I was happy to find that Hughes finally stated some aspects neurological diseases and how brain deterioration can induce creativity in the music and art. I like how he further elaborated his findings with devotional art in most religions, which is produced for a purpose. I was surprised to find that most famous artist like Van Gogh, Picasso, Bacon hold a meanings behind their art which we never associated. Their purpose was to serve as religious service, yet we never put that association with them. Though, when I read this, I began to see a connection. I further liked how Hughes elaborated this with not only Christianity but also the other religious practices out there. I loved how he connected it with creativity that people with neurological problems can hold a dramatically altering stated of consciousness to create something for the purpose that we don’t think of it as. I realized that these things are embedded in our system. For example the mystic poets, the devotional artists, the famous composers and yet we don’t know what mental stated they when they produced their work. Like Hildegard’s visions and how they were similar to the Hindu Prana and people believed he had visions yet now we find that his migraines contributed to his alter state of consciousness.
I also saw the shamanistic connections Hughes makes with the icons and mandalas. I was surprised to read that “the seed of enlightenment within each person is nourished by the process of visualizing and contemplating a mandala, ” and how Hindu tantric art is stylized to emphasize otherworldliness by using shamanist principles of fasting, prayers. (154) I wasreally shocked… so I googled mandala pictures and info and did see how Hughes made the connection with the cosmic energy and the cosmic principles.
http://www.world-mysteries.com/newgw/sci_blueprint3.htm
I also like chapter 12 a lot since it talked about the drug induced creativity but since this was something I was familiar with already it didn’t hold my interest that much. I did like how the magic mushrooms and the fly agaric did appear in the chapter and since we talked about them last class.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Blog #9
One of the main questions I’ve been dealing with throughout the class, and one I suspect others have been thinking about too, is whether or not certain types of altered states are “legitimate.” By this I mean to say are certain things seen and experienced in altered states, such as those experienced by Castaneda, actual events (legitimate) or hallucinations (illegitimate). Sometimes I almost want to believe they are real, and at other times I find myself thinking they’re nothing but chemical reactions within the brain. At times it’s been mentally tiring to consider this seemingly endless question, but it’s also been interesting.
Considering this fact (that the class can be tiring but interesting) another question comes to mind. Where does creativity fit into all this? Is creativity which has been inspired by altered states as legitimate as that conceived in a normal state? Hughes presents two different answers to this question and I think they’re worth exploring.
The first answer is yes; altered states creativity is just as legitimate as normal state creativity. On page 156 Hughes writes, “the mind is visited by energies that demand to be understood.” This is very reminiscent of The Field, in which McTaggart explains that everything, even consciousness, is composed of waves of energy. Assuming this is true, creativity is not necessarily an individual’s creation, but is more accurately that individual’s representation of what he has learned from connection with a universal consciousness. Using this reasoning it would only follow that altered states are simply a tool to access this information. If an idea is just out there, waiting to be discovered, then there is certainly merit to altered states and the creativity they inspire.
However, the above answer is not the only one Hughes supplies. In quoting Baudelaire on page 167, Hughes offers a different opinion: “no man who with a spoonful of conserve is able to procure instantly all the treasures of heaven and earth will bother to acquire the thousandth part of it by means of work. The primary task is to live and work.” Here Baudelaire seems to imply that creativity is something an individual achieves by his own work, not an idea just waiting to be found. He states that creativity through altered states (specifically for him cannabis) is not legitimate because it does not require the artist to “live and work.”
I can see and understand the reasoning behind each argument. On the one hand the first argument seems to make the most sense. There are so many common motifs in creativity from around the world that it seems there must be some sort of common connection. Yet, the individualist within me agrees with Baudelaire that creativity is something which the individual must work for and discover on his own. I’ll not try to guess which alternative is correct, but will just leave it as this; another unanswered question.
Considering this fact (that the class can be tiring but interesting) another question comes to mind. Where does creativity fit into all this? Is creativity which has been inspired by altered states as legitimate as that conceived in a normal state? Hughes presents two different answers to this question and I think they’re worth exploring.
The first answer is yes; altered states creativity is just as legitimate as normal state creativity. On page 156 Hughes writes, “the mind is visited by energies that demand to be understood.” This is very reminiscent of The Field, in which McTaggart explains that everything, even consciousness, is composed of waves of energy. Assuming this is true, creativity is not necessarily an individual’s creation, but is more accurately that individual’s representation of what he has learned from connection with a universal consciousness. Using this reasoning it would only follow that altered states are simply a tool to access this information. If an idea is just out there, waiting to be discovered, then there is certainly merit to altered states and the creativity they inspire.
However, the above answer is not the only one Hughes supplies. In quoting Baudelaire on page 167, Hughes offers a different opinion: “no man who with a spoonful of conserve is able to procure instantly all the treasures of heaven and earth will bother to acquire the thousandth part of it by means of work. The primary task is to live and work.” Here Baudelaire seems to imply that creativity is something an individual achieves by his own work, not an idea just waiting to be found. He states that creativity through altered states (specifically for him cannabis) is not legitimate because it does not require the artist to “live and work.”
I can see and understand the reasoning behind each argument. On the one hand the first argument seems to make the most sense. There are so many common motifs in creativity from around the world that it seems there must be some sort of common connection. Yet, the individualist within me agrees with Baudelaire that creativity is something which the individual must work for and discover on his own. I’ll not try to guess which alternative is correct, but will just leave it as this; another unanswered question.
Blog 9<
How are drugs and or hallucinogens in general able to give us the insight or enlightenment that many have said they achieved. Witht hese two chapters there has been an emphasis to em on creatovoty from what seems to be chaotic and consistent randomness. Throughout our teaching of altered states we have been taught that we can achieve a higher sense of self throught the use of a form of meditation and drugs that produce hallucinogens. I dont want to sound like I am repeating myself but why?
Has anyoene evr considered that maybe shamans who have seen the double helix formation in their visions resembling the patterns of DNA was just coincidence. I see it no different then how ancient egyptian hieroglyphs depicted what many believed to be flying machines and electric light bulbs existing several thousand years before. And coming back to drugs I see where many cultures have responsibility in how and when to take these drugs and what you see from them unlike how people today use them just to get a quick high.
These altered states of conciousness to me is purely psychological. The way we experience dreams at night from the randomness of our mind is no different than how we would experience it from the usage of hallucinogens but only more extreme and or enhanced.
Has anyoene evr considered that maybe shamans who have seen the double helix formation in their visions resembling the patterns of DNA was just coincidence. I see it no different then how ancient egyptian hieroglyphs depicted what many believed to be flying machines and electric light bulbs existing several thousand years before. And coming back to drugs I see where many cultures have responsibility in how and when to take these drugs and what you see from them unlike how people today use them just to get a quick high.
These altered states of conciousness to me is purely psychological. The way we experience dreams at night from the randomness of our mind is no different than how we would experience it from the usage of hallucinogens but only more extreme and or enhanced.
blog 9
So I don't really know how to feel about all this. Nick's story about drugs opening up and making you use more of your brain is definitely interesting. I myself have never been a fan of drugs (expect the stuff I use for medicinal purposes). I think it's a control thing. I don't know. I'm kind of naive when it comes to the topic of drugs. I always stayed away from them, and the people around me who did do them never did them around me.
Half of me disagrees with using drugs to enhance one's creativity. The other half knows that a lot of influential art comes from these experiences. I would not be the same person had these artists refrained from using these drugs. I get that, and I accept that.
I don't pretend to understand the brain and how it works. I tried very hard to keep up with the explanations in the beginning of chapter 11. I had a Psychology course at HACC, but let me tell you...it's just in one ear and out the other. But I try. So while the part of the brain are discussed in the chapters, I looked up their basic functions to give myself a refresher. Despite my limited knowledge and inability to retain information, the mind and its infinite capabilities has never ceased to fascinate.
As I am presenting in class today, I'll just leave you with the link.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Structure1.html
Half of me disagrees with using drugs to enhance one's creativity. The other half knows that a lot of influential art comes from these experiences. I would not be the same person had these artists refrained from using these drugs. I get that, and I accept that.
I don't pretend to understand the brain and how it works. I tried very hard to keep up with the explanations in the beginning of chapter 11. I had a Psychology course at HACC, but let me tell you...it's just in one ear and out the other. But I try. So while the part of the brain are discussed in the chapters, I looked up their basic functions to give myself a refresher. Despite my limited knowledge and inability to retain information, the mind and its infinite capabilities has never ceased to fascinate.
As I am presenting in class today, I'll just leave you with the link.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Structure1.html
Blog 9
This weeks readings (at least ch. 11) remind me of one of my favorite authors. Not in the content so much as it is a look at how creativity comes to be but stories about ways of getting there and reaching into something greater than yourself. Of feeling connected and insync with the world around you and how that can lead you to all varieties of fanciful thoughts. The author of which I speak is Paulo Cohelo. You may or may not have heard of one of his books "The Alchemist" but I really do recommend to every person who can read to take time with his works.
His writings touch on the different ways that people can get intouch with their spirituality- which is a form of altered consciousness. Anyways... I will drop this and get on to my point.
I am sorry to say but I find Hughes to be incredibly hard to digest at times. It is not that his content is hard to understand or anything like that. It is just so dry I tend to loose focus.
That being said, I found this weeks reading to be interesting in that it takes a mixed bag of ideas about consciousness and creativity and throws them all together. There is a touch of the scientific that I found to be a good connection (at least in my mind) to the Field... I read that part about brain damage being able to show a new "life" of sorts in another part of the brain and how it can affect an individual in an artistic way that they previously did not show talent. This got me thinking about the idea of the brain as an antenna and not the memory storage device itself... I think that this is only partly believable. If damage to the brain can have an external affect on an individual, which it does, that shows that the organ itself has its own selfsufficient capablitites... What I think could connect the two(because I do strongly believe in the concept of a social or connected conscious), it the idea that the brain has certain areas that are more receptive to different wavelengths than others. It is a symbiotic relationship of sorts which puts equal emphasis on both components. That would help (me at least) to understand the ability of the brain to share a consciousness of sorts with others, but still find life after injury and even new talents, now that the dominant receptors are dead, leaving room for some of the lesser channels to come in picture perfect.
Back to what I said about Paulo Cohelo. Different paths. Whirling Dervishes, Meditation, Quests, Icons, Etc. It all brings us to a state outside of our normal understanding and enlightens us to different views and knowledges. What we intend to do with those knowledges and experiences all depend on our motives, and that is something that he talks about in his stories that I found related to what we were reading. I found it interesting to explore the idea of WHY people choose to experience altered states. What is their motovation. Then I got to thinking about what my motivation would be and I think more than anything I would like to find solid proof of my beliefs. I am fascinated by the different manifestations of thought, religion, belief, personalities... I would want to look at other states in order to gain a better understanding of how to relate or communicate with the world around me.
Thats about it.
Hannah
His writings touch on the different ways that people can get intouch with their spirituality- which is a form of altered consciousness. Anyways... I will drop this and get on to my point.
I am sorry to say but I find Hughes to be incredibly hard to digest at times. It is not that his content is hard to understand or anything like that. It is just so dry I tend to loose focus.
That being said, I found this weeks reading to be interesting in that it takes a mixed bag of ideas about consciousness and creativity and throws them all together. There is a touch of the scientific that I found to be a good connection (at least in my mind) to the Field... I read that part about brain damage being able to show a new "life" of sorts in another part of the brain and how it can affect an individual in an artistic way that they previously did not show talent. This got me thinking about the idea of the brain as an antenna and not the memory storage device itself... I think that this is only partly believable. If damage to the brain can have an external affect on an individual, which it does, that shows that the organ itself has its own selfsufficient capablitites... What I think could connect the two(because I do strongly believe in the concept of a social or connected conscious), it the idea that the brain has certain areas that are more receptive to different wavelengths than others. It is a symbiotic relationship of sorts which puts equal emphasis on both components. That would help (me at least) to understand the ability of the brain to share a consciousness of sorts with others, but still find life after injury and even new talents, now that the dominant receptors are dead, leaving room for some of the lesser channels to come in picture perfect.
Back to what I said about Paulo Cohelo. Different paths. Whirling Dervishes, Meditation, Quests, Icons, Etc. It all brings us to a state outside of our normal understanding and enlightens us to different views and knowledges. What we intend to do with those knowledges and experiences all depend on our motives, and that is something that he talks about in his stories that I found related to what we were reading. I found it interesting to explore the idea of WHY people choose to experience altered states. What is their motovation. Then I got to thinking about what my motivation would be and I think more than anything I would like to find solid proof of my beliefs. I am fascinated by the different manifestations of thought, religion, belief, personalities... I would want to look at other states in order to gain a better understanding of how to relate or communicate with the world around me.
Thats about it.
Hannah
blog 9
I found the Altered States reading this week to be a good summary of the creative process we have been discussing in class. After reading chapters 11 and 12 of the Hughes book I have come to the conclusion that no matter how many drugs you take creativity comes from within yourself. “Puritanism apart, it is generally agreed that art made while on drugs is often less good than art done “cold.””
A talented musician may choose to smoke pot before he writes or performs a song and this may help the final product, but if the artist wasn’t a creative person to begin with I don’t believe they would be making music. Drugs have definitely allowed many musicians to take there song writing to the next level, but they were already creative to begin with. I guess what I’m trying to say is by taking drugs one is not automatically creative. In many cases I think the drug use gives the artist something to write about and something to build off of. All you have to do is listen to Pink Floyd to hear how taking LSD can expand the subject matter one writes about.
The discussion in class of the fly agaric mushroom was very informative and I never realized how much this mushroom was around us in our culture from the time we were little kids. I was very surprised how the fly agaric was involved with traditions and cultures from people all over the world. It seems that the fly agaric like shamanism is used in some aspect in different regions in the world. It makes you wonder how these things are known by some many people so far apart long before long distance travel was accessible to mankind. It seems hard to fathom that so many of our Christmas traditions are linked to this psychedelic mushroom. After talking about it in class it would be foolish to not think there is some connection between all of our Christmas traditions and the fly agaric. I will never look at Santa Claus and his reindeer the same way. When we talked about the color scheme of a Coke can matching the mushroom’s colors I remembered hearing how the original recipe for Coke contained cocaine and I’m not sure if it has any significance, but I found it interesting.
A talented musician may choose to smoke pot before he writes or performs a song and this may help the final product, but if the artist wasn’t a creative person to begin with I don’t believe they would be making music. Drugs have definitely allowed many musicians to take there song writing to the next level, but they were already creative to begin with. I guess what I’m trying to say is by taking drugs one is not automatically creative. In many cases I think the drug use gives the artist something to write about and something to build off of. All you have to do is listen to Pink Floyd to hear how taking LSD can expand the subject matter one writes about.
