Connection Supplement
An Avatar.Global Resource
Connection Supplement
A Connection Supplement is a dietary supplement (like Cannabis, Psilocybin, Peyote) or substance (like DMT, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, etc.) that forces and facilitates stronger Connection to Consciousness. Connection Supplements are a component of Connection Practice
Elements of Connection Practice
Syncretic Terms
Entheogen, Psychedelic (mind-opening), Psycholytic (mind-releasing)[1]
Connection Supplement > MindApp, Psychedelic, Technologies of the Sacred
Related LP Terms
Related Terms
List of Connection Supplements
Connection Supplement > 5-MEO DMT, Ayahuasca, Cannabis, Chloroform, DMT, Datura, Haoma, Kaneh Bosm, Kava, Ketamine, Kykeon, LSD, MDMA, Maikua, Manna, Nitrous Oxide, Peyote, Psilocybin Mushroom, Santa Rosa, Soma, Tobacco, Yaqona
Notes
Connection Supplements may also be referred to as psychedelics or entheogens ("God Containing"). Since the action of entheogens is to open a Connection to The Fabric of Consciousness/Spiritual Ego, Connection Supplement is the superior term.
The use of connection supplements to induce Connection is ancient. "The noted ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes has identified no less than 80 different hallucinogenic species that were used, and, like the sacred mushrooms, peyote, morning glories, and several hallucinogenic snuffs and beverages, continue to be used in North and South America" [2]
Grof refers to various psychedelic plants and their role in facilitating connection.[3] Grof also relates a discussion with Swami Muktananda who notes that cannabis and soma remain important aspects of hindu spiritual rituals. [4]
Grof suggests that LSD (and I would add other connection supplements) operates as an " amplifier or catalyst of mental processes that confronts the experiencer with his own unconscious."[5] He further suggests that these allow us to "study the content and dynamics of the unconscious in areas and levels of the human personality that arc difficult to reach with less powerful techniques."[6]
Grof also notes that LSD (and other connection supplements) produce experiences indistinguishable from those induced by various Connection Techniques like sleep and sensory deprivation, hypnosis, etc.[7]
Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered fresh evidence of cannabis use in Biblical times.
There is evidence to suggest that European Witchcraft legends of broom flying and lycanthropy are linked to using the psychoactive plant Datura. "The European witches rubbed their bodies with a hallucinogenic ointment containing such plants as Atropa belladonna, Mandragora, and henbane, whose content of atropine was absorbed through the skin." [8]
"The use of hallucinogenic agents to achieve trance states for perceiving and contacting the supernatural world is evidently an ancient and widespread human practice."[9]
There is evidence that American indigenous folk used Sophora secundiflora) over ten thousand years ago, in Texas and Northern Mexico.[10]
The lunatic Aleister Crowley made extensive use of connection supplements, including Mescaline and Peyote.[11]
Connection supplements induce Awakening Experiences: "These drugs are not narcotics, sedatives, or energizers, but have the unique effect on the human psyche of bringing into awareness forms of consciousness that are usually hidden or unconscious" [12]
Bennett notes the use of Connection Supplements in ancient religions and esoteric practices [13]
There was serious interest in connection supplements in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[14] Pahnke notes, however, resistance and pushback to the potential of connection supplements. "In the midst of this experimental ferment, however, we are confronted by the very real possibility that the known and unknown uses of these drugs that could prove to be legitimate and beneficial for individual persons and society may be suppressed until some future century when investigation will be permitted to proceed unhampered by popular hysteria and over-restrictive legislation. In the United States, interested and capable scientists are hesitating to investigate this field because of the abundance of unfavorable publicity and the threat of condemnation by identification with irresponsible researchers." [15]
Pahnke and Richards [16] and Pahnke [17] summarize early evidence indicating that the connection experiences induced by connection supplements are similar, if not identical, to spontaneous connection experience. Pahnke says [18]
Timothy Leary notes "sacred mushrooms" sent him on a five-hour connection experience that was "without question the deepest religious experience of my life."[19] Leary also suggested that "between 40 and 90 percent of psychedelic subjects report intense religious experience."[20]
Klavetter and Mogar note that LSD can trigger "an experience highly similar to the more inclusive peak experience..."[21] The authors also note that the "nature, intensity, and content of the psychedelic state are the result of complex transactions between the subject's past history and personality, the set and expectancies of both subject and administrator,and the physical and psychological milieu in which the experience"[22]
Griffiths et. al note that Psilocybin "increased measures of mystical experience. At 2 months, the volunteers rated the psilocybin experience as having substantial personal meaning and spiritual significance and attributed to the experience sustained positive changes in attitudes and behavior consistent with changes rated by community observers."[23]
Evelyn Underhill references "Alice-in-Wonderland's mushroom" as capable of putting one in touch with more fundamental aspects of reality.[24]
Reacting to a "growing chorus of claims...suggesting that the ingestion of certain drugs (e.g., mescaline and LSD) can induce experiences profoundly 'religion' in significance," Oaks[25] denies, on philosophical grounds, the possibility that connection supplements can induce religious (i.e., connection) experience.
