Entropymancer said:
…and I just wanted to take the opportunity to point out that it's a boring waste-of-time argument and misses the real value of DMT and other entheogens.
Sorry, but I have to comment again.
A boring waste of time? Since when is discussing the nature of existence a boring waste of time? Since when is discussing life, death, science, physics, cosmology, mind, brain, body, belief, religion, and spirit a boring waste of time? One of the MANY real values of DMT is that it stimulates us to ponder and discuss the very things whose discussion you consider to be a boring waste of time.
Entropymancer said:
When talking to people who have been there, who have delved deep into the realm of DMT, it rapidly becomes apparent that there is really no universal external Truth that one can take away from the experience... unless you're willing to reject the all the experience of everyone who happens to disagree with you (which sounds like nothing more than the petty religious dogmatic attitude of "I have the One True Answer to the fundamental questions of the human experience"
This is your belief, and I respect it as such.
I introduced a friend to DMT – someone who never heard of it and had absolutely no experience with it. I described some of my experiences to her, and tried to give her some idea of what to expect.
She described her first experience – she saw three “jesters” spinning in front of her. I’ve NEVER seen jesters, and when I was describing to her what she might expect, I didn’t mention jesters, elves, clowns, or anything remotely connected (I described some of my experiences, which have never included these elements).
So how do we explain the appearance of jesters? Many other people have reported seeing jesters. Does DMT trigger the “jester center” in our brains? Are there really jesters out there somewhere? How does seeing jesters “resonate” with my friend? Does she have some subconscious need or desire to see jesters? And why haven’t I ever seen jesters? (I’ve seen many sorts of entities, but they’ve never been remotely humanoid.)
These are interesting questions! And discussing them is not a boring waste of time.
(By the way, my friend really didn’t like the physical sensations during the experience, and decided that DMT is not for her.)