGING CHEMICALS

Nature, however, may have some hidden persuaders which will make it possible for more of us to believe! Modern pharmacological research has produced a series of chemicals which affect the activities of the mind. The best known of these, of course, are the tranquilizers. These have improved our management of patients afflicted with fears and anxieties, and so have reduced the census figures of our mental hospitals. However, their main effect is, through chemical change, to enable a patient to live with his fears, to disregard his problems, not to solve them. None of these agents attacks the cause, but provides only temporary symptomatic relief, often at the price of serious side effects.

However, there seems to be greater promise in a newer series of compounds which includes lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, psilocybin, and a few others. They were first called "hallucinogens" because of their tendency to induce hallucinations in subjects. Common effects of this type include visual disturbances, with distortion in shape and proportions of objects (the parallel sides of a door frame seemed not parallel, and moving, in one of my own experiences). Beautiful [6] geometric designs, often in brilliant colors, are frequently seen in objects which, to others, seem quite ordinary. One often has the feeling of seeing into an object, especially a flower or a picture. Two dimensional objects are often seen as in three dimensions -- and perhaps three dimensional objects may be seen in four dimensions! Many investigators have given vivid descriptions of such effects, especially Alan Watts in his book "Joyous Cosmology", and Jane Dunlap in "Exploring Inner Space".

These substances have been called "psychotomimetic" (simulating insanity), because many subjects tend to develop symptoms which are similar to those seen in schizophrenia, the most common mental ailment. The subject may lose to some degree his usual contact with reality -- "reality" being interpreted in this case as our usual material environment. Many develop a feeling of omnipotence, omniscience, and a feeling of "oneness" with everything in the universe. Life is seen from a different perspective, so that many things which seemed to be of great importance no longer seem so.

This ability to induce, through chemical means, a "model psychosis" or a laboratory case of temporary "insanity" has made these preparations of great interest to physicians and researchers dealing with the mentally ill, because of the new understanding of such illness which may be gained. In addition to this, it has been suggested that it is most helpful for the doctor to have the experience of taking one or more of these preparations, because it can greatly increase his understanding of the mentally ill.

A third effect of these new substances has been named, by Dr. Henry Osmond, for many years director of the Saskatchewan Provincial Hospital, "psychedelic" or "mind-manifesting". In addition to producing hallucinations, and sometimes simulating insanity, they tend to bring about a great increase in the manifestation of the powers-of-the mind. At the physical level, there is a great enhancement of the acuity of the senses, resulting in greater awareness of beauty in sound and form. Music is heard as it probably never had been heard before. Psychic powers may develop, and one is often very sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others, or may be aware of happenings at a distance. There seems frequently to be an increased awareness of a level of understanding which is superior to that contacted in our usual state of consciousness. New perspectives are developed, and new insight into problems, so that the problems themselves vanish, or the solution may become obvious. One alcoholic who participated remarked that he now understood his problems, and no longer had any reason to drink. Unlike the tranquilizers, therefore, these compounds definitely aid in the solution of the problems.

NATURE'S MIND-CHANGERS

Yet all of this is not new. We can trace these substances back through thousands of years; as they have been used by man in their natural form, just as penicillin was originally a gift of Nature, a product of a lowly mold, so the gift of the psychedelics came originally from our Great Mother. The ancient Egyptians had the Sacred Mushroom, eaten ceremonially by the priests to stimulate psychic ability and [7] mystical experience. Our own American Indians have used parts of the peyotl cactus for centuries in their religious ceremonies. In addition, in Mexico, there are still a few who find a degree of "enlightenment" in the use of a species of mushroom. And LSD had its origin in ergot, a fungus which grows on rye.

THE DANGEROUS ADDICTIVE DRUGS

Many other substances have been used by seekers for a shortcut to wisdom, such as opium, hashish or marihuana, and most widely used of all, alcohol! Occasionally anaesthetics, especially nitrous oxide, will produce a similar effect. But all of these are disappointing, in that the visions are usually of inferior quality or short duration, and some of the drugs are highly addictive. This means that larger and larger amounts are required to produce the same effect, and when accustomed to their use, the body demands that the supply be continued!

NON-ADDICTIVE PSYCHEDELICS

These substances under consideration -- peyote and its derivative, mescaline, and LSD -- have been found to be non-addictive. In fact, Dr. Duncan Blewett, psychologist, of the University of Saskatchewan, who has had much experience in this field, says that these preparations can not possibly do any harm, and that they may be of inestimable value to many people; that they are "as harmless as salt"!

