Don Juan refers to altered states as “states of nonordinary reality.” Everything that Don Juan touches, he is able to communicate with. He talks about cutting the devil’s weed “as if it were myself.” He states the importance of learning to tame ally powers. The word “taming” refers to control over the power of the ally. One who uses it must become strong in order to have power over the substance and be able to learn the different types of power that the separate parts of the weed teach.
I remember watching an interview with Bob Marley where he talks similarly about the Rastafari’s use of marijuana. Marley believes that one must accept herb as a reality and not as something that you crave. He says, “You reach a sense when you’re strong enough, you can take a smoke and you don’t hear the noise of the car passing because you’re thinking. Herb is a thing that will give you time for yourself to meditate.” The idea of strength is something that really struck me, but it made a lot of sense. In the society that we live in, a lot of people do drugs but it’s only seen as a way to rebel. To Don Juan, these substances are a way to build power within yourself, which I think is an incredibly positive thing.
Here is the link to the interview with Bob Marley:
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