Saturday, October 6, 2007
Mind Sickness
Eccentricity is the acceptable face of the creative. We would never visit an asylum to look into the eyes of the patients. Although we might find some of the behavior interesting we would not label it as art. The truth is, how can we tell when we are looking at the symptoms of mental sickness?How do we know that we are not looking at the last foot-step out of creative thought and the first foot-step into pathological thought. In chapter 9 we are given many examples of artists who did a triple long jump over the line between creativity and psychosis. For example: French poet Arthur Rimbaud, his book Une Saison en Enfer is loved by most, is a foot print of his leap into madness. The book is great and I consider it a work of art but the truth is, he was simply documenting his painful thoughts. Much like Jim Morrison's Wilderness, The American Night, The lords and The New Creatures. We get to experience how the creative process may turn into psychotic ones.
Huxley, Art and Epilesy
I've found an website about Epilepsy and how the illness could have a positive impact to creativity. We all know that epilepsy comes from a disturbance of the electricity activity of the brain that causes seizures and convulsions, but the person who suffers from the disease could find themselves in an artistic divestment that they find creative interpretations of paintings and in music like no other normal person would. Andre' Gides said that epilepsy can be the key to opening certain doors for him because even though people are suffering from this illness, they could base their illness on creative thoughts and interpretations of paintings and even music unlike someone who doesn't have epilepsy. I've read that people with epilepsy sleep for long hours after their seizures and i wonder what are they dreaming about while they're sleeping. I asked my friend Tyrone, who has epilepsy and he told me that when he takes his medications and while he's sleeping, he dreams about not having epilepsy, not taking meds and he is able to drink alcoholic beverages and hang out with his friends without worrying about his illness. He said that when he comes back to his normal state from his seizures , he have a urge to write music lyrics and talks to his brother for hours and hours about life and how he wants to change as well move himself from negativity. While he was talking about his dreams, i thought about Huxley and his experience with the mescaline and Huxley 's trip while he was on mescaline. Huxley thought he was on a trip and being free from it all and I thought to myself, Well maybe my friend was dreaming of being free from his illness and taking a vacation from it .
http://www.desitin.no/index.php/article/detail/1047
http://www.desitin.no/index.php/article/detail/1047
Friday, October 5, 2007
Posted for Erik (I forgot) Blog 4
The question of Artist or Artisan addressed in this chapter is interesting to me. Before I knew much about art and art history, I always wondered why medieval and classical art - art from those eras - was so “picture” like; even the sculpture was limited in its thought provoking weight. Later I learned, as this chapter explains, that art from those days was not done for individual pleasure – most of it anyway. The socially accepted, displayed and revered art was done for reasons that the commissioner demanded. At that time in history, the two entities that had the money - more so the dominant dictation – to commission works of art were the church or the state (king), with a few scattered pieces done by rich citizens which mostly consisted of portraits. Political and spiritual propaganda was the overwhelming force behind the art in that time period, possible one of the most creatively restrictive times in human art history. Artists at this time are very appropriately called artisans because they had rules to follow and bounds that were not to be crossed; bounds that were broken could be punished by death.
\n\n\u003cbr\>\nIt was not until the modern art era, which democracy gave birth to, did we begin to see artist express without fear of death, expulsion or humiliation. Even so, modern artists are not exempt from public outcry and ridicule, however, that is what some artist see as a successful endeavor. Art that evokes emotion, whether that emotion is rage, is what some artists seek. Our nation and other nations that have the right to free speech drawl artist from all over the world just so they can create without fear and in freedom. An artisan is not free in their work, an artist is.
It was not until the modern art era, which democracy gave birth to, did we begin to see artist express without fear of death, expulsion or humiliation. Even so, modern artists are not exempt from public outcry and ridicule, however, that is what some artist see as a successful endeavor. Art that evokes emotion, whether that emotion is rage, is what some artists seek. Our nation and other nations that have the right to free speech drawl artist from all over the world just so they can create without fear and in freedom. An artisan is not free in their work, an artist is.
\n\n\u003cbr\>\nIt was not until the modern art era, which democracy gave birth to, did we begin to see artist express without fear of death, expulsion or humiliation. Even so, modern artists are not exempt from public outcry and ridicule, however, that is what some artist see as a successful endeavor. Art that evokes emotion, whether that emotion is rage, is what some artists seek. Our nation and other nations that have the right to free speech drawl artist from all over the world just so they can create without fear and in freedom. An artisan is not free in their work, an artist is.
It was not until the modern art era, which democracy gave birth to, did we begin to see artist express without fear of death, expulsion or humiliation. Even so, modern artists are not exempt from public outcry and ridicule, however, that is what some artist see as a successful endeavor. Art that evokes emotion, whether that emotion is rage, is what some artists seek. Our nation and other nations that have the right to free speech drawl artist from all over the world just so they can create without fear and in freedom. An artisan is not free in their work, an artist is.
Posted for Eric - Blog 5
The correlation between children and altered states, the thought process during those states, the freeness, and the overall general ability to be abstract is fascinating me more and more as I read in this class. The section where the book says, “Children travel easily between what might be and what is, slipping from reality to fantasy without difficulty, self consciousness, or embarrassment.” is fascinating to me, it really says it all. I remember as a kid playing with my GI Joe’s in the garden, making bunkers, sticking small breaks off the pine tree in the ground to act as trees, putting guys in foxholes, and even burying all but the fuse of blackcats (firecrackers) so I could light them and pretend a mortar just hit. My dad came out and asked me once, “what are you doing?” and I replied, “Playing…what are you doing?” Then he asked me with a perplexing look on his face, “How do you play?” so I tried to explain, but I still remember that day as vividly as anything, the sun on my face, the smell of dirt on my hands and the colors are all so vivid. Why? I don’t know why I remembered that so profoundly, but I do remember thinking “How can he not know how to play?” “Who doesn’t know how to play?” Now that I think about it, my father was a small boy during world war two in southern Germany, so he probably did not have anything to play with or the time to play.
