Consciousness

1. I read this in some article about modern drugs lately, but honestly, who knows if it’s actually accurate... I can't say for sure.

2. It uses the word "synthetic". Do I really need to break down that it just means "man-made"? Does anyone here happen to know the chemical formula for Mescaline Phenethylamine so I don't end up looking like the idiot—not that I'm claiming the statement myself, I'm just quoting the piece 😁—but now I feel like I'm the one being called out for it?
I mean, even I'll admit that comparing vitamins from a fresh lemon to some "synthetic" Vitamin C feels like a bit of a stretch... 😁

Mescaline Phenethylamine
3,4,5-trimethoxy-
C11-H17-N-O3
If you honestly believe there’s any connection between mescaline and ecstasy, just try some mescaline. You'll quickly see how different they actually are.
Honestly, Casey Palmer5, comparing mescaline to standard ecstasy is practically a crime. 👍

3,4,5 - trimethoxyphenethylamine

C11H17NO3

🙂
Look, I’m sorry if I end up spreading some wrong info just because I tend to believe everything I read... might have accidentally shared something inaccurate. 😁

Ryan Wilson2 said:Hmm... I don't really get how you can judge something when you have zero clue about it and you've never actually done it yourself. 😈

Like I said before... it takes a person a long time to actually figure out what works and what doesn't.

So, just tell me—what would *you* do? How would it actually benefit you, and why would you even bother wasting your time on it? If you tell me that, maybe I'll dig up some recommendations for you.

You're right, I can't... But still, things just sort of push you toward taking action, or they don't... Or maybe it's just pure desire driving it, which is fine too, I guess.. I just want to find out if this is something I truly want that badly.

I don't know what I'd do, or how, exactly, but I want to tap into my creative potential (that's the main thing, really)... I’m saying that dreams and those other experiences aren't just for nothing; they're where everything crystallizes, where I get an idea and finally solve a problem... I want to reach that state, I want it to be within my grasp, as long as that's healthy and actually possible...

Bipolar—look, I don't know. That's why I started this thread, to hear different perspectives and suggestions, especially if anyone else (who isn't such a saint, unlike me) knows anything about it. What you pulled from my posts is basically just my stream of consciousness, written down, I guess, but yeah, that's it.

Drugs don't really factor into this at all. In principle, I don't do drugs and I don't see them as a solution to anything. I don't know (unfortunately) how to say much more or explain it better; I feel like a kid who just found one toy (when there's a whole room full of them right in front of me).

I know I might be tripping over my own words here, and I wish I could explain myself better, but it's just hard right now... I hope someone understands me, and maybe I'll find better ways to say it soon.

I hear where you're coming from, restlessmarlin6, but honestly, I asked that question mostly because of you—wouldn't it be better if you just went back to square one?😉 Your wording is perfectly fine; there aren't really "good" or "bad" ways to say things, so let's just keep it chill... I wasn't suggesting that drugs are the answer, per se, but I definitely got the impression that the insights you're starting to uncover are being fueled by substance use.
All in all, just go back and read my very first post on this topic.
Look, good things are happening to you. You've actually started asking yourself some real, meaningful questions, but when a young person hits this stage of life, it’s so easy to slip—to completely lose your footing. I can see that you're essentially just beginning to discover who you truly are. You're at the very starting line, and that is easily the most vulnerable stage of the whole process.
Of course, your dreams aren't meaningless, but don't expect solutions to just fall into your lap.
Listen to yourself and follow that gut feeling. Half the time you won't even recognize it, but over time, you can learn how to tune in. That’s the actual work.
There is no "truth" about you existing anywhere outside of yourself. So, when you feel like you're losing your grip... step back and return to the beginning. Start with the first question. Eventually, the answers will start to surface.
🙂

restlessmarlin6 said:You have a point, I can't... But then again, things either compel you toward further action or they don't... Or perhaps it is just pure desire driving you, which is perfectly fine too. I just want to find out if I truly want this as much as I think I do.

I am not entirely sure what I would actually do, but my primary goal is to tap into my creative potential. I maintain that dreams and those other experiences aren't in vain; they are moments where everything crystallizes, where an idea strikes and a problem is solved. I want to reach that state—to have it within my grasp—regardless of how healthy or feasible that might be.

Hmm... well, if your sole objective is to harness your creative potential, then I would suggest meditation, creative visualization, and similar practices. I cannot recommend any specific author on the subject, as that isn't really my area of expertise. However, there are plenty of meditators here on this forum, so one of them might be able to offer some guidance.

If your English is up to par, you could simply do some research online. You will find just about everything there.

But as a starting point, I would recommend enrolling in a beginner's Yoga course. Once you establish that foundation, things will begin to fall into place naturally. 😉

restlessmarlin6 said:Just asking without any judgment or moralizing here.🙂

I'm wondering if there's any way to reach those elevated states of consciousness—the kind people get from drugs—through more "natural" means?

Are there specific meditations, exercises, or something similar?