The discussion in class of the fly agaric mushroom was very informative and I never realized how much this mushroom was around us in our culture from the time we were little kids. I was very surprised how the fly agaric was involved with traditions and cultures from people all over the world. It seems that the fly agaric like shamanism is used in some aspect in different regions in the world. It makes you wonder how these things are known by some many people so far apart long before long distance travel was accessible to mankind. It seems hard to fathom that so many of our Christmas traditions are linked to this psychedelic mushroom. After talking about it in class it would be foolish to not think there is some connection between all of our Christmas traditions and the fly agaric. I will never look at Santa Claus and his reindeer the same way. When we talked about the color scheme of a Coke can matching the mushroom’s colors I remembered hearing how the original recipe for Coke contained cocaine and I’m not sure if it has any significance, but I found it interesting.
blog nine
I have consistently enjoyed reading the Hughes book and found chapters 11 & 12 to be just as informational and pleasant to read (in a Discovery Channel special sort of way). Chapter 11 was interesting to me because of the information it offered on the brain structure and the idea of collective consciousness. If, according to the text, damage to the frontal lobe causes a loss of identity (149) and creativity can exemplify our identities, then perhaps creativity could stem from the frontal lobe. Hughes states that researchers have discovered that religious and philosophical thinking comes from the temporal lobe, so maybe some creative thought derives from that area. Or, possibly, creativity isn't inherent in those areas, but it is those areas that inspire creative thought (which could be taking place in another part of the brain altogether). Infinite possibilities, but wouldn't it be quite an advancement for mankind if we could figure out if stimulating these parts of the brain could induce creativity? A sort of creativity-on-demand capability? I suppose that this is attempted by some of the substances discussed in chapter 12. Unfortunately, chapter 12 also outlines the negative side-effects of substance use. This may be why Keats insisted on his theory of "Negative Capability" (which was--finally!--explained to me as something similar to meditation; a receptive state); he got the stimulation (or lack thereof) without the "coming down" from a drug trip.
Kandinsky's quote in chapter 11 about sound, colors, and words leading to the ultimate vibration: knowledge, supports the notions in chapter 12 that certain drugs may lend to specific areas of creativity (marijuana to jazz music, LSD to both music and writing, peyote and mescaline to religious experiences, etc.). The quote also underscores the ideas of energy and interconnectedness from The Field. McTaggart's theories are also supported in Hughes's example of the mandalas that have appeared in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions and cultures, as well as in the dreams of Jung's patients. This makes an even stronger case for the existence of a collective consciousness.
I think what struck me the most out of these two chapters, however, was the reminder that it is not the drug or even the talent of the individual that determines creativity. As always, it is the thought (or potential for thought) involved. Hughes's creativity by default (152) makes me think that my lack of talent in any type of "artistry" is not so much a visual-spatial deficiency so much as it is an incapability of appropriate thought (or thought process). What drives creativity is inspiration; "successful" or "creative" artists find this through their preferred form of altered states of consciousness.
Kandinsky's quote in chapter 11 about sound, colors, and words leading to the ultimate vibration: knowledge, supports the notions in chapter 12 that certain drugs may lend to specific areas of creativity (marijuana to jazz music, LSD to both music and writing, peyote and mescaline to religious experiences, etc.). The quote also underscores the ideas of energy and interconnectedness from The Field. McTaggart's theories are also supported in Hughes's example of the mandalas that have appeared in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions and cultures, as well as in the dreams of Jung's patients. This makes an even stronger case for the existence of a collective consciousness.
I think what struck me the most out of these two chapters, however, was the reminder that it is not the drug or even the talent of the individual that determines creativity. As always, it is the thought (or potential for thought) involved. Hughes's creativity by default (152) makes me think that my lack of talent in any type of "artistry" is not so much a visual-spatial deficiency so much as it is an incapability of appropriate thought (or thought process). What drives creativity is inspiration; "successful" or "creative" artists find this through their preferred form of altered states of consciousness.
blog 9
After we finished reading the Hughes text last time I was disappointed. Not from the text, of course, but I was under the assumption that this brief window into Altered States was the only time we were reading this text this semester…but naturally, I was wrong. Chapters 11 and 12 were fantastic (most notably chapter 12). I am enjoying the progression towards the creative states of mind that stem directly from altered states of consciousness. The previous texts we have read this semester have allowed me to view artistic outlets with an entirely new perspective. In the past, I would view a Picasso, or read Kerouac and state immediately: these guys are blowing their minds out with drugs. But I am beginning to understand that the creative minds behind the works I find most dear may have indulged themselves into an alternative universe rather than blasted their mental molecules into oblivion.
What I enjoyed most about chapter 12 was the way the book prescribed various artists drugs of choice. After learning about the individual drugs (and the responses they provoke) it is interesting to view the works they composed while they were on them. I used to read Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, and immediately believed he was smoking marijuana throughout its composure, but the Hughes text assigns peyote as the actual drug. After learning about peyote and the effects it has on our consciousness, the overwhelming “rambling” text is able to be view in an entirely different light.
Another interesting synopsis I encountered was Hughes’ description of marijuana: “The emphasis on music may be significant. Music and cannabis “have the same frequency,” according to some modern musicians.” In addition to this, Hughes states, “Many of the French Haschischins reported the phenomenon of synesthesia, the ability to “hear” colors, “see” sounds.” This is an interesting observation. Perhaps, this ability to “see” sounds is where the source lies for the creation of intertextual harmonization that previously had not been “seen” by composers of the past. Louis Armstrong is noted for his use of cannabis in the Hughes book and if we observe the liberal changes Armstrong introduced in jazz in the 20s, it is possible to correlate his usage of the drug and what is considered by jazz aficionados as “hot”, or “outside playing.” If anyone would like to discuss jazz with me, I can explain this to them or visit the website below for a list of jazz terms. But this concept can be applied to countless musicians. For example; where did George Harrison hear how the sitar could be applied to “rock n’ roll”? Where did Paul McCartney discover the “musical mode” that would provide the vocal line for “Eleanor Rigby”? In a musical sense, he was using a “mode” that was dead for hundreds of years, but he somehow made it “work” within rock n’ roll. By now I’m sure everyone is sick of hearing me introduce The Beatles into nearly every blog, but I feel that it is a necessity. There is not one rock n’ roll group that has changed the course of music more than them. And they were the quintessential experimenters with mind altering substances. For more proof of this, listen to their first album, Please Please Me. No drugs here, with the exception of cigarettes, alcohol, and perhaps barbiturates. Then, listen to either Rubber Soul or Revolver. It is astonishing. From this point on, as they grew in their drug habits it only pressed the limits of acceptability even more.
http://www.humboldt1.com/~jazz/glossary.html
What I enjoyed most about chapter 12 was the way the book prescribed various artists drugs of choice. After learning about the individual drugs (and the responses they provoke) it is interesting to view the works they composed while they were on them. I used to read Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, and immediately believed he was smoking marijuana throughout its composure, but the Hughes text assigns peyote as the actual drug. After learning about peyote and the effects it has on our consciousness, the overwhelming “rambling” text is able to be view in an entirely different light.
Another interesting synopsis I encountered was Hughes’ description of marijuana: “The emphasis on music may be significant. Music and cannabis “have the same frequency,” according to some modern musicians.” In addition to this, Hughes states, “Many of the French Haschischins reported the phenomenon of synesthesia, the ability to “hear” colors, “see” sounds.” This is an interesting observation. Perhaps, this ability to “see” sounds is where the source lies for the creation of intertextual harmonization that previously had not been “seen” by composers of the past. Louis Armstrong is noted for his use of cannabis in the Hughes book and if we observe the liberal changes Armstrong introduced in jazz in the 20s, it is possible to correlate his usage of the drug and what is considered by jazz aficionados as “hot”, or “outside playing.” If anyone would like to discuss jazz with me, I can explain this to them or visit the website below for a list of jazz terms. But this concept can be applied to countless musicians. For example; where did George Harrison hear how the sitar could be applied to “rock n’ roll”? Where did Paul McCartney discover the “musical mode” that would provide the vocal line for “Eleanor Rigby”? In a musical sense, he was using a “mode” that was dead for hundreds of years, but he somehow made it “work” within rock n’ roll. By now I’m sure everyone is sick of hearing me introduce The Beatles into nearly every blog, but I feel that it is a necessity. There is not one rock n’ roll group that has changed the course of music more than them. And they were the quintessential experimenters with mind altering substances. For more proof of this, listen to their first album, Please Please Me. No drugs here, with the exception of cigarettes, alcohol, and perhaps barbiturates. Then, listen to either Rubber Soul or Revolver. It is astonishing. From this point on, as they grew in their drug habits it only pressed the limits of acceptability even more.
http://www.humboldt1.com/~jazz/glossary.html
Blog Oct 28th
The first thing that caught my eye in the reading was the mentioning of Freud. I am interested in psychology and he is a name that comes up quite often. He ultimately hypothesized the separation between the conscious and unconscious mind. He notes that the conscious process may simulate conflict into creative art (149). Later it is notes in the test that consciousness is now seen as more of an operation. It affects certain areas of the brain in response to stimuli. I combined the two ideas and came up with the thought that the “conflict” Freud talks about can be considered as a form of stimuli. Therefore, as result consciousness would respond. If conflict can be simulated into creative art, then it’s possible that creativity lies in the consciousness. Am I making sense?
Today my group is holding the class discussion. I chose to focus on diseases that enhance creativity. Like I said, I am interested in psychology, so I rather enjoyed researching a few common mental illnesses that increase creativity. I focused on frontotemporal deterioration, because it was mentioned in the test. Also, I chose bipolar disorder and depression, because they are such common diseases. I found it interesting that such diseases could result in promoting creativity. If one part of the brain fails, another part of the brain could catalyze activity in another; possibly the creative part of the brain.
William Blake was an incredibly creative man. The test notes that he held the imagination to be the spark of the godliness in humanity (153). Imagination and creativity pretty much go hand-in-hand. I’ve seen several of Blake’s paintings and they are unbelievable. The man has a fascinating and marvelous imagination. The first time I saw one of his paintings was in the movie The Red Dragon, adapted from Thomas Harris’s book of the same name. I believe the painting is titled “The Lady and the Red Dragon” or something of that nature. It was beautiful. His art is seemingly from another world, in this case, a darker world. I suggest checking it out.
Today my group is holding the class discussion. I chose to focus on diseases that enhance creativity. Like I said, I am interested in psychology, so I rather enjoyed researching a few common mental illnesses that increase creativity. I focused on frontotemporal deterioration, because it was mentioned in the test. Also, I chose bipolar disorder and depression, because they are such common diseases. I found it interesting that such diseases could result in promoting creativity. If one part of the brain fails, another part of the brain could catalyze activity in another; possibly the creative part of the brain.
William Blake was an incredibly creative man. The test notes that he held the imagination to be the spark of the godliness in humanity (153). Imagination and creativity pretty much go hand-in-hand. I’ve seen several of Blake’s paintings and they are unbelievable. The man has a fascinating and marvelous imagination. The first time I saw one of his paintings was in the movie The Red Dragon, adapted from Thomas Harris’s book of the same name. I believe the painting is titled “The Lady and the Red Dragon” or something of that nature. It was beautiful. His art is seemingly from another world, in this case, a darker world. I suggest checking it out.
Blog 9
Throughout my years of schooling (elementary school-present), I've always seen certain types of artwork and wondered where the heck the artists got their ideas from. More so when I was younger, I would just find myself staring at the paintings in amazement at how cool most of them were, I never really understood the meaning behind most of them, just knew that they looked pretty awesome. As I started getting older, I realized that a lot of artists were on drugs when creating paintings, music, books etc. Everytime I read a certain type of book or come across a different kind of painting, I think to myself if these artists were on drugs while creating their works of art? Of course, if a story is weird enough.. I just assume that the author was either plain crazy or was tripping on some heavy drugs. But then again, people can still have decent imaginations and creativity without have to be on drugs. Drugs obviously effect people differently, but the authors and artists that came out with some great things, why are we so quick to judge them about their past with drugs? If they didn't commit serious crimes or anything of that matter, why should it be a big deal if they were high at the time they created something?
The whole fly agaric thing is still racking my brain. I never really took notice to how many 'red and white' things are being commercialized these days.. is it still associated with the drug?? Just like how Coke comes out with its special limited edition Christmas bottles that sort of have a trippy design (sometimes).. is that related to that drug? Tons and tons of thoughts run through my head after our class discussion of fly agaric. It kind of blows my mind that it isn't illegal.. I guess maybe because they can't control the places it grows? Regardless, Monday in class was the first time I've ever seen a picture of fly agaric and I still don't understand why someone would want to eat that!!! When the book started talking about marijuana, I immediately started thinking about how people are trying to get it passed, so that patients can use it to maintain their pain to a minimum. That would be an interesting class discussion right there. I liked reading these two chapters because they gave me more insight about things I really didn't know that much about. However, I won't be able to view Christmas the same anymore.. darn you fly agaric!!!
The whole fly agaric thing is still racking my brain. I never really took notice to how many 'red and white' things are being commercialized these days.. is it still associated with the drug?? Just like how Coke comes out with its special limited edition Christmas bottles that sort of have a trippy design (sometimes).. is that related to that drug? Tons and tons of thoughts run through my head after our class discussion of fly agaric. It kind of blows my mind that it isn't illegal.. I guess maybe because they can't control the places it grows? Regardless, Monday in class was the first time I've ever seen a picture of fly agaric and I still don't understand why someone would want to eat that!!! When the book started talking about marijuana, I immediately started thinking about how people are trying to get it passed, so that patients can use it to maintain their pain to a minimum. That would be an interesting class discussion right there. I liked reading these two chapters because they gave me more insight about things I really didn't know that much about. However, I won't be able to view Christmas the same anymore.. darn you fly agaric!!!
Blog 9
"Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies." --John Lennon
I suppose these two chapters were ok. I feel like it is a bit of a repetition and extension of the drug use in Don Juan. However, Hughes brought up a few interesting ideas--fromtotemporal dementia and Negative Capability, for example. Chapter 11 contrasts with chapter 12 because we are told (though we already know) that drugs are not the only way to reach altered states. Meditation, for example, produces a state of Negative Capability, "when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact or reason" (150).
I found the section of chapter 12 regarding LSD rather interesting. LSD is a synthetic drug only developed in the 1930s. These synthetic drugs contrast with the natural ones Castaneda writes about. It boggles my mind how something so unnatural can help people "achieve insights into the universe and themselves, and to deepen emotional connections with others" (171).
