Demeter

So, what was it that you experienced?

@RendHeaven , ahh! Good to see your sense.

Very interesting! Thank you.

@Observore , you are blessed indeed! What an amazing experience. Getting used to the world post-enlightenment is a tiny price to pay. Dare I ask how old you are (roughly) and how many years had you been practising meditation or yoga beforehand? Which deity did you pray to for your bhakti? Also, did you gradually build up to enlightenment as in had minor experiences now and then?

@Thestarguitarist14 , could you please say how your kundalini and heart chakra got activated. Also, please relate in more detail the Grand Canyon experience.

@Leo Gura , hope for the wonderful realisations that you have. @Breakingthewall , had you had other positive experiences previously? Which psych did you use when you experienced the void? I had seen oneness on 200mcg lsd, but not in a very deep way it seems as the effect was not a lasting one. Taking 300 mcg next took me to the void. The awareness emerged from the ego in my case. I was perceiving the void from my point of view - my sense of self and my mind were intact.

@Breakingthewall, yes, my awareness observing the void. However, that alone did not help. Experiencing the void in a negative way is not a non-dual experience. I was becoming aware of what underlies reality, and that was so far removed from anything I had read about or imagined that is was shattering. The illusion of the self, world and a loving and caring universal soul fell away. The most shattering realisation was that in that great immensity of emptiness, I and humanity did not matter. I did not see the void as an expression of universal love.

I am hoping that when I experience the void again, I will remember my resolve not to be overcome by despair. I hope I'll remember to surrender to the experience and observe where that takes me. What I found most disturbing about the void was that there was no consciousness present. It was more 'dead' or empty than could be imagined. Given that there was no conscious being taking note as such, I ceased to matter as did everyone else. The world or universe was a tiny transient blip in the immense darkness. The odd thing is that the psychs take you to places which are a complete surprise and it is only later that one thinks of better ways to encounter them.

@Thewritersunion , where and how did you get this insight. Could you please elaborate? If chakras constitute awareness does that mean that the soul uses chakras to be aware? So where is the mind?

@The0Self , which practice did you follow to experience the 2nd jhana, i.e., an altered state of consciousness?

@AleksM , you seem very young and, from what I understood, you are a student. The practices you described yourself immersed in seem to have taken several hours a day. How did you manage your studies and everyday tasks, maybe attending classes, if that was so?

@Tim R @Arzack I agree, Tim R. Arzack, you are clearly misled/wrong in your beliefs. Those are exactly the kind of beliefs that rapists use to justify their actions - that women secretly like to be raped. Ugh! Rape includes all violations - in India, the 3rd case of children (3-year-olds) being raped and then murdered this month has just emerged. How can that be an expression of God's love!!

Yes, @Frenk , agreed! That is my favourite bit. @electroBeam , thank you for your report.

It seems that all this advice is falling on deaf ears. @Giulio Bevilacqua , the original poster, did not return to his thread. @Leo Gura , you made an interesting comment about music being " a powerful driver of spirituality. A gateway drug for the soul." I can concentrate better during meditation when listening to music. Could music, however, become a crutch and prevent one from experiencing stillness and the deepening of consciousness?

@Tim R , white light is experienced by many. It indicates a deepening of concentration or opening of the 3rd eye. It's a good thing and the beginning of other visuals that will come your way. Don't be too taken by it though - observe and question.

@Frenk , your account is very inspiring. Could you say what happened next in your life? Did you change after this experience or develop any psychic or intuitive abilities? Did you receive any further guidance or related experiences?

@Stakres , where do you live? Have you heard of the research being conducted presently on the use of psilocybin and Lsd to reduce depression? Here's one: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/psychedelic-research-centre/trials/ Just wondered if you could seek help from any such research or even participate in a trial. Read any published articles and see if there is a format for greater success which you could follow. It was Stanislav Grof who first used Lsd to treat depression, which when used in a structured way could explore the unconscious to reap benefits for the patients. His book, " Realms of the Human Unconscious" distils decades of research and describes his methods. This would be well worth reading. It sounds that the 'horrible' trips uncovered something or caused a release so that you could experience positive things - death before rebirth. I personally underwent ego-death ( a most horrible trip) which showed me how my life was merely an illusion and entirely meaningless. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but a necessary step to make progress on the path of discovering reality.