Psilocybin and jimson weed used by Aztec Priests " Certain priests engaged in prophesies and the interpretation of visions: these could be induced by psychotropic plants - jimson weed, Psilocybe mushrooms, or peyote cactus buttons."[26]
Healing
The healing potential of Connection Supplements has been recently rediscovered[27], though as we can see, serious interest was displayed over a century ago. Interest waned as a consequence of elite pushback against the progressive potential of Connection Supplements[28].
LSD
Alex Mathews-King points out that LSD and magic mushrooms stimulate the growth of "new branches and connections" in the brain and are proving effective in treating chronic and recalcitrant conditions like depression and LSD.[29]
LSD and Magic Mushrooms could heal damaged brain cells in people suffering from depression [30] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/psychedelic-drugs-brain-repair-lsd-depression-anxiety-lsd-dmt-amphetamines-ketamine-a8395511.html
One study finds that consistent microdosing improves anxiety, stress, and depression and increases life satisfaction[31]
Cannabis
Older adults increasingly using Cannabis as a treatment for pain/arthritis, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression. [32]
OCD Inhaled cannabis reduced the severity of compulsions by 60% and intrusions by 49%. Note the study reports baseline severity of symptoms remained constant over time, indicating that Cannabis is not a cure and additional therapy to understand underline causes is necessary. [33]
Depression
Psilocybin therapy 4 times more effective than antidepressants, study finds https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/psilocybin-therapy-major-depression-trial-results-johns-hopkins/
Cultural Usage of Connection Supplements
Anthropologist Margaret Mead noted that Kava, which is used to produce a mild entheogenic drink, was consumed daily by Samoan men and women in a ritual where the "talking chief...serves the kava."[34]
Cannabis as Connection Supplement is recognized in India.[35]
The Huichol
The huichol engage in a peyote hunt which includes a 40 day pilgrimage surrounding with rituals of cleansing ("confession") aimed at creating a positive emotional and mental space, allowing them to attain the ultimate goal of the peyote hunt, "the return of the innocence and Paradise of the First Time." [36]
The Aztecs
In Ancient Aztec culture, the ruling class did psychedelics.
Another way that nobles and macehualtin who were elevated to noble status as a result of extraordinary feats on the battlefield acquired magical power was through the ingestion of ca- cao, the inhaling of burning incense, and the taking of psychotropic drugs such as peyote or hallucinogenic mushrooms. The visionary state that resulted from ingesting these plants was a direct communication with gods and goddesses, who entered into human awareness during these times. It was thought that the nobles became stronger and more effective in their public duties when they ate peyote, cacao, mushrooms, or human flesh. This was a privilege of the noble class, but it must be remembered that the main purpose was to enable them to carry out their responsibilities more effectively. [37]
Mazatec Indians
Amongst the Mazatec, who use psilocybin mushrooms for healing and contact with the spiritual realms, "Usually several members of a family eat the mushrooms together: it is not uncommon for a father, mother, children, uncles, and aunts to all participate in these transformations of the mind that elevate consciousness onto a higher plane."[38]
The Jivaro of Bolivia
"The Jivaro believe that the true determinants of life and death are normally invisible forces which can be seen and utilized only with the aid of hallucinogenic drugs. The normal waking life is explicitly viewed as "false" or "a lie," and it is firmly believed that truth about causality is to be found by entering the supernatural world or what the Jivaro view as the "real" world, for they feel that the events which take place within it underlie and are the basis for many of surface manifestation and mysteries of daily life.
Thus, within a few days of birth, a baby is given a hallucinogenic dn1g to help it enter the "real" world and hopefully to obtain help in surviving the hazards of infancy through seeing an "ancient specter." If an older child misbehaves, his parents may administer another, stronger, hallucinogen to enable him to see that the "reality" on which they base their knowledge and authority does indeed exist.
Even hunting dogs are given their own special hallucinogen to provide them with the essential contact with the supernatural plane. Finally, entrance into the normally invisible realm is considered so essential to success that the two kinds of leaders in Jfvaro society, the outstanding killers (kakaram) and shamans, are the two types of persons for whom hallucinogenic drugs tend to have the most important role. Their achievements are believed by the Jfvaro to be directly connected to their ability to enter, and utilize the souls and spuits of, that "real" world."[39]
Details
Connection supplements vary in intensity of connection and duration of effect.
