Entheogens and Entactogens

By Nicholas Novak - October 20, 2009 

 

Below is an excerpt from Aldous Huxley's Doors Of Perception; Aldous is the author of greats such as Brave New World, The Doors Of Perception, and Heaven and Hell.

"We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain. By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies--all these are private and, except through symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool information about experiences, but never the experiences themselves. From family to nation, every human group is a society of island universes. Most island universes are sufficiently like one another to Permit of inferential understanding or even of mutual empathy or "feeling into." Thus, remembering our own bereavements and humiliations, we can condole with others in analogous circumstances, can put ourselves (always, of course, in a slightly Pickwickian sense) in their places. But in certain cases communication between universes is incomplete or even nonexistent. The mind is its own place, and the Places inhabited by the insane and the exceptionally gifted are so different from the places where ordinary men and women live, that there is little or no common ground of memory to serve as a basis for understanding or fellow feeling. Words are uttered, but fail to enlighten. The things and events to which the symbols refer belong to mutually exclusive realms of experience."

This, like most bona fide actualities in life, is actually a paradox; what you read above being only one part of it. The other half of this most eye-opening and bare truth of what Huxley writes is below:

"Reflecting on my experience, I find myself agreeing with the eminent Cambridge philosopher, Dr. C. D. Broad, that we should do well to consider much more seriously than we have hitherto been inclined to do the type of theory which Bergson put forward in connection with memory and sense perception. The suggestion is that the function of the brain and nervous system and sense organs is in the main eliminative and not productive. Each person is at each moment capable of remembering all that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe. The function of the brain and nervous system is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevant knowledge, by shutting out most of what we should otherwise perceive or remember at any moment, and leaving only that very small and special selection which is likely to be practically useful. According to such a theory, each one of us is potentially Mind at Large. But in so far as we are animals, our business is at all costs to survive. To make biological survival possible, Mind at Large has to be funneled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system. What comes out at the other end is a measly trickle of the kind of consciousness which will help us to stay alive on the surface of this Particular planet. To formulate and express the contents of this reduced awareness, man has invented and endlessly elaborated those symbol-systems and implicit philosophies which we call languages. Every individual is at once the beneficiary and the victim of the linguistic tradition into which he has been born--the beneficiary inasmuch as language gives access to the accumulated records of other people's experience, the victim in so far as it confirms him in the belief that reduced awareness is the only awareness and as it bedevils his sense of reality, so that he is all too apt to take his concepts for data, his words for actual things. That which, in the language of religion, is called "this world" is the universe of reduced awareness, expressed, and, as it were, petrified by language. The various "other worlds," with which human beings erratically make contact are so many elements in the totality of the awareness belonging to Mind at Large. Most people, most of the time, know only what comes through the reducing valve and is consecrated as genuinely real by the local language. Certain persons, however, seem to be born with a kind of by-pass that circumvents the reducing valve. In others temporary by-passes may be acquired either spontaneously, or as the result of deliberate "spiritual exercises," or through hypnosis, or by means of drugs. Through these permanent or temporary by-passes there flows, not indeed the perception "of everything that is happening everywhere in the universe" (for the by-pass does not abolish the reducing valve, which still excludes the total content of Mind at Large), but something more than, and above ah something different from, the carefully selected utilitarian material which our narrowed, individual minds regard as a complete, or at least sufficient, picture of reality."

So, in theory, each one of us lives in complete solitude; this can only manifest to a more universal understanding by finding the "god" and "touch" within ourselves. God is not literally referring to a god in the sense of a leader or religious symbol, but rather an infinite power of love, creation, ecstasy and existence binding nature together. This is an infinite basis for a range of more meaningful and less mundane existence in each and everyone of us; ranging from simply enjoying life more to finding alien realms of existence.

Us all living in our own "reality" also connotes the existential fact that there is no "normal", there is no right and wrong way of seeing things and understanding life, and there is no correct reality. Sure, thousands of people may see things almost exactly the same, but that doesn't mean there way is the correct way. A schizophrenic, obsessive, color-blind, hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, etcetera are just as accurate view of reality. I find even more support and evidence for this hypothesis as I learn and study the science of senses, such as: light, sound, vision, and language. Further more, even if you were to believe that there is only one right way of perceiving, there is still no way to conclude which is accurate. Sure, there are positive and negative aspects to each but that doesn't connote accuracy. The only way to gain full knowledge and peace with whatever reality you inhabit and all the realities that inhabit your mind, you must accept and be at one with each possible realm of existence.

But, in the human condition, change is hard and extreme change and acceptance of foreign reality in some people is impossible. For many people, connecting with and accepting others even in their current comfortable atmosphere is just as futile. There is evidence to support that the reason for evolution from primate ape and man to the more intelligent Homo sapiens and the halt of moving even further is from the use and then stopping of psilocybin and psilocin mushrooms. So we are faced with a palpable question: How can close-minded people, or people who don't seem to have the necessary capacity to find the keys, open these doors of perception?

Earlier we talked about the god and touch within, which definitely seems like a logical way of describing these frequently hidden realms. There are many ways of achieving these miraculous spectrums of consciousness. Some lying so obviously right in the foundation of our own body and the nature that surrounds us: entheogens and entactogens.

