of Interest for all psychonauts

[Magnus]

http://www.egodeath.com/

After some brief browsing through the forums here, I'm surprised to find that this website is not under more discussion. Apologies if I missed a massive thread somewhere, but it doesn't seem that way.

From the Introduction and Overview

This research defines and outlines the ego death theory, as a new systematic research framework and paradigm. The ego death theory holds that the essence and origin of religion is the use of visionary plants to routinely trigger the intense mystic altered state, producing loose cognitive-association binding, which then produces an experience of being controlled by frozen block-universe determinism with a single, pre-existing, ever-existing future.
Experiencing this model of control and time initially destabilizes self-control power, and amounts to the death of the self that was conceived of as an autonomous control-agent. Self-control stability is restored upon transforming one's mental model to take into account the dependence of personal control on a hidden, separate thought-source, such as Necessity or a divine level that transcends Necessity.
Myth describes this mystic-state experiential insight and transformation. Religious initiation teaches and causes this transformation of the self considered as a control-agent, through a series of visionary-plant sessions, interspersed with study of perennial philosophy. Most modern-era religion has been a distortion of this standard initiation system, reducing these concepts to a weak interpretation that is based in the ordinary state of consciousness. The ego death theory is, specifically, the Cybernetic Theory of Ego Transcendence, and it incorporates the entheogen theory of religion.

 

[Guest]

Sorry if I'm a bit offtopic, but any chance you could be the Magnus who's making trance ?

 

[maxfreakout]

i fucking LOVE that website!!!! It is just plain no frills white background/plain text, and there's LOADS of it, and he is SO thorough.

Do people think that Hoffman has stumbled onto something truly original and profound with this theory? I have thought about it lots im not sure, it seems in some places as if he has just reformulated the original Buddhist idea of 'no separate self' into 'no free-will'

 

[maxfreakout]

Has anyone else seen this site then? I STRONGLY recommend to all psychonauts to have a glance at it! 8)

 

[HeartCore]

Has anyone else seen this site then? I STRONGLY recommend to all psychonauts to have a glance at it! 8)

I just printed that 29 page article about egodeath and religion and enjoyed reading the first 14 pages of it outside in the sun whilst smoking a good joint

 

[Guest]

I just printed that 29 page article about egodeath and religion and enjoyed reading the first 14 pages of it outside in the sun whilst smoking a good joint

Ah man, that's what I've been doin' for the last few weeks with Hunter Thompson books, with a cigar instead of a joint (Cambridge is kinda quiet...)...

Man, readin' "The Rum Diary" while sipping on some good cider is really what summer holidays should be... ...and it came early this year

Gonna have a look at Egodeath ASAP !

 

[maxfreakout]

In the copyright section Hoffman seems to be a bit arrogant, he says a million times "it was ME who discovered this theory, noone else!!" which seems a bit ironic given that it's a theory about ego-death

 

[HeartCore]

In the copyright section Hoffman seems to be a bit arrogant, he says a million times "it was ME who discovered this theory, noone else!!" which seems a bit ironic given that it's a theory about ego-death

Ironic indeed

I just finished reading that introductory 29 pages article. Very interesting, a lot of connections with a book that I am reading at the moment (Cracks in the cosmic egg) and with research the guys at pharmacratic inquisition are doing (the latter in creating justice by showing which sources the story of christianity was stolen in the first place for example)

The article is very clear in my opinion with pointing out that alcohol mixtures in those times often where psychoactive mixtures instead. Focus is kept off actual specifically naming certain compounds/plants as being responsible (I LOVE the reference to the blue psilocybin mushroom in Mythras leg though ) for the religious experience. This is in line with my personal stance in that it doesnt really matter which medicine you use, the experience itself seems to be available for us evolved monkey's and can be triggered by many different means.

Plants work for me and most of you here but even among us, there is great difference in personal preference with regards to what plants really do it for us. For me it's the tryptamines, for others it's Salvia and others prefer Mescalin.

Personally I've experienced ego death number of times but only two times in such a way that it shook the foundations of my life and 'forced' me to change 'stuff' around drastically. The first time was the first time I did a heroic dose alone in silent darkness. At that time, I hadnt much knowledge about these states and the experience touched me so much that it marked the start of a hunger for information about entheogens that will probably last the rest of my life. My second experience was only two months ago (today actually ) and that one touched me on an even deeper level than the first, about 13-14 years ago. Possibly because I have been building (unconsciously even) a framework in my mind for it.

For me personally by the way, its 'needed' to revisit the experience on a monthly or two monthly basis in that it greatly helps my ego remembering it's place in all of this so it can relax more. It's like 37 years of hardheadedness try to catch up again so I take a sprint once in a while to set things straight. Nothing wrong with that also because there is not much what feels better than 4-6 hours of pure, natural ecstasy

Love/peace
HC

 

[maxfreakout]

Personally I've experienced ego death number of times but only two times in such a way that it shook the foundations of my life and 'forced' me to change 'stuff' around drastically. The first time was the first time I did a heroic dose alone in silent darkness. At that time, I hadnt much knowledge about these states and the experience touched me so much that it marked the start of a hunger for information about entheogens that will probably last the rest of my life. My second experience was only two months ago (today actually ) and that one touched me on an even deeper level than the first, about 13-14 years ago. Possibly because I have been building (unconsciously even) a framework in my mind for it.

^ That is a wonderfully refrreshing and reassuring thing to hear from another person 8)



the central point of the theory seems to be a profound metaphysical statement of fact about free-will and block-universe determinism. I don't know what to make of this, because in my one ego-death experience and subsequent recovery and period of intense mystical thinking, i never really put it in the same terms as Hoffman does here.

So Hoffman i saying that the ego-death experience is an encounter with determinism which destroys the ego's ability to believe that it is the controller, by saying this has he actually stumbled onto something radically new and profound that might actually be the beginning of the unravelling of the whole mystery? Or is it just a trivial new way of conceiving of things? He certainly isnt the first person to observe that modern society is missing an institution of shamanism and psychedelic initiation

So what is the connection between the shaman's ability to heal other people and the realization of no free will and a determned universe? :?: