Blog 10

This is a really cool response to The Doors of Perception. But, I definately favor The Doors of Perception. Therefore, I lean more to talking about The Doors of Perception. But, both of the works are really interesting to read and are written in such an intriguing way. I really did not know much about some of the things which he was analyzing, but he describes things well and makes it easy to comprehend and even picture.

Also I never took mescaline but I have been hypnotised and the way in which he describes the effects of the/his use of mescalin, lysergic acid, stroboscopic lamp, and hypnosis to get to the antipode area is really neat. And, I understand that the antipodes is an area of deep collective unconscious, but did he create this? Or is this something studied or how does it work?

He also saw really cool geometrical forms and enormous gothic buildings. He noted these beautiful landscapes, figures, animals, and gem stones and everything is shown in really vivid color. Is he saying that we would see things this way if the "restricting valve" was not so tight? Or we should be seeing things this way during periods of intense concentration, sex?

"This how one ought to see...these are the sort of things one ought to look at....things without pretensions, satisfied to be merely themselves, sufficient in their Suchness, not acting a part, not trying, insanely, to go it alone, in isolation from the Dharma-Body, in Luciferian defiance of the grace of god."<----ooooooo!

Chapter 12

I agree with others that this chapter was handled well. It was informative and in the first page, actually the first paragraph, he pretty much says that art and creativity is better when it's done "cold" and just because you take drugs doesn't mean that you are going to be instantly creative (almost like a public service announcement). That actually surprised me, I will admit that I always thought that people did drugs to see something and write it down. However he says that although it does change the perception and enhances the "ordinary" consciousness, "[it] often lacks the quality that enables the imagination to reach deep into the unconciousness."

Although I am at a lose for a cohernt thought about the chapther, there were a few random things I wanted to mention: the part about hearing color, reminded me about Matt's overview last week and "seeing music". I never could understand when I heard (or read) that, but last week I could understand that the subjects of those paintings were music. So, I can't really understand how that would sound or if people could do that, but I can accept it more now. Another random thing is how mushrooms and fairies go hand in hand. Anymore, I think it's because it became the "norm" rather then people experiencing a "vision" while on drugs. Last thing, I don't know if anyone has seen the Walt Disney/Salvador Dali short movie. To me it was very strange and kind of disturbing, but that's just me.

Style, Grace, and Misrepresentation

I want to agree with Matt 100%. I don't think I could have put it more elegantly and simply. Hughes tackled this subject with a maturity and objectivity that made it respectable. Personally, I honed in on the very last section on Ecstasy. Because of my personal experiences, I am upset by his statement that a "sense of togetherness is available in tablet form, but only for the duration of the high." This is entirely untrue. Many people to subscribe to the "rave culture" do not take ecstasy. They do, however, contribute to the sense of togetherness that can be felt at a modern rave. Similarly, ravers exhibit the same togetherness when outside of the rave environment. Their way of life, their particular culture, is collective. They have been misrepresented in this chapter.
I would like to share with everyone The Raver's Manifesto, but it is too large to post in this blog. I will bring it to class with me, and we can discuss it further if necessary.

Chapter 12

I never knew that the DARE program actually had such a big impact on people. I have always been a drug advocate, and I feel that Hughes handled this chapter with the maturity that is necessary for any meaningful discussion about drugs to take place. I think that it is essential for all people, especially students, to experiment with drugs in all of their manifestations if any complex understanding of human civilization is to be achieved. Nothing can be held sacred or profane if the true depths of human understanding are to ever be reached. I believe that the culture of fear that has been built around drug use is ultimately responsible for most of the crime and turmoil associated with drugs. But anyways, like I was saying Hughes handled the topic with maturity. I think it is important that with every drug he pointed out how ultimately it requires a skilled hand and dedication if the drug experimenter is to produce something of artistic or creative value.

