All,

It is not that awareness altering drugs can never produce valuable insights, they can, but rather that such drugs are much more likely to become a part of the problem than a part of the solution as you work toward your goal of evolving the quality of your consciousness. Their upside is infinitesimal in comparison to their downside. What constitutes an upside often appears, because of its suddenness, more valuable than it really is.

Drugs do not constitute a shortcut. Drugs do constitute a trap by encouraging you to believe in a phantom upside that does not exist while reducing your ability to precisely control the focus of your awareness. Your consciousness is like a precisely and subtly tuned tool - a delicate instrument - drugs interact with that instrument like a sledgehammer - detuning and increasing entropy in exchange for a random big bang.

The probability that you will derive some lasting benefit from a psychotropic drug is inversely proportional to the number of times you use such drugs. There is no free lunch - you only get to keep what you earn. If you have done 95% of the work, the drug may bump you over that last 5% and offer you an "ahh-haaa!" moment. But if you have done only 60 % of the work the drug will only make it harder and take longer for you to accomplish the last 40%.

Expecting drugs to deliver or aid in consciousness evolution is a fool's dream. Primitive societies, who know how to use psychotropic drugs to that end, are trapped at a low level of understanding, functionality, and awareness. You might think that would be better than no understanding, no functionality, and no awareness, but that constitutes a false choice. The price of "easy" is very high. Such people have no idea what they have given up for what they get. Like forgoing a high school, college, and graduate school education so one can spend all of one's time playing on a brightly painted jungle gym in a big sandbox. That will always appear to a 5 year old to be a cool choice. Because indulging in psychotropic drugs over time eliminates other options, it becomes more and more difficult to escape that particular sandbox. In terms of consciousness evolution, a 50 year old stuck in a kindergarten sandbox may be completely normal for our drug saturated culture (both legal and illegal, common and uncommon), but it is sad just the same.

Tom

Drugs are bad. Ok.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

No absolutes.

_________________
Never live so certainly as to confuse your own convictions with what is true.

Absolutely not. I don't tolerate intolerance either. ;)
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Glad we're on the same page :)


Cole

_________________
Never live so certainly as to confuse your own convictions with what is true.

Tom could you give us some details on those other approaches? Could you also give us your definition of "intellect"?

Sorry not trying to be pushy, thought you may have missed the question. I'm having a brain fart on this.

Found this thread (Balancing Intelect and Intuition) to be useful if anyone is interested. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1158&p=1358&hilit=intelect#p1358

Thank you,

Shin

Shinoki,

Other approaches: Work with dream lessons (experiences generated to deliver specific learning opportunities). Nudge PMR events and happenings to generate specific learning opportunities. Put thoughts and ideas in your head that lead to learning opportunities. Provide psi experiences, or intuitive experiences, synchronicity, etc to point out the existence of a larger reality. Coordinate all of the above to take place when most effective.

Intellect: The analytical process of thinking, judging, assessing, assuming, planning, drawing conclusions, and figuring things out. As opposed to being, feeling, simply being aware, and living in the present moment.

Tom C

Thanks Tom that cleared things up for me.

Shin

Came across this little quote tonight- and thought it fit Tom (and others like him) quite well...



Cole

_________________
Never live so certainly as to confuse your own convictions with what is true.

Not to sound fawning, but there is no one quite like Tom that I can see. It is his willingness to give of himself here at this site, and in emails if one goes there. His personal touch and generous spirit in a time those are in hard supply. Plus his consistency is comforting, imo.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Bill Hicks on drugs and evolution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baeT3g7udho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW31ruQG ... re=related
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Back to guides playing poker...

When I ask the same questions over and over... I tend to get the same answer from my guides who appear at that time to be somewhere far away doing something they find more much more interesting or engaging. Over the years I have come to the following conclusions about why my guides appear to be playing poker, (or Jai Lai, or Go...)

1) Sometimes I am asking "stupid" questions in the manner of a 4 year old: "Why? Why? Why? Why?" ie, I'm asking a question that as a grown adult I already know the answer to, but I'm pretending I am a 4 year old and that I don't already know the answer.

2) Sometimes the answer I seek is not related to the problems at hand... ie, I am trying to escape the lesson of the current moment by either going back to, or forward to, or sideways to... a different lesson that does not have as much immediate psychological and energetic charge for me. I am trying to change the subject because I don't really like it.

3) Sometimes something in the physical world - originating from the conscious world - is about to become manifest to provide me with the answer or information I seek. There is nothing for my guides to do but wait until after it happens to make commentary on it.

And finally:

4) Sometimes they are just playing poker.

However most of my guides like dancing more than poker. I have found them happily square dancing with each other on several occasions. Then one day I went to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Now I am pretty sure that's where they were square dancing while ignoring me..
(Hah! Caught them! They can't hide from me now...)

Square dancing is one of two (maybe 3) positive memories from all of grade school and what high school I attended before quitting to start working at 14. I believe it was fourth grade we did it and I loved it, interesting you bring it up. I have recently noticed that I often say, yes dear, to what must be my guide or guides. I've begun to wonder if that is disrespectful, but figured it only is when I ignore the message after saying it. I would love to square dance again, it is a blast, and I can see it would be good exercise.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Bette,

I do not believe that saying "Yes, Dear" to your guides is disrespectful.

Some of mine are exceedingly fond of what can only be termed "gutter humour" (another person on this list can confirm this) and I've even had one nag me so loudly about an important assignment/test that he caused me to lock my keys in the car when I stopped for gas on the way!

That was when I learned to say "Yes, Dear."

And keep a Triple A card with me at all times.

: )

Liz

Thank you Liz, that's nice of you.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.