Who gets high?

[twistedone]

Its been a long time, over 10 years since I've used any kind of mind-altering substance (drugs and alcohol).

I'd much prefer to experience things with a clear head.

[GRH]

Sesame, my apologies, I’ve been quite distracted over the past few days.  At any rate, I haven’t forgotten you or our discussion. Regarding the other evening, I had too much to drink and blacked outâ€"the subsequent days I was on my “throne on Highâ€? and too removed to bother with things such as the internet. Regarding your explanation of “manasâ€? I do not dispute this. Personally, the self is amazing of doing a variety of things even when not conscious. It’s like the individual is capable of going into some sort of survival modeâ€"regarding my own post, I have no memory of the jibberish, much less of turning off the computer or making it to bed. Yet somehow, I did all of these things. Memory is just another temporal expression of larger truth.

To continue where we left off, Salvinorin A requires a very high temperature to be effectively volatilized. Thus, if smoking Salvia, you need to keep a high amount of heat to the herb for as long as possible. Further, the solubility of Salvinorin A is not high within the human, thus it is to your advantage to hold the smoke in as long as possible. In years of working with Salvia in different contexts, I can say that I have reached some conclusions…

It is a dissociative substance, albeit a very powerful one. It takes effect VERY quickly, and the altered state can be quite disconcerting, particularly how quickly it comes on. Salvia does not last long, but the ten minutes (sometimes more, sometimes less) can be terrifying if you don’t know what to expect. I don’t consider it a recreational substance at all. Very few people have a “good� time. In my own experience, I always hear voices. The voices are always the same, more or less. It’s the same type of voice…Always beckoning me towards something deeper. I have experienced this under a variety of circumstances, ranging from full light to total darkness, from completely sober to completely messed up. Music becomes “deconstructed,� in fact, I felt like I could lie down within the music, if that makes any sense. (I doubt it does, that’s the sort of sensation that only comes with having felt it!) Eventually, music loses all meaning. I always felt that the consistency of the voices I heard represented some greater truth…Perhaps this represents “universal consciousness� or some sort of Jungian archetype.

[GRH]

The next dissociative that I would care to explore in depth is DXM, or dextromethorphan HCL. This is the dextro isomer of a molecule; interestingly enough, the levo isomer of the same molecule is a VERY potent opiate. For whatever reason, the dextro isomer lacks the full narcotic set of properties, but is a powerful dissociative. DXM has the potential to cause a unique type of brain damage called Olney’s legions, if done in excess and too often. This said, it’s the sort of substance best used in moderation and with extreme caution.

DXM is unique in that it causes a finite set of stages of intoxication, called “plateaus.� The first level (plateau) produces relaxation and slightly altered vision. The final stage (fourth plateau) produces complete dissociation. The means of dosing is fairly well established on a mg/kg basis. There IS a lethal dose, thus caution should be exercised in dosing. Given my own tendency, I ALWAYS lean towards the highest level possible without dying, so I can’t comment very much on the lower levels of intoxication…

I can say that at the highest levels of dosing, very strange things happen. The whole body becomes numb and sedated. I have drifted off to music at this point. Usually at some point, I end up vomiting, as DXM is somewhat nauseating. (I don’t consider vomiting to be a “bad� thing per say, it is merely a consequence of energy transformation.) At any rate, I have had complete ego dissociation under this substance. To give you an idea of what I mean when I say “sensory shutdown,� let me relate this to you…

At one point I got up and meandered around the house. I bumped into walls, stumbled, tripped, etc. I was told that my eyes were closed some of the time. The thing was, I couldn’t tell the difference between when my eyes were closed versus when they were open. My eyes were useless a good bit of the time, regardless of whether they were open or closed. I was in my own world. My partner got paranoid at one point and put me in a cold bath…I was very hot, and the paranoia was that I might be overheating. During this incident, I would surface every now and then and be like, “WTF am I doing in the bath? Why am I wet???� I would get the answer, then phase out again, only to come to a few minutes later with the same set of questions, very freaked out to be in a bathtub. It was a very interesting state of consciousness.

