UP: Hallucinogenics, and Consciousness

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Consciousness is a funny thing. It seems to ebb and flow, all the while being highly dependent upon your atmosphere, brain chemistry, and neural activity. It can be called forth immediately, perhaps by waking up from a frightening nightmare. It can be lulled, through meditation, narcotics, and many other methods as well. 

Consciousness is one of the most important things to understand, if we are to truly grasp our reality with both hands. One of the more fascinating, reliable, and definitely esoteric, methods for this greater "grasping" of our consciousness and its contents is the use of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. LSD. 

It can be argued that consciousness falls neatly into two categories: neuroscience, and metaphysics. Metaphysics, of course, meaning "above," or "transcending" physics. This philosophical chapter contains incredible theories on being, temporality, and of course, the mind itself. While consciousness is one of the more slippery topics, it is undoubtedly worthwhile to open a discussion regarding its nature, and contents. 

While neuroscience can give us a picture of the chemical and electrical events in our brain during conscious experience, it cannot (yet?) describe to us an accurate phenomenology of these events. Indeed, you must experience it for yourself. The ingestion of 1,000 micrograms of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide is tantamount to experiencing the true outer limits of consciousness, is its entirety.

With the ingestion of LSD, one is truly able to experience consciousness, not as the victim or someone consciousness happens to, but as an innocent bystander, partially removed from the situation, and more aware holistically. It becomes clearer that thoughts (the contents) merely bloom into your conscious sphere, and with practice, you can allow them to quietly slip away, all the while gaining knowledge of the sphere itself. While this seems esoteric, and perhaps a bit spooky, the same process and result can be reached through deep meditation. However, while meditation is far more pragmatic and learned, LSD basically throws you out of the nest and teaches you to fly.

To wrap up, consciousness can be experienced phenomenalogically, instead of just passively. Understanding the nature and processes of consciousness can be reached via meditation, or more quickly through mind-altering hallucinogenics. Both methods allow you some true insight into your conscious mind, and allow you to view the world more holistically.