Regarding intensity and duration, LSD has high intensity and long duration, while cannabis has lower intensity and lower duration. Note that there is a considerable difference in duration between cannabis that is inhaled and cannabis that is ingested. When inhaled, duration is typically 90 minutes. When ingested, duration is approximately six hours.
In general, guidance from experienced and authentic new energy guides is recommended, especially when attempting connection with more intense substances.
To achieve successful, grounded, aligned, non-paranoid, fear-less connection, it is important to establish Aligned Thought, Aligned Environment, and Aligned Action. Lightning Path materials, and in particular the Triumph of Spirit Archetype System, are designed to help facilitate alignment. To get started on the Lightning Path, visit https://www.lightningpath.org/.
Set and Setting, another way of looking at Aligned Thought and Aligned Environment, is important. Connection supplements do not invariably lead to Connection Experiences As Huston notes, "given the right set and setting, the drugs can induce religious experiences that are indistinguishable from such experiences that occurs spontaneously.[40]
Neurology is not well understood at this time, but it appears that connection is facilitated via suppression of the Default Mode Network (Sosteric, SOA) and activation of unused neural pathways.
In regards to cannabis, the cannabinoid receptors (CB1) are located throughout the body, in the brain, liver, lungs fat cells, uterus, and sperm!. When either endogenous or exogenous cannabinoids are present, these bind to the receptors and trigger a "cornucopia" of chemical signals. See also this. Cannabis is thus likely involved in more than just the facilitation of connection.
Additional Reading
- Rest Me - An excellent site on the healing and connecting properties of various connection supplements.
Related LP Content and Courses
Citation and Legal
Treat the SpiritWiki as an open-access online monograph or structured textbook. You may freely use information in the SpiritWiki; however, attribution, citation, and/or direct linking are ethically required.
Footnotes
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N., and William A. Richards. “Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism.” Journal of Religion and Health 5, no. 3 (1966): 175–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01532646.
- ↑ Furst, Peter. “The Roots and Continuities of Shamanism.” Artscanada, 1974. p. 34
- ↑ Grof, Stanislav. “Psychology For the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research.” Spirituality Studies 2, no. 1 (2016): 3–36. p. 6.
- ↑ Grof, Stanislav. When the Impossible Happens. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2006.
- ↑ . “Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Observations from LSD Research.” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 5, no. 1 (June 1973): 15–53. p. 17.
- ↑ . “Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Observations from LSD Research.” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 5, no. 1 (June 1973): 15–53. p. 18.
- ↑ . “Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Observations from LSD Research.” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 5, no. 1 (June 1973): 15–53. p. 17.
- ↑ Harner, Michael J. “The Role of Hallucinogenic Plants in European Witchcraft.” In Hallucinogens and Shamanism, edited by Michael J Harner. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. 0. 129.
- ↑ Harner, Michael J. Hallucinogens and Shamanism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. p. xi.
- ↑ Rogers, Spencer L. The Shaman: His Symbols and His Healing Power. Illinois: Charles Thomas Publishers, 1982. p. 145
- ↑ Pasi, Marco. “Varieties of Magical Experience: Aleister Crowley’s Views on Occult Practice.” In Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism, edited by Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr, 53–88. Oxford University Press, 2012.
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N., and William A. Richards. “Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism.” Journal of Religion and Health 5, no. 3 (1966): 175–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01532646. p. 175
- ↑ Bennett, Chris. Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal Herbs and the Occult. Walterville, OR: Trine Day, 2018.
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N., and William A. Richards. “Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism.” Journal of Religion and Health 5, no. 3 (1966): 175–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01532646. p. 175
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N., and William A. Richards. “Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism.” Journal of Religion and Health 5, no. 3 (1966): 175–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01532646. p. 175-76
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N., and William A. Richards. “Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism.” Journal of Religion and Health 5, no. 3 (1966): 176. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01532646. p. 175
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N. “Psychedelic Drugs and Mystical Experience.” International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 1969, 149–62.
- ↑ Pahnke, Walter N. “Psychedelic Drugs and Mystical Experience.” International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 1969, 149–62.
- ↑ Leary, T. “The Religious Experience: Its Production and Interpretation.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 3, no. 1 (1970): 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1970.10471364. p. 324
- ↑ Leary, T. “The Religious Experience: Its Production and Interpretation.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 3, no. 1 (1970): 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1970.10471364. p. 345
- ↑ Klavetter, Robert E., and Robert E. Mogar. “Peak Experiences: Investigation of Their Relationship to Psychedelic Therapy and Self-Actualization.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 7, no. 2 (1967): 171.