 

Entheogens

The word entheogen comes from the Greek words entheos and gen. Entheos literally means "god (theos) within". And gen from the Greek root- gen, which denotes the act of becoming. So entheogen literally means becoming the god within. They create extreme enlightenment, beauty, timelessness, out of body experience, becoming the mind at large, and pure existence- the effects can range from those stated to telepathy to time travel to the creating of the universe first hand or in a godhead. It can't be put into words.

So what is an entheogen? Well, an entheogen is really any substance that has spiritual properties, such as:

· DMT
· LSD
· Ergot
· Peyote
· Psilocybin
· Psilocin
· LSA
· 5-MeO-DMT
· Bufotenine
· Salvia Divinorum
· Ibogaine
· Ibotenic acid
· Muscimol

You have probably heard of some of these substances, and there are many, many, many more that are not listed. All of these substances come from nature, many of them without any human interaction at all. Psychedelic mushrooms are referred to as flesh of the gods. In fact, DMT is produced inside of all our bodies, human, animal, and plant; and we have all have used it before. The health risks from most entheogenic substances are extremely low.

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the arguably most powerful of all entheogens. It is produced by many places in our bodies, most notably the pineal gland. Rene Descartes proposed that the pineal gland is the seat of the soul. Now, hundreds of year's later, scientific evidence shows that he may very well be right. Dr. Rick Strassman, author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule obviously refers to DMT as The Spirit Molecule.

Forty-nine days after conception the pineal gland appears in the human fetus, the same day that gender is distinguishable. In The Tibetan Book of The Dead, it states that forty-nine days after death the human spirit enters a new body. While this could simply be coincidence, dimethyltryptamine experiences are extremely similar to Buddhist beliefs. We are also certain that a rush of dimethyltryptamine is released in the fetus on the forty-ninth day, during birth, mystical experiences, alien abduction experiences, near-death experiences, and death. We also have evidence to believe that DMT might alter brain function in a quantum computing like matter in order to see and perceive alternate universes and also dark matter universes.

What else have entheogens done for us? Well, Francis Crick figured out the double-helix structure of DNA because of his LSD experiences, artist Alex Grey has stated that his art is inspired from his LSD and DMT experiences, Steve Jobs said his LSD trips were "one of the two or three most important things he has done in his life" and helped create Mac, Douglas Englebart, the inventor of the mouse, Myron Stolaroff, a former Ampex engineer and LSD researcher used LSD as inspiration for their works and inventions. Ken Kesey took Peyote, which led him to making One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. There is also evidence that connotes a possibility that entheogens are responsible for creating language, religion, and parts of human evolution. On top of that entheogens show significant promise in psychotherapy, and in curing OCD, migraine and cluster headaches, drug and alcohol addictions, and to help terminally ill come to peace and acceptance with their life and death.

 

Entactogens

Entactogen's effects are similar to low doses of entheogen's effects. The word entactogen means "the touch within". They are also referred to as empathogens because they help you identify with other's feelings. Entactogen's effects promote bonding between people, a stimulant effect, a sense of love and peace with the universe and all people, outstanding psychotherapeutic effects, happiness, and a sense of seeing the universe and all senses as they really are. One psychiatrist called it penicillin for the soul. The most common entactogen is MDMA, or ecstasy, but there are many more, such as:

· MDA
· 2C-B
· 2C-I
· Ariadne (α-Et-DOM)

There are many, but there is debate over what is considered an entactogen, an entheogen, and an amphetamine type stimulant since they are all so closely related. I feel that amphetamines should be considered an entactogen as well, because any drug's effects are greatly influenced by what the user expects to happen. For instance, in a study many people were given adrenaline. Some were told it was a stimulant and some were told it was a sedative. Those who thought it was a stimulant had stimulant like effects and those who though it was a sedative had sedative like effects. Adrenaline, if you don't know, is what is released in the human body during fight-or-flight response and is what amphetamines tells the brain through neurotransmitters to mimic. I felt amphetamine has entactogen-like effects, before even knowing that they were closely related; imagine what someone knowingly ingesting amphetamine as an entactogen might feel.

Why are many entheogens and entactogens illegal if they have many benefits and miniscule possible harm? Well, the short answer is for no reason. But that doesn't completely satisfy the full extent of the reasoning. First off, entheogens are less potentially harmful than entactogens and many of both are still legal. But, if entheogens are used improperly than they can become harmful. If entheogens are used properly and with the correct knowledge and precaution, that's different; than the chance of harm is so extremely small- probably less than caffeine. Many entheogens/entactogens were made illegal in the sixties and seventies by a corrupt government and some greedy doctors who wanted to stop media attention, save their reputations, and close people's mind from seeing things differently. One day they went from having little or no harm on the drug scheduling list to Schedule I, where the most dangerous drugs go, despite doctors and psychiatrists pleading them not to.

But, today there are still other ways of opening the doors of perception. There is yoga, meditation, lucid dreaming, astral projection and remote viewing. These may also work by releasing endogenous entheogens in our bodies or by reaching similar states of enlightenment. Also, many religions/tribes still use entheogens such as DMT and Peyote and many more. And DMT is even legal in the USA if it is for religious/spiritual reasons, if you get a court order. You can also buy illegal and legal entheogens in the form of legal plants, or find them growing in your own backyard. Some people are trying to ban the legal entheogens, while others are trying to legalize more.

I encourage you to think deeply upon your life, your perception, and your beliefs on all of these subject matters and start living your life and existing how you think is the best. Simply put- "Be the change you wish to see in the world."