using drugs to open up?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2003
using drugs to open up?
34
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 12:16pm
Hi,
I feel 'blocked' and would like to open myself up. Any suggestions on how to do this? Also, do drugs help open one up? I know there is a history of drugs for religious/spiritual purposes.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2001
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 1:04pm

I would hesitate, myself, to consider using drugs for spiritual purposes. **UNLESS** I had a spiritual leader, like a Shaman, who is experienced to guide initiates using drugs like peyote, etc., to go on a spiritual vision quest. Without such a mentor that I had trained under for a long time and whom I trusted implicitly, I think using drugs could be dangerous and without a guide, impossible to interpret correctly. Native American religions are the ones I have read about that use peyote. This is not my tradition nor my training, so drugs would not be my method of choice to unblock or to push deeper into Spirit.

I use several tools I find valuable. The first two take training and persistence and a commitment to regular daily practice. Those two are 1) t'ai chi and 2) sitting meditation. The third is getting out with my dog into Nature. Walks on hiking trails, feeling the Earth beneath my feet, sitting and being with a tree, appreciating beauty, being in solitude. All these things have stood me in good stead as tools for spiritual depth.

I prefer to keep my mind clear of outside influences, such as drugs, because on my path as a Wiccan, I believe cultivating inner focus and silence is my best way of communion with the Goddess and God. I also spend some time each day before my altar as well.

Perhaps you could spend some time in solitude, reading and studying, or journaling, spending time in Nature, without outside influences or interruptions. Get away for a day or just a few hours for your own personal spiritual retreat, or start setting some time each day for solitary spiritual pursuit? Are you a member of a spiritual community/church? Is there someone within that, you could talk to?

I hope this helps! :)) Blessings and best wishes on your path and that you may find what you need.

Gypsy
)O(

P.S. If you are looking for a spiritual tradition or a religion, you might take this quiz on the Beliefnet web site, to see what your own beliefs lean towards, or to give you a place to start:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html




Edited 2/12/2007 1:07 pm ET by gypsywolfwoman


Blessings,

Gypsy

)O(



iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2003
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 1:48pm
Thanks for your reply. I will try what you've recommended. I do meditate some and I read spiritually uplifting books as well. But there are times when I just feel empty and lost. Like I don't konw what to do with my life. And I've heard some say that drugs like marijuana can make one more creative and more spiritual.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2001
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 2:33pm

Long ago, in my college years, I tried marijuana. I found it clouded my brain, made everything just a-o.k. and I had no motivation at all do make any changes or do anything about my life. I just sat in a kind of mellow stupor. :-\ I stopped quickly when I realized my brain was fogged on it. Be cautious! It was only short term "experimentation" but it cured me of wanting to try out the drug scene. :P

The way I look at it, is that the times I feel "empty," are like the seasons of the earth. There are times we must lie "fallow" and rest. Stop striving or studying, and just "be." I learned my meditation method while practicing Zen for a few years at a local Zen meditation center. The Zen training helped me to understand that sometimes I get in my own way, letting my mind get carried away with all sorts of thoughts and opinions about everything, just spinning, living in my "head" and not in the moment, in real time. Being spiritual is like a daily discipline, a re-grounding to what's important and essential in my life. Like physical exercise is for nurturing and helping our bodies be healthy, taking time each day for spiritual practice is for keeping our spirits healthy. ;))

As hard as it is sometimes to pull myself out of a rut of not doing anything, I am learning that nudging myself back into a daily spiritual practice is what gets my spirit moving and healthy again. It's so easy to get bogged down, with all the rest of our lives pulling and demanding of us, isn't it? Sometimes doing what benefits us the most, is the hardest for us to do.

Have you researched or tried the Belief o Matic quiz? That might be a start. Connecting on spiritual boards online can help some, too, talking with others, but I just recently found, that joining a small Pagan Circle, after years as a Solitary, has helped renew my spiritual path in many ways, having people in real life, to connect with. Have you searched for a spiritual group or church? Sometimes doing it all alone is the hardest thing.

Hugs,
Gypsy
)O(



Blessings,

Gypsy

)O(



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 6:44pm
No to drugs, go meditate. Safer. Love, Leila
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2003
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 8:18am
Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful response.
You said that pot made you more mellow and ok with your life. That almost sounds like a positive thing because it sounds like it made you more content. Is it similar to meditation in the fact that your mind kind of goes blank?
Maybe you're right that I just need to let the things be for awhile. Maybe I'm trying to hard. I have searched for others to study with but haven't really found anywhere where I fit in yet.
You made a lot of good points. Thanks so much!
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2003
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 8:19am
I wasn't referring to any hard drugs, just marijuana. I've never tried it but I have wondered if the experience is similar to meditation in that it slows down your thinking so much. But you're probably right about meditation being safer. I just get frustrated because I feel stuck. Thanks!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 8:33am
" you are writing to an addiction nurse" (:- ) A drug is a drug is a drug. Doesn't matter the name. I lost a HUGE manuscript about all the dangers to the body and memory due to marijuana. We all have choices. Drugs do not give us answers only problems. Love, Leila
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2003
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 8:54am
Hi,
I also want to ask about this Pagan Circle that you're a part of. I've never explored that religion and am just wondering what it's like. I also have a background in Eastern meditation and I guess it doesn't conflict with Paganism. oh, and are Pagans and Wiccans against drug use? Thanks!


Edited 2/13/2007 9:00 am ET by 12midnite
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2003
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 9:29am
I like to think that God or the Universe gives us all that we need naturally so that we don't have to resort to thinks like that. I hope that's the case.But other people have different views I guess. In your position as an addiction nurse I suppose you've witnessed a lot of the problems firsthand. So there is no such thing as responsible use?


Edited 2/13/2007 9:33 am ET by 12midnite
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 9:41am
you've got it. Whatever our issues are we are here to learn from them. My middle son is cruel often, I am not going to do more than my usual wine with dinner. It is a spiritual challenge for me. Drug use is not responsible to the health of the body, mind and spirit. what we put in goes to all our cells. Love, Leila

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