But beyond that, I became somewhat interested in ergot--the fungus that grows on rye grains and is a fundamental componant of LSD. This fungus replaces the grain of the rye and up until the 1850's, was thought to be an actual part of the plant. Poisoning from the ergot (ergotism) has two sets of symptoms--convulsive (characterized by nervous disfunction) and gangrenous (characterized by a burning sensation that leads the loss of limbs). The first outbreak, documented in the the Rhine Valley in the 800's, was called the Holy Fire because the people thought that the burning sensation was punishment from God. It is said that, during the times of witch persecution, the highest levels of persecution occured in areas where large amounts of rye were grown. Those persecuted could have had convulsive symptoms of ergotism. More recently, ergot was used for medicinal purposes--like curing headaches and postpartum hemmoraging. However, it was made illegal after the developement of LSD due to substance abuse.
Drugs have been used and abused, both purposefully and accidentally, over our entire history. They help people reach altered states, have visions, and inspire creativity.
I suppose these two chapters were ok. I feel like it is a bit of a repetition and extension of the drug use in Don Juan. However, Hughes brought up a few interesting ideas--fromtotemporal dementia and Negative Capability, for example. Chapter 11 contrasts with chapter 12 because we are told (though we already know) that drugs are not the only way to reach altered states. Meditation, for example, produces a state of Negative Capability, "when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact or reason" (150).
I found the section of chapter 12 regarding LSD rather interesting. LSD is a synthetic drug only developed in the 1930s. These synthetic drugs contrast with the natural ones Castaneda writes about. It boggles my mind how something so unnatural can help people "achieve insights into the universe and themselves, and to deepen emotional connections with others" (171).
But beyond that, I became somewhat interested in ergot--the fungus that grows on rye grains and is a fundamental componant of LSD. This fungus replaces the grain of the rye and up until the 1850's, was thought to be an actual part of the plant. Poisoning from the ergot (ergotism) has two sets of symptoms--convulsive (characterized by nervous disfunction) and gangrenous (characterized by a burning sensation that leads the loss of limbs). The first outbreak, documented in the the Rhine Valley in the 800's, was called the Holy Fire because the people thought that the burning sensation was punishment from God. It is said that, during the times of witch persecution, the highest levels of persecution occured in areas where large amounts of rye were grown. Those persecuted could have had convulsive symptoms of ergotism. More recently, ergot was used for medicinal purposes--like curing headaches and postpartum hemmoraging. However, it was made illegal after the developement of LSD due to substance abuse.
Drugs have been used and abused, both purposefully and accidentally, over our entire history. They help people reach altered states, have visions, and inspire creativity.
blog 9
When I first started to read through the chapters I immediately related it to what we learned about Fly Agaric. When you think about it the Fly Agaric seemed to be related creativity. A lot of the websites I visited had a lot of ornaments and creative things to that were related to the Fly Agaric. Then I really began to rack my brain to see what I could come up with that could possibly be related to the mushroom. I instantly thought about super Mario and the mushrooms in the game that appeared similar to the Fly agaric. Then I thought thing like Christmas and colors which are coincidentally red and white. I also found it interesting on how many different ways there are you can intake the drug. I mean that takes creativity just to think of them alone. It ranged from smoking it to drinking the urine of someone that had ingested it. I could see why some musicians and artists kind of resort to drugs because they seem to open the mind to another world to create things. I guess that some people would need this because if they didn’t use them their work would seem to be very plain or even boring. I then could relate this to Castaneda’s book and how that seemed to be very creative. Even though some of his stories seemed to be outlandish, but I guess they could be true after the reading. When it come down after all the reading and research we done to this point creativity goes hand in hand with altered states.
blog 9
For some reason it blows me away that "we" have managed to target the part of brain that induces creativity. There is an area where musical and visual abilities develop...?..if you have frontotemporal dementia, then you are more likely to be creative. Why is it that the artists are always the demented, weird, drug addicted ones...? Although I resent the stereotype, i guess it comes from somewhere.
What stood out to me the most in Chapter 11 was its title, "Ways to Creativity" It seems that some people are just naturally creative and others not so much. I guess it is proven anyway so why question it, right? I've been around a lot of creative people. I can say that from my experience, creative people are just kinda that way. It is like a way of thinking, its not just about a visual or performing art either, its about all ways of thinking. It seems like an artist or creative person is that way because of the way they think, naturally.
And then comes the next chapter....
I think that there is a very fine line between the experimenting w/ altered states for expanded creative awareness and teetering on the edge of danger.
There is no doubt that drugs enhance, expand and alter your consciousness.
My biggest wonder is why is it that in some cultures drugs become drugs of abuse?
It is most interesting that for some people its a short lived experiement, while for others it becomes a way of life.
Some practices like the ones we read about in Castaneda's book, stay w/in a culture and remain sacred, while others dont.
SOme drugs while introduced to one culture remain in control while in another, it becomes some horrible epidemic.
Is it the media, giving us our ideas and ways to think? Can an entire culture be that dependant on outside ways to feel better?
The Field answered some of these questions for me.
Avital Ronell talks about Heroin addiction in this chapter as a trash body, not in relation to any spiritual consciousness.
W. Burroughs refers to addiction as the enemy and the junk as its means of infection.
Its hard to correlate some of these drugs to a spiritual experience when the outcome is so negative.
I have seen this though, when these experiences take you to death and back; the way its talked about it the book. The result is a deeper level of spirituality. One that maybe cannot be found in the drug itself, but only in absence of the drug.
What stood out to me the most in Chapter 11 was its title, "Ways to Creativity" It seems that some people are just naturally creative and others not so much. I guess it is proven anyway so why question it, right? I've been around a lot of creative people. I can say that from my experience, creative people are just kinda that way. It is like a way of thinking, its not just about a visual or performing art either, its about all ways of thinking. It seems like an artist or creative person is that way because of the way they think, naturally.
And then comes the next chapter....
I think that there is a very fine line between the experimenting w/ altered states for expanded creative awareness and teetering on the edge of danger.
There is no doubt that drugs enhance, expand and alter your consciousness.
My biggest wonder is why is it that in some cultures drugs become drugs of abuse?
It is most interesting that for some people its a short lived experiement, while for others it becomes a way of life.
Some practices like the ones we read about in Castaneda's book, stay w/in a culture and remain sacred, while others dont.
SOme drugs while introduced to one culture remain in control while in another, it becomes some horrible epidemic.
Is it the media, giving us our ideas and ways to think? Can an entire culture be that dependant on outside ways to feel better?
The Field answered some of these questions for me.
Avital Ronell talks about Heroin addiction in this chapter as a trash body, not in relation to any spiritual consciousness.
W. Burroughs refers to addiction as the enemy and the junk as its means of infection.
Its hard to correlate some of these drugs to a spiritual experience when the outcome is so negative.
I have seen this though, when these experiences take you to death and back; the way its talked about it the book. The result is a deeper level of spirituality. One that maybe cannot be found in the drug itself, but only in absence of the drug.
blog 9
I found these readings to once again be coincidental to my life. In the book it talked about how the brain is used in a neurological sense to make creativity and how drugs can open your mind. Well I was sitting at home by myself eating a pizza when my mom and step dad came in asking me how classes went. I said well, my one class we learned about the Fly Agaric mushroom and they said "WHAAAAT?!" I was like yeah the fly agaric mushroom. They asked me what class I was taking and I said Creativity and the Altered States and they just couldn't believe I was talking the way I was. I was like yeah we talk about altered states and stuff and how drugs can make you perceive reality differently. My step dad is a doctor and he began to tell me this long process of how the brain works. He told me that we only use 10% of our brains capabilities. He used LSD as an example, that it actually opens our brain waves more so that we use 50% more of our brains to the point where we can actually hear colors and taste music. After that we began to talk about how there is stuff around us that we just can't see because our brains can't process it fast enough so all this led to a very indepth conversation to say the least.
Believe it or not, my grandpa was a famous jazz trumpet player. He would play in Times Square, Madison Square Garden and won this talent show that is more commonly known as American Idol back then (can't remember the name) He was about 14 or 15 years of age when he started to become famous. He played with the famous Tommy Dorsey band several times. But once he got to see how the real life was like with fame and forture, he didn't want it. He saw how alot of the jazz players were depressed and did drugs such as opium and marijuana. He also realized he was only good to them for the music he played. He said he just wanted to play. He didn't want all the recognition so he turned down all his offers and just went on with his life. But this story came up when I was reading about the whole artist creativity and jazz players. I'm not sure if they consulted drugs for creativity, but for a means to get away from their depression.
However I think you can go both ways about this. You can take my first story for example and say yes, drugs are a way of really opening your mind so that you can come up with something thats going to effect people in a way... or you can just take the side and say that drugs are for people who are depressed and just want to get away from all the stress. But when these jazz artists took these drugs, I can't help but think that they maybe took their experiences and put them into song form.
Believe it or not, my grandpa was a famous jazz trumpet player. He would play in Times Square, Madison Square Garden and won this talent show that is more commonly known as American Idol back then (can't remember the name) He was about 14 or 15 years of age when he started to become famous. He played with the famous Tommy Dorsey band several times. But once he got to see how the real life was like with fame and forture, he didn't want it. He saw how alot of the jazz players were depressed and did drugs such as opium and marijuana. He also realized he was only good to them for the music he played. He said he just wanted to play. He didn't want all the recognition so he turned down all his offers and just went on with his life. But this story came up when I was reading about the whole artist creativity and jazz players. I'm not sure if they consulted drugs for creativity, but for a means to get away from their depression.
However I think you can go both ways about this. You can take my first story for example and say yes, drugs are a way of really opening your mind so that you can come up with something thats going to effect people in a way... or you can just take the side and say that drugs are for people who are depressed and just want to get away from all the stress. But when these jazz artists took these drugs, I can't help but think that they maybe took their experiences and put them into song form.
Blog 9
At first my reaction to the readings was "blah, the artist is partially insane, blah..." and then I got to the part about Mystical Creativity and was pleasantly surprised.
To me the artistic and the spiritual are inseparable. Even the art of Jackson Pollock has an element of spirit that can eclipse even some of the icons. Time and time again I find myself adding symbols related to religion more than to the political or social statement I am making. My recent paintings have been an attempt to make cemeteries fun. It is a series of cemeteries and empty streets done in a very impressionistic fashion. Needless to say the inseparable nature of art and spirit has manifested itself to a whole new level for me. When I look at an old cemetery I don't just see old gray stones, which are beautiful alone, I see a life that once was and in many ways still is.
On the topic of tobacco, coffee, and tea being the choice drugs of creatives at some point in time, I'd say tobacco is returning as an artsy substance largely because the mainstream doesn't want it anymore. Coffee shops are still a creative crowd, and of course they also serve tea. King Charles II, in 1675, tried to close the coffee shops because he was afraid the people were organizing a rebellion. They stayed up late, they did not spend time with their wives. Similar in some ways to the cannabis ban, there was an association with insurrection. At one point there was a prohibition movement similar in some ways to our country's prohibition against alcohol. Needless to say the coffee ban lasted for less time than the alcohol ban.
I have to disagree with the book's association between Picasso and opium. Picasso was one of the few artists who abstained from drugs or used them only in moderation. He lived into ripe old age and remained productive his entire life for a reason. He got his "fun" out of his system early in his life. His style changes have more in correlation with women than they do with drugs. I did not quite believe it at first, but as much as he was the narcissistic, chauvinistic "Picasshole," women did seem to have an effect on his art.
"...assisted by absinthe (a toxic liqueur distilled from wormwood)..." I incorporate this into my blog only to show how much ignorance prevails when things are illegal. At the publishing of this book, the Green Fairy was still imprisoned and the chemists and distillers had yet to prove their case to Uncle Sam. Then I recollect a Monday night of "Death in the Afternoon"... (Hemingway's concoction of absinthe and champagne) and can still remember everything in detail.
I find it amazing how destructive synthesized drugs have been to people. One of the best bits of art, writing, and music inspired by heroin would have to be Sixx AM's Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. The whole thing is basically one big anti-drug add coming from Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue who famously "died" one night after a heroin overdose. A paramedic saved him and the Crue classic "Kickstart my Heart" was born.
Now on a side note, why is there a Transcendental Meditation group below the section on LSD? Granted the era was the same and some of the people were the same, but if I remember correctly the Beatles were trying to get away from drugs at that point in time.
Ergot is an interesting example of how mold can change the world. On an annual basis throughout much of the middle ages and even later, there was a time in Europe called "mad season." Basically everyone in the villages would eat bread and start tripping thanks to Ergot. It has led to theories that the witch trials and werewolves have their basis in a bunch of hallucinating townspeople. Needless to say I feel that such ideas probably were not influenced that much by the Ergot. The burning times had more to do with social dynamics and werewolves can in some ways be traced back to the shamanism we've been talking about for the past few weeks.
I wish Hughes would have told the story of Hitler and amphetamines. There is very strong evidence from his doctor's papers that he was very much into early designer drugs. One story talks about how the leader of Czechoslovakia was hysterical and Hitler had his doctor "fix" him. In some ways it is funny today that everyone from the Japanese Imperial Army to the German Wehrmacht to the later CIA was experimenting with various cocktails today. I say it is funny because now there is a "war" on drugs.
To me the artistic and the spiritual are inseparable. Even the art of Jackson Pollock has an element of spirit that can eclipse even some of the icons. Time and time again I find myself adding symbols related to religion more than to the political or social statement I am making. My recent paintings have been an attempt to make cemeteries fun. It is a series of cemeteries and empty streets done in a very impressionistic fashion. Needless to say the inseparable nature of art and spirit has manifested itself to a whole new level for me. When I look at an old cemetery I don't just see old gray stones, which are beautiful alone, I see a life that once was and in many ways still is.
On the topic of tobacco, coffee, and tea being the choice drugs of creatives at some point in time, I'd say tobacco is returning as an artsy substance largely because the mainstream doesn't want it anymore. Coffee shops are still a creative crowd, and of course they also serve tea. King Charles II, in 1675, tried to close the coffee shops because he was afraid the people were organizing a rebellion. They stayed up late, they did not spend time with their wives. Similar in some ways to the cannabis ban, there was an association with insurrection. At one point there was a prohibition movement similar in some ways to our country's prohibition against alcohol. Needless to say the coffee ban lasted for less time than the alcohol ban.
Proclamation for the Suppression of Coffee-Houses
Source: Ellis, Aytoun. The Penny University: A History of the Coffee-Houses. (London: Seeker & Warburg, 1956) 92.
BY THE KING: A PROCLAMATION FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF COFFEE HOUSES
CHARLES R.
Whereas it is most apparent that the multitude of Coffee-houses of late years set up and kept within this Kingdom, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and the great resort of Idle and disaffected persons to them, have produced very evil and dangerous effects: as well for that many Tradesmen and others, do therein misspend much of their time, which might and probably would otherwise be imployed in and about their Lawful Callings and Affairs; but also, for that in such Houses...divers False, Halitious and Scandalous Reports are devised and spread abroad, to the Defamation of His Majestie's Government, and to the disturbance of the Peace and Quiet of the Realm; His Majesty hath thought it fit and necessary, That the said Coffee-Houses be (for the future) Put down and Suppressed, and doth...Strictly Charge and Command all manner of persons, That they or any of them do not presume from and after the Tenth Day of January next ensuing, to keep any Publick Coffee-house, or to Utter or sell by retail, in his, her or their house or houses (to be spent or consumed within the same) any Coffee, Chocolet, Sherbett or Tea, as they will answer the contrary at their utmost perils...(All licenses formerly granted to be revoked).
