| I see, foolish to apply any concepts at all? Beyond concepts? It feels like a constant stream just poring over you with completely unique experiences every second. I could hardly claim any thoughts to be "my own" (I mean, of course, they totally belonged to my mind in some regard) but, like I said, your awareness is just out the window in regards to how you experience your everyday life. There isn't a competent metaphor/analogy/allegory for how your mind is working, so I think that's why a lot of people focus on the direct sensory stuff when describing it. I want to say something like "salvia is totally more negative than DMT, but they are very similar" but honestly, within the spectrum of experience that is contained by ingesting a hallucinogen, salvia was more harsh than DMT, but not necessarily negative. I have to start an assay, but I will watch the video during my lunch break and get back to you.
In that Watts video he describes it as not "hanging" on hang concepts. For example, humans construct many symbols that "define them". But in this realm trying to "conceptualize anything" is like trying to "catch water with a sieve" in his language. And then when you learn not to "hang out any concepts" you are in the "void". And then you have to learn to "void the void"; according to Watts.There isn't a competent metaphor/analogy/allegory for how your mind is working, so I think that's why a lot of people focus on the direct sensory stuff when describing it.
I think that's an accurate description, my personal inclinations are to strip away the woo-woo language that Watts always uses, though. Up to the "voiding the void" part, yeah, that's as accurate as you're going to get without trying it for yourself. There's definitely some burners I know that trip waaaay too often (and it shows), maybe that's what he means by saying "letting go of the void"? Like, not trying to regenerate some sublime experience that is dependent on particular circumstances or something? I dunno, I think if someone is searching around in stuff like DMT, especially since they are so much more well-known nowadays, they're looking for something in general, and hallucinogens offer a vague enough notion that something major has happened in you, not to you. There's also Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley, he experimented with mescaline loooong before it was the pop culture thing it is now and he didn't have much background besides folklore to go on. I read like 10 years ago though, so it may not be as good or thoughful as I remember. 16 year old me says go for it, though!
Yeah, I feel you on the burners who have tripped a bit to often in search of something or an experience. People who've gone that way seem to insist that whatever is happening has some sort of expected script and experience. I think they're the ones being referenced by the idea of being trapped in the experience and not experiencing any further "voiding the void." I don't want to sound like I'm making any definitive claims, but that's the best I can do to articulate it. Like that recent story of the CNN reporter who recently went through an experience. In her story, she mentions the sort of stereotypical super hippie/burner female and how the shamen confided in the reporter that she is unable to make progress because she is insistent on what the experience should be and entail so there is no revelation for her, but illusion. Up to the "voiding the void" part, yeah, that's as accurate as you're going to get without trying it for yourself. There's definitely some burners I know that trip waaaay too often (and it shows), maybe that's what he means by saying "letting go of the void"? Like, not trying to regenerate some sublime experience that is dependent on particular circumstances or something?
Scientific American writer John Hogan suggested this as well - so I may have to add this to the book collection. Thanks for your thoughts, all of these comments are so interesting and thoughtful.There's also Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley