3 Things That Ayahuasca Taught Me About Clickbait Titles
I’m floating through space in what I mistakenly thought was my friend’s living room, but was in actual fact an alien spacecraft. The final stop in the dip of the emotional rollercoaster was the void of creation. The deepest, darkest place of nowhere spewing out the most magnificently complex things, each with a different texture, emotion and personality and each scarier, life affirming and as confusing as the last.
You feel like you’re on the precipice of ‘death by astonishment’, because the fragile little ego cannot fathom the depth of the collective unconscious and beyond. Touching this level of madness is a dangerous game and requires some heavy integration afterwards. It is the reason that some kabbalists, yogis and indeed psychonauts go completely off the reservation, fall into madness, psychosis and worse. To be at the feet of god begging for mercy and rejoicing in its awe simultaneously, to be punished by the devil in the icy depths of hell, and to see the incomprehensible process of how the sausage is made is a swift reminder that one cannot figure this out alone, nor can it be done in a lifetime. It is as infinitely complex as it is spanning the length of history.
Before tripping, we do not know if we are going into battle, participating in a cosmic gameshow, or entering the boudoir of the sacred feminine herself. Preparation always seems futile in the experience, as the entire world, life and material experience dissolves. Yet, in keeping a healthy body, mind and practising soulful activities we give ourselves the best possible setting in which to navigate this experience.
As above, so below
This entire universe is contained within each cell of our being. As without, so within. As Above, so below. We have an opportunity to train in strength and resilience, both in body and mind. To adapt our hedonistic desires and retain our psychic energy for an opportunity. An opportunity to increase awareness, deepen the experience of love and bridge the gap between the internal world and external.
This may seem optimistic, but it is balanced with a healthy dose of cynicism when we bear witness to the darker forces, both internally and externally. Optimism is the sword of light to be carried through the dark fields of truth. Frightening creatures can lurch out of the dark at any moment ready to challenge us. We have no idea which way we are walking and often wonder about the other possible routes, yet both determinism and free will fall away when we live in the moment, when we grapple with these creatures, or when the sun illuminates these dark pastures.
Usually my trips provide some sort of insights about life and meaning like a an Easter egg from god, but as I sat around the camp fire on the edge of the universe trading with alien entities, acting as a representative of the human species, it occurred to me how important the human race and the material world is, however underdeveloped we are as a species, whether or not we are an alien experiment, whether or not we are alone in the cosmos, our curiosity for learning and understanding is the driving force behind this machine. We often lose ourselves in an omniscient pursuit of seeking to hold concepts like water sieving through our fingers, so we use language and art to tell others about the water to inspire them to go and visit the water.
I am not advocating the use of these substances willy nilly, but they can open up a clearer and more soulful understanding of what we are and where we are headed guided by truth. It is simple for nihilists to say that everything is meaningless and for hopefuls to ascribe meaning to everything, but to taste the non-dual nature of both makes for a very rich experience.
The more attention you pay, the deeper the experience you will have. Things that could once make you smile can make you cry with joy when you see how intertwined it is with the All.
Jungle is Massive.
(The title bears no reflection on these ramblings:))