\n\n\u003cbr\>\nThere is something that occurs in people as they age that causes them to drift away from the absolute free thinking the way children do. Is it responsibility? Is it pressure from society saying, “Only kids do that!” or is it some chemical changes in our own bodies that causes us to loose the constant “trip” that children are on? Something happens and this is why adults seek drugs such as mescaline to get back to that state they once knew. There is something about children, they seem to be living in the “now”, not two minutes ago and not ten years down the road. I saw an interview with Alan Alden recently, where he talked about his epiphany and how almost dying brought him an awareness he never thought possible. He discussed how neuroscientists state that the “now”, in the human minds’ perception of the meaning, last for only five seconds. So, the words you read at the beginning of this paragraph are now a memory and the click you will soon make with your mouse after reading this is completely irrelevant and – changeable – since it has not happened yet. Truly living in the “now” is what people sometimes say is the secret to a fulfilling life and Alan is trying it. He says how hard it really is to be conscious of the “now” and keep from wandering out of it. He told the interviewer how vivid everything becomes when you live in the “now” and how interesting everything anyone says becomes. It really got me thinking and it made a whole lot of sense. Perhaps living in the now is just what makes a kid a kid and acts as a catalyst to open all the doors of perception.\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/tr\>\n\u003ctd colspan\u003d\"2\" width\u003d\"575\"\>\u003chr noshade size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/table\>\n\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n",0]
);
//-->
There is something that occurs in people as they age that causes them to drift away from the absolute free thinking the way children do. Is it responsibility? Is it pressure from society saying, “Only kids do that!” or is it some chemical changes in our own bodies that causes us to loose the constant “trip” that children are on? Something happens and this is why adults seek drugs such as mescaline to get back to that state they once knew. There is something about children, they seem to be living in the “now”, not two minutes ago and not ten years down the road. I saw an interview with Alan Alden recently, where he talked about his epiphany and how almost dying brought him an awareness he never thought possible. He discussed how neuroscientists state that the “now”, in the human minds’ perception of the meaning, last for only five seconds. So, the words you read at the beginning of this paragraph are now a memory and the click you will soon make with your mouse after reading this is completely irrelevant and – changeable – since it has not happened yet. Truly living in the “now” is what people sometimes say is the secret to a fulfilling life and Alan is trying it. He says how hard it really is to be conscious of the “now” and keep from wandering out of it. He told the interviewer how vivid everything becomes when you live in the “now” and how interesting everything anyone says becomes. It really got me thinking and it made a whole lot of sense. Perhaps living in the now is just what makes a kid a kid and acts as a catalyst to open all the doors of perception.
\n\n\u003cbr\>\nThere is something that occurs in people as they age that causes them to drift away from the absolute free thinking the way children do. Is it responsibility? Is it pressure from society saying, “Only kids do that!” or is it some chemical changes in our own bodies that causes us to loose the constant “trip” that children are on? Something happens and this is why adults seek drugs such as mescaline to get back to that state they once knew. There is something about children, they seem to be living in the “now”, not two minutes ago and not ten years down the road. I saw an interview with Alan Alden recently, where he talked about his epiphany and how almost dying brought him an awareness he never thought possible. He discussed how neuroscientists state that the “now”, in the human minds’ perception of the meaning, last for only five seconds. So, the words you read at the beginning of this paragraph are now a memory and the click you will soon make with your mouse after reading this is completely irrelevant and – changeable – since it has not happened yet. Truly living in the “now” is what people sometimes say is the secret to a fulfilling life and Alan is trying it. He says how hard it really is to be conscious of the “now” and keep from wandering out of it. He told the interviewer how vivid everything becomes when you live in the “now” and how interesting everything anyone says becomes. It really got me thinking and it made a whole lot of sense. Perhaps living in the now is just what makes a kid a kid and acts as a catalyst to open all the doors of perception.\n\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/tr\>\n\u003ctd colspan\u003d\"2\" width\u003d\"575\"\>\u003chr noshade size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003c/td\>\n\u003c/table\>\n\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n",0]
);
//-->
There is something that occurs in people as they age that causes them to drift away from the absolute free thinking the way children do. Is it responsibility? Is it pressure from society saying, “Only kids do that!” or is it some chemical changes in our own bodies that causes us to loose the constant “trip” that children are on? Something happens and this is why adults seek drugs such as mescaline to get back to that state they once knew. There is something about children, they seem to be living in the “now”, not two minutes ago and not ten years down the road. I saw an interview with Alan Alden recently, where he talked about his epiphany and how almost dying brought him an awareness he never thought possible. He discussed how neuroscientists state that the “now”, in the human minds’ perception of the meaning, last for only five seconds. So, the words you read at the beginning of this paragraph are now a memory and the click you will soon make with your mouse after reading this is completely irrelevant and – changeable – since it has not happened yet. Truly living in the “now” is what people sometimes say is the secret to a fulfilling life and Alan is trying it. He says how hard it really is to be conscious of the “now” and keep from wandering out of it. He told the interviewer how vivid everything becomes when you live in the “now” and how interesting everything anyone says becomes. It really got me thinking and it made a whole lot of sense. Perhaps living in the now is just what makes a kid a kid and acts as a catalyst to open all the doors of perception.
