This article came about after talking with Steve Rudd, editor of Dragibus Magazine, a quarterly print publication of articles related to medicinal and entheogenic plants.

::::::::

Dragibus Magazine by http://www.dragibusmag.com/

Are you ready to go down the rabbit hole?

Alienation has been identified as a major problem in our modern world. According to a Wikipedia writer, alienation refers to estrangement, division, or distancing of people from each other, or of people from what is important or meaningful to them, or of a person from their own sense of self. The concept has many discipline-specific uses, and can refer both to a personal psychological state (subjectively) and to a type of social relationship (objectively).

What are some of the drivers to alienation?  According to Agribus Magazine, there are probably several, some of which include:

1. Lack of interpersonal connection with family, friends and community

2. An emphasis on job, career and success determined by money and material things over family, community and connection to the greater whole

3. A sense of disempowerment driven by our focus on external systems such as corporations and government which operate more as machines than living systems

4. A sense of Nature being lifeless, simply a conglomerate of resources to be mined for our comfort and convenience.

According to holographic physics, everything mirrors everything else (see Talbot, 1992). As such, our various human systems mirror the whole and are creating a world as void of life as the machines we surrender our power to. Look beyond the walls we have built and the doors we have slammed at the destroyed ecosystems surrounding you. What is this destruction if not a mirror to the human Psyche in this day and age. Ever listen to a Rothschild speak? The deathly tone in his voice is a mirror to the death of our planet, the one we allowed people like the Rothschilds to destroy.

Ultimately, we are alienated from Love, from deep connectedness. We are alienated from ourselves, each other and the world. In the context of that alienation, it is no surprise that our medical system is a mess. It is expensive and is overly reliant on the corporate drug market that is more interested in profit than people's health. This too is empty of love because it is driven by the accumulation of profits for the corporation. The community, the family and the individual be damned in this mindset.

This sociopathic arrogance exists in all fields. For example, many state that the current medical system is the best, and it has increased our longevity several years. Yet, there are many who argue it is not the best. For example, an article in the Los Angeles Sentinel states:

A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics shows that American Medicine frequently causes more harm than good according to a group of researchers that have analyzed and combined all the published literature dealing with injuries and death caused by government-protected medicine. Carolyn Dean M.D., N.D., Martin Feldman M.D., Debora Rasio M.D., Dorothy Smith Ph.D., Gary Null Ph.D., has meticulously reviewed the statistical evidence in 2003 and their findings are absolutely appalling. These researchers have authored an abstract titled "Death by Medicine" that presents compelling evidence that Conventional Medicine frequently causes more harm than good.

While we may see modern medicine as being the best in the world, it may not generate the best health. As Gus Speth points out in America the Possible , comparison of global statistics reveals this to be an American myth spread by propaganda. Indeed, the primary advantage of conventional medicine might just be the increase of the lining of corporate pocketbooks more so than the well-being of people.

Of course one could argue that our medical system allows us to live longer life spans in our modern culture. Folks may accept this as truth, despite some evidence to the contrary. However, our longer lifespans are also very much a part of the problem of overpopulation and increased pollution. Besides, one of our deepest angsts is that of alienation. Furthermore, I've heard of some cultures, one being in Siberia, where people are found to live well into their hundreds. (Well, one could argue that these people live so long because they are in essence frozen solid...but it sounds like something worth researching).

Interestingly, ancient cultures were often found to utilize different psychoactive drugs made from plants that were a part in their ecology. Today, many of these plants are illegal, especially the hallucinogenic ones, and all are looked at with suspicion by the mainstream society. Yet, in our past, hallucinogenics were an aspect to our spiritual and psychological development. Indeed, many informed people call them "entheogenics." The "Theo" in that word connotes that these plant substances lead us to God (Truth-Reality), rather than to hallucinations.

Yes, there were dangers. But, our ancestors placed a much lower value on immediate physical safety than we do, and considered it reasonable to take a certain amount of risk for many of the important things in their life. (Why else would they send their youths into the wilderness alone, unarmed, and unequipped in quest of a vision that would fit them to become an adult member of the tribe?) Ancients already had a higher death rate, and they considered that to be merely part of the package. Thus, using an entheogenic while out in the wilds was something you did in order to grow. If you died in the process, then that's just the risk you took.

The ancient interpretation of risk is also expressed in the Chinese insignia for "crisis," which means "dangerous opportunity." Yes, you have to place your head in the dragon's mouth if you are to slay him. This means that it might be you who gets your head chopped off and not the dragon. Security--be it homeland security, economic security, or personal security--is a prison we lock ourselves into. When we consider to whom we have given the key, we should wonder which side of the bars the criminals are on and which side the victims. If Jesus taught nothing else by his crucifixion, He taught us that security is a false god.

