Dear Psychedelic Magicians š§
Welcome to the third edition of The Flying Sage Journal. As with all editions, I would like to start off with a direct excerpt from my journalā¦
Jan.25.2016
You need be careful using psychedelics. Partly because they can have negative impacts on your health and the state of your mind if you possess certain genetic pre-dispositions. Partly because while under the influence of them you can make unrealistic judgements of your physical ability. Partly because they are illegal. But most of all, because you have a likely chance of developing Psychedelic Induced Truth Syndrome (P.I.T.S).
P.I.T.S is a condition described as the development, and continual upkeep of specific mechanisms of thought, that with increasing clarity and organization over time, dismantle superficial aspects of culture and society (especially regarding media and the institution), as well as superficial and subconscious belief systems of oneās own mind.
Mechanisms of thought that act as, and point to, what could be called experiential truths.; truths of oneās unique experience.
Mechanisms of thought that actually criticize other thought patterns and inhibit the formation of belief systems.
I think I was on to something there although I could have probably chosen a more attractive acronym. P.I.T.S is something that I am sure many people will be familiar with already, either from personal experience or from various other historical descriptions. At a basic level, I think it comes down to waking up from our conditioning.
Witnessing our conditioning is a powerful aspect of the psychedelic experience and it can often manifest as coming face to face with barriers that are holding us back from a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world. The process of recognizing and then detaching from these patterns of conditioning can be difficult but extremely rewarding and I would argue that one of the most challenging parts of this is the inability to turn back. Once we have seen some of these patterns in oursleves, it is common for more patterns to be just around the corner. In my experience, itās been a sharp descent to the foundation and then a gradual and slow hike to the destination.
It is through the psychedelic experience that we are given an opportunity to momentarily put down our binoculars and take in the whole scene. Whether this is a breathtaking or terrifying experience for us, there is no unseeing whatās been seen. When the binoculars come back on, which is required to allow us to operate in this world, we are often left with a lasting imprint and curiosity to bring that expansiveness into our everydayā¦ no matter how small our binoculars are.
Love as Privilege š
Today, when we think about privilege, it is common to think about certain aspects such as wealth, ethnicity, education and gender. On top of this, there are several other forms that can surface and all of these different forms are included in the diagram below.
As I have grown up and started to learn more about what privilege looks like, I have found that one of the most powerful forms of privilege in this world is not included in this diagram and that would be unconditional love and the stability that comes with it.
For many people, growing up in a loving home environment is not the norm. In fact it is very common for people to experience instability in their early years as a result of neglect, divorce, hardship or countless other factors. One useful concept that captures these events would be Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). According to the CDC, āabout 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported they had experienced at least one type of ACE before age 18, and nearly 1 in 6 reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs.ā These statistics also donāt include the less severe forms of neglect that can stem from poor parenting, bullying, isolation and disconnection.
And although one can still experience an ACE while being surrounded by a caring and loving support system, I think it is safe to say that unconditional love is something that is lacking in the world today.
I am a big believer that the language we decide to use creates our reality. I would like to invite you to start adapting your own language around privilege and success to accomodate the profound effect that unconditional love has in the world. When we start to define success as being fulfilled and having inner peace, I think our metrics of privilege also shift a bit too. Money and wealth are the highest forms of privilege in a society that places these things at the top. But we have the freedom to choose what we value as a society and we have the freedom to choose what success means.
Navigating Psychedelic Waves š
I recently attended Basscoast Festival in Merrit BC and it was fantastic! I have been lucky to attend quite a few festivals in my life so far and I was impressed at the warm welcoming energy that this experience created and I left with s
Sage Wisdom š
Xunzi čå (Xun Kuang)
Farewell Until Next Time
Thanks for making it to the end. I hope you have enjoyed this third edition of The Flying Sage Journal. If you would like to read more things like this, please consider subscribing and sharing this with a friend.
I would LOVE to hear any feedback you have on this newsletter or the opportunity to simply discuss things brought up. Please feel free to reach out to me directly: michael@theflyingsage.ca
With psychedelic love and gratitude,
- Michael š¤