Given at our court at Whitehall, this Nine-and-twentieth day of December 1675, in the Seven and twentieth year of Our Reign.
GOD SAVE THE KING
"...assisted by absinthe (a toxic liqueur distilled from wormwood)..." I incorporate this into my blog only to show how much ignorance prevails when things are illegal. At the publishing of this book, the Green Fairy was still imprisoned and the chemists and distillers had yet to prove their case to Uncle Sam. Then I recollect a Monday night of "Death in the Afternoon"... (Hemingway's concoction of absinthe and champagne) and can still remember everything in detail.
I find it amazing how destructive synthesized drugs have been to people. One of the best bits of art, writing, and music inspired by heroin would have to be Sixx AM's Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. The whole thing is basically one big anti-drug add coming from Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue who famously "died" one night after a heroin overdose. A paramedic saved him and the Crue classic "Kickstart my Heart" was born.
Now on a side note, why is there a Transcendental Meditation group below the section on LSD? Granted the era was the same and some of the people were the same, but if I remember correctly the Beatles were trying to get away from drugs at that point in time.
Ergot is an interesting example of how mold can change the world. On an annual basis throughout much of the middle ages and even later, there was a time in Europe called "mad season." Basically everyone in the villages would eat bread and start tripping thanks to Ergot. It has led to theories that the witch trials and werewolves have their basis in a bunch of hallucinating townspeople. Needless to say I feel that such ideas probably were not influenced that much by the Ergot. The burning times had more to do with social dynamics and werewolves can in some ways be traced back to the shamanism we've been talking about for the past few weeks.
I wish Hughes would have told the story of Hitler and amphetamines. There is very strong evidence from his doctor's papers that he was very much into early designer drugs. One story talks about how the leader of Czechoslovakia was hysterical and Hitler had his doctor "fix" him. In some ways it is funny today that everyone from the Japanese Imperial Army to the German Wehrmacht to the later CIA was experimenting with various cocktails today. I say it is funny because now there is a "war" on drugs.
Blog Nine
Blog Nine
I enjoyed reading chapters 11 and 12 in the Hughes book because I was able to make connections several times. I took a Brit Lit class last semester and we spent an extensive amount of time on poets such as Keats, Blake, Shelley, and Coleridge. During the class it was briefly mentioned that Coleridge had used Opium, but his drug use was not considered much further. It was not actively considered when analyzing Coleridge’s pieces of literature, and this was unfortunate. I think it is very interesting how Hughes mentions works of literature Coleridge created on Opium (Kubla Khan), and creation of works before his addition (Rime of the Ancient Mariner). My connection here is that I have read both of those works in the past, and I think it would be neat to go back and compare them knowing what was taking place in Coleridge’s personal life during the construction of the poems. Understanding the biographical nature of the creator certainly helps us to better understand the creation (exemplified by Picasso in the beginning of chapter eleven). Furthermore, I think it is challenging and fun to look at a piece of visual art work and make connections to creativity (be it drug use, considering what the author was going through at the time, etc..) and now I understand how important this “creative analyzing” is when looking all pieces of creativity (texts included). I would have loved to have known more about Coleridge’s addiction to opium, Blake’s ability to meditate, Poe’s addictions, Walt Disney’s use of cocaine, jazz musicians use of cannabis etc, when considering all of their different mediums of creativity. In a way it illuminates the works, and forces us to analyze them in a new way.
I appreciated how Hughes separated the kinds of creativity to induced creativity and natural creativity. Furthermore there are several citations supporting both sides. Consider Poe’s use of Opium. Poe writes of premature burials, underground passages, hypersensitive perceptual reactions, and all of these images are directly associated with the opium experience. And isn’t this what makes his stories stand apart from the rest… his creativity being so different from other authors of the time? Therefore even though his stories are being constructed through the eye of the opium addict we still highly revere his works, for their creativity. However Hughes does present the other, darker side of using such drugs to induce creativity. The French poet Jean Cocteau wrote, “With opium euphoria leads the way to death.” Malnutrition, respiratory complications, and low blood pressure are some of the associations with the addiction (163). And as with most drugs to get the same feelings of euphoria the amount of drug use steadily increases as it destroys the body. Certainly marijuana can induce creativity, regardless of personal beliefs regarding drug use, but there are consequences. There are consequences to using heroin, cocaine, mushrooms, acid, and other designer drugs, and I suppose it is up to the creator to decide if a “chemical wedding” (as Hughes cleverly calls it) is how they want to stimulate creativity.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Blog 9: Hughes, Ch. 11 & 12
I like the Hughes book foremost because it sufficiently explains things like “creativity” in a neurological sense. I find the neurological creative process in the brain to be particularly fascinating. It’s a tough thing to understand because we understand it as it relates to us subjectively. At times Hughes’s explanations can be a bit difficult to follow, but the general concept comes through.
I wonder if this neuro-scientific analysis of creativity can explain why some people are (or seem to be) more creative than others. The ability to be creative is different for everyone, but does our individual brain chemistry determine our capacity for creativity? It would be comforting to think that creativity is an ability that can be learned and evolved through the disciplined mind.
I’d like to look further into the idea of meditation as an altered state of consciousness and a gateway to the creative process. It’s what John Keats explains (on pg.150) as “negative capability,” or unfocused attention in which a person intentionally withdraws from normal consciousness into a state of alertness and relaxation. In my experience, it’s sort of like the early stages of sleep where you are still receptive to your environment, but you can feel your mind drifting off. The act of meditating holds great religious and spiritual significance to those who practice it, specifically in Eastern religions. Certain types of meditation, such as Transcendental Meditation, became popular in the West after The Beatles traveled to India in the late 60’s to study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This technique involves chanting a mantra while sitting with closed eyes and it is one of the most commonly practiced. The chant, or sound vibration which Hughes points out, is traditionally considered to be the first sound vibration of creation. In Hindu meditation, “OM” is the mantra syllable that is chanted in prayer. The idea is that with disciplined practice over a long period of time, one will be able to reach spiritual enlightenment. Perhaps this enlightenment can also lead the way to creative consciousness.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
blog 8<
This week’s reading and the books end was a good one. It was odd how the devils weed plant was playing a trick on Castaneda and it enlightened him on how women treated men somehow. To me today even now I try to see how a plant with hallucinogen effects can enlighten you and make you aware of certain things. I guess it has to do on how I see my uncle today and how he behaves after being on drugs a good portion of his life. He acts odd his behavior is off I mean hes a good person but he made some bad choices in his life and because of the "mindkillers' he took he now suffers for it.
I dont know about everyone else but I guess the best way to put it is unless i experience it Im always going to judge something by its looks and my experience with others including plants that can essentially as modern medicine would put it..."rot your mind".
I dont know about everyone else but I guess the best way to put it is unless i experience it Im always going to judge something by its looks and my experience with others including plants that can essentially as modern medicine would put it..."rot your mind".
Blog 8
I really connected with this week’s reading and the book ending on a good note. For one, I thought it was really interesting how the “devils weed” was playing trick on Castaneda and I was surprised how Don Juan connected it with women in their ways of behaving or treating men. A further read in to the chapter got me critically thinking about Don Juan’s statement about paths that our heart wants us to follow and paths that we do not follow. He stated, (which I really liked and connected with) “A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it (pg 128).” Juan’s statement literally made my ears stand straight, when I read this. I think we as human subconsciously do things to please other people and never really listen to our heart and what is it that “it’s” telling us. We deliberately chose a hard task to please someone else, but if the task is not executed, we blame our destiny or other influences. But the truth is that we never really listen to our heart in the first place. I think we somehow don’t really want to listen to our hearts in the first place.
Along with that I really linked with his statement that “To choose a path you must be free from fear and ambition (Pg 129).” I didn’t get the ambition connection at first but then when Castaneda also questioned him about the ambition aspect and Don Juan explaining to him that the desire to learn is not ambition and we as human want to know things for the sake of power and that is not ambition. Then it actually really made sense. It made sense in further explaining his first statement about the path with heart being easy. It’s easy because there is no power involved with it and no “flattery” and we as humans like to get attracted to flattery. Just like Castaneda been flattered by the “devil’s weed” and then tricked by it.
Furthermore the smoke which Castaneda get terrified by is the noblest power and has the purest heart because it doesn’t make anyone its prisoner nor does it hold any bias (129). This in someway portrays that something we might get terrified from is the real deal or the road to success. It is tied to our hearts, may be if we listen to our hearts (once in a blue moon) we might find the road to success or happiness. It like Castaneda being terrified from the smoke but not the “devil’s weed” and unlike the smoke the devil’s weed is feminine and attracts him and boggles his mind but he keep getting attracted towards it. Yet what he is terrified from (smoke) is what he really needs to put his attention towards. And for us is it listening to our hearts (which is clear, logical, and easy) and not what gives us more flattery or power and makes us go the other way.
When Castaneda followed his heart he was able to fly and in some aspects it connected with the Sufi teaching story about the bird. That sometimes you don’t need ambition, you need to follow your heart. Yet we suffer from what Don Juan calls “a loss of soul” in chapter 11.
Although, I didn’t understand his “severe conditions of seriousness” to overcome the loss of the soul, the book ended on an excellent message and the teaching were very helpful in connecting me with my subconscious and looking at things in a different way.
Along with that I really linked with his statement that “To choose a path you must be free from fear and ambition (Pg 129).” I didn’t get the ambition connection at first but then when Castaneda also questioned him about the ambition aspect and Don Juan explaining to him that the desire to learn is not ambition and we as human want to know things for the sake of power and that is not ambition. Then it actually really made sense. It made sense in further explaining his first statement about the path with heart being easy. It’s easy because there is no power involved with it and no “flattery” and we as humans like to get attracted to flattery. Just like Castaneda been flattered by the “devil’s weed” and then tricked by it.
Furthermore the smoke which Castaneda get terrified by is the noblest power and has the purest heart because it doesn’t make anyone its prisoner nor does it hold any bias (129). This in someway portrays that something we might get terrified from is the real deal or the road to success. It is tied to our hearts, may be if we listen to our hearts (once in a blue moon) we might find the road to success or happiness. It like Castaneda being terrified from the smoke but not the “devil’s weed” and unlike the smoke the devil’s weed is feminine and attracts him and boggles his mind but he keep getting attracted towards it. Yet what he is terrified from (smoke) is what he really needs to put his attention towards. And for us is it listening to our hearts (which is clear, logical, and easy) and not what gives us more flattery or power and makes us go the other way.
When Castaneda followed his heart he was able to fly and in some aspects it connected with the Sufi teaching story about the bird. That sometimes you don’t need ambition, you need to follow your heart. Yet we suffer from what Don Juan calls “a loss of soul” in chapter 11.
Although, I didn’t understand his “severe conditions of seriousness” to overcome the loss of the soul, the book ended on an excellent message and the teaching were very helpful in connecting me with my subconscious and looking at things in a different way.
Blog #8
I’ll admit it; I’m glad to be done with Castaneda’s book. Although it is written in narrative form and a little bit easier to read than The Field, I don’t feel as if it applies to life as much as The Field does. Actually, I should clarify that I don’t feel it applies to my life as much as does The Field. The possibilities for medicine that were presented in The Field personally excite me much more than the subject matter in The Teachings. Having never used hallucinogenic plants (and also never planning to use them) I had trouble finding a personal connection with The Teachings. However, I also realize that someone could find an interest in the book without using hallucinogens; it simply did not happen for me. Yet, personal opinions aside, I did find a passage in this week’s reading that relates to what we’ve been talking about in class.
In chapter 10 Don Juan speaks about the crows’ ability to see when a being is about to die. “‘Things that are alive,’ he said, ‘move inside, and a crow can easily see when something is dead, or about to die, because the movement has stopped or is slowing down to a stop. A crow can also tell when something is moving too fast, and by the same token a crow can tell when something is moving just right’” (139). This quote makes a lot of sense in relation to the discussions we’ve been having about beings of light. In The Field McTaggart explains that science is beginning to see that everything, at its most base level, is composed of light. If this is actually the case then it follows that if a person is about to die his light will be different than that of a healthy person. In other words his light would be “slowing down to a stop.” I recall that McTaggart also mentions that people who are healthy have a more balanced order than those who are sick. That would explain why, according to Don Juan, the crows are able to tell when certain beings are off and why others are “moving just right.”
Additionally, although slightly more morbid, is what Don Juan says the crows see in rotting flesh. According to him “what a crow sees then is millions of things moving inside the flesh with a light of their own” (140). Perhaps this is gross, but I think he’s talking about the microorganisms which cause a dead body to decay. Although small, they would each have their own light, so it would only make sense that they are the “millions of things” the crows see when looking at a dead body.
As stated, I didn’t really like the book; however, I was able to see the connections it had with our other readings and class discussions. I’m not sorry to say goodbye to The Teachings but I do recognize some of the interesting subjects it has brought about. Who would have guessed I’d ever end up talking about decaying flesh and microorganisms in a class titled “Altered States and Creativity”? For that I have The Teachings to thank.
In chapter 10 Don Juan speaks about the crows’ ability to see when a being is about to die. “‘Things that are alive,’ he said, ‘move inside, and a crow can easily see when something is dead, or about to die, because the movement has stopped or is slowing down to a stop. A crow can also tell when something is moving too fast, and by the same token a crow can tell when something is moving just right’” (139). This quote makes a lot of sense in relation to the discussions we’ve been having about beings of light. In The Field McTaggart explains that science is beginning to see that everything, at its most base level, is composed of light. If this is actually the case then it follows that if a person is about to die his light will be different than that of a healthy person. In other words his light would be “slowing down to a stop.” I recall that McTaggart also mentions that people who are healthy have a more balanced order than those who are sick. That would explain why, according to Don Juan, the crows are able to tell when certain beings are off and why others are “moving just right.”
Additionally, although slightly more morbid, is what Don Juan says the crows see in rotting flesh. According to him “what a crow sees then is millions of things moving inside the flesh with a light of their own” (140). Perhaps this is gross, but I think he’s talking about the microorganisms which cause a dead body to decay. Although small, they would each have their own light, so it would only make sense that they are the “millions of things” the crows see when looking at a dead body.
As stated, I didn’t really like the book; however, I was able to see the connections it had with our other readings and class discussions. I’m not sorry to say goodbye to The Teachings but I do recognize some of the interesting subjects it has brought about. Who would have guessed I’d ever end up talking about decaying flesh and microorganisms in a class titled “Altered States and Creativity”? For that I have The Teachings to thank.
