518 sats \ 11 replies \ @artdesignbySF 7 Oct 2023 \ on: Did you ever have a NDE or epiphany? I did. And is terrifying meta
Idk man.. That is far out.
Have you ever experienced a ketamine hole? I'm interested to learn how they compare to your NDE's. If not, you might find it interesting. Try not to freak out though. I've a feeling its very similar to NDE's, but I'm not sure. Should you try it, be careful. It can be psychologically addictive.
When it comes to thoughts about what reality really is about, the conclusion I reach is I cannot know for sure. Your experiences may be induced in some way, not per se by a drug, but maybe by an energetic particle, hitting your brain the right way. You know, as in a cosmic ray? A small aneurysm could maybe do it. I'm not claiming it was any of those things, but they are possibilities.
The question is, what is probable. Some external para-normal thing or your pattern seeking mind trying to find reasons.
Of course, there is the realization that by naming things in an attempt to describe and make sense of the world around us, we create the illusion that we are separate from it. I think Alan Watts said it nicely when he mentioned the human body, and the well of consiousness it holds, is more akin to a whirlpool/vortex in a river, than a disconnected thing from the stream of existence.
I think it is a blessing instead of a curse that we are doomed to search for answers to unanswerable questions.
For a man convinced he holds the absolute certain truth, might do the most horrific things in name of what he perceives to be that truth, without blinking an eye. We must beware the banality of evil.
Therefore, I think the only certainty in life is uncertainty, and that this interesting paradox, is the most stable foundation on which to reason and conduct oneself.
I'm interested to learn your thoughts on my response @DarthCoin.
Your story is certainly very intersting.
we create the illusion that we are separate from it
I think it's the other way around. We identify with being part of nature and we feel the fear that comes from final and certain death. Our real identity is spiritual and spirits do not fear death.
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ketamine hole?
I have no idea what is that. I never smoke or took drugs in my life. I am not attracted in any way to that.
I just drink beer :)
the only certainty in life is uncertainty, and that this interesting paradox
interesting thought
idk man, this experience for me is really strange, not because what I saw/felt but because I have no explanation, why me, a nobody.
I like to find answers, all my life I was always asking questions, but with this... I can't find any.
I read/listen some of Allan Watts words and are really good.
Maybe I should consider it a vivid dream, but that gypsy woman was fucking real, I felt her hand over mine and I will never forget it.
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I wholeheartedly recommend the work of Stanislav Grof at this particular juncture.
Particularly the sections recalling the sessions and their aftermath in his book LSD Psychotherapy - its one of those books man... I'm tellin ya. Relevant.
Other of his books are also relevant - he has a number on the mystery of death, such as The Ultimate Journey: Consciousness and the Mystery of Death.
Worthwhile.
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yeah that one is alright, though the testimonials in LSD Psychotherapy I found to pack a greater punch than even that later collection/curation...
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Idk what you think alcohol is, but I think that is def. a drug, no?
Ketamine, yeah. Interesting substance. Will desolve your ego. The more you take, the weirder it gets. It is hard to put into words what the experience is like. And your mileage may vary anyway, so I won't try and dive deeply into that right now. Suffice it to say, it can result in various degrees of dissociation that result in interesting psychedelic experiences.
They need not be pleasant, but they can be. Ranging from feeling the terror of absolute, eternal loneliness to an overwhelming joy of unity. Suffice it to say, those experiences are weird AF.
There is def. some overlap with NDE's and other psychedelic states of mind I think. And, in the depths of such experiences, I for one, can feel convinced it is real. It is a cosmic horror and comedy -and everything in between- all at once.
I have always been searching for answers. How and why do things happen and work the way they do? I've pondered existence and nothingness.
Besides coming up with interesting speculations about the nature of such concepts, I am happy to content with eternal uncertainty. I would rather be forever doubtful and questioning, than find myself absolutely convinced of some "truth." I believe people in general would be a lot happier if they were to accept the fact that there are things we cannot know. Uncertainty at first looks like anxiety come concrete, but in my experience it is sooner a guardian angel than a curse. To me it seems that knowing with aboslute certainty what it (existence, life, the universe and everything) is exactly all about, might be the perfect description of hell.
You may appreciate this poem I once wrote:
"I've seen where the one mad God lives
Far from here, yet just a heirs breadth away
I saw Him whisper into his own ear
'The world is not made,' He said
'It is MAD'
Bit of a weird fellow..."
Anyhow.. I think the best we can mannage is try and make the world a better place for each and everyone of us, through voluntary and non-agressive action. And I do think most people are doing their best.
Its fun to speculate, and good to think about the weirdness of it all. Normal is the most absurd word if you ask me. But I do think its probably okay to be very wary of folks who think the are certain of stuff. I'm not saying that you are claiming to be certain of whatever it is that is going on. These are just my rambling thoughts.
Yeah, bit of ramble, but those are my two sats on the matter :)
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That reminds me, I should set my standard zap amount to 42.
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Agreed.
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Proposal for a Radical Revision of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Psychotherapy - Stanislav Grof
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