Stonehead Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 (edited) The psychedelic secrets of Santa Claus Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, most of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanistic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The sacred mushroom of these people was the red and white amanita muscaria mushroom, also known as "fly agaric." These mushrooms are now commonly seen in books of fairy tales, and are usually associated with magic and fairies. This is because they contain potent hallucinogenic compounds, and were used by ancient peoples for insight and transcendental experiences. Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of these most sacred mushrooms. Happy Solstice Edited December 22, 2003 by Stonehead Quote
Paul_detrick Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 Sounds like you have been eating a few of them Quote
catbirdseat Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 From the article: "How about getting back to basics and enjoying some magical mushrooms with your loved ones this solstice? What better gift can a family share than a little piece of love and enlightenment?" I think it's pretty funny when hallucinations are called "revelations" and "enlightenment". Quote
Off_White Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 A Disclaimer for the poorly informed: Amanita is not your best choice for a recreational mushroom, widely varying levels of toxicity depending on vagaries of location make it unpredictable and potentially fatal. Death by liver failure is not a pretty picture. Also, get a good handle on identification before you go picking any of the native species of the Psilocybe mushroom, identification is fairly easy but there are some look alikes you don't want to eat. Quote
iain Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 tripping with your family can be unpredictable and potentially fatal as well Quote
Dru Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 I think it's pretty funny when hallucinations are called "revelations" and "enlightenment". And yet, many of these experiences are similar, if not identical, to religious enlightenment, in nature. Of course you don't need mushrooms nowadays. You can wear the GODHAT! and do it all electromagnetically! No chemicals, no pee test worries. Quote
Stonehead Posted December 22, 2003 Author Posted December 22, 2003 I remember reading a fiction story in Omni magazine a long time ago. The story was about 'wireheads'. Rather than inducing an alternate view of reality through external chemical means, the shift in consciousness was induced by using probes to stimulate the centers of the brain involved in pleasure or other experiences such as mystical states or intoxication. Many drugs simulate the natural chemicals already present in the body such as the similar action of opiates on endorphin receptors. Same with certain hallucinogens and neurochemicals. As pointed out, besides the inherent dangers of using unregulated means of experiencing alternate realities, if you consider the body as a system, then tweaking one part of the body will cause changes throughout. In that respect, overuse can lead to bad things. But given conditions such as that for the ritual use of Peyote, then the use of the drug can occur in benign surroundings in relative safety. On a related note: It's funny how some people go around the world, on mountaintops, to faraway lands, etc., in their search for God or the Transcendent yet they fail to see that this already exists within themselves. It's like a story I heard once, that the Transcendent was put in the inner space because that would be the last place someone would look. Quote
RobBob Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 and for all you people who want to take mental self-mutilation to a new level there's trepanning. (I can't post this without noting that it's one of the grossest, most egregious forms of self-abuse I've ever heard of.) Quote
catbirdseat Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 and for all you people who want to take mental self-mutilation to a new level there's trepanning. (I can't post this without noting that it's one of the grossest, most egregious forms of self-abuse I've ever heard of.) I just loved this sentence: "Strangely enough, not one member of the medical profession has been converted." Quote
Dru Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 trepanning is one of those weird things like body flossing that I have no wish to try. "dude I got a skull piercing!" However it does have an ancient history... there is archaeological evidence of trepanning up to 50, 000 years old. Again we could get eminent archaeologist Dwayner to comment if he wasn't banned! Quote
RobBob Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 but he would make some tie-in to bolting,... Quote
iain Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 maybe you could get a bolt installed in the hole? good way to practice those blind clips. Quote
iain Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 that is, if the procedure doesn't make you blind to begin with... Quote
catbirdseat Posted December 22, 2003 Posted December 22, 2003 "The result was all he had hoped for. During the next four hours he felt his spirits rising higher until he reached a state of freedom and serenity which he claims, has been with him ever since." The operation was a success. He had performed a prefrontal lobotomy on himself. Quote
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