Looking for simple, layman answers.

Thanks. 🙂

And who said that? 😁 😁 Calling drug-induced states "elevated"...
Drugs just shift your state of consciousness. It’s not even really an "elevation," at best it's just a qualitative change. You might experience some cognitive shifts, but usually, it's just accidental. And honestly, the negative side effects of drugs far outweigh any perks by wrecking your psyche... and your body. I get the motive, though. It's a basic human drive, wanting to feel better. There are plenty of paths, but most are just external traps. 😉
Not saying the physical world is a trap—it's necessary.

But there are other ways. I wouldn't call it "elevating" consciousness so much as expanding it. But you have to understand what consciousness actually is and how it functions first. That process itself is part of the expansion. 🙂
There's the system of Yoga, which points exactly in that direction, but the foundations and practices are too massive to go over here. You start practicing Yoga, you start digging into the theoretical assumptions—psychological, philosophical, the eightfold path of Patanjali.

The philosophical assumptions of Yoga are very similar to Buddhism (not by accident 😉). It takes time. But Yoga is a reliable path for expanding awareness... people want everything all at once, but they aren't even aware they couldn't handle it. Trying to trigger the rise of Kundalini in someone untrained and unpurified—physically or mentally—is like running 20,000 volts through a lightbulb... you know... (not 🙂),
For example: you can't even do basic Yoga energy work if you have minor health issues... let alone the heavy stuff. You have to "heal" yourself first and clear the blockages. If you don't, building up energy just leads to pain and sickness. The goal is to let it flow. Start small, bit by bit... then maybe eventually, a little Kundalini. The goal is human evolution.
Even small awakenings and balancing the chakras give you a greater sense of freedom, energy, and sensitivity. 😉

restlessmarlin6 said:Please, just leave the prejudices and moral lecturing out of this.🙂

I want to know if there is any way to reach those elevated states of consciousness—the kind you usually get from drugs—through "natural" means?

Are there specific meditations, exercises, or anything like that?

Keep the answers simple; I'm just a layman here.

Thanks. 🙂

To put it as simply as possible: the master key that unlocks all spiritual breakthroughs is breathing. If I were you, I’d hunt down a book that details various breathing techniques and then commit to practicing them every single day. Just a little bit at a time. Pretty soon, you'll start feeling the initial shifts, and once you do, you'll actually have the drive to move on to more advanced stuff, like concentration techniques and so on. But start with breathing. The exercises are incredibly straightforward, yet the results are undeniable.

😎

shadowgardener12 said:For instance, even basic Yoga exercises can be a struggle if you're dealing with any kind of minor illness... let alone the intense stuff. You really have to focus on "healing" yourself first and clearing those internal blockages, because when energy gets stuck, it just turns into pain and sickness. The whole point is to let it flow. You start small, step by step, and eventually... who knows, maybe you'll even tap into some Kundalini. It’s all about human evolution at the end of the day.

But isn't that just a Catch-22? You can't practice Yoga because you're sick, yet Yoga is supposed to be the thing that makes you healthy so you can actually practice it. 😕

Oleander Somniferum said:Isn't this just one big Catch-22? You can't get into your Yoga practice because you're too sick, yet Yoga is supposedly the very thing that would fix your health and get you back on your feet? 😕

What you actually need is a solid diet, much gentler asanas and Pranayama, relaxation techniques, and just getting more movement into your daily life...

There is absolutely no point in attempting advanced kriyas when you can barely hold a basic posture without struggling or finding yourself completely winded after just two minutes of light Pranayama.

First, you need about two years of heavy theoretical research and library grinding, paired with some light practice. After that? It’s just work, work, work... endless labor.

Talking nonsense gets you nowhere. Drugs might offer a shortcut, but only under strictly controlled conditions and only after years of discipline once a person actually possesses the mental fortitude to command their own mind.

That’s the reality: sit down and put in the hours. Read the literature, identify the techniques that resonate with you, and get to 😁

Every author of occult, meditative, or magical texts preaches the same thing: work, work, and more work.

With a relatively small amount of effort—say, a few months—an average person can become quite proficient at astral projection techniques.

Drugs merely cloud consciousness and dull mental clarity. They won't lead to any actual spiritual evolution; they'll just drive you straight toward a total collapse.

Oleander Somniferum said:Isn't it just a catch-22? You can't practice Yoga because you're sick, but Yoga is what makes you healthy, so you could get better if you actually did it? 😕

Fair question, even if it's a bit blunt. Yoga isn't just movement; it’s built on a specific philosophy and lifestyle... the pain which has yet to come can be avoided.

Essentially, through Yoga, you're preempting issues—improving your "karma," so to speak. Specifically, addressing genetic predispositions or those self-inflicted ailments caused by ignoring our own needs. If we didn't use Yoga to clear the underlying causes, those problems would hit us much harder later on. How you "go against your genes" gets into the weeds of how Yoga actually functions...