We humans have declared ourselves the top of the line in our evolutionary development. Thus we say we are at the top of the food chain. And, in some cases this might be right. But, not necessarily. Don't ever tell the mosquito that bit you that you are the top of the food chain. She will laugh for hours at you. I would also suggest you not talk the microscopic creatures inside your body that could ultimately devour you from the inside out. Thus, in this universe, the question to "Am I food or a consumer of food" is "yes." You are both. The idea of being the "top of the food chain" is nothing more than a male fantasy of a linear growth without end and ultimate control of the world.

Being comprised of "control freaks", our culture is more into quantity of life rather than quality. Is it truly a high quality life to shut our elders away in nursing homes when they become older? What happens to the wisdom they accumulate in old age? What do we miss?

Furthermore, is our fighting the crowds at shopping malls during this Christmas season really a sign of a high quality of life? Do you also think it healthy that you feed your kid genetically engineered food?

The ancients lived in a living universe, whereas today we live in a universe that we have declared as dead. This dead universe we perceive is simply a projection of our own death. To see this death, open your eyes to the shopping malls, streets and housing developments surrounding you. Is it merely coincidence that a big box store looks like a coffin big enough to swallow all of us? We are exhibiting the decay of death in our choice of cement and steel over flowers, trees and bumble bees.

Perhaps our fear of death is actually a fear of living. Perhaps real living entails the risk of challenging yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. Our ancestors had several ways of challenging themselves. Most of it was through their simple lifestyles of hunting and gathering. Another way people in the past challenged themselves was with plants they considered sacred (entheogenic) and we consider hallucinogenic.

Shamans the world over have used hallucinogenics to visit other worlds, and they are one of the legitimate branches of the Eightfold Path to altered states in some writings. Indeed, "magic" mushrooms were often used by Native Americans in their vision quests.

Some natives continue to engage in these practices today, regardless of what society or the law thinks. Interestingly, it has become fashionable for anyone who writes about shamanic paths to immediately state that they never use entheogens, they don't approve of using entheogens, and that today's shamans don't need to use them, and should not use them. Perhaps they say this because they're all worried that their business will diminish, or, God forbid, the DEA will start raiding their houses...or perhaps their publishers are all afraid of getting sued (see Northern Shamanism link below).

But, there are still some shamans who will partake of entheogenics. The Aztecs and their 2012 predictions are probably wonderful examples of this.

But what is the core meaning of the Maya's transformation and rebirth metaphor? What I offer in this regard is, of course, just my opinion. But I have worked very hard full-time for several years to formulate an opinion that is based on facts that come from the Maya culture itself. My idea that the message of 2012 is mystical in nature comes from consideration of the often- overlooked psychedelic rituals of the Maya. This is what allowed them to see the greater reality that lies behind our ordinary reality. This is what turns "2012" into "mystical 2012!"

The difference between the ancient shamanic religions and our current day religions is that the shamanic are more interested in kindling the evolutionary potential of a human being, along with the evolutionary potential of all plants and animals making up the body of Gaia, or the Earth. They are not intent on selling you a philosophy, theology, or theoretical perspective. Their intent is upon awakening the Psyche, the Sleeping Beauty knocked unconscious by Vanity, i.e., the military-industrial complex running the show.

Our modern day religions are more about selling a theological perspective, often for the sake of a collection plate. Its all about having followers to boost one's ego and pocketbook. But, the Shaman would ask, why in the world would you want to believe in a theology about God/dess when you can dance with Him/Her? A man may talk a lot about his escapades with women but, when it comes to the reality of his adventures, much is found to be lacking. Talk is cheap.

Many can argue about religion. But the fact is, religion as practiced in our mainstream, is a holographic image of the rest of our culture. It's all talk. There is no substance. It's about selling a product, a way of perceiving God that has been institutionalized. Christianity touches on our passionate connection to God with its deification of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling God. Yet institutional Christianity sees this as the external Godhead entering and setting up homestead in your human spirit. Mystic Christians may be closer to the ancient Truth: the Holy Spirit is your internal source of Life, Wisdom, and Love. Like Mother Theresa, Jesus, Buddha, or Gandhi, they live out their God.

The ancient paths weren't so much about thinking about God, codifying God, or selling God to the highest bidder. They were about experiencing and sharing God and Goddess.

Eating good food can help with this experience, alongside long walks in Nature and making love with someone you adore. Indeed, there are spiritual practices such as Tantra, that help you utilize your sexuality to kindle spiritual insight and religious connectivity. Entheogenics can also do this, if you're ready.

