Inspired by this thread, what cosmic truths, secret wisdoms, or grand strategies have come to you when you were under the influence?
I recall one time, while engaged in a rigourous pharmeceutical regime, I decided that there was a limited amount of knowledge in the universe, and it could only belong to either humans, or to God. And the more knowledge humans gained, the more knowledge God lost. Therefore, all religion was a plot perpetrated by God to keep us stupid.
Yeah, so, it made sense when I was seventeen and seeing trails. What whacked out concepts took up residence in your brain when your critical defenses were cowering from rampaging lysergic acid molecules?
BTW, I am fully aware that The Chemical Epiphanies would be a kick-ass band name.
Looking at a “knot” in an oak table, I concluded that existence is defined by contrast to environment. (If the knot were the same as the surrounding wood, it wouldn’t exist.) Ergo, if you paint yourself blue, you’re more real than you were before. Or something.
Whaddya want, I was 19, and full of Windowpane. Even Huxley’s observations about mescaline sound silly.
I discovered that all dots (polka or otherwise) spring from one central dot of inconceivable infinity. When a dot is made, such as a period (.), then the Big Dot of Infiniteness looses a chunk equivalent to the size of the dot produced, however, you would think with all the dots made through history, the Bid Dot would have run out, but that’s why it has infinite.
I learned that I didn’t need to be afraid. That everything made sense, and it was all designed well. That people are only definable by their actions, and my actions defined me as a good person. And that I didn’t need to be afraid.
One piece of blue paper, with stars and planets on it, and a Jane Siberry album.
I suddenly realized one night that nothing really matters!
I know it don’t sound like much, and I was on a lot of acid at the time… but (absolute truth here) it changed my life, and made me a much better person.
I am WAY mellower and more pleasant to be around than before that experience…
The “Power A” wasn’t my choice for attaining enlightenment -the experience tended to get too intense for me to be able to form coherent thoughts. I tended to experience the whole thing on a more sensual level (lots of visuals, auditory things, and, oddly enough, tactile changes. I think I once petted a dog for about 2 hours just because the fur felt so good.)
For thinking great thoughts I always relied on mushrooms. They allowed me to remain grounded enough so that I could form thoughts and express them. My greatest epiphany involved developing my own cosmology and what became known to my friends as “Lee’s Grand Theory of Everything and Why.” Its a little complicated to go into, but the theory explains the nature of the universe and why it will one day contract again to a point of singularity, only to go through another Big Bang and expand again, only to contract again, ad infinitum. The whole thing came to me, appropriately enough, while listening to a tape of the Dead doing “Dark Star.”
I also learned that shredded wheat, smeared with peanut butter, will constipate you beyond belief; however, that is less an epiphany and more like a lesson learned from experience. Don’t try it at home, no matter how bad the munchies.
