|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
sunyata
USA
1513 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 16 2015 : 5:36:28 PM
|
Awesome,Bodhi. Once you start talking spirituality, they end up becoming too many words. Yes,it is to dance and flow.
Second BillinL.A. comment. |
 |
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2015 : 9:39:59 PM
|
| BillinLA. Sunyata. |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2015 : 9:44:47 PM
|
Blog #41: Perfection Becoming More Perfect
http://ayprecovery.org/blog-41-perf...ore-perfect/
I am drinking a peanut butter banana smoothie. I am intermittently texting a dear friend in the AYP network. I am sitting at my desk and answering phone calls from nurses, who report deaths from the hospital and contribute to the ever-recycling cache of organ donors and recipients. And, I am writing this blog, of course.
Everything is perfect. The touch of my fingers to the QWERTY keyboard is perfect. The passage of thoughts through my mind is perfect. The matrix of phenomena within the field of perception is incomprehensibly perfect as well. It has all been perfect, from the very beginning, and will stay perfect, until the very end. Well, maybe it will become a little more perfect. Let's explore.
What do I mean by perfection? I mean that everything is unfolding according to cause and effect. Therein lies the flawlessness. The infallibility of reality does not hinge upon a subjective judgment relating to quality. We are not talking about a diamond connoisseur's opinion of the sparkling facets of a gemstone. We are talking about the continuity, perpetuity, and ongoing flow of stillness in action. Within the scope of that spectrum are an infinite number of options, including horrifying and terrible occurrences, and even those are perfect.
Even if everything went terribly wrong, it would still be exactly right. Why? Because nothing can outsmart cause and effect. That is why we honor and master the law of karma in AYP. We return to the source of all causes, which is stillness, and then we actively influence the effect of material manifestation through practices like samyama. We place a relaxed but attentive hand on the steering wheel. Not too much tension, but enough to handle the curves of the road smoothly and responsively. It's finesse, you know.
If everything is already perfect, why bother changing anything? Well, therein lies the paradox. Perfection can become more perfect. A blank canvas that is spotless secretly yearns to be splattered upon with brushstrokes and color. The bare face of a vertical mountain wants to be climbed. The rolling waves of the blue ocean are begging to be surfed. Stillness wants to move. Look all around—the interfaces of nature and the mind are intended to be put to use, with maximum creativity and optimal functionality. Paradise!
Again, a question might arise: if everything in inherently perfect, why is there so much pain and disaster and tragedy?
Because...perfection is becoming more perfect, remember! We are works in progress. We experiment. We operate by trial and error. We discover what ways work the best and what ways lead to detrimental consequences. Fortunately, we can draw conclusions and learn from our mistakes.
Earlier I mentioned a diamond connoisseur, meticulously gazing upon a coveted piece of jewelry. The connoisseur peers through a magnifying glass, looking for trademark characteristics, like color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. The more shining and radiant the qualities are, the more the diamond will be valued. So it is with our human personalities. When we exemplify divine qualities like love, unity, health, wisdom, and strength, we value ourselves, and other people value us too. This is how the perception of beauty comes into play, through perceiving sparkling qualities, both inside and out.
There's nothing spiritually wrong with searching or striving for more perfection. The diamond connoisseur is not anti-spiritual. But the diamond connoisseur is well-advised to remember where the pristine purity comes from. And where is that? From within. From stillness in action. From the infinite heartspace. That is where the true treasure rests.
OK then, I'll see you somewhere, skipping and soaring along in our perfectly evolving existence. |
|
|
|
Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Oct 24 2015 : 03:49:12 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by BillinL.A.
And you two dance Divinely!...just a Beacon of Love in my life.
...but just Divinely Charliedog.
@ BillinL.A.  |
|
|
|
BillinL.A.
USA
375 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2015 : 7:57:01 PM
|
Charliedog  |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2015 : 9:00:16 PM
|
Blog #42: Foxhole Prayers and Bargaining with the Lord
http://ayprecovery.org/blog-42-foxh...th-the-lord/
A couple days ago I chaired an AA meeting. I picked the topic of prayer. I read a passage from As Bill Sees It. In the passage, Bill Wilson wrote that prayer helped him endure stressful circumstances, and that long walks and mindful breathing also helped alleviate his doubt and worry. I was reminded of something that happened to me in San Francisco.