It is true the shamanic path is the more dangerous, and is not for everybody. You have to be ready to go down that rabbit hole. In addition, the shamanic path has its drawbacks and dangers (see my diary at http://www.opednews.com/populum/diarymanage.php). Yet, it is also the path with the greatest rewards in terms of opening the mind to a multi-dimensional reality that most of us deny. It is the path that leads to an evolution of body, mind and spirit.

We aren't going to evolve unless we put our heads into the mouth of Death Herself. We simply will not evolve until we die to this world. An egg needs to manifest its potential. And, this is exactly what we are. We are eggs that have taken form in relation to an external stimulus (our father and the environment in which we live). That unfolding of the egg is continuing to happen now and will happen until the day we die. Then it becomes food for the rest of the planet (unless you put yourself in a metal box due to not wanting to let go of yourself).

This notion of evolution is not something that is new and that came about with Charles Darwin, who was ridiculed by the church for his theory of evolution. Evolution is not counter to many of the mystic teachings within various denominations, including Christianity. Indeed, mystical Christianity did not have issues regarding evolution, because they often saw Christ as the evolutionary potential of humankind.

As such, Meister Eckhart said of the Virgin Birth, "but if that birth does not pertain to me, then what avails it?"

Chew on that for a while. "If that birth, the Virgin birth, does not pertain to me, then what avails it?"

That birth is referring to you and me. It is our Soul that must become empty (virgin) and give birth to an evolved consciousness.

Knowing the reality that Eckhart was speaking to helps. Eckhart was not being literal. The Virgin in his case would be the human Soul in a state of emptiness. It's very similar to Zen Buddhism where one attains enlightenment by becoming empty or void. You could perhaps get a better grasp on this by meditating on the three forms of the word "Hole": "Whole", "hole" and "holy". When one is empty (hole), one is full (whole) and lives in a state of sacredness (holy). This is not something to be debated, but experienced. You're simply not going to get it until you taste it. It's like water. If you never drank water, you wouldn't know what it tasted like. Indeed, if you had never seen water, you would be inclined to tell people that have drunk water and have been helped by the experience that they are full of themselves.

It's the same with the virgin birth. Ultimately the virgin birth is allowing the Soul to enter into a state of emptiness, the unconditioned state, out of which a new ego, or masculine consciousness is born. It's about evolution.

In this sense, one could argue that anything that hinders the evolutionary potential of humankind (and all of Nature), be it in the form of preacher, politician, or corporate head, is a manifestation of the anti-Christ.

Meditate on that for awhile.

This means a church official who traumatizes a child by raping him is suppressing his evolution through disempowerment. Disempowerment of the masses is simply the way things are done these days. Rape is about control and stifles normal development. It forces the true self, the Soul, into hiding. Today's teaching-to-the-test mode of education, which again hinders evolution and forces ideas down a child's throat, also abuses the child. It is a form of control and domination and, in essence, is again a rape of the child's psyche or Soul. We also rape the Earth by pollution, deforesting, etc. These are all ways to disempower the evolution of our planet, our children and hence our species.

These are all holographic images of one mindset that indulges in various forms of rape in order to control.

In the world of medicinal and entheogenic plants, the healing and bringing forth of potential in a person is the goal. But, its important to realize that the use of these medicinal and entheogenic plants should only be in relationship to the evolutionary state of the person using it. For example, I was able to handle the strong LSD tablet that many of my friends could not handle (see diary). While I suffered huge self-esteem problems, there was an inner strength that allowed me to go through the powerful experience without "losing it." I also handled my "trips" differently. My goal was to be social to some extent, but, otherwise, tripping was a time to go within myself. I didn't want the external stimulation but, rather, desired the experiences of going into inner dimensions of experience. Tripping was meditation, though I did not label it as such back then.

This going inwards is also why I write. It's my theme in life. My love for the Goddess, who is the Inner World of all creatures, is also reflective of this theme. In the West, we are much too patriarchal and thus externalized. We need to become more inward.

What we view with our rational and externalized minds (i.e., the ego) is but a small slice of the pie. Our mistake is in assuming this narrow slice is the whole. There are aspects of Nature that challenge us to go deeper.

Helping us go there, Steve Rudd has become editor of Dragibus Magazine . This is a new quarterly print publication of articles that relate to medicinal and entheogenic plants; their cultivation, identification, historical and cultural usage, and their related compounds. 

Regarding Cannibus, (Marijuana), the most widely known and controversial entheogenic, Steve states:

Cannibus is finally making its way back into the medical field as a valid medicine...for relief of pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and loss of appetite for chemotherapy and AIDS patients.  Cannibis has recently been shown to fight several types of cancer, including skin, lung, brain, and prostrate cancer...We will just have to wait a see what the future of medical cannabis holds."