Blog 8
After all is said and done, I find myself wanting more... wanting to know more about the teachings, although some of them creeped me out a bit. I found it very hard to put this book down once I started it because don Juan's teachings interested me to the extent where I couldn't wait to read on to see what happends next. That last few chapters got to be really interesting when Castaneda tried the "smoke" a few more times. I'm skeptical about the whole crow ordeal.. I mean I understand that the smoke helped with the hallucinations but to that extent? And that fact that don Juan was trying to bring him back for three days sort of blew my mind as well. If I was in that kind of scenario.. I would have freaked out or thought that the person had slipped into a small coma of some sort.
Another part that made me skeptical was when don Juan left to search for Castaneda's soul and left him there to 'fight' against anyone who comes near him. I mean.. did he really see someone portraying themselves as don Juan? I was relieved that nothing bad had happened to him at the end of the book, although it was hard to tell with all of the weird situations arising. Reading this book made me want to somewhat, and I mean somewhat, want to be a part of this experience. A lot of the stuff that Castaneda went through really, really creeped me out.. but wow, what an adventure he was on. As other's have posted in their blogs, I too think that Castaneda really wanted to accomplish and feel what don Juan had felt when he went through the teachings before, although he didn't, he felt something that don Juan also hadn't either. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.. very interesting, to say the least.
Another part that made me skeptical was when don Juan left to search for Castaneda's soul and left him there to 'fight' against anyone who comes near him. I mean.. did he really see someone portraying themselves as don Juan? I was relieved that nothing bad had happened to him at the end of the book, although it was hard to tell with all of the weird situations arising. Reading this book made me want to somewhat, and I mean somewhat, want to be a part of this experience. A lot of the stuff that Castaneda went through really, really creeped me out.. but wow, what an adventure he was on. As other's have posted in their blogs, I too think that Castaneda really wanted to accomplish and feel what don Juan had felt when he went through the teachings before, although he didn't, he felt something that don Juan also hadn't either. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.. very interesting, to say the least.
The whole thing to me was how Costaneda wanted so badly to feel and experiment the way don Juan did and he could not. Don Juan experienced a different kind than Costaneda. He could not not step into the same world as Don Juan is how I took it. Costaneda did experience hallucinations and different feelings but I do not think that he believed as much as Don Juan so therefore could not be as fullfilling to him.
blog eight
The finale of the Castaneda book reflected the author's suggestion from the beginning that he never entirely became one with the hallucinogenic devices (the humito, the Datura, etc.) and that he took leave of them. I thought it was interesting, however, that don Juan continued to believe that Castaneda had not abandoned them; that he was only taking a sabbatical. It is clear, however, through the author's latest experiments with the hallucinogens, that he was uncomfortable with their effects. He notes this in the last line of the first section of his book when he admits that he allowed the first enemy of man to get the better of him (fear). Additionally, Castaneda messed up his experience with the devil's weed when he rubbed it on his forehead, and therefore may have had every right to fear the plant (after all, don Juan had advised him that the plant was fickle and she had been known to lead to a man's death). It seems as though Castaneda never reached the kind of understanding don Juan had hoped he would. He never grasped the bodilessness of transforming into the crow and he never quite understood the concept of "flight." It may be appropriate then that our author abandoned his apprenticeship with don Juan. Don Juan insisted from the beginning that the allies led to knowledge and power (especially in the case of the devil's weed) and that Mescalito would teach a man how to live. Since Castaneda approached the whole experiment from a more scientific point of view, however, I don't think he was ever actually a candidate for the kind of journey don Juan envisioned. I believe he may have simply been at the right place at the very time don Juan was looking for someone to whom he could pass his traditions. Castaneda was never intended to become a great brujo. In essence, I think Castaneda did more for enlightening an audience on the traditions and rituals of the brujos and their "magic" than he did for showing us how these experiences can change a man.
Blog 8
After reading the final three chapters of The Teachings of Don Juan I can’t say that I was disappointed with the ending, but I definitely wasn’t pleased. I was hoping that Castaneda would let himself fully into don Juan’s world and quit trying to question everything. I stared at the final line of chapter eleven, “I do believe that I have succumbed to the first enemy of a man of knowledge”, for awhile trying to figure out what it meant. I guess what I got out of it was that Castaneda got in over his head with don Juan and he didn’t feel comfortable experimenting with don Juan anymore. I think Castaneda’s scientific mind couldn’t handle the hallucinations anymore, because don Juan said that they were a reality, but Castaneda couldn’t accept them as reality. Maybe later in his old age Castaneda will be able to truly take in all the lessons don Juan taught him.
In chapter ten Castaneda experiments with the smoke several times and on the final attempt he is able to turn into a crow and his vision is affected. “Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the images were a conglomerate of unbelievably sharp details set inside fields of different light; the light in the fields moved, creating an effect of rotation”(p.139). This reminded me of The Field as soon as I read it and I also thought back to the movie Other Worlds, that we watched in class. Under the effects of the smoke Castaneda seemed to be able to see the energy or light that make up the field. I also found it interesting how they said that the crow could tell if something was dead by the amount of light it gave off. Since Castaneda has a science background I wonder if he would have kept experimenting with don Juan’s potions that maybe he could have made some discoveries much like the scientist in Other Worlds who took LSD and was able to use the insight he gained from the drug to help earn himself a Nobel Prize. I guess we’ll never know since Castaneda chose not seek lessons from don Juan anymore. I just don’t think Castaneda was ever able to totally let go of his world and immerse himself in don Juan’s and if he would have been able to let go of the baggage of the outside world I think Castaneda would have gained much more through his experiences.
In chapter ten Castaneda experiments with the smoke several times and on the final attempt he is able to turn into a crow and his vision is affected. “Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the images were a conglomerate of unbelievably sharp details set inside fields of different light; the light in the fields moved, creating an effect of rotation”(p.139). This reminded me of The Field as soon as I read it and I also thought back to the movie Other Worlds, that we watched in class. Under the effects of the smoke Castaneda seemed to be able to see the energy or light that make up the field. I also found it interesting how they said that the crow could tell if something was dead by the amount of light it gave off. Since Castaneda has a science background I wonder if he would have kept experimenting with don Juan’s potions that maybe he could have made some discoveries much like the scientist in Other Worlds who took LSD and was able to use the insight he gained from the drug to help earn himself a Nobel Prize. I guess we’ll never know since Castaneda chose not seek lessons from don Juan anymore. I just don’t think Castaneda was ever able to totally let go of his world and immerse himself in don Juan’s and if he would have been able to let go of the baggage of the outside world I think Castaneda would have gained much more through his experiences.
Chapter 9
It begins talking aboput how he goes by himself to find the devils weed. The whole thing with the Lizards is creepy to me. Sowing their eyes together, and having them show him the way. I guess it makes sense to them though. Using lizards as a guide seems very silly to me. The devils weed is a scary thing to me the way it is described in the book. A chance of going on a so called journey and not coming back would scare me into not even attempting something like that. Does this plant really take over your mind so you are almost consumed from it. this is definately something I would never experiment with.
I liked the part though when they talked about how the devils weed is like a woman, getting trapped, not to be taken in by the woman but to stick with the secret of men. It is funny to me how different drugs are describr=ed as man or woman.
It begins talking aboput how he goes by himself to find the devils weed. The whole thing with the Lizards is creepy to me. Sowing their eyes together, and having them show him the way. I guess it makes sense to them though. Using lizards as a guide seems very silly to me. The devils weed is a scary thing to me the way it is described in the book. A chance of going on a so called journey and not coming back would scare me into not even attempting something like that. Does this plant really take over your mind so you are almost consumed from it. this is definately something I would never experiment with.
I liked the part though when they talked about how the devils weed is like a woman, getting trapped, not to be taken in by the woman but to stick with the secret of men. It is funny to me how different drugs are describr=ed as man or woman.
blog 8
The thing that stuck out for me during this reading was the idea that becoming a man of knowledge is not a "permanent" accomplishment, but rather a process or journey. I like this idea because in a world where accomplishments and achievements are everything, this promotes patience and the never-ending journey of learning. From what I've seen and felt, society stresses attaining this goal and that goal, getting to some sort of end. Getting an A on a paper, getting a degree from college, making a certain amount of money, saving enough to buy a home, etc. Don Juan's "goal" is everlasting and he is always gaining from his journey.
In my freshman and sophomore years of high school, my friends and I were in love with a book series called "Mates, Dates". In the second book, "Mates, Dates, and Cosmic Kisses", there is a quote that has stuck with me: "We are called 'human beings', but we should really be called 'human doings', always dashing about, doing this or that. When do we ever stop to just be?"
In my warped and twisted mind, don Juan's teachings sort of reminded me of this quote. We should stop trying to do things like and simply learn from the journey we're on. Both this quote and this book have reinforced the idea of being comfortable with myself and enjoying life. And taking time to relax. And maybe even taking time to explore myself and other...."states."
Switching gears, I can't say I really enjoyed the book for reasons I just can't explain. Maybe it was the way it was written. I did like some of the ideas don Juan presented, however. And, Jamie, you are not alone in thinking that the Structural Analysis was a bit much and maybe trying to make something concrete when it isn't supposed to be. I also thought it was way over-analyzed and could have been written in like...2 pages instead 40. But, then again, I don't know much either...
In my freshman and sophomore years of high school, my friends and I were in love with a book series called "Mates, Dates". In the second book, "Mates, Dates, and Cosmic Kisses", there is a quote that has stuck with me: "We are called 'human beings', but we should really be called 'human doings', always dashing about, doing this or that. When do we ever stop to just be?"
In my warped and twisted mind, don Juan's teachings sort of reminded me of this quote. We should stop trying to do things like and simply learn from the journey we're on. Both this quote and this book have reinforced the idea of being comfortable with myself and enjoying life. And taking time to relax. And maybe even taking time to explore myself and other...."states."
Switching gears, I can't say I really enjoyed the book for reasons I just can't explain. Maybe it was the way it was written. I did like some of the ideas don Juan presented, however. And, Jamie, you are not alone in thinking that the Structural Analysis was a bit much and maybe trying to make something concrete when it isn't supposed to be. I also thought it was way over-analyzed and could have been written in like...2 pages instead 40. But, then again, I don't know much either...
blog 8
The entry written by Castaneda dated Saturday, April 10, 1965 begins with, “one element from the hallucinogenic experience with the mushrooms kept recurring in my thoughts: the soft, dark mass of pinholes. I continued to visualize it as a grease or an oil bubble which bean to draw me to its center.” While I read this, I couldn’t stop thinking about the line from The Beatles song “A Day in the Life.” “I read the news today oh, boy. Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire. And though the holes were rather small. They had to count them all. Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.” Granted, Lennon has stated that the lyrics he contributed to this song were taken directly from headlines he read in newspapers, but this period of The Beatles is when they were at the acme of LSD usage. If Lennon penned these words from an experience with LSD, what does the significance of holes mean? If we look at this from the perspective of The Field, it is possible to say that the holes could possess a direct linkage to the field itself.
The Teachings of Don Juan has been my favorite read thus far. I’m not sure how my experience with the book would have been if I had not read The Field or Altered States first. I found Don Juan to be a man of profound wisdom that presented his guidance in the form of snippets surrounded in ambiguity. I am curious as to whether he would have presented his spiritual guidance to a shaman-in-training in a different form. Would he have been more concrete and assertive with his answers? He reminded me of the Buddhist tale in which a monk asked his teacher what God looked like. The teacher’s response was something along the lines of “how would I know? I never saw it.”
I continued to think about the class discussion we had last week in regards to animals in religion. The final three chapters of the book thoroughly investigate the purpose of crows within Shamanistic visions. I discovered that shamans view crows as the seers of everything and it is not difficult to spiritually become a crow within a voyage. I also have been wondering why the rooster has not received the same damnation as the snake has from a Christian point of view. In the story of Peter’s denial against Jesus, a rooster crows to signify the completion of his betrayal. It is incredible to observe how cultures and religions have adopted various animals and either applaud or curse them. As was said in class last week, “religious use these metaphors as a sign of power.” It appears that truer words have never been spoken.
The Teachings of Don Juan has been my favorite read thus far. I’m not sure how my experience with the book would have been if I had not read The Field or Altered States first. I found Don Juan to be a man of profound wisdom that presented his guidance in the form of snippets surrounded in ambiguity. I am curious as to whether he would have presented his spiritual guidance to a shaman-in-training in a different form. Would he have been more concrete and assertive with his answers? He reminded me of the Buddhist tale in which a monk asked his teacher what God looked like. The teacher’s response was something along the lines of “how would I know? I never saw it.”
I continued to think about the class discussion we had last week in regards to animals in religion. The final three chapters of the book thoroughly investigate the purpose of crows within Shamanistic visions. I discovered that shamans view crows as the seers of everything and it is not difficult to spiritually become a crow within a voyage. I also have been wondering why the rooster has not received the same damnation as the snake has from a Christian point of view. In the story of Peter’s denial against Jesus, a rooster crows to signify the completion of his betrayal. It is incredible to observe how cultures and religions have adopted various animals and either applaud or curse them. As was said in class last week, “religious use these metaphors as a sign of power.” It appears that truer words have never been spoken.
Oct 21
Blog: Oct 21st
“The smoke” reminds me of similar experiences I have witnessed. The smoke is a hallucinogenic mixture that obviously one inhales. Another example of such a mixture is salvia, and it is even legal in the United States. It’s an organic herb, which causes hallucinations when smoked. One is supposed to inhale the smoke and hold it in their lungs for as long as possible. Whatever chemicals take hold of the individual and catalyze a trip-like state of mind. The individual will remain in this altered consciousness for several minutes and then return to normal. I have had two experiences involving the unique plant.
My first experience with salvia was during my freshman year at West Chester University. One of my buddies had some of the dried plant and we smoked it. At the time I didn’t know that salvia is categorized by grade or potency. Whatever he had must have been rather low, because I wouldn’t say that the herb had much of an effect on me. I had heard stories about crazy salvia trips my friends had witnessed, but for me, nada. It made me feel rather spacey and I was a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, I would say that smoking the plant did alter my state of consciousness. The spacey feeling did feel similar to a high. It was out of the ordinary.
The second and last experience I had with salvia took place in Niagara Falls, Canada. In this case, my friends and I all threw in some cash and purchased a strong potency of salvia in a store. We returned to our hotel room and took turns trying the herb. After filling my lungs with smoke I gradually felt like I was melting into the chair I was sitting in. Slowly, I melted away and became one with the chair. Talk about a bizarre feeling; it freaked me out. I also remember feelings pressure in my ears and hearing a ringing noise. Overall, not my idea of pleasant, but it was a trip. I was completely “out of my mind”, one could say.