Chemical Imbalance

While I found this chapter to be interesting, I also found it to be slightly disturbing. It felt kind of weird to be reading about drugs for an academic class. But anyhow... I still find it extremely interesting that so many creatives, in one way, shape or another, have had experiences with so many different types of drugs or psychological issues. I haven't really had any experiences with any types of drugs, just because I was so afraid in elementary school learning from DARE about how drugs can do bad things to you, yadda, yadda, yadda, and was too scared to even think about experimenting with any type.

I think it is interesting to note that that so many of these drugs that are currently illegal - or viewed to be - were previously popular in earlier cultures. Like opium was used several different aspects whether it be for a medicine, sleep aid, and other uses. These days every type of drug seems to be illegal or outlawed; even those that could potentially provide good things.

Those magic mushrooms are fun

Well, I am not ashamed (nor should I be) to admit that in my youth, years ago, I did eat mushrooms, more than once. I ate them within a safe environment and did not drive or have prior obligations that day or the next. The feeling was quite euphoric; like i said it was years ago, but I can still remember seeing trailers of leafless tree branches swaying in the cold wind of that December night.

I ate them with some friends-- we had fun, didn't harm anyone, and the 'shrooms did no harm to us. It was a unique experience; I specifically remember the first time I ate them and it felt like I was discovering the world around me for the very first time, like I was a newborn, but with the cognitive ability and awareness of an adult! I stared at my hand for about an hour; I noticed things about it that I had never realized before. It's crevices and wrinkles, the palm lines, the knuckles seemed to stand up more prominently; it was wild. And I can remember a feeling of creativity come over me that I haven't felt since I was a young boy. This ties into one of my earlier blogs about creativity and youth.

Anyway, reading this chapter, specifically the part about the shaman women of the Central American cult of teonanacatl, brought back those memories for me. It reminded me that all the stuff in the chapter is legitimate, that the world can be seen from another point of view simply through ingestion of a natural (or sometimes synthetic) substance. The vehicles are there, but most are illegal in this part of the world. How unfortunate.

Drugs and Creativity

This chapter was interesting and at the same time freaked me out a little. I've known about the dangers and side effects of drugs from D.A.R.E. in grade school. I've never taken anything but perscription drugs when I was sick and really needed it. I personally like to experience life in all its agonizing glory, be alert and aware of my surroundings, and not dull the sensations. It's not a surprise to me that a lot of artists and entertainers have used drugs, either to inhance their creativity or just get high, which is just plain sad.

Unlike some of the people on the blog, I knew Sherlock Holmes uses drugs. Read the novels or watch Jeopardy!, and you'll learn something new every time. Ha ha ha.

Chapter 12

I was surprised by a couple of things in this chapter, mostly much like Jennifer I never knew that Sherlock Holmes used cocaine. I was very much shocked by that. I didn't realize either that Walt Disney used cocaine, but after reading that it made sense to me. A couple of people had stated in there blogs that it is sad that so many great artists had to use drugs to enhance their creative talents and I have to say I fully agree. I have stated before that I am not a very creative person by any stretch of the imagination, but I would have to believe that if I were I would not need to rely on mind altering drugs to enhance my ability. I have had my fair share of experimentation in drugs, and I found most of my experiences to be more frightening then enlightening. Some people may find it useful to tap into that part of themselves that they meet along their drug induced journey, but I however cannot concur.

chapter 12

I found this chapter particularly interesting because I wrote my paper on this same thing almost. I wrote about how grunge rockers; to be more direct Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley and his heroin and cocaine addictions. I really identified with this chapter because most artists are chemically dependent and I feel for my creativity and my writing I am dependent on a few things. The influences in music I have, what I have to be upset or depressed about, and alcohol. While not an alcoholic as of yet I have a beer or two while I'm upset and I can write some very good and very disturbing to some song lyrics for my metalcore/thrash metal band Death Mulisha. Its basically my friends and myself from back home in Pittsburgh. I write all the lyrics and I sing them. We are just starting out so me writing some original rock your face off songs is good. I have used stuff from what ex's have done to me to what has happened up to this point this year. Most musicians end up using drugs recreationaly and then becoming addicted and like most ultimately destroying themselves or the band. Yet for some such as Miles Davis who is arguably of the greatest or the greatest jazz musician thus far quite heroin cold turkey and went on to have a full and productive career.