@Giulio Bevilacqua , it may be helpful for you to explore drumming in other cultures. e.g Shamanic or African. Drums are used for spiritual purposes as well - the rhythm can be altered to induce trance states or harmonise with slower brain rhythms, e.g., theta states. Find other purposes for drums which fit in with your developing tastes. During psychedelic sessions, I find drums very soothing and they also act as a catalyst for trance states.

@SQAAD , The infinite intelligence is vast and intelligent enough to see us a minuscule cog or manifestation in the great wheel of time, as well as an individual who needs support and care. This care may be delivered by a care system, as it were, attached to our species. The system might comprise Gods, spirits, angels and multiple other care-givers. Here's an example of evidence of care being delivered or communicated: In times of anxiety or material upheaval, I begin to see repetitive number patterns frequently, in fact, several times a day. This is happening now and earlier today I was at the supermarket, checking out my purchases. I happened to glance at the till screen and it said £8.88, 8 items. Amazing or what! How did that even happen?!! I am being told that all will be well loud and clear.

Chris Bache, author of "LSD and the mInd of the Universe", writes that Lsd tends to be the 'High altitude psychedelic that pushes the cosmological ceiling in contrast to the more body grounded psilocybin or ayahuasca. He says that in a therapeutic setting, where the goal is personal transformation, which would keep one working through one's personal issues layer by layer, it is advisable to stay within the range of 50 to 200 mcg. However, if the goal is cosmic exploration, to push through the psychodynamic level of consciousness and trigger an experience of ego death and transcendence, then higher doses are necessary. Bache himself used 500 to 600 mcg. But assimilation and integration at these higher doses becomes a more difficult task. He does say that working with higher doses does include personal growth work as well. From my personal experience taking 100 mcg gave me insights into my earthbound life, while 300mcg catapulted me into space and the universe. In fact, this came to me as an insight when on 100mcg. - the higher the dose, the higher the vantage point. Many people here have reported transcendent experiences on Lsd, and I was wondering if these occurred at the lower doses. if not, which doses triggered these more commonly?

"What dreams may come " with Robin Williams is the closest any movie has got to what happens after death and conveys the important message that we often construct our post-death experiences based upon beliefs acquired in life. The Shack (2017) is a fantastic film where someone who lost his daughter encounters God, Jesus and The Holy Ghost and asks key questions. It is pretty amazing.

The only way you'll know is by trying. Start with low doses if you're anxious and see what comes forth. However, good trips where you breakthrough to transcendent experiences usually need higher doses. Worth listening to this talk - will explain loads and rid you of fears:

@AlwaysJoggin , most certainly stay away from meditation if it's worsening your mental condition. Which meditation do you do? Perhaps try a healing visualisation instead, which may bring benefits without the detrimental effects. Here's an example of a healing visualisation: Begin with centering yourself - relax, breathe deeply and slowly. Ask for protection and help from whomever you believe in. See white light descending from the source high above you entering your body through the top of your head and cleansing your chakras, making its way down each chakra and through your feet to the centre of the earth, washing you clean as it leaves your body through your feet. See it entering the earth beneath your feet right down to the core. End the session by affirming that you are protected by ".......'s" energy and love. Also, visualise a protective bubble of violet or golden light around you.

@Leo Gura , thank you.

Does anyone experience this? It always happens to me with Lsd: I start the day and session after having eaten very little, e.g., an apple, and feel super cold for the first 4/5 hours or so and then warm up quite nicely. I stay indoors lying down with a light quilt on, listening to music with shades. The room temp is usually around 20 to 24 degrees. Physiologically, this doesn't make sense since 4 or 5 hours later I am even more deprived of nourishment. Feeling cold, of course, varies with one's experiences. If I lose body consciousness for a while then I don't feel cold but the sensation returns as soon as I surface. This condition continues until I begin to feel quite warm late in the afternoon. So, why could this be happening!