When I moved to San Francisco, I really struggled to land a job. It was late 2008, right after the big stock market crash. The real estate bubble had popped, and hiring slowed down significantly. All I could manage to get were temporary assignments. It was painful. I would interview for full-time positions, get my hopes up, then be denied, often after several rounds of interviews at the same company. The biggest chances came at the headquarters of Facebook, the amazing Pixar Animation Studios, the up-and-coming Pandora Internet Radio, and last but not least, LucasArts (I'm a big Star Wars fan). Just setting foot onto those locations gave me a euphoric buzz.
After failing with those giants, not to mention a bunch of less notable companies, I finally wound up getting an assignment with promising long-term potential at the alumni organization of a prestigious university (UCSF Medical School). It involved editorial tasks and desktop publishing. It was going well. But one day I got pulled into the human resources office. They had found some DUIs in my background check, and I had not transparently divulged the misdemeanors on the initial job application. I thought my attorney had got my record expunged, but I was wrong. I told them my mistaken assumption, and they said they would take it into consideration and get back with me.
I didn't hear anything for a couple days, and during that time I was silently begging God to let me keep the job. I would say in my mind: "God, if you let me keep this job, I'll stop drinking alcohol. I swear." Reflecting on my passionate pleas now, it's quite hilarious, but at the time, I was pitiful and desperate.
Well, lo and behold, the HR department got back with me and said they would let my transgression slide. I was so relieved! First, I thanked God, then later that night, I bought a 6-pack of beer to celebrate. So much for my promise to renounce the toxic elixir!
But my victory dance did not last long. The next day they called me back in and said they had changed their mind. I got fired. Perfect poetic justice. The snowball of defeat and demise continued. I would drunkenly stumble through more months of small jobs and disappointment until I finally hit rock bottom, got sober, was blasted with kundalini, and then found AYP. The path has been winding, as I know it is for everyone.
The point of me re-telling this story is to find the purpose and effectiveness of prayer. In AYP, samyama is a prayer-like technique, but it's not the kind of bargaining prayer I was trying to pull off. With samyama, there is not so much fixture on the exact outcome of our desires. It's more like purposefully planting seeds and trusting the organic process of growth. There is less artificial interference, and more harmonious compatibility with the natural flow of stillness in action.
That's not to say that there isn't a need for exactness, precision, and accuracy in life. Of course there is. But without the foundation of pure ideas and essences, there is little value in the exactness of our constructions. Samyama is a tending to the foundation of stillness and subtle thoughts, thereby putting exactness in its proper place as being secondary to the primary cause of infinite silence and beingness.
The best artistry, craftsmanship, and ingenuity come from a place of peace and joy. After all, there is an order to manifestation in life: stillness, then idea, then energy, and finally, physicality. When we abide by that organic process, beautiful and wondrous things happen. The proactive platform of AYP lends itself to achieving skill and mastery in any worthwhile career, because the foundation is being laid for divinely-inspired success.
Catch you on the flipside. |
|
|
|
Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2015 : 04:58:12 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2015 : 06:18:09 AM
|
quote:
The best artistry, craftsmanship, and ingenuity come from a place of peace and joy. After all, there is an order to manifestation in life: stillness, then idea, then energy, and finally, physicality. When we abide by that organic process, beautiful and wondrous things happen.
So true, Bodhi! Thank you for bearing your past stories. |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2015 : 11:10:38 AM
|
And thank you, Dogboy, for tuning in!
Charlie-D |
|
|
|
SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2015 : 01:58:22 AM
|
Someone once posted the different moods and relationships (Bhakti Yoga) we can have with God and the lowest level is this bargaining with God. The worshiper makes a sacrifice, says a prayer, or takes a vow for the sake of receiving some benefit - like a job or a place in heaven or justice.
Samayama is a surrendering and that is a different kind of relationship.
Sey
|
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2015 : 10:52:38 AM
|
Excellent point, Sey. Yes, it seemed like a "low" thing to be doing. I guess that's why spiritual transformation is sometimes called taking the "high road". Ascension. Working from the ground up.
Thank you, love. |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2015 : 10:09:25 PM
|
Blog #43: Bill Wilson Got Stoned in My Dream
http://ayprecovery.org/blog-43-bill...in-my-dream/
In the dream, I was at an AA meeting, and somehow, Bill Wilson was still alive and slated to be the keynote speaker. I was sitting in the front of the audience, and someone from backstage pulled me aside. They said they needed my help, because Bill W. had just smoked pot and was too stoned to speak. So I went searching for him in the maze behind the stage but couldn't find him. So they wanted me to speak in his place. But before I could get up on stage, someone passed me a joint, and I got really stoned myself, and all I remember from the final part of the dream is being enshrouded in a cloud of pot smoke—thinking: well, I guess I won't be speaking either.
