Life is just a journey.
Princess Diana
Whether we are for or against psychedelic experiences, we have to be amazed with the possibilities and potential of a chemical that can expand our consciousness beyond our everyday awareness. The chemicals act as a catalyst to take away the rigid structures of our nerves which basically affect how we see the world. We know that before entering these sessions it is absolutely necessary to go through some preliminary ground rules so that you can be ready for what you are going to experience and so that you won't be overwhelmed by what you are about to experience.
While reading The Psychedelic Experience (Leary, Metzner, Alpert), I found out that there were a couple of points that a person entering a session should be aware of. As I read through these rules that a person should familiarize himself/herself with before undertaking a session, I realized these rules have a vastly more practical application to living life! It is a pity that no one gave us any rule book or manual on how to live life or to get the most out of life. There are so many experiences that we were not prepared for and could have used it to our benefit if we only knew how. Here are some of the rules taken directly from The Psychedelic Experience but modified to explain how they can be used as a powerful guide to living life at the fullest.
RULES FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE SESSION / LIFE EXPERIENCE
1. The experience is totally safe. The worst thing that can happen is that you emerge from the session unchanged.
Life is CHANGE! Nothing in life remains still. We were born with unlimited capabilities and potential within us. It is up to us to become aware of this truth! All the tools that we need to make our life better is already within us. We have no need to fear this world. It is just that during the process, through some misinformation, we have learned that we are helpless and that the situation is hopeless. It is not! There is absolutely nothing to fear from the experience of life. In fact, there is an unlimited amount to gain.
The obstacles that we face in life are like lifting weights. If we push back rather than give up, then we are building our muscles of action which will then lead to confidence. All obstacles are there as wake up calls for you to use your dormant tools and tap into your potential. As the manual says, the worst thing that can happen from this experience of life is that we go through it and remain unchanged; that we go through it and never use our unlimited potential. Remember, the experience is totally safe. Use what you have available and more will be given unto you. If you don't use what you already have, then even that which you possess will be taken away from you.
2. "All of the dangers which you have feared are unnecessary productions of your mind."*
How many of us live in fear? The list of the fears that we have in our society are endless. However, they can end immediately and at this very moment if we just realize one thing. All of these fears have no basis in reality! They are all "unnecessary productions of your mind". You mind creates these fears due to many factors. One of the society's strongest conditioning on us is the fear of making mistakes. We are so afraid of making mistakes that we are not even willing to take the action that it will take in order to ensure our success. Living life in fear is not really living. All of the great human beings that have been born in the world so far were not born that way. They had the same resources inside them that you now have inside you. The difference was that they realized their fears that obstructed them from their goals as "unnecessary productions of the mind" and then went on ahead with their actions. You can do the same and you should do the same if you want this experience of life to become something you cherish while you are alive. Don't let these fears limit your experience of this life session.
Would you be afraid of the dream if you knew it was a dream? Would you be afraid of the thrilling roller coaster ride, if you knew you would be safe at the end? You might be afraid of it, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the experience. You already know that nothing can harm you since life is safe.
3. "Whether you experience heaven or hell, remember that it is your mind which creates them."
In a psychedelic experience, depending on your state of mind, you can experience either heaven or hell. If your mind is in a negative state, it can then spiral out of control to give you the experience of hell. If your mind is in a resourceful and positive state, then that will spiral positively and give you a heavenly experience.
Is your life a heaven or a hell? Don't look very far to find the cause for your answer: it lies within you. Whatever situation you are faced with and how you see the world is a result of your own thoughts. If you have no control over your thoughts, then you will be pulled to wherever the thought goes and that can be to the depths of hell, or the highest heights of heaven. It is totally up to you. Do you see the reality, or do you superimpose your drama onto the reality? This will determine what you truly feel. Realize feelings are just that, feelings. Realize thoughts are just that, thoughts. In themselves they have no power. The power of it to affect you comes from what you make them out to be. The power comes from the stories you create around those feelings and thoughts. If you put yourself as the victims of those stories, then don't expect to experience heaven. However, if you have to make up a story, why don't you make up a positive one? The power is right there between your ears. What do you want to create: heaven or hell? It's in your mind.
3. Don't try to avoid a negative experience; it will just come back over and over again. It is only when you go through it, that you will be able to take in the total experience of the session.
During a psychedelic experience, if you are experiencing a bad "trip" then you shouldn't try to run away from it. Running away from something creates the illusion that it is really there, even when there is nothing. In the same way, the obstacles that confront you are not really problems; they are opportunities for you to grow. If you work through the obstacles, the lesson behind the challenge will enable you to grow so you can enjoy more of what life holds for you. However, if you run away from it, it will keep on coming back at you because it is something that you truly need to go through in order to grow. Are you going to accept the lesson, or will you keep on wasting the majority of your life running away from something that isn't really there.
I say that it isn't really there because it is not a threat. Remember that these rules are not independent of each other. There is no threat because this life experience is safe. That is the first cardinal rule that you have to remember. Therefore, don't run away from experiences that are meant for you to use your dormant resources. Embrace them and then grow so that you will become different as a result of this experience.
4. Don't get attached to the pleasant experience, it will not allow you to experience the session fully.
In this world, we are all searching for happiness. When a small happy event happens, we want to relive it over and over again. We have it in our memory and we replay it back to us in moments to cheer us up; it always remains with us. Don't do this because you are missing the present moment and what is happening to you right now. Don't let these priceless moments slip by because you were too attached to your happy moments. Live life and let it flow. Experience the most that you can. You are here for many experiences so don't hold on to just a handful for too long. Live your life and live it well. Embrace the moments as they come, and then let them go when it's time to let them go. Life has more for you to experience, don't just grab onto the trinket of one experience; take in the abundance of life in its totality.
5. "Avoid imposing the ego game on the experience."
The whole purpose of a psychedelic trip is to go beyond the self-created confines of your nervous system and your ego. You want to experience the experience without having to think about the experiencer. If you impose your own game on the experience, then you are not getting what the experience can offer you.
If you try to impose your ego game on the experience of life, you will only be suffering because you will not be experiencing what life can offer you. Limiting yourself to being someone or another will create your limitations. Don't define yourself because you are indefinable. Don't define what you should be doing because you won't hear the call of the greater things that life has for you. Go through life lightly and don't take your SELF seriously because there is none. There is only the experience of life and its unlimited potentialities.
In order to successfully go through the psychedelic experience with chemicals, the people have to familiarize themselves with these rules constantly so that it becomes a guide for what they should do in order to get the most out of it. In order to get the most out of life, we should constantly remind ourselves of these great principles as well. It is only when they become a part of you that you can enjoy this most far-out trip of all: YOUR LIFE.
(*all session points are from the book THE PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Richard Alpert)
Sukhbir Singh is the creator of LifeApps! Personal Development Institute. The purpose of the institute is to create multiple ways for human beings to get the most out of their life from basic personal development skills (ie changing negative habits) to transcending the human experience (ie realizing your true being). Sukhbir is currently offering 2-3 free courses a year on YahooGroups (strictly on an invitation-only basis). The website for LifeApps! (http://www.lifeapps.com) is currently being constructed and will be online towards the end of the year with products and articles in improving and expanding the potential of human beings. He can be reached by email at info@lifeapps.com