In history, its use was prolific. For example, the website Drug Warrant states:

The marijuana (hemp) plant, of course, has an incredible number of uses. The earliest known woven fabric was apparently of hemp, and over the centuries the plant was used for food, incense, cloth, rope, and much more. This adds to some of the confusion over its introduction in the United States, as the plant was well known from the early 1600"-s, but did not reach public awareness as a recreational drug until the early 1900"-s.

So why has it been made illegal?

"Mm, hemp--food, medicine incense, cloth, rope." And what of the nylon industry? Do you think that they like the idea of rope and other goods being made of hemp? What of the pharmaceutical industry? How could Monsanto compete with a free-growing weed?

Hemp was made illegal back during the days of President Herbert Hoover. Indeed, Hoover's secretary of the treasurer was Dupont's chief financial backer, Andrew Mellon, who became the Secretary of the Treasury. He then appointed his nephew, Harry J. Anslinger, to a position in the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

Sounds like corporations were at the helm even back in those days!

Anslinger ultimately whipped up a scare campaign about hemp, which referred to hemp as marijuana so that people would begin to associate the whole plant with drug use only. At the "high" point of this campaign, the propaganda films Reefer Madness, Marijuana: Weed With Roots in Hell, and Marijuana: Assassin of our Youth were made.

And how are we different from the state control of television by the Soviets in the old days? The question was whether we had state control of television or corporate control. We had and have the latter. Indeed, even government, when one really looks at it, is subservient to the Corporation.

Hemp's leaves have been shown to relieve various ailments according to Rudd. Some of these include inflammation, convulsions, nausea and it tends to inhibit cancer cells (Dragibus, Summer 2012).

Wow! How many businesses would that challenge? Do you think the government/corporate system really has your health at heart?

Be careful though. The private prison industry would just love to have you as its guest. They'd have it made by employing you with no wages (well, you'd get room and board) and no benefits (well I imagine they would give you a doctor if they deemed you were sick). All-in-all it would be a win-lose situation benefiting the corporation.

When do we say "no more?" This corporate rule is not something that just manifested in our world. It has been for several centuries. It's an old, well established pattern. But, it's killing us. Thus we need to be the change the world needs. Questioning our culture and the lies it has told is the first step. Thus it is no sense in being Democrat or Republican, for they are woven with the same thread and controlled by the same puppeteers. It is time to transcend the pattern being woven while also changing the thread that we weave with. We can do this. But, it's going to be a challenge, for we must rise above our conditioning to see the pattern before we can change it. It's going to be hard going, for we are talking about unraveling several centuries of conditioning.

As stated earlier, this is the DEEP meaning of the virgin birth.

That's to say, we need to question several centuries of indoctrination to a theory of the universe that is, simply, a lie. We need an altered state of consciousness if we are to escape our systematic brainwashing to become the pawns of capitalist kings. No wonder these kingpins--and the governments, schools, hospitals, churches, and military they control--condemn the most basic and traditional route to altered consciousness!

References

Dragibus Magazine http://www.dragibusmag.com/

Interview with Steve Rudd: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2012/12/13/the-mystery-surrounding-medicinal-and-entheogenic-plants

Wikipedia on Social Alienation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_alienation

Benefits of marijuana: http://www.benefitsofmarijuana.com/benefits.php

Article on traditional vs alternative medicine

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/traditional-vs-alternative-medicine.html

Why Is Hemp Illegal: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/20329

Northern Shaminism: (http://www.northernshamanism.org/herbalism/herbal/entheogenic-plants.html).

Entheopedia: http://entheopedia.org/

Fire Fly Pages: http://firefly.gydja.com/

Drug Warrant http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjuTyHdX_Ao

Growing Mushrooms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er1i3M-w51E&NR=1

Cures to the World Pt: 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjuTyHdX_Ao

Pt: 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbx6GQh0sEc

Pt: 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59v17AyTQak

Pt: 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oroxpBMi_hI

Pt: 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PCz2B6v6Po

Terence McKenna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCaK35DQ4uk

Talbot, Michael, The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality, Harper Collins Publisher, New York, NY, 1992. http://www.amazon.com/The-Holographic-Universe-Revolutionary-Reality/dp/0062014102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355575870&sr=8-1&keywords=Holographic+Universe

Authors Bio:
Burl Hall is a retired counselor who is living in a Senior Citizen Housing apartment. Burl has one book to his credit, titled "Sophia's Web: A Passionate Call to Heal our Wounded Nature." For more information, search the book on Amazon.

Burl's philosophy entails the idea that "everything effects and causes everything thing else." His spirituality of Sophia i.e., Wisdom is universal as well as within each of us. He also sees the idea of Chaos as not being "all over the place" but as infinite relationships.

The question I present in my articles speak not so much towards the politicians, but how WE the people can empower ourselves within a planet that is healthy, wealthy and wise.