Great article and I knew there was a reason why I was drawn to your YouTube channel. I've been exploring awakening but only via meditation. I'm extremely interested in psychedelics, but cannot consider it due to working as a fed gov't contractor, so it will have to wait until I switch out of that type of job, retire, or the gov't decides to allow such drug use for contractors. Many people I know had "glimpses" or "openings" with psychedelics, which helped them to see that there was more to reality, and this got them started on paths within various contemplative practices. At the the same time, from what I've heard it is very rare to have a full "awakening" via psychedelics, it's just a tool to make you more open to one.
By the way, I don't know if you've heard of Brittney Hartley, but she has a great book called No Nonsense spirituality where she relates her upbrining and disillusionment with the mormon religion, going to the fully opposite end as an atheist nihilist, and then reorienting to come to a more balanced place. She's a rationalist but says there is a lot about religion and spirituality that can serve as tools for society in very positive ways (ritual, community, etc.), we just need to filter out the not useful parts (misogyny, tribalism, dogmatism, etc.). I haven't finished her book so I don't know how much she gets into psychedelics, if at all, but I think this would be an area that she would favor as one such useful tool.
Another book recommendation that seems to go with some of the things you talk about in your article (in particular embodiment) is Radical Wholeness by Philip Shepherd - all about how we've become very head-based in modern western society and how we can try to get back to being fully embodied. A great read (or audio book)!
Anyway, thanks again, and I can't wait for Part 2!
Wow. What an article. Thank you, David. I feel so excited for your future as this new you. Thank you for spreading the message of psychedelic awakening.
I've long wanted to hear about your experiences with psychedelics, as you've hinted about them here and there in videos, and I'm very glad to hear that you've had some relief and therapeutic effects from them. I've personally received a lot of benefit from them and in fact partially realized that AI is going to be what it is and stopped putting up mental blocks out of fear that prevented me from understanding the significance of it for humanity during a psychedelic experience so the two subjects are intimately related for me.
Great article and I knew there was a reason why I was drawn to your YouTube channel. I've been exploring awakening but only via meditation. I'm extremely interested in psychedelics, but cannot consider it due to working as a fed gov't contractor, so it will have to wait until I switch out of that type of job, retire, or the gov't decides to allow such drug use for contractors. Many people I know had "glimpses" or "openings" with psychedelics, which helped them to see that there was more to reality, and this got them started on paths within various contemplative practices. At the the same time, from what I've heard it is very rare to have a full "awakening" via psychedelics, it's just a tool to make you more open to one.
By the way, I don't know if you've heard of Brittney Hartley, but she has a great book called No Nonsense spirituality where she relates her upbrining and disillusionment with the mormon religion, going to the fully opposite end as an atheist nihilist, and then reorienting to come to a more balanced place. She's a rationalist but says there is a lot about religion and spirituality that can serve as tools for society in very positive ways (ritual, community, etc.), we just need to filter out the not useful parts (misogyny, tribalism, dogmatism, etc.). I haven't finished her book so I don't know how much she gets into psychedelics, if at all, but I think this would be an area that she would favor as one such useful tool.
Another book recommendation that seems to go with some of the things you talk about in your article (in particular embodiment) is Radical Wholeness by Philip Shepherd - all about how we've become very head-based in modern western society and how we can try to get back to being fully embodied. A great read (or audio book)!
Anyway, thanks again, and I can't wait for Part 2!
Wow. What an article. Thank you, David. I feel so excited for your future as this new you. Thank you for spreading the message of psychedelic awakening.
Thank YOU! Let's make it happen
I've long wanted to hear about your experiences with psychedelics, as you've hinted about them here and there in videos, and I'm very glad to hear that you've had some relief and therapeutic effects from them. I've personally received a lot of benefit from them and in fact partially realized that AI is going to be what it is and stopped putting up mental blocks out of fear that prevented me from understanding the significance of it for humanity during a psychedelic experience so the two subjects are intimately related for me.