Psychedelic Trips

I have never done drugs. Have no intention whatsoever to do them ever. Illegal, known to cause death in cases of overdosing (given the lethal fact that it is almost always self-administered), what is it that that attracts the users to recreational substance abuse?

My first job assignment was with an advertising agency thus I chanced upon the occasion to informally interview a few who had at sometime experienced the psychedelic world of drug (ab)use?

They told me of Good Trips and Bad Trips..Good trips where they experienced heightened sense of creativity and energy – a state where creative ideas literally came to them..and bad trips in which they almost lived hell.

Over the years have read many articles on Aghoris and other neo Sadhaks using these as a shortcut to touch different ‘planes’, and filmmakers claiming that a few movie scripts were revealed to them during a ‘trip’.

My reading and internet research (besides a few casual interviews) has left me intrigued.

In essence a psychedelic episode is a unique heightened state of being (analogy:  mystical experience, ecstasy?).  Some who undertake psychedelic experiences come to see them as an ordeal – in which case the result is often known as a "bad trip" or psychedelic crisis, closely linked to the psychological turmoil and hysteria.

The ‘Good Trips’ are the ones that The Beatles sang about in “Lucy in the sky with Diamonds”

A Bad Trip can be exacerbated by the inexperience or irresponsibility of the user or the lack of proper preparation and environment for the trip, and are reflective of unresolved psychological tensions triggered during the course of the experience. You can end up in a situation where you’re weakening the resistances, your conscious is becoming more aware, but you’re not really in touch with it properly, you’re not really fully experiencing what’s there, not seeing it for what it is. You get kind of deluded and caught into this

Reportedly there is a common theme of "connectedness" or "unboundedness" which seems unique to many transcendent states of mind, and no less by the state of psychedelia – ranging from a sense of connectedness to everything in the immediate vicinity, to a sense of oneness with everything in the universe. Is this rather near to what individuals meditating in Ashrams sensed when they experienced brief realms of ‘self-realization’? Refer “Eat Pray Love”- Elizabeth Gilbert.

First, sensory perceptions become especially brilliant and intense. Normally unnoticed aspects of the environment capture the attention; ordinary objects are seen as if for the first time and acquire new depths of significance. Visual responses are greatly heightened: colors seem more intense, textures richer, contours sharpened, music more emotionally profound, the spatial arrangements of objects more meaningful. People may feel keener awareness of their bodies or sense changes in the appearance and feeling of body parts. Inanimate objects take on expressions, and synesthesia (hearing colors, seeing sounds, etc.) is common. Time may seem to slow down enormously as more and more passing events claim the attention, or it may stop entirely, giving place to an eternal present. When the eyes are closed, fantastically vivid images appear: first geometrical forms and then landscapes, buildings, animate beings, and symbolic objects.

As a certain someone relates – “Me and a friend pranced through fields of dandelions forever and we spent hours convinced we could walk on water, and that perhaps we were a reincarnation of God.”

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green,
Towering over your head.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes,
And she's gone.

Why do we enter relationships?

The unbounded end all of relationships

"Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere" - One great Fakir of his time

As a general area of interest this question very often whirrs in my mind. Unintentionally, abstractly so many a times- What is the end objective of a relationship

Over the many years that I have lived I have experienced multitude of relationships, some that were meant to be, and many that I chose to have. Relationship with my father, mother, sisters, friends, bosses, subordinates and so on and so forth.

My many years of pondering, observing and reading has led to the below inferences

1)      We always seek out: I had read long time back that the book chooses you and not the other way round. In the same way we attract the right person at the right time to have a relationship for that season, reason or a lifetime. Several hypothesis and theories even claim that even before birth in our spiritual form we choose the wombs to settle out our karmic debts. So at any given point in time we are always with the right people or the right set of people. There are no ‘wrong’ relationships, we always attract what we should.

2)      We are constantly gathering wisdom: Even with the toughest and most unreasonable bosses or teachers or anyone in a hierarchical position I have always learnt. Learnt to become more patient, to stretch myself. If nothing else at times I have garnered the ability to tolerate fools and yes to able to point out the next fool instantly when I spot one. Each one has contributed to my mental wisdom to have a sojourn in passing easy quick judgments and jump to conclusions

3)      People change over time : My ability of abstract observation even in the most trying situations has led me to perceive that devils change to angels as time passes and angels change to devils and then angels again. The same lover who tortured you years ago, becomes your savior in next few years. The same uncle who always said the right things at right times turns into an abusive freak. With uninvolved observation you subtly gather that humans are perfectly playing their assigned roles and behaviors. Going ahead we can even completely forgive the ones who tortured our souls at ‘that’ time after all they were just playing out what was meant to be.

4)      The ability to influence: Unknowingly so I have affected many lives and many have affected mine- even the so called evil ones. Not everyone have the gift of accurate communication and expression to pass this knowledge to me. But I can just see that. I feel gifted and thank my creator to bless me with the ability to enrich others. All this only through the medium of relationships.

Finally I conclude with

There is power in learning to love someone unconditionally. It enables the lover to develop and grow emotionally. It removes blockages from one's own heart, enabling it to wander, explore, discover and become inspired. As the lover loves unconditionally, they become able to move past instilled beliefs, traditional concepts, and influenced behaviors.

Ultimately, unconditional love is about relinquishing control and discarding any expectations. Simply accept love, give love and be surprised by where the force may lead you (both!). It's probably to a far greater place than you could ever have imagined

No relationship is futile..Feel Liberated today..