A personal friend of mine was one of several investigators sent out independently of each other by a U.S. agency to study the use of peyote by the Indians in various areas. He states that these investigators were unanimous in their reports that they found no addictive or physiologically harmful effects. Those deprived of it showed no withdrawal symptoms, nor any physiological craving. In our own experiments, we have found that a much smaller dose is effective in those who have had it previously, which is the opposite of the situation found with such addictive drugs as opium.

In the religious use of peyote by the American Indians, it is apparently available to all of the worshippers, and participants, including Dr. Humphrey Osmond, have reported it as usually an all-night ceremony. In ancient Egypt, however, the sacred mushroom was carefully guarded by the priests for their own use. Perhaps the guarding was in order to maintain the priestly power and prestige; for it sometimes happens that after taking one of these substances, psychic powers are enhanced.

The effects on the mind, produced by all of these psychedelics, seems quite similar; although exact effects depend, like those of most medications, on the condition of the participant or patient. Each individual is just that, an individual. The chemistry of bodies differs, one from another, and even in the same individual, from one time to another. The mental and emotional status of persons also affects the reactions produced by these chemicals. Dr. Osmond says that they merely "open a door" into the deeper levels of the mind, and that what one finds there depends on the individual.

[8]

THE EXPERIENCE AND ITS MEANING

A brief description of a typical psychedelic reaction may be of interest. The material is best taken in the morning, with no food since the previous evening. After a period of thirty minutes to an hour, one may feel slightly light-headed. Some experience nausea, which is usually not severe, and passes away within an hour or so. Other physiological symptoms likely to develop are a slowing of the heart rate and the rate of breathing, a decrease in blood pressure, dilating of the pupils of the eyes, and a peripheral vasoconstriction which causes most subjects to feel cold.

During the second hour, there may be a loss of touch with the usual concepts of the world around, together with changes in the concept of the self. There may also be symptoms of lethargy and apathy, and occasionally confusion. There is sometimes a period of euphoria and ordinary things may seem inordinately funny.

By the time two or three hours have elapsed, most of the participants want to be quiet, and to look within their own consciousness. Some enjoy music, or studying flowers or pictures. The enjoyment of these things is not at all at the intellectual level, but they are seen from a new level of consciousness, from which the subject feels that he actually is the music or the flower, or the picture. Ordinary objects become most extraordinary in appearance, as a result of our new appreciation of their "reality". Life and love are seen everywhere, and one seems to have new understanding of life, its meaning and purpose, and a new awareness of his own identity as "one with the universe", or "one with God", and of his neighbor as an integral part of himself. It is much easier, in the psychedelic experience, to realize that our true identity is not that of the body-mind-emotions complex which is designated by our name. To have this experience, to know that I AM, and "I and my Father are one", is a most salutary one; for it is a first step toward our Father's house, away from separateness, and toward unity.

Our own experiments have been conducted with a view to finding the highest possible level of consciousness, and to achieve the "oneness" of which all mystics speak. This seems to be the way in which the Indians use peyote. Anyone who has taken it would realize that the "orgies" reported by some opponents of the experience would be completely impossible. Those whom I have seen have wanted only to be alone, and to seek their souls in solitude and quietness.

However, these potentially very useful and wonderful substances may be misunderstood by the American public as a result of their association with various narcotics in newspaper reports of their use by juvenile delinquent groups. These children are reported to be taking them just for "kicks", and to change from morphine, to barbiturates, to marihuana, to psychedelics. Actually, the latter are the only non-harmful preparations in this list! I have been able to find no reports of harm resulting from the use of the psychedelics by normal people. Their use with psychotics, of course, should be limited to those experienced in dealing with the mentally ill.

It seems that a campaign is being waged against these preparations, [9] and an attempt being made to lead the public to believe that the psychedelics are dangerous and addictive drugs. The State of California has recently declared the use or administration of peyote to be a criminal offense!

FINDING GOD BY PILL

If this misunderstanding should spread to other states, and be extended to other psychedelics, many people would thereby be denied access to one of the most remarkable experiences possible to humans -- a glimpse of a higher level of consciousness, from which one may realize that the universe is founded on Love, that God truly is Love, and that we are made in his Image. This, of course, can be discovered in other ways, but they are difficult and unattractive to Western man, who resents any discipline or effort in his half-hearted search for Truth. A glimpse of this Reality in a psychedelic experience, however, is very likely to convince him that it is truly worth the effort to earn the right, by discipline and effort, to achieve this level and to maintain it as his normal level of consciousness.

It has been speculated by some students of mysticism who are also aware of the psychedelic experience that perhaps the relatively large number of mystics who appeared in the Middle Ages may have been partly the result of their being exposed to the natural form of LSD by eating rye bread contaminated with ergot. Another possibility is that the body chemistry may have been similarly modified by fasting, which was a common practise then, and by the frequent ill-health suffered by those who were convinced of the unimportance of the physical body.

