Musings on the life force, human becomings, and neurotransmitters

  Life force, by its very nature, exists in constant flux. Anything that flows is flowing through something. So the life force is constantly creating -or shaping itself into- structures through which it can flow. In this way various condensations, crystallisations and so on give rise to semi-permanent structures. As the life force has reached that superconductive state of immortality, it constantly recycles its structures. Within this constant flux, matrices and vortices are created in which the life force turns in on itself and becomes self-conscious through a unique structure of perception and self-expression. Through this nexus, energy is generated and/or transformed. This nexus is, in this metaphorical, mytho-logical reference, a human being - or becoming.

   Human beings act as evolving transformers of energy on various levels. The human body is the alchemical crucible. It is even said that the human body has the ability to transmute physical matter, as in change sodium to potassium , for example (making no claims to scientific validity, i admit to not having kept a reference for this). Human beings also transform energy and generate novelty via their techno-scientific, intellectual, artistic, sexual, psycho-emotional and spiritual performances, thus expanding the possible dimensions and structures through which the life force can flow and become conscious of itself.
   The life force in-forms the consciousness of the attuned human being and at the same time can be in-formed by the consciousness of the attuned human being. One of the interfaces is via energy structures which act as messengers , and through which the life force translates itself into various conscious topologies of in-formation. These messengers appear to us from one point of view as the various neurotransmitters that ,via quantum and electro-chemical activity that remains mostly unknown, seem to be associated with various levels and kinds of consciousness. The form of consciousness, and any energy or information transmitted or generated, is obviously not contained in the actual neurotransmitter, but its emergence is realised via the neurotransmitter, which acts as the carrier of a signal. The human nexus provides a vessel, or projector, or a medium within and through which the consciousness can emerge, or incarnate.
  Via this process one form of energy transforms itself into another and new pathways towards novel forms of consciousness of higher dimensionality are opened. When the life force is flowing well , the human nexus is intuitively, innately in contact with this flow via these messengers and the psyche is informed so as s/he can grow into his/her full potential - and become a unique, vital and conscious expression of the life force, adapted to its environment of all the other expressions of the life force. At the same time the human being becomes consciously involved with this process , and is in a way co-creating it by encouraging further flow. The web of life is thus consciously woven, not merely as work done with instructions from above, not only as a work of service, but also as a participatory and interactive project - work AND play - in which anyone can join in and co-direct to the extent they desire and are capable of.

   In human communities the modalities of consciousness associated with the particular messenger(s) that become locally consonant define and stimulate the local cultures and the ways of perception of self and other, of living and becoming within the greater flow of the life force, a relationship that evolves over time. In this way human beings and particular neurotransmitters co-evolve, leading to the evolution of these coherent, connective and conscious psycho-emotional topologies, that are at the centre of what it is to become a truly living human being - or becoming- interdependent with all life, as opposed to a mere receiver of impressions and impersonal, alien forces. From these topologies there evolve myths , rituals , songs and art that become the products as well as the binding forces of human cultures and traditions.

   Obviously the above can only relate a limited, one-sided aspect of the whole situation. There are many other, more poetic ways in which these ideas can be communicated, and more effectively. The organic processes decribed are NOT mechanical but alive , absolutely conscious and a part of the universal process of the birth of spirit within matter, the evolution of consciousness in other words.

    Since the processes depicted here are not fully automatic or machine-perfect, since the life force has a chaotic nature, pools of stagnation cut off from the flow occasionally develop. These will generally slowly erode away to be taken up by the flow once more, but when a partially self-conscious nexus of energy , such as a human being, is involved, free will is involved and thus the human being can almost instinctively resist the flow of the life force, having identified itself and its boundaries with the life force. Over time this becomes more and more entrenched, and thus the life force is locally trapped, consciousness uninformed, and slowly begins to wither. This creates a constant state of barely-conscious dis-ease for the human beings involved which often leads to further blockage and life-negating behaviour.