Bipolar art
In Chapter 9 of our book, it has been noted the relationship between Bipolar disorder, as well as other mental disorders and creativity. I find this very interesting and intriguing, especially the section on Bipolar disorder.
I found a website online which was started by a woman suffering from Bipolar Disorder. On the site, any Bipolar art can be published for free. The site address is http://www.bipol-art.com/
"I have often asked myself whether, given the choice, I would chose to have manic-depressive illness. ... Strangely enough, I think I would chose to have it. It's complicated. Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images ... So why would I want anything to do with this illness? Because I honestly believe that as a result of it I have felt more things, more deeply; had more experiences, more intensely; ... worn death 'as close as dungarees', appreciated it - and life - more; seen the finest and most terrible in people ... But, normal or manic, I have run faster, thought faster, and loved faster than most I know. And I think much of this is related to my illness - the intensity it gives to things."
The woman notes she would rather live with the disorder and feel strong emotions than live without and never experience the intensity. Many people find they are more creative with the disorder, almost as if it offers them a broad window into their creativity.
Their creativity is like a form of therapy in that they can express and bring to life what they are experiencing or feeling. Art and writing are extremely personal forms of expressions, so using this form of therapy is really beneficial to those suffering from a disorder, who may feel outcast or withdrawn because of their condition. Before there was a written language, people would communicate by drawing in caves or drawing in general. If a person suffering from one of these disorders seeks to communicate but cannot find the words to, art is a natural outlet, almost like a 2nd language.
I frequently write when I am upset or anxious about something. I find it really helps me. I have a close friend who often writes letters to her mother, who she is emotionally distant from. She doesn't ever mail the letters to her mother, but she says it helps her release tension. By communicating in general, whether writing, painting or drawing, a person can release and vent.
I really enjoyed looking at the art on the above listed website. Therefore, if you get a chance, check it out.
I found a website online which was started by a woman suffering from Bipolar Disorder. On the site, any Bipolar art can be published for free. The site address is http://www.bipol-art.com/
"I have often asked myself whether, given the choice, I would chose to have manic-depressive illness. ... Strangely enough, I think I would chose to have it. It's complicated. Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images ... So why would I want anything to do with this illness? Because I honestly believe that as a result of it I have felt more things, more deeply; had more experiences, more intensely; ... worn death 'as close as dungarees', appreciated it - and life - more; seen the finest and most terrible in people ... But, normal or manic, I have run faster, thought faster, and loved faster than most I know. And I think much of this is related to my illness - the intensity it gives to things."
The woman notes she would rather live with the disorder and feel strong emotions than live without and never experience the intensity. Many people find they are more creative with the disorder, almost as if it offers them a broad window into their creativity.
Their creativity is like a form of therapy in that they can express and bring to life what they are experiencing or feeling. Art and writing are extremely personal forms of expressions, so using this form of therapy is really beneficial to those suffering from a disorder, who may feel outcast or withdrawn because of their condition. Before there was a written language, people would communicate by drawing in caves or drawing in general. If a person suffering from one of these disorders seeks to communicate but cannot find the words to, art is a natural outlet, almost like a 2nd language.
I frequently write when I am upset or anxious about something. I find it really helps me. I have a close friend who often writes letters to her mother, who she is emotionally distant from. She doesn't ever mail the letters to her mother, but she says it helps her release tension. By communicating in general, whether writing, painting or drawing, a person can release and vent.
I really enjoyed looking at the art on the above listed website. Therefore, if you get a chance, check it out.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Huxley- blog 5
Reading Huxley's book was a real eye opener, because he does something that our society has a hard time dealing with. We are so negative about drugs and even the unknown sometimes, about medical experimentation, learning new things; we have a severe resistance to change as human beings. I personally have a much easier time accepting natural drugs over chemically produced ones (of course I don't condone the use but is this because I've been told not to or because I've seen adverse affects of drugs?) It's something to ask ourselves. Wouldn't it be nice if we could expand our horizons and see what life is like outside the box by doing an experiment like Huxley? I guess through high school and college a lot of us do our own experimenting, living on our own, forging relationships, many times drinking, sometimes with drugs. I'm prone to think it's a natural part of growing up, finding yourself, questioning authority, etc. I think Huxley really took a chance, even if it was before every drug under the sun was made illegal. He didn't know what to expect, and for the good of society (as he thought), decided to try something scary and out of the norm, and to take notes and observations as he went to share with the rest of us. The Doors of Perception made what we've discussed so far in class truly real, seeing through the eyes of an actual participant, and watching him set out to do something with teaching/learning as the fundamental reason, and then finding it so difficult to even concentrate, not wanting to ruin his experience, etc. I find it brave when people will do such things, and in the case of experimentation (while knowing your limits and being quite careful), I wish I could see the things he did!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Chapter 9
I was fascinated by this chapter because Hughes talked about art in sickness and how past and present artists use their illness to speak to us. I liked the painting of the Mexican painter , Frida Kahlo, who suffered a severe accident and suffered terrible injuries as well as pain from her husband. Kahlo wanted her audience to not only see her pain, but to feel it. Her painting featured tears falling down her face, a metal brace opening to show the her physical and mental pain from her spine and in her relationship. The other part that Hughes wrote about Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles and their lost of eyesight was interesting because of their inner eye and their imagination for life especially in their music. I thought it was hilarious on the movie, Ray, when Jamie Foxx who played Ray Charles touched the women's wrist to see if they were slim or full figured so he could go out with them.
