Click here to support the Daily Grail for as little as $US1 per month on Patreon

Graham Hancock at Horizons 2014: “Psychedelics and Civilisation, Light and Darkness”

In this 48 minute appearance at the Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics forum in New York last month, Graham Hancock contemplates the history of how humans have dealt with psychedelics:

Graham Hancock investigates the possibility that by demonising and criminalising the use of psychedelics, rather than seeking out ways to harness their power for altering consciousness in safe and nurturing spaces, our society may have set itself on a profoundly negative path — a path that might even deny us the next step in our own evolution as a species.

Editor
  1. I believe Graham is if not
    I believe Graham is if not right on, definitely in the ball park on the beneficial effects these substances can have on human consciousness. However my experience and belief takes it even one step further, in that these may allow us to interact with the fabric of reality in ways not normally possible under normal consciousness.

    I’ve commented before that during one of my 3 mushroom experiences, in which I felt “expanded and connected” I played a pinball machine in which I could not lose – as if I RESONATED and my unconscious intent to win (consciously I couldn’t care less, as I was just having fun) manifested in my local reality causing my “lucky streak.” The machine provided an objective physical verification of my internalized feelings of expanded connectedness, by registering my never before achieved nor reproduced score – winning like 9 free games during that one game. Then suddenly, as the effects of the mushrooms were on the wane, a physical “shifting” is the only way to describe it occurred, a switch clicked inside me, and I once again felt isolated within my physical shell, separate from the external world around me, and from that moment, each ball drained down the middle with barely a chance to hit it…

    This happened one other time, during a 2 month long backpack trip across Europe, during which I was carefree until my return home… While on the island of Santorini for 2 weeks, waking only to sun on the beach and relax with my future wife, the magic “connectedness” returned without the aid of any psychedelic. While playing cards – Rummi daily, I began winning. My streak improved, to where every hand I was dealt was a perfect hand on the deal. If I discarded a card trying to delay winning, the next card I drew again completed my hand. We both traded turns dealing, shuffling the cards in every manner we could think of, yet when dealt again, I had a perfect hand on the deal – as if I’d entered the twilight zone. This lasted for many days, until we left Santorini to begin our return home and return to life’s stresses. While on the Eurorail train to the airport in Germany I again felt that “shift” as if a switch being tripped off and I felt isolated and disconnected. From that moment on, I could not draw a helpful card nor win a hand.

    For me these examples are physically objective verification that it is possible to interact not just in reality as we do every day, but in the manifestation of reality through our consciousness and intent – as so much new age blather claims. I don’t believe psychedelics are required, but I do believe they are an aid and their study should go beyond just the beneficial creative and psychological benefits, but whether while under their influence, physical reality can truly be altered by intent!

    My working hypothesis is along the lines of the Holographic Universe concept. I recently discovered the Silva Mind Control book and feel that it is on the right track as well. Ultimately, the noise in the mind must be quieted, stresses removed and mental and emotional relaxation and peace achieved, Then our consciousness can begin to resonate with … matter? The fabric of reality? And then we can participate in shaping it, at least locally. That’s my working premise so far…

    Thank you Graham for continuing this line of pursuit.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mobile menu - fractal