(more on) Terrence McKeena (and Mark Pesce)

here

looking into "secular meditation" (just reading for now)

MORE: done with Herbet Benson's "The Relaxation Technique"; used Transcendental Meditation for his research... I see that as a weakness (not exactly secular), he claims you'd get the same response if you did it from a secular stand point... maybe, maybe not...I give him credit for mentioning possible side effects (such as hallucinations for those who meditate for hours for a period of weeks --> seems to be consistant with this TM horror story) D.

I think there may be something to it... (although the idea of repeating things over and over seems unhealthy to me even when outside of a religious context) D.

he just seems a bit out there for me...

EVEN MORE: if I can find the time, I'll do a "Terrance McKeena blog" (this entry is just my quick assessment of his ideas on controversial drugs) and really look at the details of what he is saying... D.

MORE: no, the fact that most people use "psychedelics" for trivial purposes does NOT mean they cannot be used for the higher purposes he suggests... it's just that aside from possibly some interesting music and things of that nature there seems to be no evidence that taking the risks and going into "the dark waters of the mind" is any more conducive to coming up with useful ideas beneficial to this world than... taking a nap, skipping all those dangers and coming up with useful ideas while fully lucid...

certainly interesting and entertaining but there appears to be no real foundation to what he is saying... *who* has gone "in the dark waters of the mind" and brought back something very useful in the grand scheme of things? most people seem to use such things for "recreational purposes" or just to make themselves more sociable -- I need no such aid in either of those circumstances... D.

a means of getting new ideas?

1:26 D.

Terrence McKeena: "it's really yourself that is the final arbiter"

right again! (1.22-1.27) D.

is there some sort of God?

MORE: yes, I know Terrence McKeena has passed away... (I still think he deserves to be thanked) D.
...
maybe... it's just that... "[people were] not put on this planet to toil in the mud, or the god who put us here to toil in the mud is no god I want to have any part of, it's some kind of gnostic demon, some sort of canibalistic demiurge that should be thoroughly denounced and rejected" --> (2:34 - 2:57) -- thanks to Terrance McKeena! (I arrived to this on my own but it was nice to see that someone's already put it together in such a great way...)

Delia

P.S. I wouldn't know if he's right about the use of hallucinogenics and such (I just never tried!) but he's right on above! D.