Huxley
Let me start by saying that Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception became one of my favorite works when I first read it last summer. His imagery and extreme understanding of the experiences that he is going through draw me deeply into a trance. What I mean to say is that his words themselves become as transporting, to me, as the mescaline he is testing.
It is apparent that he was doing this experiment as a scientist and not as a random person under the influence of an ancient hallucinogen. This is apparent in his painstaking efforts to convey every moment of the experience and put it into words that are easily digested by the inexperienced reader (of hallucinogenic reading material) by using such analogies as "the car salesman's dream" when describing the shimmering cars that he sees on his way to the store. I am by no means saying that this is an easy read, as I myself will admit to being sometimes lost in his use of terminology, but Huxley was no slouch of a writer, either. The Doors of Perception is perhaps the best chance for a reader to come away with some sort of an experience themselves. His writing ability and style convey seamless imagery from start to finish with clear and concise information to back up each and every statement. This is why this piece has become one of my favorites, it is unrelenting in it's explanation of the intricacies of the human mind in an altered state.
It is apparent that he was doing this experiment as a scientist and not as a random person under the influence of an ancient hallucinogen. This is apparent in his painstaking efforts to convey every moment of the experience and put it into words that are easily digested by the inexperienced reader (of hallucinogenic reading material) by using such analogies as "the car salesman's dream" when describing the shimmering cars that he sees on his way to the store. I am by no means saying that this is an easy read, as I myself will admit to being sometimes lost in his use of terminology, but Huxley was no slouch of a writer, either. The Doors of Perception is perhaps the best chance for a reader to come away with some sort of an experience themselves. His writing ability and style convey seamless imagery from start to finish with clear and concise information to back up each and every statement. This is why this piece has become one of my favorites, it is unrelenting in it's explanation of the intricacies of the human mind in an altered state.
Not Your Typical Hippie
Not your typical hippie and not your typical trip, Huxley used mescalin to enlighten himself. During his experience, he found that mescalin opened his mind, making him more susceptible to the "Mind at Large." He found that the mescalin brought on an intense feeling of understanding which he compared to Zen-like experiences and other religous practices. The most interesting thing was the absence of serious hallucinations. He expected scenery, a new psychodelic world, but did not get it. "I saw no landscapes, no enormous spaces, no magical growth and matamorphosis of buildings, nothing remotely like a drama or a parable. The other world to which mescalin admitted me was not the world of visions; it existed out there, in what I could see with my eyes open. The great change was in the realm of objective fact. What had happened to my subjective universe was relatively unimportant." (Huxley, 16) He goes on to talk about his new understanding of "being." He sees things as beautifully existing. The simple fact that they are is more important than anything else. He sees everything begin to blend together as one, not literally. He does not see things melt together. He recognizes "the infinate value of naked existance." (Huxley, 26) Therefore, the chair is the table and the table is the flowers. They simply exist, and that is beutiful.
I have held reservations. I have kept some stories and insights to myself during this class in fear of judgement. I have my own personal experiences that I have not felt comfortable sharing. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of me. I still don't feel entirely comfortable; I'm not sure if what I really want to say is entirely appropriate, but I will say this: I felt a parallel through this entire reading, a parallel that is impossible to overlook. I have been speculative of some of the material we have discussed, but I am not, in any way, shape, or form, speculative of this.
I have held reservations. I have kept some stories and insights to myself during this class in fear of judgement. I have my own personal experiences that I have not felt comfortable sharing. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of me. I still don't feel entirely comfortable; I'm not sure if what I really want to say is entirely appropriate, but I will say this: I felt a parallel through this entire reading, a parallel that is impossible to overlook. I have been speculative of some of the material we have discussed, but I am not, in any way, shape, or form, speculative of this.
This guy knew how to party
Huxley! I met a guy named Huxley once at a Grateful Dead tribute show. He had dreadlocks and smelled of patchouli. He was always going on and on about good trips and bad trips, and talked about all the funky visuals he was picking while staring at the band. One time he claimed a giant portrait of Jerry Garcia hanging behind the band was singing all the lyrics of the song during the concert. I told him that I hadn’t experienced the same thing, and he just laugh and stumbled off.
For a moment I thought it was the same guy, because immediately when I starting reading this book, here was another guy going on and on about taking drugs and seeing and experiencing new things. But a quick check of the copyright date and further reading revealed that this Huxley had a better explanation for his trips then the funny looking hippie guy.
The Huxley in this book says there is a close chemical composition of mescaline (his drug of choice) and adrenalin. According to the research he was citing, he even went as far to say that, “each one of us may be capable of manufacturing a chemical, minute doses of which are known to cause profound changes in consciousness.” He notes that if this were true it might even better explain schizophrenia.
The Huxley in this book wouldn’t have ever seen Jerry Garcia singing at all. He explains that at first he though this is how his trips would go. “I had expected to lie with my eyes shut, looking at visions of many-colored geometries, of animated architectures, rich with gems and fabulously lovely, of landscapes with heroic figures, of symbolic dramas trembling perpetually on the verge of the ultimate revelation. But I had not reckoned it was evident, with the idiosyncrasies of my mental make-up, the facts of my temperament, training and habits.”
It turns out that this Huxley wasn’t really a visual person. He instead experienced a deeper change, saying, “The other world to which mescaline admitted me was not the world of visions; it exited out there, in what I could see with my eyes open. The great change was in the realm of objective fact. What had happened to my subjective universe was relatively unimportant.”
The Huxley I met at the concert didn’t talk about any of this stuff at all. He was more interested in dancing with no rhythm beside girls that looked very uncomfortable.