Ah, the marvelous matrix of the subconscious mind.
Upon waking, I laughed at the absurdity of my mind, but the dream got me thinking about marijuana, meditation, Bill Wilson, and a few other things that are relevant to AYP and recovery.
In the vernacular of AA, the phrase marijuana maintenance is used to describe an attempt to be free of alcohol by smoking pot as a way of substitution. Without a doubt, marijuana is considerably less detrimental than alcohol, and there is a plethora of evidence to prove that statement. Even so, smoking or ingesting cannabis has plenty of pitfalls of its own, and I would not advise anyone to use the plant recreationally (in recovery or otherwise).
Don't get me wrong—I find the plant to be sacred and incredibly magical. Hemp is a terrific fiber with a cornucopia of uses beyond the psychedelic effects of its cured buds. Hemp can be used to make clothing, ropes, necklaces, bracelets, building material, insulation, paper, and so on. And the rise of medical marijuana has brought much pain relief to patients suffering from a variety of illnesses and injuries. In fact, when I lived in San Francisco, I worked for my cousin, who is a medical marijuana doctor, and I witnessed firsthand the benefits and success of prescribing pot for medicinal purposes.
I still enjoy the scent and aroma of a piece of smoldering cannabis. Much like the smudging of sage, there is a potency and ritualistic quality to its smoke. But again, I cannot, with good conscience, return to a habit of ingesting it myself, nor condone its recreational use by anyone else. Neither am I in favor of legal prohibition. I support legalization.
But I digress.
My real concern here is to clarify and capture the essence of our pursuit of transcendence. Though I haven't done much research on the science of cannabis, I'm willing to bet there are strong correlations between its entheogenic effects and the effects of Deep Meditation on the nervous system. In any case, when it comes to calmness and attentive relaxation, Deep Meditation is the winner for achieving long-term success. The functionality, depth, and breadth cannot be matched. I've only been practicing for five years, but it's been long enough to testify to the validity and strength of AYP.
Marijuana is a gift from the divine, but I've had to discover what that gift is truly for. Medicine...yes. Fiber...yes. Long-term transcendence...not so much.
Thank you, Mary Jane! And Bill Wilson...well, I'll see you when I see you. |
Edited by - Bodhi Tree on Oct 30 2015 12:49:59 AM |
|
|
|
SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2015 : 05:39:32 AM
|
A couple of years ago, after reading so much here on the forum about marijuana and meditation and never having done drugs in my life, I decided to give it a try. Being the law-abiding citizen that I am, I waited until a visit to Amsterdam to buy myself a brownie. Then, I sat for meditation. Nothing spectacular happened, except for sharper diamond lights than usual. Some three hours later - bedtime - and I could not close my eyes. There was this big dark whirlpool abyss trying to suck me in and swallow me up. I was close to a panic attack. I felt so sick. My friends had to stay up all night with me. And that was the end of my marijuana story. Never again.
Sey
|
Edited by - SeySorciere on Oct 30 2015 05:41:14 AM |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2015 : 07:45:06 AM
|
 Oh dear! Brownies on your first time...yes, that'll take you for a rough ride. Been there, done that. Glad you gave it a try and moved forward. As you now know, it's not the smoothest way to enter the void. Deep Meditation, SBP, and samyama are much better.
One time when I was in San Francisco, I went to a medical marijuana dispensary with my wife, who had a prescription to use it for an injury from ballet dancing. There was a bowl of chex mix on the glass counter, and I started munching on some handfuls. She bought what she needed and we left.
I dropped her off at our apartment and then had to drive to the courthouse for a hearing on a traffic ticket. On my way, I started feeling a pot buzz. I thought: Hm, how strange. Soon, it became undeniable. I was stoned! The chex mix had been soaked in pot butter, unbeknownst to me. So, I had no choice but to continue to the courthouse and go before the judge completely blazed. I had prepared a rebuttal speech to disagree with the ticket, but I could barely speak, and just meekly accepted the traffic school option.
Mother Nature sure has some radical creations, some of which demand respect and great care (i.e. don't eat me leisurely; use me for other purposes).