Salvia is similar to the smoke Castaneda inhales; however that smoke was seemingly more intense. It lasted longer and anything like what I experienced over a longer period of time would drive one mad. Castaneda notes sweating, many hallucinations, immobilization, and difficulty annunciating (pg 130). I certainly wouldn’t enjoy that.
I thought that it was interesting that when Castaneda ate some of the hallucinogenic mixture it caused clarity and memory of his trip. The trip when he “becomes” a crow was particularly entertaining to me. Here don Juan goes on and on about Castaneda turning into a crow and when finally asked if Castaneda did indeed turn into a crow he answers, “No.” It’s like, duh. don Juan was ultimately trying to teach him a greater lessen; how to be a man.
“The smoke” reminds me of similar experiences I have witnessed. The smoke is a hallucinogenic mixture that obviously one inhales. Another example of such a mixture is salvia, and it is even legal in the United States. It’s an organic herb, which causes hallucinations when smoked. One is supposed to inhale the smoke and hold it in their lungs for as long as possible. Whatever chemicals take hold of the individual and catalyze a trip-like state of mind. The individual will remain in this altered consciousness for several minutes and then return to normal. I have had two experiences involving the unique plant.
My first experience with salvia was during my freshman year at West Chester University. One of my buddies had some of the dried plant and we smoked it. At the time I didn’t know that salvia is categorized by grade or potency. Whatever he had must have been rather low, because I wouldn’t say that the herb had much of an effect on me. I had heard stories about crazy salvia trips my friends had witnessed, but for me, nada. It made me feel rather spacey and I was a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, I would say that smoking the plant did alter my state of consciousness. The spacey feeling did feel similar to a high. It was out of the ordinary.
The second and last experience I had with salvia took place in Niagara Falls, Canada. In this case, my friends and I all threw in some cash and purchased a strong potency of salvia in a store. We returned to our hotel room and took turns trying the herb. After filling my lungs with smoke I gradually felt like I was melting into the chair I was sitting in. Slowly, I melted away and became one with the chair. Talk about a bizarre feeling; it freaked me out. I also remember feelings pressure in my ears and hearing a ringing noise. Overall, not my idea of pleasant, but it was a trip. I was completely “out of my mind”, one could say.
Salvia is similar to the smoke Castaneda inhales; however that smoke was seemingly more intense. It lasted longer and anything like what I experienced over a longer period of time would drive one mad. Castaneda notes sweating, many hallucinations, immobilization, and difficulty annunciating (pg 130). I certainly wouldn’t enjoy that.
I thought that it was interesting that when Castaneda ate some of the hallucinogenic mixture it caused clarity and memory of his trip. The trip when he “becomes” a crow was particularly entertaining to me. Here don Juan goes on and on about Castaneda turning into a crow and when finally asked if Castaneda did indeed turn into a crow he answers, “No.” It’s like, duh. don Juan was ultimately trying to teach him a greater lessen; how to be a man.
Blog 8
I liked chapter 11 because it kind of put a suspense to the end of the book. When somebody talks about you losing your soul, its kind of a big deal. So when Castaneda and Don Juan seek to find his soul, it put somewhat of a climax for the end. The way Castaneda explained how he got his soul back on the porch was pretty exciting and climactic. I could just feel the anxiety and fear of not being sure of what he was doing, his indecision. It ended up coming to a good ending when he got his soul back because he overcame his fear.
It seems to me that the book keeps revolving around that principle of fear. Humans have always had fear of the unknown, and Castaneda is afraid because he does not know the ways that Don Juan knows. However Castaneda seemed to stick through all doubts and overcome and actually surprise Don Juan. For example earlier in the book when Mescalito "played" with him, and in chapter 9 with the devils weed how "she" was fond of him. I also noticed a small detail when Castaneda took the devils weed. He said he heard voices coming from his shoulder where he had placed one of the lizards. Maybe the lizard was talking to him? That lizard must of been a messanger of the devils weed.
The whole crow part was pretty interesting. I think it's impressive how don juan knows what is going to happen with each hallucination. You think today when people take drugs, they all see different things, those things are the random unimportant things that Don Juan tells Castaneda to forget about. Because people dont take drugs today for meaning. But since Castaneda and Don Juan have a common goal, they see the same things which makes me believe that these are true. I also kind of picked up when Castaneda did the smoke how he fell on the ground and couldn't move. The winking let don juan know that Castaneda was ready to listen so he could actually move to become a crow. However I never really understood the whole part with castaneda being away for 3 days? Was it in actual time or was this in an altered state. I may have missed the explanation.
Overall the ending was good. It was a happy ending when he got his soul back. It had the battle at the end along with an explanation and a closure of Castaneda's experiences. However I wish he would have maybe wrote a chapter about his life after the teachings. How was Castaneda's world now different after going through don juan's experiences. How did it change his life for the better or for the worse? Overall interesting book, but I wish there was more explanation for the experiences. It seemed that Don Juan never really explained the meanings of his teachings and left it up to the reader to make their own interpretation. Castaneda seemed to just go through the motions and not really have any input on what he thought of the meanings of what he saw. He just kind of explains what he saw then asked questions and didn't really tell us what he thought was the meaning of his experiences.
It seems to me that the book keeps revolving around that principle of fear. Humans have always had fear of the unknown, and Castaneda is afraid because he does not know the ways that Don Juan knows. However Castaneda seemed to stick through all doubts and overcome and actually surprise Don Juan. For example earlier in the book when Mescalito "played" with him, and in chapter 9 with the devils weed how "she" was fond of him. I also noticed a small detail when Castaneda took the devils weed. He said he heard voices coming from his shoulder where he had placed one of the lizards. Maybe the lizard was talking to him? That lizard must of been a messanger of the devils weed.
The whole crow part was pretty interesting. I think it's impressive how don juan knows what is going to happen with each hallucination. You think today when people take drugs, they all see different things, those things are the random unimportant things that Don Juan tells Castaneda to forget about. Because people dont take drugs today for meaning. But since Castaneda and Don Juan have a common goal, they see the same things which makes me believe that these are true. I also kind of picked up when Castaneda did the smoke how he fell on the ground and couldn't move. The winking let don juan know that Castaneda was ready to listen so he could actually move to become a crow. However I never really understood the whole part with castaneda being away for 3 days? Was it in actual time or was this in an altered state. I may have missed the explanation.
Overall the ending was good. It was a happy ending when he got his soul back. It had the battle at the end along with an explanation and a closure of Castaneda's experiences. However I wish he would have maybe wrote a chapter about his life after the teachings. How was Castaneda's world now different after going through don juan's experiences. How did it change his life for the better or for the worse? Overall interesting book, but I wish there was more explanation for the experiences. It seemed that Don Juan never really explained the meanings of his teachings and left it up to the reader to make their own interpretation. Castaneda seemed to just go through the motions and not really have any input on what he thought of the meanings of what he saw. He just kind of explains what he saw then asked questions and didn't really tell us what he thought was the meaning of his experiences.
Blog 8...
First I would like to ask whose negativity is causing the computer malfunctions today...haha
Well I notice that a lot of others share my belief that the end was rather abrupt. Don Juan appears to have failed in some ways of getting Carlos to step outside the box a lot more. Up until the very end he still seems to be clinging to what he defines as normal, he finds himself doing "odd" things but it takes so much time questioning them, that I feel he doesn't learn much at all from his experiences.
As Einstein said, "I tried not to let school get in the way of my education."
I feel as though this whole idea of listening to de jure rules seems to be at the root of a lot of problems in the world. Too many times people follow rules without actually knowing why the rule even exists. For instance, (a little off point) yesterday I was watching a documentary about attempts to legalize cannibis for medical use. One of the speakers brought up that one of the reasons it has not been legalized is that nobody is alive from when it was legal to have an explanation for how things were. In a sense many drug laws are enforced by tradition and nothing else.
Cocaine was made illegal thanks to Southern politicians claiming that black men would use it and rape white women. Opium became illegal when women would venture into Chinatowns to use it and neglect their duties in the home. Cannibis was associated with radicals. Absinthe was in direct competition with wine. After many of the grapes in Europe succumbed to a disease, many people turned to Absinthe, when the crops were replaced and wine began being produced again, the vinters needed to get people to take their product. As Absinthe had an association with the radical crowd, it wasn't hard to convince politicians worldwide to start anti-absinthe laws. Switzerland and America passed theirs in 1910. France in 1915.
In a sense my argument is that if people would actually look at the reasons why things are illegal, they might have a different opinion. I for one have seen gambling destroy far more lives than even alcohol, but gambling can be controlled and regulated to bring in money for the state a lot better than cannibis which could easily be grown in a backyard.
Anyway, my point is that I think experience through mistakes has a lot more value to it than following rules. (within reason of course) One finds that many rules are completely pointless. They also find that the rules that are "good" are good for good reasons. Granted, when dealing with the substances that don Juan is, one must proceed with caution, which is why there are some rules, more than likely gathered from generations of experience.
Furthermore, the fact that don Juan uses the crow speaks a lot more about breaking rules than one may first realize. In many Native American myths, the Crow is a trickster as is the Coyote, the Fox, and in Africa, the Rabbit. All are seen as learning through making mistakes, sometimes deadly ones. They are also almost always associated with Shamans. To me it seems that the whole process of experimenting to learn is in the prehistoric root of the Shamans. Living in this personal anarchy is dangerous, but at the same time the rewards to ones knowledge and perception are worth the risk to those who have a solid intent.
Think of the first hominid who ran right at the fire instead of away from it and came back with burning log which made meat more tender and easier to eat. If it weren't for that experiment we would never have evolved a larger brain because our jaw muscles shrunk because we didn't need to tear into raw meat with our teeth. We would still be trying to hunt lizards to eat instead of sitting next to a computer trying to figure out why Carlos Castaneda left his teacher.
Well I notice that a lot of others share my belief that the end was rather abrupt. Don Juan appears to have failed in some ways of getting Carlos to step outside the box a lot more. Up until the very end he still seems to be clinging to what he defines as normal, he finds himself doing "odd" things but it takes so much time questioning them, that I feel he doesn't learn much at all from his experiences.
As Einstein said, "I tried not to let school get in the way of my education."
I feel as though this whole idea of listening to de jure rules seems to be at the root of a lot of problems in the world. Too many times people follow rules without actually knowing why the rule even exists. For instance, (a little off point) yesterday I was watching a documentary about attempts to legalize cannibis for medical use. One of the speakers brought up that one of the reasons it has not been legalized is that nobody is alive from when it was legal to have an explanation for how things were. In a sense many drug laws are enforced by tradition and nothing else.
Cocaine was made illegal thanks to Southern politicians claiming that black men would use it and rape white women. Opium became illegal when women would venture into Chinatowns to use it and neglect their duties in the home. Cannibis was associated with radicals. Absinthe was in direct competition with wine. After many of the grapes in Europe succumbed to a disease, many people turned to Absinthe, when the crops were replaced and wine began being produced again, the vinters needed to get people to take their product. As Absinthe had an association with the radical crowd, it wasn't hard to convince politicians worldwide to start anti-absinthe laws. Switzerland and America passed theirs in 1910. France in 1915.
In a sense my argument is that if people would actually look at the reasons why things are illegal, they might have a different opinion. I for one have seen gambling destroy far more lives than even alcohol, but gambling can be controlled and regulated to bring in money for the state a lot better than cannibis which could easily be grown in a backyard.
Anyway, my point is that I think experience through mistakes has a lot more value to it than following rules. (within reason of course) One finds that many rules are completely pointless. They also find that the rules that are "good" are good for good reasons. Granted, when dealing with the substances that don Juan is, one must proceed with caution, which is why there are some rules, more than likely gathered from generations of experience.
Furthermore, the fact that don Juan uses the crow speaks a lot more about breaking rules than one may first realize. In many Native American myths, the Crow is a trickster as is the Coyote, the Fox, and in Africa, the Rabbit. All are seen as learning through making mistakes, sometimes deadly ones. They are also almost always associated with Shamans. To me it seems that the whole process of experimenting to learn is in the prehistoric root of the Shamans. Living in this personal anarchy is dangerous, but at the same time the rewards to ones knowledge and perception are worth the risk to those who have a solid intent.
Think of the first hominid who ran right at the fire instead of away from it and came back with burning log which made meat more tender and easier to eat. If it weren't for that experiment we would never have evolved a larger brain because our jaw muscles shrunk because we didn't need to tear into raw meat with our teeth. We would still be trying to hunt lizards to eat instead of sitting next to a computer trying to figure out why Carlos Castaneda left his teacher.
blog 8
“But how will I know for sure whether a path has a heart or not?”
“Anybody would know that. The trouble is nobody asks the question.”
This seems to refer back to the noise & distractions we have discussed so much in The Field and in failed attempts to reach states of non-ordinary reality, we as a culture just trudge along, without asking too many questions about why we do the things we do. We don’t have time to “stop & smell the flowers.”
I guess that after reading this book I find myself trying to read into what an underlying message might be. Through all the details of each altered state experience and ritual and practice, there is a sense of another world that we are not accustomed to. In almost every aspect of the book, there is a sense of another place, person or thing that we don’t naturally connect to. Even don Juan is not a person we naturally come across or connect with on a daily basis. I find myself asking, “ am I missing out on another level of living?”
Pg. 174 – talks about how a crow see’s…through movement of light. A crow can tell what to avoid and what to seek. A rotting, dead animal is seen as a different kind of light.
All of this relates to The Field. The concepts of light, wavelengths & everything is a form of energy.
The final experience for Castaneda with don Juan was rather intriguing. I had a hard time believing that maybe don Juan wasn’t playing with him. If I look at the whole book though and how Castaneda had made mistakes, taken rituals lightly and one of the last times, rubbed the paste on his forehead, which is for Brujos only…I can see how something like this may have happened. There were definitely moments where I felt like he took the whole thing a little too lightly. One of my thoughts (which had crossed my mind in the beginning of the book), was that don Juan knew how Castaneda would react to most of the experiences. He was able to see into him already. He knew before any of this started that this is how it would turn out. He also knew that he wanted someone who was intellectual enough to put the experiences into words and onto paper so that his teachings and knowledge could be passed on. He would need someone who was slightly open enough to experience the altered states, but not so open that he would want to remain in that status, else he would not want to write about it. Castaneda was perfect for the job because he could do both.
I thought that something interesting about the Structural Analysis is that it portrays Castenda’s ability to ponder and maybe over-think some of the details, not that it isn’t thoughtful and well put together, I just wonder, why so much…? Is there any room for other interpretation? Is there any room for self exploration? Why is there such a need for concrete answers and final thoughts? I wonder if anyone chucked at little when they read it….
All I know is, I dont know much.
“Anybody would know that. The trouble is nobody asks the question.”