I have to admit I really never met a guy named Huxley at a Grateful Dead Tribute concert. I met plenty of guys like him, but I was rather comparing the two to parallel popular misconception behind drug use and where Huxley breaks the mold. (On a side note, I love making fun of hippie, too.)
Ultimately I found the most interest aspects to The Doors of Perception were Huxley’s explanation for psychotropic effects. His interpretations of reality challenge most people’s existential philosophies. By symbolizing the mind as a filter of reality, he explains drugs like mescaline help to “open these doors of perception.”
For a moment I thought it was the same guy, because immediately when I starting reading this book, here was another guy going on and on about taking drugs and seeing and experiencing new things. But a quick check of the copyright date and further reading revealed that this Huxley had a better explanation for his trips then the funny looking hippie guy.
The Huxley in this book says there is a close chemical composition of mescaline (his drug of choice) and adrenalin. According to the research he was citing, he even went as far to say that, “each one of us may be capable of manufacturing a chemical, minute doses of which are known to cause profound changes in consciousness.” He notes that if this were true it might even better explain schizophrenia.
The Huxley in this book wouldn’t have ever seen Jerry Garcia singing at all. He explains that at first he though this is how his trips would go. “I had expected to lie with my eyes shut, looking at visions of many-colored geometries, of animated architectures, rich with gems and fabulously lovely, of landscapes with heroic figures, of symbolic dramas trembling perpetually on the verge of the ultimate revelation. But I had not reckoned it was evident, with the idiosyncrasies of my mental make-up, the facts of my temperament, training and habits.”
It turns out that this Huxley wasn’t really a visual person. He instead experienced a deeper change, saying, “The other world to which mescaline admitted me was not the world of visions; it exited out there, in what I could see with my eyes open. The great change was in the realm of objective fact. What had happened to my subjective universe was relatively unimportant.”
The Huxley I met at the concert didn’t talk about any of this stuff at all. He was more interested in dancing with no rhythm beside girls that looked very uncomfortable.
I have to admit I really never met a guy named Huxley at a Grateful Dead Tribute concert. I met plenty of guys like him, but I was rather comparing the two to parallel popular misconception behind drug use and where Huxley breaks the mold. (On a side note, I love making fun of hippie, too.)
Ultimately I found the most interest aspects to The Doors of Perception were Huxley’s explanation for psychotropic effects. His interpretations of reality challenge most people’s existential philosophies. By symbolizing the mind as a filter of reality, he explains drugs like mescaline help to “open these doors of perception.”
The Doors of Perception
I am amazed at the clarity and insight with which Huxley is able to recall his mescaline experience. It takes a disciplined mind and skilled hand to be able to relate the side affects of mescaline with such clarity. I was intrigued by Huxley's comments about the importance of being able to "see ourselves as others see us". It appears that the loss of self brought about by the hallucinogenic experience could go a long way towards developing the individual's senses of sympathy and empathy. Through depersonalization it would appear that human beings are provided the rare opportunity to separate ourselves from our overt and covert prejudices. In addition to being able to see ourselves as others see us the hallucinogenic experience may allow us to better identify those limiting factors in our own lives which force us to unknowingly experience the world with bias.
Ok, so who thinks that those crazy people in Oregon who are cooking meth in their kitchens should give up on that illegal crap and learn about mescalin?
I loved the phrase "in suitable doses" when referring to how much mescalin will alter your reality. He wrote that it changes the quality of consciousness more profoundly, but it's less toxic. Why didn't we ever learn about this one in middle school health class? Cops afraid kids will open an underground mescalin ring? And I know that he is sure to be specific about taking it in reasonable doses, but could it kill someone?
Last year in my kinesiology class, we got into a huge debate (which happens every single time you're involved in any health class) about.... TA DA alcohol versus marijuana. Which is more harmful? What are the long term effects? Which one gives you a better ride for your money? I found myself wondering the same thing about this apparent Wonder Drug. Someone should devote some money to a study on mescalin and it's effects both long and short term, as well as exactly how it effects the body. And not just those doctors who were dosing themselves to try to understand their patients. Crazy fools.
I loved the phrase "in suitable doses" when referring to how much mescalin will alter your reality. He wrote that it changes the quality of consciousness more profoundly, but it's less toxic. Why didn't we ever learn about this one in middle school health class? Cops afraid kids will open an underground mescalin ring? And I know that he is sure to be specific about taking it in reasonable doses, but could it kill someone?
Last year in my kinesiology class, we got into a huge debate (which happens every single time you're involved in any health class) about.... TA DA alcohol versus marijuana. Which is more harmful? What are the long term effects? Which one gives you a better ride for your money? I found myself wondering the same thing about this apparent Wonder Drug. Someone should devote some money to a study on mescalin and it's effects both long and short term, as well as exactly how it effects the body. And not just those doctors who were dosing themselves to try to understand their patients. Crazy fools.
Mesacalin and Schizophrenia
Huxley and his contemporaries were quite ground-breaking in their study of the brain; particularly how it can be affected by adrenaline and mescaline and its relationship to schizophrenia. Chlorpromazine was a drug used in the 1950s to treat schizophrenia as a tranquilizer, and later became a way to stabilize patients in order to psychologically treat them, where before therapists were not even able to communicate with them at all. "Tripping" as it has been called, is a form of treatment for some patients with this disease, but as Huxley used it, it was a way for him to escape, a retreat he always sought even in his childhood. It was interesting to discover that he actually died while on LSD. LSD didn't cause him to die, but he requested an injection of the drug on his deathbed, too weak even to speak. He was dying of throat cancer and did not want to suffer the convulsions within his neck and throat and had his wife supply him with a dose as a way to avoid the pain. Interesting and sad too. In Doors of Perception, I found myself wondering why this brilliant person was so infatuated with escaping by means of a hallucinogenic toxin; surely he must have had other issues at work which drove him to such an extreme. I like Josh Coleman's response as well, and likened it to my own. Why did he 'force' his mind open?