Thank you for sharing, Sey. |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2015 : 5:34:53 PM
|
Blog #44: The Cosmic Game
http://ayprecovery.org/blog-44-the-cosmic-game/
I've written about tennis before. I enjoy playing and watching the sport. I find myself wondering...why is it that I take such pleasure in smashing a fluorescent yellow, fuzzy ball across a court and then waiting for someone to smash it back to me?
Well, it's simple, actually. It's the motion, the dance, the form of the whole game that mesmerizes me. It's the impact of the racket strings on the ball, the shuffling of feet to get into position in time to make a return, the upward toss of a serve, followed by the pronation of the arm as the wrist rolls inward. It's the endorphin and adrenaline buzz that surges through the blood and whole body. It's the rhythm and harmony in the exchange between partners and opponents. It's the thrill of victory, and the comeback from defeat.
And there's the stillness within all those actions. Stillness in action, as we say in AYP. Or, being in the zone—as some sports enthusiasts have called it. It's the condition of moving with great peace and purpose, even amidst chaotic circumstances and adversity. This state of being and doing can be considered a paradox: a hybrid of polar opposites.
Another element of the game also comes to mind, and that is the attention and applause which comes from an interested audience. Without spectators, the sport is somehow incomplete. Not to say that every match or practice session needs to be watched from the outside. What I mean is that a worthy contest will attract a captivated crowd.
I can't think of a better gift than giving one's attention to another receptive person. When we give our attention to someone else, we are touching them with our awareness. And the content of our awareness is of utmost importance. What does our consciousness contain? It could be many qualities: warm love and admiration, cold discernment and observation, best wishes, affection, aversion, confusion, hatred, serenity, exuberance, and so many other seed-feelings and ideas.
When tennis players are watched by their fans, the players are affected by the incoming gaze. When the crowd is elated and chanting for the success of their chosen favorite, that emotionally infused awareness can elevate the competitors on court to a higher level. The crowd thrives off the competitors, and the competitors thrive off the crowd. It's symbiotic.
In non-competitive circumstances, the same is true. Whether it's a collaboration in art, or a joint effort in a community group, the stillness and energy exchanged will play a crucial role in the success of the venture. There is no doubt about it. It's simple and obvious.
Going back to the topic of rooting for particular players, one thing I've realized is that I don't like every single person the same as I like some of my favorite people. That's an honest statement. Nature makes us selective and preferential in order to diversify us and form cohesive groups. But nature also glues the separate groups together to achieve the overarching goal of unity. So, I may not like all people the same, but I have come to love them for who they are, which is beyond preference. I am rooting for their success, even if they're not my favorite. It's in my highest self-interest to do so. It's not some forced, altruistic contrivance. It's just a natural byproduct of seeing my self reflected in everything and everyone.
Even the most fierce competitors can shake hands and be friends after the game. It doesn't have to be a fight to the death. There is such a thing as healthy competition. It's just a matter of perceiving and acting from a place of self-awareness, which does not exclude anyone from the vast, cosmic game.
Thank you for reading. Unity. Strength. Wisdom. |
|
|
|
Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2015 : 07:25:51 AM
|
quote:
I can't think of a better gift than giving one's attention to another receptive person. When we give our attention to someone else, we are touching them with our awareness. And the content of our awareness is of utmost importance. What does our consciousness contain? It could be many qualities: warm love and admiration, cold discernment and observation, best wishes, affection, aversion, confusion, hatred, serenity, exuberance, and so many other seed-feelings and ideas.
|
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2015 : 11:58:13 PM
|
Blog #45: The Five Senses — Taste
http://ayprecovery.org/blog-45-the-...enses-taste/
I feel compelled to write a series of entries on the five senses. I will begin with taste.
All five senses have an apparatus through which external sensory data is received. For taste, it is the tongue. Without the fleshy muscle inside the mouth, there is no taste. The tongue can also play an important role in spiritual development, as I have found out through experimentation and study of AYP, but more on that later.
It has been said that some gifts in life may not be fully appreciated until they are lost. When we possess something for an extended period of time, we can take it for granted. But when it slips away, there can be a rude awakening, followed by a grieving for what has disappeared. Why do I bring up this observation when the topic of this blog is taste? Let me explain.
It was 2007. I was still drinking and using drugs (pre-AYP and kundalini surge). One night I had ingested quite the cocktail: alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax. Late into the evening, after I had passed the point of blackout (drug-induced amnesia), I perched myself on the rail of a balcony. My balance did not hold long, and I tumbled backward into a somersault, with my head being the first part of my body to make contact with the concrete pavement two stories below. Crack!—a concussion and small fracture ensued on the back of my skull. Again, I do not remember any of this trauma due to my blackout status, but what I do remember is waking up in a bed with a man standing beside me.