This seems to refer back to the noise & distractions we have discussed so much in The Field and in failed attempts to reach states of non-ordinary reality, we as a culture just trudge along, without asking too many questions about why we do the things we do. We don’t have time to “stop & smell the flowers.”
I guess that after reading this book I find myself trying to read into what an underlying message might be. Through all the details of each altered state experience and ritual and practice, there is a sense of another world that we are not accustomed to. In almost every aspect of the book, there is a sense of another place, person or thing that we don’t naturally connect to. Even don Juan is not a person we naturally come across or connect with on a daily basis. I find myself asking, “ am I missing out on another level of living?”
Pg. 174 – talks about how a crow see’s…through movement of light. A crow can tell what to avoid and what to seek. A rotting, dead animal is seen as a different kind of light.
All of this relates to The Field. The concepts of light, wavelengths & everything is a form of energy.
The final experience for Castaneda with don Juan was rather intriguing. I had a hard time believing that maybe don Juan wasn’t playing with him. If I look at the whole book though and how Castaneda had made mistakes, taken rituals lightly and one of the last times, rubbed the paste on his forehead, which is for Brujos only…I can see how something like this may have happened. There were definitely moments where I felt like he took the whole thing a little too lightly. One of my thoughts (which had crossed my mind in the beginning of the book), was that don Juan knew how Castaneda would react to most of the experiences. He was able to see into him already. He knew before any of this started that this is how it would turn out. He also knew that he wanted someone who was intellectual enough to put the experiences into words and onto paper so that his teachings and knowledge could be passed on. He would need someone who was slightly open enough to experience the altered states, but not so open that he would want to remain in that status, else he would not want to write about it. Castaneda was perfect for the job because he could do both.
I thought that something interesting about the Structural Analysis is that it portrays Castenda’s ability to ponder and maybe over-think some of the details, not that it isn’t thoughtful and well put together, I just wonder, why so much…? Is there any room for other interpretation? Is there any room for self exploration? Why is there such a need for concrete answers and final thoughts? I wonder if anyone chucked at little when they read it….
All I know is, I dont know much.
blog 8
The last few chapters conclude the teachings of don Juan. You can really tell that Castaneda seemed change his way of learning. Its almost as if he was training to be a shaman. He can start to control his journeys when he on the devil’s weed. The reading reminded me of the video that we watched because during one of the journeys he said that he sees an “infinite variety of lights.” I think by the end of the chapter that Castaneda starts to take to heart about his learning. He seems to be for the most part to be in control of his journey. Except for the part where he loses his soul. I think this is one reason that he doesn’t continue his teachings. I believe that Castaneda really starts to believe in power of the drugs. A counter argument that I thought of is maybe that he only got what he wanted out of don Juan.
I still have some ideas about what Castaneda and what he learned. I often thought while reading this is he just putting us on or does he really have these visions. One reason I thought this is because there seems to be something missing. He just keeps saying that I wake up at another location. I wonder what happened during his blackouts. I would like to see visual proof of his actions while he was on the devils weed.
I still have some ideas about what Castaneda and what he learned. I often thought while reading this is he just putting us on or does he really have these visions. One reason I thought this is because there seems to be something missing. He just keeps saying that I wake up at another location. I wonder what happened during his blackouts. I would like to see visual proof of his actions while he was on the devils weed.
Blog 8
"Don Juan seemed to want me to work with the devil's weed as much as possible" (122). Apparently Castaneda needs to try the devils weed once more to see if it is right for him. Don Juan even harps on him to try the lizard sorcery again. It seeems that you must respect nature but not nature's creatures.
The beginning of chapter 10 marks Castaneda's 4th year with don Juan. This really is a journey that a person must genuinely want to go on. Don Juan feels Castaneda is able to judge which he likes better--the smoke or devils weed. When Castaneda says he is frightened of the smoke, don Juan makes him try it again. He says that few men--including Castaneda--do not have the strength of heart to handle the smoke. I will admit, I skipped a few sections of Chapter 10--I was so sick of every other one starting out him smoking...again and again and again.
Later, don Juan tells him to disregard the hallucinations unless they contained a crow. Apparently "any other vision would mearly be a product of my fears" (139). It seems like don Juan is trying to create a clone of himself in Castaneda.
I was impressed by the last paragraph of the book. Castaneda seems to brush off everything he learned in the past four years. Since his last experience with don Juan, he has not tried to seek his tyeachings again. He has found the "first enemy of a man of knowledge" (152). Later, in the Structural analysis, he says that one of the requirements of unbending intent (something needed not too have fear of these teachings) is the "lack of freedom to innovate" (159) because all acts are preestablished. This is an enemy of knowledge--a man with unbending intent is unable to think for himself, explore things (like the various hallucinogens in the book), and have his own opinions. A man, like Castaneda, searching for knowlege is SEARCHING; not looking for set formula they one cannot veer from. I am impressed that Castaneda stuck by his journey and am glad that, in the end, he basically admitted that, although don Juan still considers himself a teacher, Castaneda learned nothing.
The beginning of chapter 10 marks Castaneda's 4th year with don Juan. This really is a journey that a person must genuinely want to go on. Don Juan feels Castaneda is able to judge which he likes better--the smoke or devils weed. When Castaneda says he is frightened of the smoke, don Juan makes him try it again. He says that few men--including Castaneda--do not have the strength of heart to handle the smoke. I will admit, I skipped a few sections of Chapter 10--I was so sick of every other one starting out him smoking...again and again and again.
Later, don Juan tells him to disregard the hallucinations unless they contained a crow. Apparently "any other vision would mearly be a product of my fears" (139). It seems like don Juan is trying to create a clone of himself in Castaneda.
I was impressed by the last paragraph of the book. Castaneda seems to brush off everything he learned in the past four years. Since his last experience with don Juan, he has not tried to seek his tyeachings again. He has found the "first enemy of a man of knowledge" (152). Later, in the Structural analysis, he says that one of the requirements of unbending intent (something needed not too have fear of these teachings) is the "lack of freedom to innovate" (159) because all acts are preestablished. This is an enemy of knowledge--a man with unbending intent is unable to think for himself, explore things (like the various hallucinogens in the book), and have his own opinions. A man, like Castaneda, searching for knowlege is SEARCHING; not looking for set formula they one cannot veer from. I am impressed that Castaneda stuck by his journey and am glad that, in the end, he basically admitted that, although don Juan still considers himself a teacher, Castaneda learned nothing.
Blog 8
First of all, I find Don Juan's "character" to be one of the more interesting individuals I have ever come across. The way he thinks and speaks (as represented by Castaneda) reminds me of someone who truly knows and understands themselves and their world. It is an awesome feeling to be in the presence of one of these people and I cannot help but comment on my one and only experience with a person like this.
About two years ago, I was living in Augusta, GA and had the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama speak in Centennial Park in Atlanta. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. It wasn't particularly mind-blowing to hear what he had to say, but just how very TOTALLY simple his message was had such an affect on me, it is indescribable. What was so amazing was that, what he had to say, when examined uninterrupted, it should be innately understand by us all but since we spend too much time consumed by the constant noise, vice and anxiety that we feel in our world we miss the richness of its simplicity. What he said was this: Life a good life, do well to yourself and to others, take every single day to be a gift and love... truly love with all of your heart all that you know and see and hope to know and see. (There was more, but that's the condensed version.)
That's when it hit me... (back up a bit... I actually felt this feeling I am about to describe the moment I saw him) We have the ability to create our own outlooks, perceptions and views on life, or at the least, we are susceptible to the moods, ideas, emotions, perceptions, etc. of others around us. Normally we are surrounded by like individuals... all clawing about, aimlessly trying to make any sense they can out of life and in the process, we add to the collective misunderstanding and anxiety of society as a whole. This all hit me when I met him... (to be fair I didn't even really get to meet him. I was sitting on the lawn of the open-air space about a football fields length away from him)... It was incredible. He has such a command over himself and his perceptions/beliefs that he just emanated positivity and good will. Being there, it made me feel like all was right in the world and that goodness was above all to those who could see it and share it with others. Amazing.
I have never before felt so at ease and clear in my entire life, and all I did was listen to him speak! Imagine the serenity one would feel being able to learn from someone like him! Which brings me to Don Juan. While I do not feel the awe and total admiration for Don Juan that I felt for the Dalai Lama that day, I see, in essence, the same convictions and strength of character. When he explains things to Castaneda about ally's, teachers, etc. He sees these things from a stand point of total belief and understanding. When Castaneda asks him questions like, if someone not in a non reality state were to see my fly, would I actually be flying? He laughs at this idea because to him it seems ludicrous because he understands the simplicity of it and the truth of it, even though most of us can sympathize with Castaneda and try and look for the empirical data to back up the experience.
I think I may be losing my train of thought here but I will try to make this make sense..
What I feel about Don Juan is #1: I want to meet him and talk to him and #2 He is genuine in his beliefs. I respect this very much. I have come around to the opinion, that, as what we have been reading has said or hinted to, is that it does not matter what you believe, it just matters that you truly, utterly and from the bottom of your heart believe it. I could get into my viewpoint on extremists and fundamentalists and how I feel that they are not true believers but seekers of power who have found a way to obtain that power through the name of God... no matter how off their propaganda is from the true and heartfelt beliefs that they say that they adhere to... I digress. Where I wanted to go with this was back to the account Castaneda gives us of his battle to win back his soul. You can see that while through most of his experience he does not seem to be wholeheartedly into what he is doing in the way you would assume an apprentice would be into his journey. He kind of just tries to get through it without any "normal" person seeing him in order to escape an embarrassing encounter. But here, you see him take shelter in the teachings of Don Juan. He takes Don Juans conviction of his believes and uses them to protect him. He feeds off of the knowledge and devotion of mind that Don Juan has for the situation and starts to believe (or at least really experience it) in a very real sense that to him cannot be tossed away as frivolous or nonsensical. This surrender to the ways Don Juan is teaching him is what manages to save him from either death or insanity. This is the raw stuff people. Belief, trust, understanding... These are all keys to a deeper understanding.
As far as creativity goes... I think that what we saw in the video the other day gave me the best source of my opinion of creativity and it is just reintroduced in all that we are reading. I think that, if I understood it correctly, that creativity is innate in us all and that all we need to do is find a way of accessing it. For some, it is as natural as breathing to tap into that collective creativity and understanding and are able to produce beautiful works of all kinds... funny enough, these people are also very often times deemed to be not quite right, crazy, insane, etc. Then there are those of us who need assistance to tap into that creativity. Meditation, sleep, social celebrations, rituals, mind-altering substances... all these things can help up tap into a different view on reality that we can then (like a shaman) bring back to our own reality and share with others. This sense of communal understanding or creativity may help to explain certain world wide views of art, architecture, architypes, heroes, etc that occur in unconnected parts of the world. Like for instance, how is it that there are dragons in the mythology of different groups from England to China? Things to ponder.
Hannah
About two years ago, I was living in Augusta, GA and had the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama speak in Centennial Park in Atlanta. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. It wasn't particularly mind-blowing to hear what he had to say, but just how very TOTALLY simple his message was had such an affect on me, it is indescribable. What was so amazing was that, what he had to say, when examined uninterrupted, it should be innately understand by us all but since we spend too much time consumed by the constant noise, vice and anxiety that we feel in our world we miss the richness of its simplicity. What he said was this: Life a good life, do well to yourself and to others, take every single day to be a gift and love... truly love with all of your heart all that you know and see and hope to know and see. (There was more, but that's the condensed version.)
That's when it hit me... (back up a bit... I actually felt this feeling I am about to describe the moment I saw him) We have the ability to create our own outlooks, perceptions and views on life, or at the least, we are susceptible to the moods, ideas, emotions, perceptions, etc. of others around us. Normally we are surrounded by like individuals... all clawing about, aimlessly trying to make any sense they can out of life and in the process, we add to the collective misunderstanding and anxiety of society as a whole. This all hit me when I met him... (to be fair I didn't even really get to meet him. I was sitting on the lawn of the open-air space about a football fields length away from him)... It was incredible. He has such a command over himself and his perceptions/beliefs that he just emanated positivity and good will. Being there, it made me feel like all was right in the world and that goodness was above all to those who could see it and share it with others. Amazing.
I have never before felt so at ease and clear in my entire life, and all I did was listen to him speak! Imagine the serenity one would feel being able to learn from someone like him! Which brings me to Don Juan. While I do not feel the awe and total admiration for Don Juan that I felt for the Dalai Lama that day, I see, in essence, the same convictions and strength of character. When he explains things to Castaneda about ally's, teachers, etc. He sees these things from a stand point of total belief and understanding. When Castaneda asks him questions like, if someone not in a non reality state were to see my fly, would I actually be flying? He laughs at this idea because to him it seems ludicrous because he understands the simplicity of it and the truth of it, even though most of us can sympathize with Castaneda and try and look for the empirical data to back up the experience.
I think I may be losing my train of thought here but I will try to make this make sense..
What I feel about Don Juan is #1: I want to meet him and talk to him and #2 He is genuine in his beliefs. I respect this very much. I have come around to the opinion, that, as what we have been reading has said or hinted to, is that it does not matter what you believe, it just matters that you truly, utterly and from the bottom of your heart believe it. I could get into my viewpoint on extremists and fundamentalists and how I feel that they are not true believers but seekers of power who have found a way to obtain that power through the name of God... no matter how off their propaganda is from the true and heartfelt beliefs that they say that they adhere to... I digress. Where I wanted to go with this was back to the account Castaneda gives us of his battle to win back his soul. You can see that while through most of his experience he does not seem to be wholeheartedly into what he is doing in the way you would assume an apprentice would be into his journey. He kind of just tries to get through it without any "normal" person seeing him in order to escape an embarrassing encounter. But here, you see him take shelter in the teachings of Don Juan. He takes Don Juans conviction of his believes and uses them to protect him. He feeds off of the knowledge and devotion of mind that Don Juan has for the situation and starts to believe (or at least really experience it) in a very real sense that to him cannot be tossed away as frivolous or nonsensical. This surrender to the ways Don Juan is teaching him is what manages to save him from either death or insanity. This is the raw stuff people. Belief, trust, understanding... These are all keys to a deeper understanding.
As far as creativity goes... I think that what we saw in the video the other day gave me the best source of my opinion of creativity and it is just reintroduced in all that we are reading. I think that, if I understood it correctly, that creativity is innate in us all and that all we need to do is find a way of accessing it. For some, it is as natural as breathing to tap into that collective creativity and understanding and are able to produce beautiful works of all kinds... funny enough, these people are also very often times deemed to be not quite right, crazy, insane, etc. Then there are those of us who need assistance to tap into that creativity. Meditation, sleep, social celebrations, rituals, mind-altering substances... all these things can help up tap into a different view on reality that we can then (like a shaman) bring back to our own reality and share with others. This sense of communal understanding or creativity may help to explain certain world wide views of art, architecture, architypes, heroes, etc that occur in unconnected parts of the world. Like for instance, how is it that there are dragons in the mythology of different groups from England to China? Things to ponder.