When you're sick, though, it depends. It all comes down to your energy levels and where the blockages are. What you can handle varies. Personally, I managed to clear up some minor issues by sticking to specific movements. They were nagging enough that I couldn't even manage a Sun Salutation, let alone Pranayama...
But Yoga isn't just about Asanas or Pranayama. It’s about mindfulness and maintaining the entire energetic system of the body and mind. Diet, lifestyle—it's all part of it. It’s not about following strict rules or prohibitions; it's more about feeling the energetic impact. When you practice, you start to sense exactly what disrupts your flow. For instance, if you overexert yourself, you won't be able to reach those depths of energy during Pranayama or meditation...

There are very specific exercises designed to balance particular blockages.
And through those specific practices, a healthy lifestyle can actually be restored.
By choosing exercises that don't strain the blockages but instead move them. This helps immensely with symptoms where the psychosomatic connection is strong—though that applies to almost everything. The real question is whether you have enough energy left to maintain that balance.

My point about Kundalini was that without consistent practice, we stay at a low energy level. At that stage, we aren't capable of raising Kundalini or handling those intense psycho-physical energies. It’s the same logic as being sick: when you're at a low energy state, you can't perform the heavy-duty exercises meant to spike your energy, because those require a balanced system—or at least one without severe physical or mental distress. Using balancing exercises to heal instead... that's highly recommended.

The whole concept of "going against your genes" actually dives deep into how Yoga works on a physiological level...

Can you break this down a bit more for me?
What’s the actual mechanism behind this? Is it even possible to offset or mitigate congenital conditions once they've already taken hold? If that's the case, does that mean Yoga is somehow more effective than modern Western medicine?😉

#WildCard said:Could you elaborate on that a bit more?
What’s the actual mechanism here? How do you supposedly clear or mitigate congenital diseases that have already taken hold? Are you saying Yoga is somehow more effective than modern medicine? 😉

Well, that’s what I was getting at—Yoga works best as prevention, or when dealing with symptoms where the energetic flow hasn't been permanently disrupted. It acts regeneratively and balances things out on a physical level... say, by regulating endocrine/hormonal output, influencing red and white blood cell production, bone density and structure, and so on.

It works through a principle of "intervention"... 🙂

targeting those processes that would otherwise just follow inertia—driven by genetics or external factors. With Yoga, you're acting against those degenerative cycles. This version of Yoga we know today evolved over millennia through direct experience with human energy. The ultimate goal was liberation. Maintaining health is a prerequisite for that, so plenty of focus has been placed there.

Plus, you’ve probably heard about the internal fire—that biological clock hardwired into our cells via our DNA. It’s essentially a countdown that starts at a certain stage of life. By practicing Pranayama, you can actually slow down your entire metabolic rate and the way your body burns fuel. Of course, you can't really pull that off if your system is bogged down by heavy stuff like meat or toxins.
Yogis aren't just making things up when they say every minute spent in Pranayama adds another minute to your lifespan. 🙂

The effects of Yoga run much deeper than what modern science is capable of measuring. Science can only track the physical results—and it does!—like all those regenerative bodily changes. But those are just shadows cast by much subtler energetic flows. 😉
And most of us? We usually only identify with the tangible stuff. 🙂

Like I’ve mentioned before, Yoga works best as a preventative measure—it's most effective when you're dealing with symptoms but haven't reached the point where those energy flows are permanently broken...

But what happens once those energy flows are gone for good?

#WildCard said:What happens when the energy flows are gone for good?

I haven't really been there myself... but at that point, even Yoga won't help much since you can't really practice it anymore. We're talking about states like extreme physical immobility in old age, terminal illness, or severe unconsciousness from brain trauma.
But usually, those energy flows aren't permanently lost, provided you can still move around and eat or drink somewhat normally—it's all about how that energy gets distributed. In those cases, they’re just blocked or out of balance.

Look, you could spend the next few years chasing after every different method of consciousness expansion out there—I mean, really hunting through them—but if you ask me, what you’re actually searching for is a spark of inspiration.

Because of that, I’d suggest leaning into music. If you can find the right frequency that hits home for you, music can trigger just about any state of consciousness you're looking for, often more effectively than those structured methods. Personally, I use music constantly to kickstart my creativity, and it frequently serves as my direct source of inspiration. You don't need fancy exercises; you just have to figure out what moves you most and let your imagination run wild. Give it a shot—you'll see what I mean. It doesn't matter if it's folk, rock, R&B, jazz, classical, or techno... just find whatever resonates with *your* soul...

As for expanding your consciousness? Honestly, even basic meditation does the trick. Just find a quiet spot, settle in, calm your mind, and start being truly aware of your own existence in that moment. In that instant, you've already expanded your consciousness... from there, just follow wherever it leads you. Overthinking all the technicalities is—IMHO—exactly how people end up heading in the opposite direction...

Karen Sanchez19, what kind of meditation routine are you actually running? Lay some of those interesting experiences out here for us.😁