"Am I in jail?" I asked the man. "No, you're in the hospital," he replied. He was a nurse, and he offered me some food and water. I thanked him and slowly chewed on what he had given me. But I immediately noticed something wrong. I couldn't taste any of the food, nor smell it—not a single flavorful hint or aroma from the morsels. Blank, void of olfactory distinction, absent of palatable uniqueness. I quickly relayed my predicament to him, and he informed me that my concussion had most likely caused damage or disconnection in the nerves and tissue. Later, a neurologist in the hospital said my taste and smell might never return.
But several weeks after the injury, I got a glimmer of hope. As I was walking past a group of women on the campus of Florida State University, I suddenly detected the scent of heavy perfume. Voilà! The perception of the fragrance only lasted a fleeting second, but it was enough of a preview to confirm that some healing and sensory resurrection were occurring. In the following weeks, months, and years, my taste and smell would become reacquainted with external stimuli and establish new neural pathways of memory and discernment.
Not all tastes returned in the same manner. I became more sensitive to artificial ingredients, like high fructose corn syrup. Whereas I had enjoyed drinking Coca Cola pre-injury, when I recovered, I did not relish in the synthetic tang of soda. It was like my receptors were starting from scratch, having been stripped of their acquired likings. I suppose it was a kind of blessing in disguise.
My love for fruit really came back with great zest: oranges, tangerines, clementines, mandarins, bananas, blueberries, açaí, strawberries, watermelons, mangoes, kiwis, starfruit, and so on. And there was no lack of enthusiasm for herbs: cilantro, basil, mint, thyme, oregano, parsley, bay leaves, fennel, rosemary, and so forth. I even gained a new appreciation for particularly rustic vegetables, like brussel sprouts, and I'm still discovering and learning.
Our sense of taste has a broad range, and that scope goes well beyond the mere act of eating food. There are deeper cultural implications that are linked to taste. Taste crosses socioeconomic boundaries, and spiritual ones as well. I've had the pleasure of dining at some of the finest restaurants in the world: Maxim's in Paris, The French Laundry in Napa Valley, Tavern on the Green in New York City, and Bern's Steak House in my hometown of Tampa. I've also been on the other end of the spectrum and eaten meals with my father in a trailer park, where after cooking fried chicken and sharing it with a fellow carpenter, my dad then asked his rugged friend how he liked the dinner, to which his friend smugly and nonchalantly replied: "Eh, it'll make a turd."
So, taste touches lavishness and vulgarity.
When I finally stumbled upon AYP, my gradual investigation into kechari mudra opened up a new realm of taste...that of inner taste. Allowing my tongue to explore the soft palate and nasal passages brought about further stimulation of ecstasy, as well as an increase in the internal flow of my body's own sweetness: an inner elixir produced by the sublimation and mixture of sexual essences, digestion, and respiration.
At last, I had found a cocktail far superior than the atrocious one which had catalyzed my head injury and robbed me of the divine gift of taste. I had turned my sense of taste inward (pratyahara), thereby revealing a potent reservoir and organic sanctuary of bliss...hidden right under my nose the whole time (pun intended).
Thanks for reading about my shenanigans and revelations.
Taste the rainbow. |
|
|
|
mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2015 : 08:27:08 AM
|
| I'm glad you got your taste back man! |
|
|
|
Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2015 : 6:12:36 PM
|
| Thanks for the chuckles! |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2015 : 10:17:41 PM
|
Me too, Mr. Anderson!
Cheers, Dogboy! |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2015 : 10:29:16 PM
|
Blog #46: The Five Senses — Smell
http://ayprecovery.org/blog-46-the-...enses-smell/
When I was a young boy, I liked the smell of gasoline. My family would drive to a gas station, and I would enjoy watching the air change, as the vapor of petroleum permeated the atmosphere with its thick, hazy ribbons of distilled crude oil. Perhaps it was a liking that I acquired through early exposure to combustion, rather than a "natural" attraction I was born with. I'm not sure. But I do remember the sensation vividly, and that memory has somehow tied itself into recovery and transcendence.
It's been said that smell is very much linked to memory, even more so than the other four senses. In the same way a hound dog can trace a scent across a long distance, so can the human mind be triggered into recalling a distant memory based on a particular smell. Maybe decades will pass after the occurrence of a certain event, but with the right kind of stimuli, it can be remembered as if it were yesterday.