The Mind of a Child
Chapter 7 and 8 of Altered States was curiously informational, entertaining and interesting. I particularly found the few sections about children's perceptions and lack of reason or logic fascinating. Hughes makes some great points about the state of a child's mind and stimulated ideas of my own. I especially like the phrase that a child's inability to reason that frustrates us as adults and at the same time makes us jealous that we do not have the same ability to break free from the logic and reason society has constructed around us. As a child, from my earliest memories until I was about 8 years old, I was incredibly creative. I could draw and sketch landscapes, abstract objects, doodle intricate designs and on and on. Inexplicably, my creative niche left me around 10. I couldn't understand this since a big part of my life until then was creative expression through art and design. Now, if I sit down to simply draw a plain landscape, my mind has a hard time justifying what is coming from my hand and onto the paper, and I get stumped. Hughes' explanation is simple and correct, and has really opened my eyes to explore the subject further! It makes sense to me now that I cannot any longer draw or just CREATE like I used to so easily do as a child. I'm a big Star Wars fan, and in one sequence of Episode II, Yoda (the wisest Jedi ever) found himself stumped about a particular problem. He turned to one of his toddler pupils who quickly produced an answer, almost without thought. Another Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, chuckled at the ridiculous response by the child--but he was right! Yoda replied, "Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is." Children can think more creatively, without barrier. This is true of most of us, and makes me jealous of children and also, makes me wonder what DIDN'T happen to those great artists of the world in their childhood-- perhaps they never lost that creative slice of their consciousness because that particular part of the brain has not matured? I don't know, I'm not a brain anatomy expert, nor an artist, but nonetheless am intrigued by the part of the brain that is not tainted by society's acceptance.
Huxley's Idea
The only problems I had (besides with the “divine/god” aspect) about Huxley’s ideas were dealing with humanity’s instinct to survive and what the problems of being on a continuous “trip?” But, he answers these problems at the end of his book, as follows:
“To be enlightened is to be aware, always, of total reality in its immanent otherness—to be aware of it and yet to remain in a condition to survive as an animal, to think and feel as a human being, to resort whenever expedient to systematic reasoning” (Huxley 78). This quote, towards the end of Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, sums up well all that he is trying to say. Reading it, I almost want to tell him, go take a vacation. Mescalin, alcohol, or whatever else you want to use take you on a vacation, a “trip,” from normal life, normal “systematic reasoning,” to a, hopefully, relaxed place of contemplation.
Huxley doesn’t want us to forego our normal everyday being, our instincts to survive, because after all if we were on a “trip” all the time we’d all eventually stop doing anything dealing with work or caring for survival. He says, “We can never dispense with language and the other symbol systems; for it is by means of them, and only by their means, that we have raised ourselves above the brutes, to the level of human beings” (Huxley 74). It is an interesting quote, since he has been talking more along the lines of things as “they are what they are.” Huxley is showing that it is only by our symbolic system that we have the ability to go on a “trip” and see things from a different perspective.
Huxley book, having answered my problems, now poses one question to me. Why do we need outside sources to reach this perceptive contemplation? Artists, as Huxley points out, have managed to do it without a stimulate such as mescaline or alcohol. It would seem a worthy life to pursue a heightened inward perception, as well as a safer way than using substances. Perhaps, if we desire to go on such a “trip” we should work towards opening our minds, instead of forcing it.
“To be enlightened is to be aware, always, of total reality in its immanent otherness—to be aware of it and yet to remain in a condition to survive as an animal, to think and feel as a human being, to resort whenever expedient to systematic reasoning” (Huxley 78). This quote, towards the end of Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, sums up well all that he is trying to say. Reading it, I almost want to tell him, go take a vacation. Mescalin, alcohol, or whatever else you want to use take you on a vacation, a “trip,” from normal life, normal “systematic reasoning,” to a, hopefully, relaxed place of contemplation.
Huxley doesn’t want us to forego our normal everyday being, our instincts to survive, because after all if we were on a “trip” all the time we’d all eventually stop doing anything dealing with work or caring for survival. He says, “We can never dispense with language and the other symbol systems; for it is by means of them, and only by their means, that we have raised ourselves above the brutes, to the level of human beings” (Huxley 74). It is an interesting quote, since he has been talking more along the lines of things as “they are what they are.” Huxley is showing that it is only by our symbolic system that we have the ability to go on a “trip” and see things from a different perspective.
Huxley book, having answered my problems, now poses one question to me. Why do we need outside sources to reach this perceptive contemplation? Artists, as Huxley points out, have managed to do it without a stimulate such as mescaline or alcohol. It would seem a worthy life to pursue a heightened inward perception, as well as a safer way than using substances. Perhaps, if we desire to go on such a “trip” we should work towards opening our minds, instead of forcing it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Blog 5 or Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
Dig all the groovy colors, man!
So, mescalin gives you the same effect as HDTV. Bright vivid colors, enhanced picture and sound quality. I always knew something wasn't quite right with all those engineers.
