templeball wrote:thing that plagued me was, as ever, wondering whether it is all a load of old bollocks or not and hence how much of oneself to invest in the concept if you know what I mean. Its done my head in ever since because what if its true, then I should be a lot more aware of it etc etc, as I go about my daily life. Its one of several reasons why I stopped going on these torturous spiritual voyages and decided to be a more happy shallow stonehead type person
I kind of know what you're saying about it all being bollocks, & somewhat agree with you. CC milked the whole ideal to make money, something that contradicts the ideal he apparently believed. His first experiences with Don Juan (say first 2 books) to me are real insights into a shaman's way of life. I'd probably go to say it's a "new-age" form of shamanism as his ancestors would, imo, have been much more intouch with the natural world than himself. I mean that in the sense that they lived, breathed, & essentially were apart of the natural world, whereas Juan bought his clothes, his food instead of hunting, gathering etc. It's unreal to think how much purchasing things detatches us all from the natural world. We live in our pre-made houses, sleeping in our pre-made bedding, eating pre-made food & living what some would call a pre-made life. We cut down tree's (i'm not talking of them kind of
tree's, even though we should be using them like we use actual tree's
) & print a substance we call 'ink' onto it & call it "money", giving everything we 'create' a 'meaning' to justify it's 'existence' (but since when did existence need to be justified?
); all without an ounce of thought to where any of it comes from. We forget that we ourselves, together with every living thing on this planet, are Earthlings. That connection with a "collective consiouness" lost due to a manufactured image of "self" (importance/entightlement).
How much of yourself, your life, do you dedicate to the teachings, or how much do you utilise in your daily life is? It's up to you. The point to me is to not do what is "right or wrong", but to embrace life & adapt whatever teachings you pick up a long the way to your life as you see fit. Quite frankly if anyone was to take it to the utter extreme then they'd be a fool. The knowledge passed on isn't mean to obeyed like some bible, it's there to give people a new sense of perspective, a knowledge that has the potential to enlighten. It opens the mind to something it can't comprehend, & if you try to force your mind to accept it you're more than likely gonna' crumble...or go insane, either way you're not gonna' benefit from the knowledge passed onto you.
*On a random note, since we're talking psychedelics, I find it remarkably scary but also comforting that DMT is produced in everything that is alive. What is even more remarkable is that the pineal gland in our brains secret e this substance every time we dream...weird huh? Tie that together with the old belief that we are all one, & the new theory of quantum physics & there's apretty interesting picture forming imo...anyway, I digress (some may argue I did that within the first paragraph
)*
Just think though that if me & you both went throughout our daily lives scrutinising everything we take for granted we wouldn't be able to live the life we enjoy, & even if we wanted to live a life like Don Juan it wouldn't be functional for the lives that we're living. I'd love to wander the earth in a shamanistic manner but it's just not possible in this day & era.
It is important, well was for me (& still is I suppose), to learn from them though, the teachings. adapt them into one's life in a way that you see fit.
...Okay, I've like totally lost my train of thought, & re-reading/editing little bit's my mind is starting to melt (or did it melt a few years back?...hmmm
) I have a feeling you know exactly what I mean by my mind melting though
I'm gonna post this up anyway, but take from it what you will, I don't expect it to make much sense ha!
Also there's countless spelling & grammar mistakes, but you'll get the jist i'm sure
templeball wrote:........deepest chat ive had here
Haha, just imagine sitting in a CC for a T&T
...
It would be like banning only specific strains of weed but allowing others 