My good friend recently gifted me a small vial of distilled Hawaiian sandalwood. The fragrance brought back memories of my time in San Francisco, when I lived next door to an incense maker. I would walk into his tiny shop and be overwhelmed by the potency of his concoctions. The room was curtained, smoky, dark, mysterious...just like him. When I would re-emerge into the courtyard, it was like coming back from another dimension. After I had spent a considerable amount of time around him and gained his trust, he told me that the shop was more than a storefront—it was a temple. He conducted rituals and supposedly acted as a spiritual medium to higher dimensions during the dark of night. There were hints of inviting me, but I moved back to Tampa before I had a chance to partake.
Recently, I learned that he tragically died in a house fire. The metaphorical and ceremonial style of his spiritual approach was very much on the edge...playing with flames, as it were. His death is a somber reminder for me to stay on guard with my own tendencies towards venturing into volatile places. In AYP, the art of self-pacing is very important. Knowing when to accelerate, knowing when to back off, and firmly balancing on the proverbial edge of the razor. Not that the path has to be dangerous, but that it requires vigilance and caution when confronting the elements, inside and out.
Walt Whitman wrote: "Houses and rooms are full of perfumes. The shelves are crowded with perfumes. I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it. The distillation would intoxicate me also, but I shall not let it. The atmosphere is not a perfume; it has no taste of the distillation. It is odorless. It is for my mouth forever. I am in love with it."
There is a falling in love with the purity of untainted air. There is a wisdom to being wary of artificial alchemy that might intoxicate oneself into a delirious stupor. There is a call for cleanliness and natural consciousness.
In my pre-sobriety days, I smoked DMT only one time, and I distinctly remember how odd and unpleasant the smell of the chemical powder was. It was strange. There I was, exhaling a big toke from the bong, with my neighbor (a chemist who had synthesized the product himself) taking the pipe from my hand because I was unable to set it down due to the instant and ridiculously intense wave of inebriation that hit me like a lightning bolt. Unlike Whitman, I had let myself get intoxicated by "the distillation". And I zoomed off into what seemed to be a celestial realm, full of light, beauty, and sentient beings.
Was the place artificial, like the smell of burnt DMT? Or was it real and organic, like the hazy, mountain mist of the Appalachians...like the warm breeze on a beach along the Gulf of Mexico...like the saturated air of a redwood forest in northern California?
I wish I could speak definitively on the matter, but like the aforementioned hound dog scampering along a winding and mysterious trail, I am still sniffing for answers and clues. But this time, the hints being dropped are much more promising, because they're coming from a trailblazer who's gone farther than I can possibly imagine or ascertain.
Day by day, my nose grows more acutely aware of where to find the elusive dream I've been seeking.
Onward. |
|
|
|
Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 07:13:56 AM
|
And onward you go!
|
|
|
|
BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 07:57:17 AM
|
| I used to like the smell of the petroleum-based product they used to clean the parquet with at our place when I was a child. I think it was because I felt instinctively that it was inebriating. Do you think that's the reason why you liked the gasoline smell? |
|
|
|
Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 10:22:56 AM
|
And onward WE go, Charlie-D!
quote:
Originally posted by BlueRaincoat
I used to like the smell of the petroleum-based product they used to clean the parquet with at our place when I was a child. I think it was because I felt instinctively that it was inebriating. Do you think that's the reason why you liked the gasoline smell?
Very perceptive, BlueRC. It's funny, I thought of including that correlation, but restrained myself for some reason, so I'm glad you chimed in. Yes, I think even as children we are drawn to triggers that alter our consciousness, both artificial and natural. Did you ever like hanging upside down with your head pointed to the ground and the sky below you, so you could see the world inverted? Or how about spinning around in circles to induce a buzz of dizziness?
Isn't it all bhakti?...looking for a way in... |
|
|
|
BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1734 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2015 : 10:43:42 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Bodhi Tree
Did you ever like hanging upside down with your head pointed to the ground and the sky below you, so you could see the world inverted? Or how about spinning around in circles to induce a buzz of dizziness
Yes, I remember spinning around in circles and exploring the dizziness. Not sure about the hanging upside down, but I remember doing shoulder stands on the sofa (I wasn't imitating anyone I'd seen, just spontaneously getting into that position and holding it because I enjoyed it). Maybe we're all born yogis, if it were encouraged culturally we'd all grow up as yogis?! |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
AYP for Recovery