- ↑ Klavetter, Robert E., and Robert E. Mogar. “Peak Experiences: Investigation of Their Relationship to Psychedelic Therapy and Self-Actualization.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 7, no. 2 (1967): 171.
- ↑ Griffiths, R. R., W. A. Richards, U. McCann, and R. Jesse. “Psilocybin Can Occasion Mystical-Type Experiences Having Substantial and Sustained Personal Meaning and Spiritual Significance.” Psychopharmacology 187, no. 3 (2006): 268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
- ↑ Underhill, Evelyn. Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness. New York: Dover Publications, 2002. https://amzn.to/2C91xNY.
- ↑ Oakes, Robert A. “Biochemistry and Theistic Mysticism.” Sophia 15, no. 2 (July 1976): 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02798899.
- ↑ Townsend, Richard f. The Aztecs. London: Thames & Hudson, 2009. p. 206
- ↑ Neitzke-Spruill, Logan, and Carol Glasser. “A Gratuitous Grace: The Influence of Religious Set and Intent on the Psychedelic Experience.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 50, no. 4 (October 9, 2018): 314–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2018.1494869.
- ↑ Sosteric. Rocket Scientists’ Guide to Authentic Spirituality. St. Albert, Alberta: Lightning Path Press, 2018. https://amzn.to/2Vnr4L4.
- ↑ Mathews-King, Alex. “LSD and Magic Mushrooms Could Repair Brain Circuits ‘shrivelled’ by Depression, Finds Study.” The Independent, 2018. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/psychedelic-drugs-brain-repair-lsd-depression-anxiety-lsd-dmt-amphetamines-ketamine-a8395511.html. For the science article, see Ly, Calvin, Alexandra C. Greb, Lindsay P. Cameron, Jonathan M. Wong, Eden V. Barragan, Paige C. Wilson, Kyle F. Burbach, et al. “Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity.” Cell Reports 23, no. 11 (June 12, 2018): 3170–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2018.05.022
- ↑ Mathews-King, Alex. “LSD and Magic Mushrooms Could Repair Brain Circuits ‘shrivelled’ by Depression, Finds Study.” The Independent, 2018. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/psychedelic-drugs-brain-repair-lsd-depression-anxiety-lsd-dmt-amphetamines-ketamine-a8395511.html.
- ↑ Rootman, Joseph M., Pamela Kryskow, Kalin Harvey, Paul Stamets, Eesmyal Santos-Brault, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Vince Polito, Francoise Bourzat, and Zach Walsh. “Adults Who Microdose Psychedelics Report Health Related Motivations and Lower Levels of Anxiety and Depression Compared to Non-Microdosers.” Scientific Reports 11, no. 1 (November 18, 2021): 22479. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01811-4.
- ↑ Yang, Kevin H., Christopher N. Kaufmann, Reva Nafsu, Ella T. Lifset, Khai Nguyen, Michelle Sexton, Benjamin H. Han, Arum Kim, and Alison A. Moore. “Cannabis: An Emerging Treatment for Common Symptoms in Older Adults.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society n/a, no. n/a (October 7, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16833.
- ↑ Dakota Mauzay, Emily M. LaFrance, and Carrie Cuttler, “Acute Effects of Cannabis on Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” Journal of Affective Disorders, October 6, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.124.
- ↑ Mead, Margaret. The Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization. Kindle. New York: William Morrow, 2016. https://amzn.to/2D4znnX
- ↑ Adams, Benjamin M. “Temples in India Serve Ganja for Religious Purposes.” Dope Magazine, 2020. https://dopemagazine.com/temples-in-india-serve-ganja-for-religious-purposes/.
- ↑ Myerhoff, Barbara G. Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians. London: Cornell University Press, 1974. p. 133. https://archive.org/details/peyotehuntsacred0000myer/page/n5/mode/2up.
- ↑ Carrasco, David, and Scott Sessions. Daily Life of the Aztecs. London: Greenwood Press, 1998. p. 134.
- ↑ Munn, Henry. “The Mushrooms of Language.” In Hallucinogens and Shamanism, edited by Michael J Harner, 86–122. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. p.86
- ↑ Harner, Michael J. The Jivaro: People of the Sacred Waterfalls. London: Robert Hale & Company, 1972. p.134-5
- ↑ Huston, Smith. Cleansing the Doors of Perception. Boulder, CO: Sentient Publications, 2000. p. 20. https://amzn.to/2tZmoPw