  Modern civilisation has rejected the messengers of the life force, along with many of the medicines that nature offers, progressively cutting itself off from the flow , and consequently has created an enormous amount of destruction and suffering in the process of erecting a huge dam that is fast becoming brittle and ready to burst open, unleashing powers and energies that will wash civilisation as we know it away. The only possible "reason" i can see for the building of this dam can be some deeper level of reckoning that some are struggling with.

   In this context, psychoactive drugs and their use are connected to human experience via processes far beyond human control. It is the life force itself that makes these things want to happen in the first place, not mere human need or curiosity or rebelliousness. The naturally occurring neurotransmitters and psychoactive substances that have been used by human beings for a long time have powerful morphic fields associated with them , well-evolved interfaces that connect individual human consciousness to various aspects of the greater conscious life force creating this reality. These messengers have evolved along human beings and so will be always sought after by certain human beings. Therefore, these things will happen regardless of any attempts to either stop them or make them happen. Focusing too much on the actual substances , saying "This is bad!" or "This is good!" is almost equally missing the point, like looking at the finger pointing at the moon.

   Each of these naturally occuring substances when used properly can enable certain human beings to connect with various aspects of the self, human nature, the earth , the life force and the cosmos. Contemporary science is unable to explain satisfactorily the production of these molecules by certain plants, limited as it is to looking at the existence of the plants almost in isolation from the rest of the biosphere , which includes human beings. The reason for the existence of these substances is completely amoral, like the reason for the existence of anything. At the same time the reason for their existence of anything is consciousness, and life. Because life is about diversity, these messengers only work with a percentage of any given population, and that is how it seems to be at present.

  Anyone with an open mind who works with naturally occuring psychedelics will know how difficult it is to control their effects or to repeat particularly "desirable" experiences obtained with them. And they will know that the drugs do not necessarily make everyone a better person (to themselves , others , and the planet). This was the apparent naivety of the sixties, when it was widely thought that these messengers can act as universal solvents and coagulants, ignoring basic realities of human beings and communities (a typical side-effect of LSD, a semi-synthetic messenger that is only semi-connective to the life force). The mass consumption of these things, or even an attempt to promote such , is - like nearly all mass human activity - ultimately destructive because it is an attempt to force a very crucial natural process. Creating movements around these messengers, attempting to actively preach their effectiveness, or their destructiveness, is like barking at the moon.

   The moon has long been associated with lunacy, even to the point of there being a linguistic connection. Lunacy has always been with us, in various forms, the local shaman and the village idiot being the two extremes of the range (sometimes indistinguishable), with most of the rest of the population somewhere in-between. According to the various historical and anthropological records, it seems that the messengers were more often not involved with the entire population of any given community, but were usually connected to particular individuals or small groups, often in a position of power , and often feared. As the balance of worldly power in human communities has shifted away from the shamans, medicine (wo)men and the priests and towards the warlords, the people in contact with the messengers have come to a position which is not only marginal, but also persecuted.

   These may be some of the almost archetypal, karmic patterns or morphic resonances one may have to deal with when working with natural psychedelics and shamanic allies. With some notable exceptions where a kind of democracy of spirit was/is in place, the people who have this calling have often been marginal in their communities, and used to be in a position of power. Many people today , as always , are engaged in the pursuit of power, often at any cost, as power -of some form- is necessary for survival and prosperity. Of course the true power and its true source remain hidden, and most have to live with the myth of power as something finite that has to be fought for, guarded, or avoided. Anything that seems to confer power to its owner will be sought after, and if it cannot be possessed, attempts will be made to destroy it, so as to prevent others from obtaining power over us, which is what we would do to them . These are all mostly unconscious processes that have become almost natural. Excuses are unconsciously made to justify the pursuit of power by any means necessary, often in the name of human and/or divine morality, salvation, safety and security.

  Perhaps the above may sound like an elaborate excuse for taking drugs, but it is not written as an attempt at a theory or some absolute truth, more as a synthesis of various thoughts and inspirations. As a relating of some observations that i hope may help us in coming to a more complete understanding of what is going on, what we are doing, and what we can do next.

By their fruit ye shall know them.

 

Home   :    Image Gallery    :   Texts   :   flash   :   Audio   :   Do It    Links   :   About