Hmmm, natural or unnatural?
Well all psychoactives are fundamentally natural, for they wouldn’t be able to be produced if naturally these compounds couldn’t synergise and exist; however aided by man or any other organism.
Wether it be made by a plant or not does not change its ability to alter consciousness. However, the bigger issue is the knowledge and wisdom surrounding these substances, which for the natural psychedelics, there are thousands of years of shamanic, religious and cultural information supporting the intricacies of their nature and use. However, with the newer synthesised psychoactives, there is very little if any detail about their method and effects pertaining to a generalised reaction, long or short term, on the human body and mind.
This brings me to my other point; don’t all people and chemicals have a degree of subjectivity pertaining to their exact effects? We know that it will affect our perception in some way, but how well, strong or dangerous over long and short term are all subject to the individual; substance, dose and person.
And besides, aren’t all the most potent, profound and utterly amazing substances produced directly BY nature and have so for millennia before mankind was around to toy with them? Whereas the amphetamines for example, and other synthetically refined or produced substances, are very sketchy in their ability to produce the magical sates of mind, longevity and ritualism of use associated with the harmonic, natural psychedelics. Excluding LSD of course.
MDMA is a good instance where a synthetic synergises directly with a natural substance; serotonin. A continued reaction, which will cause more lasting damage than immediate bliss and euphoria. It desynchronises a natural system, thus producing unwanted and ‘unnatural’ effects in the longer term following frequent and prolonged use.
There is a larger ‘unknown’ element to these newer substances as opposed to the seeming unknown attributed to the direct psychological response to say, psilocybin. This is demonstrated by reactions to methamphetamine, heroin and crack abuse in more recent decades; they, being more controlled and thus more pleasurably addictive, produce more problems than solutions or insight; including far more damage to the body’s systems. A trait which to my mind, the true, natural psychedelics will never inflict on the traveller; however uncontrolled and unpredictable the psychotropic effects may be on the individual at the time.
All the best substances are all there already; they don’t need to be created or so it would seem, by our supposed intellectual and thus superior knowledge about the nature of physical structure and system. In reality we know very little, and this headstrong attitude toward our own knowledge about the body and the substances we consume will only lead to the destruction of the former. This has been demonstrated over and over again throughout history and continues to be, with the currant problems of abuse of these monestrous creations by those who believe nature obsolete to our own ingénues and supposed intellectualism as to there purpose and worth.
This, coupled with the systemic enforcement of power and through this, disinformation about new substances and a loss of knowledge about the more archaic ones produces a situation where people don’t know who to trust or to believe; which in turn produces destruction on a large scale.
Trust the mother; she knows the true path and will provide love and understanding if you return this and show respect to her. Gaia got it right!
Peace.