Most of your writers, artist, and musicians are/were drug users. Be it alcohol, opiates, cannibus, cocaine, LSD, acid, X, or what have you. They ended up being chemically dependent. I have heard stories of artists using these drugs and becoming totally insane or even dying on an overdose. Now the Rastas in Jamaica use cannibus legally for its medicinal purposes and I think that really it should be allowed here. It would put an end to all the hassles people go through but that's neither here nor there.

If the medicinal purposes of cannibus are known to help with a fair number of problems why use it to see if it can be helpful instead of it being deemed harmful. Back in the 1920'and 1930's when people were addicted to morphine the government and hospitals used heroin to help them with their addictions. Look at what happened there. Look at the fact that Coke used to actually include cocaine. The drug culture is always and will always be around us. Its whether or not we choose to embrace like the Rastas and the Shamans or shun like Puritans.

The Seductive Poppy

The poppy is such a beautiful flower, but when I was in high school I never connected it with opium. I guess I just wasn’t into the drug scene back then. I was always an art student and one time the poppy captured my eye enough to draw it. I was able to capture all its details. To me, the poppy is very seductive, even without the opium. I often think of the festive dancers that have a poppy in their hair dancing a tango, or another lively dance. The poppy is a symbol of seductiveness with, or without the opium use.

There is a portrait of Lewis Carroll with a hookah. It just seems to fit with this chapter and our talks about him. I never made the connection that opium and other drugs had no restrictions in his day and there were no laws against it. It also surprised me about the cordials for putting children to sleep. I have often read stories about people in the nineteenth century taking sleeping drafts, but I did not make the connection with the drugs until now.

drugs and creativity

This chapter is a bit interesting. It is sad to think that so many people, whether or not they already had a natural creative talent, used drugs. In some cases it may have enhanced their talent, while others did not do as well or better than before addiction. From opium to marijuana, mushrooms, and LSD; people used them to experiment with and even used them for health reasons. Unfortunately many drugs were and are addictive and sometimes when a person has them, the dosage they use increases to keep the same effect because the body starts getting used to the drug. People would just use it for its supposed calm or high effects, or just to fit in with the crowd.
Some drugs like opium were produced and used in many forms. It was even given to children as medicine like laudanum or cordials to put them to sleep. Some writers and poets such as De Quincey, Coleridge, and Poe were users. Even though they noted there "madness" in some cases from the addiction, they kept taking it. They all did write some of thier bestpoems while under the influence, yet not always. It gave some of them a better sense of creativity and ideas to help with different writings.

link to magic mushrooms...sort of

here is an article I happened upon: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071029/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_mushrooms_dutch;_ylt=Aqq4HZFi0mgXkKq7xkVcgZRvaA8F

Are you Experienced?

"If you can Just get your mind together,then come on across to me. we'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sun rise from the bottom of the sea."
I don't endorse drug use of any kind however, does anyone else wonder if Hendrix didn't take an acid trip what would "Spanish Castle Magic" sound like? What would "The End" sound like if Morrison didn't have that bottle of Whiskey? would the lyrics be the same if their "reducing valves" as closed as ours?

Experiences and Newness

“Cocaine may or may not have assisted [Walt Whitman] in his business decisions, but its contribution to his creativity is not clear.” This rather bad written quote of the authors seems to sum up well Chapter 12. We do not know whether or not the drugs have any direct connection to increased creativity. Most of the authors and artists he quotes state that their respective drugs do not help them actually create anything new, but give them different experiences/ideas. They experience something new. It is interesting to note that they seem to see a difference between experiencing something new and creating something new.

One of the key points in Chapter 12 is that the drugs used by certain generations are representative of their cultures; if he had backed this up more perhaps I would give it more credence. I’d have to say that the drugs used by certain generations are more dependent on what is available at the times, and what is known about the drugs available. Based on the drugs and cultures the author gives descriptions of, it seems their use is based more on them being “new” to the society. People have a tendency to want to try out the “new” thing. The newness tends to wear off as the harmful effects are realized and “new” drugs are discovered/created. This is not to say that drugs have had no affect on the generations they are being taken by.