I found the many references to Christianity/religion to be the most interesting of the book. I know nothing of Huxley or his background, is he Catholic? The discourse beginning on page 68 dealing with alcohol is very fascinating. He writes of most churches being tolerant of alcohol but not to the point of excess or religious drunkenness. Sometimes it depends on the situation. I worked for a while for a church which contained a provision of employment that you abstain from any alcohol intake. ANY. At the time I was not a "formal" employee so the provision did not technically apply to me and when a coworker explained that byline I expressed relief that I was not contractually obligated to follow their provision. The employee thought it odd that I would not volunteer to accept this idea. We did not get into a big debate about it except for me to say alcohol was never a problem for me, still isn't, and Jesus' first miracle was to provide more wine for the wedding guests so how bad can it be? Granted Jesus would not have encouraged anything to excess, save for faith, but He did have wine with His meals. Most notably the Last one. Enough of that, I believe.
I also enjoyed his writings about peyote within the Native American church, p 69 and on. I think the integration of Christianity with Native American culture is truly inspiring. Not the suppression of their ideas or the forced conversion and wholesale slaughter of the culture that was originally perpetrated upon the First Nations when the New People appeared, but rather the mixing and blending that has occurred in latter times. Many of the concepts and ideas of Christianity can only be appreciated through a spiritual high. Generally that is attained through prayer/meditation but within certain aspects of the Native culture peyote was/is used to further expand your senses to allow "communion" in a higher sense. Huxley covers that a little bit and I think that's cool. Most of the religions of the world have a lot more in common than they would choose to believe. A little research and an open mind could do wonders. It seems whenever man and his egos get involved in anything it won't be long before it's f***ed up.
So, mescalin gives you the same effect as HDTV. Bright vivid colors, enhanced picture and sound quality. I always knew something wasn't quite right with all those engineers.
I found the many references to Christianity/religion to be the most interesting of the book. I know nothing of Huxley or his background, is he Catholic? The discourse beginning on page 68 dealing with alcohol is very fascinating. He writes of most churches being tolerant of alcohol but not to the point of excess or religious drunkenness. Sometimes it depends on the situation. I worked for a while for a church which contained a provision of employment that you abstain from any alcohol intake. ANY. At the time I was not a "formal" employee so the provision did not technically apply to me and when a coworker explained that byline I expressed relief that I was not contractually obligated to follow their provision. The employee thought it odd that I would not volunteer to accept this idea. We did not get into a big debate about it except for me to say alcohol was never a problem for me, still isn't, and Jesus' first miracle was to provide more wine for the wedding guests so how bad can it be? Granted Jesus would not have encouraged anything to excess, save for faith, but He did have wine with His meals. Most notably the Last one. Enough of that, I believe.
I also enjoyed his writings about peyote within the Native American church, p 69 and on. I think the integration of Christianity with Native American culture is truly inspiring. Not the suppression of their ideas or the forced conversion and wholesale slaughter of the culture that was originally perpetrated upon the First Nations when the New People appeared, but rather the mixing and blending that has occurred in latter times. Many of the concepts and ideas of Christianity can only be appreciated through a spiritual high. Generally that is attained through prayer/meditation but within certain aspects of the Native culture peyote was/is used to further expand your senses to allow "communion" in a higher sense. Huxley covers that a little bit and I think that's cool. Most of the religions of the world have a lot more in common than they would choose to believe. A little research and an open mind could do wonders. It seems whenever man and his egos get involved in anything it won't be long before it's f***ed up.
Appearance Contrasted with Perception
Quite often appearance and perception are thought of as the same.I particularly enjoyed Huxley's statement that "Place and distance cease to be of much interest." At ordinary times the eye concerns itself with such problems. why is it that we base our exhistance on so much reality and still it is our dreams that we chase after?How often do we ask ourselves,where am I in life?-Where in relation to what? It seems that in the mescalin state the mind pays none or little attention to appearance and places all the importance on perception.For example: the intensity of existence.In other words, the importance of just being.
"It is clear as follows that appearance is not the same as perception. For perception is either a potentiality, such as sight, or an actuality, such as seeing; but we have appearances when we have neither of these-in dreams, for instance. Moreover, perception is present in every animal, but appearance is not. If they were the same in actuality, then it would be possible for all beasts to have appearance, whereas in fact it does not seem possible for all ants or bees, for instance, and grubs do not have it. Further, perceptions are always true, whereas most appearances are false." Aristotle.
"It is clear as follows that appearance is not the same as perception. For perception is either a potentiality, such as sight, or an actuality, such as seeing; but we have appearances when we have neither of these-in dreams, for instance. Moreover, perception is present in every animal, but appearance is not. If they were the same in actuality, then it would be possible for all beasts to have appearance, whereas in fact it does not seem possible for all ants or bees, for instance, and grubs do not have it. Further, perceptions are always true, whereas most appearances are false." Aristotle.
Blog 5
Wow! What experiences Huxley encountered! It almost makes me want to experience what he experienced! I find it very interesting how mescalin heightens the colors a person sees. I wonder if that applies to people who are color blind! Can you examine seeing neon colors? My eyes would probably be bugged out especially since I wear contact lenses. My eyes are very sensitive, especially to the sun. I just can't imagine it!
Another part of this chapter I found interesting was the religious aspect. Catholic theologians call the mescalin experience "a gratuitous grace" and "potentially helpful and to be accepted thankfully, if made available?" How profound! I was raised Catholic and graduated from catholic school so this seems a little unbelievable to me! The chapter also talks about angels and mentions St. Thomas Aquinas. I remember hearing about him among other saints throughout my Catholic schooling. I never would have related any of this to mescalin! Then again, I never knew anything about mescalin before reading this chapter. What a cool book this is! I can't wait to read more!
