The Path of Love and Awareness

​Since this seems to be up again in the world of Spiritual exploration I thought I would put this forward. Thoughts on psychedelics from Ram Dass.
"For many of us who have come into meditation through psychedelics, the model we had for changing consciousness has been of “getting high”. We pushed away our normal waking state in order to embrace a state of euphoria, harmony, bliss, peace, or ecstasy. Many of us spent long periods of time getting high and coming down. My guru, in speaking about psychedelics, said:
“These medicines will allow you to come and visit Christ, but you can only stay two hours. Then you have to leave again. This is not the true samadhi. It’s better to become Christ than to visit him – but even the visit of a saint for a moment is useful.” Then he added, “But love is the most powerful medicine.”
For love slowly transforms you into what the psychedelics only let you glimpse.
In view of his words, when I reflected on my trips with LSD and other psychedelics, I saw that after a glimpse of the possibility of transcendence, I continued tripping only to reassure myself that the possibility was still there. Seeing the possibility is indeed different from being the possibility. Sooner or later you must purify and alter your mind, heart, and body so that the things which bring you down from your experiences lose their power over you. Psychedelics could chemically override the thought patterns in your brain so that you are open to the moment, but once the chemical loses its power the old habit patterns take over again. With them comes a subtle despair that without chemicals you are a prisoner of your thoughts." Ram Dass
This was my own experience so many years ago. I then turned to meditation and eventually met my own Spiritual Wayshower who didn't work with people if they used drugs. My experiences since then far exceeded my "trips" before. I understand some need to go through the experience to learn but I also understand that for me this was not the path.
The path of Love and Awareness was the one that rang true.
LLS
Richard Powell
www.essence-into-form.com
Artist unknown