Hannah
Blog 8
Blog Eight
The mystery of the lizards has been solved. I wrote in my last blog about my disappointment in Castaneda never relating if he found the lizards that don Juan had stitched. Apparently, Castaneda didn’t find them because the “stitching” and guidance of the lizards are reintroduced in chapter nine, as he practiced the sorcery on his own, without the direct guidance of don Juan. Furthermore, don Juan said (going back to the end of chapter five) if Castaneda found the lizards he would never have to catch them again. But he would have had to eat them if he found them (connection here is that they would “live” inside Castaneda and guide him forever, thus there would be no point in catching them again)…. It kind of makes me wonder how hard Castaneda actually searched for those lizards at the end of chapter five.. I think I would have preferred catching them all over again if it prevented me from having to eat them—don Juan wouldn’t appreciate my satirical insight, so moving on…
So I have been finding good connections to creativity during these last few chapters, but really all throughout the book. From the very beginning, I found don Juan to be very creative in how he presented names, specific characteristics, traits, and almost a mere personality for the drugs he was introducing to Castaneda. These specific references and characteristics of the drugs (as a man or a woman, animal or human, a protector or an ally, full of fear or ambition) developed by don Juan’s personal experiences and his lessons from his benefactor, were very sincere to him. Going back to the Hughes book for a moment to considering some definitions of creativity: “as a complex mental process bringing together disparate elements to form a new and valuable synthesis… involves the organization of everyday subjective experience as well as imaginative material, and thus includes the whole of life…intellectual ability to bring together two quite different sets of facts or ideas so as to form a new meaningful synthesis.” This is the book, this is what the book was about! Now thinking and writing about it, it is amazing to me how much creativity was woven throughout the entire book. As a last example, shortly before Castaneda ends his experiences with don Juan he relates: “After probing and exerting myself to remember, I was forces to make a series of analogies or similes in order to “understand” what I had “seen” (139).’ This understanding, the knowledge, the journey Castaneda was on throughout this period of his life was all related to creativity. Through the use of hallucinogenic drugs and the guidance of don Juan Castaneda was breaking existing rules and taking experiences and molding them into something of value. Therefore, I can understand why it is arguable hallucinogenic use in don Juan’s culture could be seen as more creative, whereas hallucinogenic uses in Western culture would be seen as substance abuse before it is classified as creative. In part, it boils back to the different purposes for taking the drug, but that is a different matter I am not examining.
After writing this, I am excited to hear more in class about other connections to creativity.
The mystery of the lizards has been solved. I wrote in my last blog about my disappointment in Castaneda never relating if he found the lizards that don Juan had stitched. Apparently, Castaneda didn’t find them because the “stitching” and guidance of the lizards are reintroduced in chapter nine, as he practiced the sorcery on his own, without the direct guidance of don Juan. Furthermore, don Juan said (going back to the end of chapter five) if Castaneda found the lizards he would never have to catch them again. But he would have had to eat them if he found them (connection here is that they would “live” inside Castaneda and guide him forever, thus there would be no point in catching them again)…. It kind of makes me wonder how hard Castaneda actually searched for those lizards at the end of chapter five.. I think I would have preferred catching them all over again if it prevented me from having to eat them—don Juan wouldn’t appreciate my satirical insight, so moving on…
So I have been finding good connections to creativity during these last few chapters, but really all throughout the book. From the very beginning, I found don Juan to be very creative in how he presented names, specific characteristics, traits, and almost a mere personality for the drugs he was introducing to Castaneda. These specific references and characteristics of the drugs (as a man or a woman, animal or human, a protector or an ally, full of fear or ambition) developed by don Juan’s personal experiences and his lessons from his benefactor, were very sincere to him. Going back to the Hughes book for a moment to considering some definitions of creativity: “as a complex mental process bringing together disparate elements to form a new and valuable synthesis… involves the organization of everyday subjective experience as well as imaginative material, and thus includes the whole of life…intellectual ability to bring together two quite different sets of facts or ideas so as to form a new meaningful synthesis.” This is the book, this is what the book was about! Now thinking and writing about it, it is amazing to me how much creativity was woven throughout the entire book. As a last example, shortly before Castaneda ends his experiences with don Juan he relates: “After probing and exerting myself to remember, I was forces to make a series of analogies or similes in order to “understand” what I had “seen” (139).’ This understanding, the knowledge, the journey Castaneda was on throughout this period of his life was all related to creativity. Through the use of hallucinogenic drugs and the guidance of don Juan Castaneda was breaking existing rules and taking experiences and molding them into something of value. Therefore, I can understand why it is arguable hallucinogenic use in don Juan’s culture could be seen as more creative, whereas hallucinogenic uses in Western culture would be seen as substance abuse before it is classified as creative. In part, it boils back to the different purposes for taking the drug, but that is a different matter I am not examining.
After writing this, I am excited to hear more in class about other connections to creativity.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Blog #9: The Teachings, Ch. 9-11
Chapters nine to eleven conclude Castaneda’s lessons with don Juan. These last chapters are the most exciting and really challenge the reader to suspend their disbelief. We’ve tried so often to rationalize the events that take place while Castaneda is under the influence of don Juan’s various hallucinogenic mixtures and the final chapters really challenged my rational thoughts.
I have to say that the end of the book was a bit of an anti-climax. Castaneda is able to defeat the diablera, with don Juan’s fighting procedure, and win back his soul. This is the climax of his journey, yet it seems as if the book just drops off a bit after this event. Castaneda no longer seeks don Juan’s teachings and he concludes his narrative with “I do believe I have succumbed to the first enemy of a man of knowledge.”
I still haven’t gotten a clear idea of how Castaneda feels about all of his experiences. Does he choose not to pursue further teachings because he is afraid of losing his soul again? Is he content with the knowledge he has gained? In his structural analysis, he realizes the coherence of don Juan’s teachings and is able to break everything down into logical sequences.
But, in the end, what does it all mean? I’m curious to hear what the class thinks about Castaneda’s analysis.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Connections
It seems this week that you're all beginning to make connections both within the readings for the class, and also with your own personal experiences with ASCs and creativity -- be they religious, artistic, or philosophical connections. I hope you continue to make these intrigueing connections, which I suspect will become even more pronounced as we venture deeper into Castanada's narrative and analysis, and also as we read more of the Hughes book.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
From the movie, Other Worlds, they talked about descending into DNA while tripping. it compared to the book in allot of different ways. The movie said the human brain is sensitive to hallucinates. PCR in genetic research from psychedelic drug use. Doctor received a Nobel peace prize for inventing PCR while under the influence. the movie talks about how people today use drugs foolishly, used wrong according to one doctor.
The movie showed the Frenchmen going through the trip, and going through certain emotions while the Indian's were chanting. the room was very dark you could only see the eyes of them it was strange looking, almost creepy. he talked about DNA and how while tripping he could feel every twitch and every muscle movement in the body. this movie did compare to the movie because of the movements and emotions they went through while on certain drugs.
The movie showed the Frenchmen going through the trip, and going through certain emotions while the Indian's were chanting. the room was very dark you could only see the eyes of them it was strange looking, almost creepy. he talked about DNA and how while tripping he could feel every twitch and every muscle movement in the body. this movie did compare to the movie because of the movements and emotions they went through while on certain drugs.
Blog 7<
The use of plants for medicinal purposes as well as enlightenment has been around for easily for countless millenia all over the world. Shamanism is a natural science discovered by mankind long ago. In the documentary of "Other worlds" westerners have been known to travel to other parts of the world like south america to have thier own enlightenment experience with the native flora known as ayuhasca.
As we continue along with our lessons it has been interesting to see how everything is connected somehow from the documentary to the field itself by mctaggart. They may have occured at different places with different people at different times. Yet they all somehow tie together I look forward to seeing more of this with castanedas book.
As we continue along with our lessons it has been interesting to see how everything is connected somehow from the documentary to the field itself by mctaggart. They may have occured at different places with different people at different times. Yet they all somehow tie together I look forward to seeing more of this with castanedas book.
Blog 7
After watching the documentary Other Worlds on Monday, I realized the common Shamanist rituals discussed in our book. It was similar in many ways but few things stood out the most, which were the hallucinogenic plants (“devil’s weed” in The Teachings and “Ayahuasca plant” in the Other Worlds), the animals seen in these visions (“lizards” in The Teachings and “snakes and alligators or crocs” in the Other Worlds).
Furthermore, I realized that Don Juan as well as Questembetsa talks about the negative aspects, the “near death experience” a person could have if these rituals are not performed accordingly or systematically. They also shared that the animals are representing a deeper meaning then what people take them as. In addition, People who master these rituals have unimaginable powers in controlling animals, finding out information about the past, present or future as well as to the extent to even heal others people.
I thought about these things in detail and felt what I have been discussing in class as well as my blog, (referencing to power) watching the documentary, and the reading the book further along, made my input about what people do for power? even more obvious…
Furthermore, rather than us trying think whether these notions are real or not, I think we as humans can gain insight from the Shamans as to how we all are different and unique and we don’t all have to be the same or have the same goals. However, we can all have clarity in life as well as disciplining our way of life.
We can also learn what things make our personality weak and what makes them strong. In addition, Don Juan talks about the possessiveness of the Datura plant. This made me think about people, objects, foods and drugs. How we as humans get addicted all these things very easily. May be all these things hold the Datura plant nature and possessiveness????
May be further reading the book, and researching this question might answer my question.
I cannot wait to read the next few chapters to see what happens…
Furthermore, I realized that Don Juan as well as Questembetsa talks about the negative aspects, the “near death experience” a person could have if these rituals are not performed accordingly or systematically. They also shared that the animals are representing a deeper meaning then what people take them as. In addition, People who master these rituals have unimaginable powers in controlling animals, finding out information about the past, present or future as well as to the extent to even heal others people.
I thought about these things in detail and felt what I have been discussing in class as well as my blog, (referencing to power) watching the documentary, and the reading the book further along, made my input about what people do for power? even more obvious…
Furthermore, rather than us trying think whether these notions are real or not, I think we as humans can gain insight from the Shamans as to how we all are different and unique and we don’t all have to be the same or have the same goals. However, we can all have clarity in life as well as disciplining our way of life.
We can also learn what things make our personality weak and what makes them strong. In addition, Don Juan talks about the possessiveness of the Datura plant. This made me think about people, objects, foods and drugs. How we as humans get addicted all these things very easily. May be all these things hold the Datura plant nature and possessiveness????
May be further reading the book, and researching this question might answer my question.
I cannot wait to read the next few chapters to see what happens…
Blog #7
In describing shamans, one of the men in Other Worlds said, “time and space doesn’t exist around them, only the present.” I didn’t think much of this quote at the time, since it was just one point in a list of shaman qualities, but upon further reflection I see it as very important to our class. It emphasizes the idea of man as a continuum, rather than one restricted by time, and it connects to class discussions, The Field, and Castaneda.
I remember the day some of our class discussion was spent on the topic of time. In defining it we used such words as “measurement” and “limitation.” We discussed the possibility that man, as a being, exists beyond time and that time is simply our structure for measuring change. That is why I earlier described man as a continuum; because the whole of idea of a beginning and an end don’t apply to man if we take away the structure of time. The man in the movie seemed to agree with this idea when he said that shamans only experience the present. As more spiritually-aware beings, shamans aren’t restricted by the manmade construct of time and they are able to see past it and exist only in the present.
This idea extends even further into our reading of The Field. Near the end of the book McTaggart explains the abilities some people have to see places as they were in a past state. I recall that at one point someone visualized large tanks at a certain area. During the time of that vision the tanks were not currently there, but they had been in the past. Perhaps this is a stretch, but I would say the person in McTaggart’s example is practicing a shamanistic technique. In order to “see” something from the past—something which he would normally have no way of knowing about—he must drop the structures of time. Without them he is able to understand that which, under the constructs of time, we would say he should not be able to see. So in this way I see a possible connection between the insights of Other Worlds and the material we read in The Field.
The last connection I made was with Castaneda’s book. While having his first smoke with don Juan’s pipe Castaneda explains how don Juan kept singing to him during this experience. He says that “Don Juan’s words were a distant echo. They recalled the forgotten memories of childhood” (109). During this experience Castaneda seems to have transcended time. By being in the present and beyond time’s structures he is able to recall forgotten memories. Similar to this, another person in Other Worlds describes how he realized “I had never stopped being a child.” In this respect it’s seen how “adult” and “child” are simply words to describe change, but at his deepest part each man is a being independent of time.
As we’ve gotten further along in our class it’s been interesting to see how everything ties together. Other Worlds, the class discussion, The Field, and Castaneda all took place on separate occasions, yet they all tied together with one little quote. I'm excited to see what else starts to come together as we continue the class.
I remember the day some of our class discussion was spent on the topic of time. In defining it we used such words as “measurement” and “limitation.” We discussed the possibility that man, as a being, exists beyond time and that time is simply our structure for measuring change. That is why I earlier described man as a continuum; because the whole of idea of a beginning and an end don’t apply to man if we take away the structure of time. The man in the movie seemed to agree with this idea when he said that shamans only experience the present. As more spiritually-aware beings, shamans aren’t restricted by the manmade construct of time and they are able to see past it and exist only in the present.
This idea extends even further into our reading of The Field. Near the end of the book McTaggart explains the abilities some people have to see places as they were in a past state. I recall that at one point someone visualized large tanks at a certain area. During the time of that vision the tanks were not currently there, but they had been in the past. Perhaps this is a stretch, but I would say the person in McTaggart’s example is practicing a shamanistic technique. In order to “see” something from the past—something which he would normally have no way of knowing about—he must drop the structures of time. Without them he is able to understand that which, under the constructs of time, we would say he should not be able to see. So in this way I see a possible connection between the insights of Other Worlds and the material we read in The Field.
The last connection I made was with Castaneda’s book. While having his first smoke with don Juan’s pipe Castaneda explains how don Juan kept singing to him during this experience. He says that “Don Juan’s words were a distant echo. They recalled the forgotten memories of childhood” (109). During this experience Castaneda seems to have transcended time. By being in the present and beyond time’s structures he is able to recall forgotten memories. Similar to this, another person in Other Worlds describes how he realized “I had never stopped being a child.” In this respect it’s seen how “adult” and “child” are simply words to describe change, but at his deepest part each man is a being independent of time.
As we’ve gotten further along in our class it’s been interesting to see how everything ties together. Other Worlds, the class discussion, The Field, and Castaneda all took place on separate occasions, yet they all tied together with one little quote. I'm excited to see what else starts to come together as we continue the class.
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