Another part of this chapter I found interesting was the religious aspect. Catholic theologians call the mescalin experience "a gratuitous grace" and "potentially helpful and to be accepted thankfully, if made available?" How profound! I was raised Catholic and graduated from catholic school so this seems a little unbelievable to me! The chapter also talks about angels and mentions St. Thomas Aquinas. I remember hearing about him among other saints throughout my Catholic schooling. I never would have related any of this to mescalin! Then again, I never knew anything about mescalin before reading this chapter. What a cool book this is! I can't wait to read more!
Mescalin
I found the reading of The Doors of Perception to be very interesting! To be quite honest, I have never heard of the drug Mescalin before so this chapter was very educating for me to hear his experience. In my opinion Huxley was a very brave man to want to experience the effects of Mescalin. I never would have thought that Mescalin comes from a desert cactus. According to Huxley when you take Mescalin it cuts the sugar off from the brain. When this happens you start to experience different things like colors which are at a higher power and causes you to see artwork differently. It was interesting to hear that Huxley visited the World's Biggest Drug Store while on Mescalin. What an experience that would be? Who would have ever thought that Mescalin and Schizophrenic are closely related. Interesting relation that Huxley makes at the end of the chapter about drinking and smoking. How harmful they are to a human being not only health harmful but also personally harmful to the individual. According to Huxley Mescalin does not have any effects that alcohol does. Alcohol causes you to have a hang over the next morning possible traffic accidents, and smoking causes lung cancer and addiction. Mescalin has none of these side effects.
I can't even imagine the different state of mind one would have after consuming Mescalin, but after reading about Huxley's experiences it doesn't sound all that bad!
I can't even imagine the different state of mind one would have after consuming Mescalin, but after reading about Huxley's experiences it doesn't sound all that bad!
Huxley and Nakia
While I don't necessarily agree with what Huxley did, I do feel it was the only way to get true results. With having other subjects taking it and writing down their experiences something gets lost in translation. Yet I did like the fact where he while in his other state was going off on a tangent about draperies. It was insightful though to see things from the perspective of a person under the influence. While this may not be for me, find myself wanting to experience something to that nature even if it be alcohol to see what I could possibly write or say while under the influence. Though the difference between alcohol and mescaline is clear cut I think that most artists, musicians, and writers. If you look at a lot of art or some songs in particular it seems that the creators were either under the influence of mescaline or some other drug but I say more power to them. I have taken a class before were we discussed a musician named Carlos Nakia. He is a Navajo (if memory serves) that uses peyote when writing his music. While I'm not a fan of the genre of World Music but when it comes to his music I feel moved by it. It is as though he was helped by a spirit or under an altered state of consciousness. I have a deep respect for his music because it has many meaning which bely the other meanings. I could liken it to something along the lines of pink Floyd's "The Wall" or "Alice in Wonderland" and the statements of needing drugs to understand them. With Nakia you don't but there are other meanings that could help you to understand the love he has for his music or for Mother Earth. It makes me sound contradictory but I almost want to try peyote and write to see what profound things I may write.
Perception
It is amazing how a drug or anything, can change the way a person looks at something. Huxley volunteered to be a test subject and let others observe him under the influence of Mescalin. He describes how he starts to feel like his "not self" and objects surrounding him are their "not selves". The effects of the drug causes people to see brilliant shades of many colors and geometric shapes. Things are perceived differently and start to be appreciated. Huxley describes things like the chair legs as "St. Michael and all angels, at one point" He even admired and stared at his own trousers with its folds and complexity and compared them to artwork. Not only did he have more apreciation and wonder in what he saw, but also things that he listened to such as music. The drug can have different results for people such as many having a schizophrenic experience. It can result in different moods and feelings about one's self and their surroundings.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Mescalin
From this point on, I will never look at a cactus plant the same! According to our reading assignment, The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley, not much harm occurs by eating the cactus’s peyote root. The drug, mescalin, is the active principle in the root. The quality of consciousness is changed extremely, but it is much less toxic than other drugs.
It was really surprising to read about some of the things summarized during a supervised administration of mescalin. What amazed me the most was that one’s ability to remember and to “think straight” was not altered very much at all, while under its influence. This was not the same for visual impressions, though; he points out in his story that perception of color was heightened not just slightly, but enormously. This was mentioned throughout the reading. I could almost visualize the exceptionally bright and beautiful colors of orange, yellow and pink in the flowers, and the books shining like jewels. The story mentioned that the books and flowers were seen in his “outer world”, while the “inner world” is visited only through dreams and thoughts.
The total experience must be a very supreme uplifting one, because it was also noted that when someone comes back from the experience, they are never the same, but in a forever altered uplifting state of mind.
I do have one last thought. I certainly hope there are no needles on the cactus’s peyote root. Ouch! An altered state of pain would surely have been experienced too!
It was really surprising to read about some of the things summarized during a supervised administration of mescalin. What amazed me the most was that one’s ability to remember and to “think straight” was not altered very much at all, while under its influence. This was not the same for visual impressions, though; he points out in his story that perception of color was heightened not just slightly, but enormously. This was mentioned throughout the reading. I could almost visualize the exceptionally bright and beautiful colors of orange, yellow and pink in the flowers, and the books shining like jewels. The story mentioned that the books and flowers were seen in his “outer world”, while the “inner world” is visited only through dreams and thoughts.
The total experience must be a very supreme uplifting one, because it was also noted that when someone comes back from the experience, they are never the same, but in a forever altered uplifting state of mind.
I do have one last thought. I certainly hope there are no needles on the cactus’s peyote root. Ouch! An altered state of pain would surely have been experienced too!
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