Blog 9 - DRUGS!

I was really glad that we finally got to a chapter that focuses solely on drugs and effects of them individually - whether it be in normal life or creativity. It seems we've danced over a few topics through the semester, but this chapter brought to life some new ideas. For one, Sherlock Holmes did cocaine?! I never knew. I was also interested to learn about different writers, artists, creators, etc. who used drugs to enhance their abilities, and for some (like Poe), lead to their downfall. Would the world accept knowning that Walt Disney did drugs? Is it okay because there weren't laws forsaking it? I think that our culture has created problems for itself by placing such stigmas on natural drugs. I feel differently about synthesized products, and the harder drugs such as heroine and morphine than I do about marijuana or "magic mushrooms", and I wonder all the time if we would look at people, art, and life differently if it weren't shoved down our throats all the time that drugs are bad! I'm not condoning drug use, don't use drugs myself, but look at some of the work that has come out of their use! It's hard to ignore the ability a certain drug might give a person, from music to painting, and I think especially writing. So since there were no laws against narcotics in the 19th Century, we are able to enjoy these creative ventures which in many cases are unsurpassed, even today. Maybe we should loosen up a little? Strike a happy medium? Easier said than done, I realize, but I did appreciate the many topics in this chapter that brought me in to each drug, allowing the reader to see what each might do, positive and negative effects on creativity and life.

Cool picture . . .

http://tonova.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/hellboy_drinking_with_skeletons.jpg

Blog 9 . . . You Wanna Make Something Of It?!

I think it's just me, but I could be wrong. It could also be what Dr. Kearney said in a different class: this is the time in the semester when students tend to feel less motivated. No Fall break until Thanksgiving week and when you get back from that, you only have two weeks left in the semester. There's a ton of work in front of me and I'm finding it hard to push. Possibly I need a good stiff drink. Or an upper instead!

For me, as I've said before, I just don't get the whole drug thing. I have never tried psychotropic drugs and any experiences with other drugs was short-lived and unimpressive. I have had a pretty ordinary life. Nothing I feel any great need to escape from. Things I would have done differently? Without a doubt. For me though, the short-term escape into drugs never offered much temptation. Part of it might be control issues. I like to know things. Where I'm going, who with, etc. If the drugs are "in charge" than I am not and that would be tough to handle.

My biggest addiction would be buying books that I do not have the time to read. I have subscriptions to magazines and comics, I constantly join, quit and rejoin book clubs to get more free or cheap books, I pick up the newspapers on campus and all of these sit and wait for me to have the time. I just counted 43 books. Books only. That is an addiction, not a"bad" one I guess, but all of these books cost something. If not actually money, then time and the guilt that I have not the time or the motivation to do more. Sometimes it drives me to drink.

As for the chapter . . . it held my interest, enough to read it, it had a nice flow, cool pictures of trippy musicians and movies and it got me thinking about all the stuff I wrote above, not neccessarily anything connected with the chapter. That may well be the essence of good writing, you finish what you are reading and then carry on from there with what you just read as a springboard to other places.

I have a drug addiction!! Coffee! Sheeda I completely understand your addiction to chai tea and not being able to function with out it. That's how I am without a cup of coffee. Thankfully our addictions are legal!
I truly emphaize for people with a drug addiction. I have known many people that form drug addictions and have ruined their life. Drugs are a very powerful substance and can completely take over your mind.
I'm doing a research paper in my philosophy class on marijuana. Should marijuana be legalized. I'm learning some interesting facts about the herb. Marijuana has been proven to help with many medical conditions. I keep questioning why the FDA can approve morphine for people, but not a natural herb. Using marijuana to alter your mind is a completely different subject. On the research I have done so far, marijuana is not addictive, but can cause you to have memory loss and develop ADD.
My thoughts on cocaine and heroin are that they can competely ruin one's life!!