There are those who object strenuously to "finding God" by taking a pill. But all of those who have found God, as a personal or mystical experience, have done something to bring about this longed-for condition of consciousness. Some have fasted; others have imposed various ascetic disciplines; others have used techniques of breathing; and in many cases these techniques have been carried out faithfully for years before the desired affects appears. If we can bring about a similar state, even temporarily, by using chemicals, who is to say that this is an inferior method? Is not chemistry also of God? Few insist on crossing the continent on foot today because jet travel is "unnatural"!

The great Teachers have told us that God is Love, and that we also are Love in our basic essence, but we have failed to understand or to believe. A few of our Eastern brothers have followed the path of fasting and discipline, and have found spiritual enlightenment. They have achieved "oneness with God", or the realization "That art Thou". This realization is the finding of our true Self. It is an awareness that the basic essence of man is truly the same as the underlying Reality of the universe, which western man calls God.

Those who have walked this secret Path -- "secret" only because there are few who have chosen to find it -- have reported the attainment of peace, bliss, awareness of Reality they have been unable to describe in terms which make sense to ordinary mortals. They have been able to say only, with the Psalmist, "Come, taste and see that the Lord [10] is good!" These have been the mystics who have experienced God as a reality, rather than as a belief. They have never been in favor with orthodoxy, either of science or of religion, because they follow no rules, ceremonies or rituals, so loved by the orthodox. They follow only the Law of Love, and find their only authority within their own hearts, their own consciousness. They listen only to the "still, small voice". They walk in the radiance of the Inner Light, and have need of no other.

Great faith, however, is required to enable one to begin to walk this path. Results, though sure, are slow in coming, and few will persist long enough to feel the quickening of the Spirit within. We of the West want short courses, condensed books, plants of Jack's beanstalk variety which come up quickly -- forgetting that they as quickly wither because they have not depth of root!

WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE SPIRIT

For those of little faith and weak will, the psychedelics may literally be a God-send. Through these chemicals they may be granted a glimpse of this wonderful world of the Spirit, where oneness rather than separation and isolation is the normal way of life; where Love is the Law and all live thereby. One experimenter said, gratefully, after his first psychedelic experience, "I have seen God! I know that Reality is there; that it is desirable above all things; and that is it attainable. Now I am willing to take the path of effort, to earn the right to have and to keep this Reality."

Another participant wrote as follows: "I had a tremendous feeling of being -- not being something, but just being. There was a feeling of oneness with everything. It felt that at last I was 'home' and I felt that it was so wonderful to be 'home'. Then I knew that all the sacred scriptures of the world, the Bible, the Vedas, the Gita, the Koran, were fountains of spiritual refreshment that can remind us what it is like 'at home'. I knew that all of man's temple and cathedral building was but an attempt to satisfy a hunger within himself once again to experience this 'being at home'. One hopes to maintain this feeling of oneness and of being at home, but it is not a desire for the drug again. I feel that the chemical is only a tool to show us what is available; it should be like the opening of the door, and not the continual standing in the doorway."

Perhaps we may compare this experience to that of the prodigal son, when, in the midst of his sensual existence, he "came to himself". He caught a glimpse of the security and love, the joy and peace, to be had in his Father's house. Then he arose and began the journey home.

Dr. John W. Aiken
The Socorro Clinic
PO Box 1097
Socorro, New Mexico

"Explorations In Awareness"
 by John W. Aiken (Church of Awakening, 1966)

"This slender volume, sporting a great cover that looks like a 1950s exotica LP, is a delight to read. Obviously drawing on a vast array of ancient and modern sources, Aiken presents an esoteric doctrine of self-realization and ultimate transcendence, told in a pure, stripped-down style that displays selfconfidence and insight. It is not a rehash but a new psychedelic path, with vedic-yogic as well as Christian and Native American influences. The latter chapters contain a couple of trip reports, including one from a (presumed) Indian guru, who does a respectworthy attempt to squeeze the cosmologic-metaphysic experiences of an acid trip into plain English. Written mainly in 1963, Aiken's LSD vibe is very different from what would follow, and deserves much greater recognition." - Lysergia.com overview

References

1. Watts, Alan W. The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness. New York: Pantheon Books, 1962. Print. <http://amzn.to/1rNgZUs> [Reprint, 2013: <http://amzn.to/1nw7Luy>]
2. Dunlop, Jane. Exploring Inner Space: Personal Experiences Under LSD-25. London: Gollancz, 1961. Print. <http://amzn.to/1l5mzLX> [Reprint, 2013: <http://amzn.to/1nMAASY>]