During this state of consciousness, I experienced a variety of interesting perceptions. I had religious insights and had several “Jesus complex� types of hallucinations involving the crucifixion. I also experienced my “dream house� and had a general feeling of floating. The negative to this state of being is the lack of memory that accompanies the highest levels of being. At the highest levels, there tends to be an amnesiac effect, thus one’s ability to retain memory of the trip is necessarily limited to some degree.

[sesame]

Originally Posted by GRH

The negative to this state of being is the lack of memory that accompanies the highest levels of being. At the highest levels, there tends to be an amnesiac effect, thus one’s ability to retain memory of the trip is necessarily limited to some degree.

I can guess what this highest level of being is. Its "Deep sleep state". Psychologists are of opinion that dreams stop here, and there is no more REM rapid-eye-movement(which is an aspect of dreaming state). They also say that all functions of the mind stop at the deep sleep state. But Yoga Adepts say that like conscious or dreaming state, which is full of multiple levels of mind vibrations, Deep sleep state is also a kind of mental vibration. But in this state, only one vibration remains. Yogis also say that in Deep sleep, the soul transcends all the 4 sheaths and rests in the Anandamaya Kosha or Blissful sheath, so there is a feeling of euphoria or bliss when we wake up from deep sleep. (Kosha = Sheaths of the soul, as in Panchakosha vivek of Vedanta)

But alas, GRH, its not the highest state of being. In yoga, the highest state is Suddha Sattwa or Purest Good ... total independance or Kaivalya (I like it ); and in Vedanta, which goes to extremes... the highest state is destruction of all sheaths of the soul, until nothing but Attributeless God remains. (not my cup of tea)

[sesame]

Originally Posted by GRH

In my own experience, I always hear voices. The voices are always the same, more or less. It’s the same type of voice…Always beckoning me towards something deeper. I have experienced this under a variety of circumstances, ranging from full light to total darkness, from completely sober to completely messed up. Music becomes “deconstructed,� in fact, I felt like I could lie down within the music, if that makes any sense. (I doubt it does, that’s the sort of sensation that only comes with having felt it!)

I read and liked your experiences with Saliva, err... Salvia. About that hearing voices thing, I have so much to say... but I would like to write about that in my meditation thread as that would be more appropriate.

Now, lets rock about that musical experience you talked about. Hmm, In Yoga culture, music is regarded a very high place, as it ensnares the mind and tends to bring it to a focus. One branch of Laya Yoga is all about listening to inner music or the voice of silence as they call it! Nada Yoga! Nada being the music of the soul, that is being incessantly played inside all of us! It ranges from cricket's call to thunder clap, from musical instruments to the sound of giant ocean waves.

Anyway, lets not drift into that now. M-u-s-i-c! When I am half asleep and hear some music being played nearby, I feel as if music is a corporeal substance. It is like a blanket or a gust of hot wind... yes, it has a feeling of warmth which is trying to envelop me. Slowly the music builds up around me or wraps me up like a cocoon. The cocoon begins to vibrate and tries to transport my body and mind to a High, a state of Resonance. A Rapport is like an agreement with the music. One sort of Union or oneness.

[sesame]

Ok, this is the special formula you requested, Prof. "Higher-and Higher" :D

Let me tell you about some of it's properties.
It's physical appearance is dark red to black.
Its an amino-acid staining Diazo-Dye
Used extensively in forensics to detect
the presence of blood; it turns the proteins in blood into a deep blue-black color. This substance is readily soluble in water and methanol. With picric acid it can be used for the detection of collagen and reticulin.

That said,
the ball is now rolling in your court. Mwahuahuahaha

[jimnaseum]

I used to cross-dress and smoke crack.

For sex adventures my drug of choice was alcohol.