Infinite fullness v/s emptiness

Not sure who first wrote this, but I love it. It beautifully illustrates the mindboggling wonder of the universe and speaks to me of these mind chattering insights that come in flashes during meditation and under the guided influence of psychedelics. 

***

Having a magic piece of chalk I began to write on the blackboard, faster and faster, until it was covered with an infinity of figures, from the Mona Lisa to all of geometry to music and elephants. Being totally full the blackboard was now pure white.

A student from the island of Sunim, where the blackboards are white and the chalk is black, came in and remarked that my chalkboard was empty.

"No," I replied, it is infinitely full - and I went off to another class.

He took out his black magic chalk and soon covered the chalk-white board with an infinity of black figures.

I returned and said, "Your chalkboard is black, and it is completely empty."

"No," he replied. "It is infinitely full."

"Then everything is nothing and infinity is zero," I exclaimed.

"No, he replied. "Nothing is everything and zero is infinity. There is a difference."
"No," I said. "There is not."
We argued far into the night.

***

If we were to journey past all the boundaries of “reality”, wouldn’t we end up in the same place whether we journeyed inward or outward? If so, we should probably start to consider that just as “emptiness” and “infinite fullness” can be understood as being one and the same, contraction and expansion are also only two different ways to look at the same thing. If you have ever felt, during meditation, your life force expand outward and focus inward at the same time, you know what I’m talking about. Shouldn’t we then consider that at the same time as the universe is expanding, it is also contracting?      

Planning meeting

A meeting will take place Thursday, November 18, at 6:30 pm, to plan our first meditation session. Please write for details.

Best entheogen for meditation?

The Ottawa Entheogenic Meditation Group will soon hold its first planning meeting. One of the main items on the agenda for this meeting will be to choose an entheogen for the group’s meditation practice.

 

 

The plant/substance chosen will have to be legal (according to Canadian laws).

Any suggestions?

Based on your own experience, what plant would make the best legal entheogen to use within the context of a group meditation practice?

Creating an Entheogenic Meditation Group in Ottawa

Entheogen

An entheogen (literarily "God inside us" or “"awakening the divine within") is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic or spiritual context. Entheogens have been used in a ritualized context for thousands of years; their religious significance is well established in anthropological and modern evidences. It has also been postulated that entheogens have played a key role in the evolution of human consciousness.

Although the incredible potential of entheogens can very well be explored individually, there are many advantages to using them within the context of a safe and respectful group. One such advantage is obviously safety. Also, participating in a group necessarily involves a series of routines, shared practices, etc. that reinforce the ritualistic aspect of the practice. Finally but not least, the energy of the group can make for a very powerful meditative experience that can’t possibly be attained on one’s own (the energy of each individual in the group influences and feeds one another, resulting in a shared experience more powerful than the sum of each individual experience). This is particularly true when entheogens are involved.

The aim of this blog is to seek out individuals in the Ottawa area (or as far as Toronto and/or Montreal) who would be interested in participating in the creation of a meditation group that would include the use of legal entheogenic substances as part of its practice.

One of the first undertakings of the group would be choosing the best suited legal entheogen available, defining the process (how will the substance be taken?), and defining the structure within which the meditation practice will take place (where? When? What rituals will be used to establish a safe space at the beginning of each session? Would it be useful to also establish some anchors and boundaries to help people through their journey? Will there be music or chanting? Will the sessions be guided, if so by who? What will the process be for debriefing and sharing? What guidelines should be established to ensure a safe and respectful experience for all involved? etc.)

Only people seriously interested in establishing an enthoegenic meditation group need to contact me.

If you are already part of such a group or know of one, I would also love to hear from you.

Please write to: spiritkuest@gmail.com

Groupe de méditation enthéogénique

Nous sommes à la recherche de personnes intéressées à créer un groupe de méditation qui aura recours à des enthéogènes légaux dans le cadre de sa pratique méditative. 

Enthéogène

Un enthéogène (littéralement « qui éveille le divin en soi ») est une substance hallucinogène utilisée dans un contexte religieux, spirituel ou shamanique. Les enthéogènes sont employés depuis des milliers d’années dans un cadre rituel et leur importance sur le plan religieux a clairement été démontrée par les recherches en anthropologie. Ils continuent d’ailleurs de jouer un rôle de premier plan à cet égard dans de nombreuses cultures à travers le monde. On suppose aussi que les enthéogènes ont joué un rôle clé dans l’essor et l’évolution de la conscience humaine.   

Bien que le potentiel des enthéogènes puisse être exploré individuellement, il existe de nombreux avantages à le faire dans le cadre d’un groupe de méditation, tout d’abord en ce qui concerne la sécurité et l’encadrement. Ensuite, une pratique en groupe implique nécessairement une série de routines, de pratiques communes, etc. ce qui renforce l’aspect rituel de l’expérience. Enfin, la mise en commun d’énergies individuelles dans le cadre d’une pratique méditative permet souvent aux membres du groupe d’atteindre un niveau de conscience qu’ils n’auraient pu atteindre individuellement. 

Les personnes intéressées seront tout d’abord invitées à mettre leurs idées en commun pour décider de la forme exacte à donner au groupe de méditation. Par exemple, il faudra déterminer quel est l’enthéogène légal le plus approprié, et déterminer la structure à l’intérieur de laquelle se déroulera la pratique méditative (Où? Quand? Quels rituels seront créés/utilisés pour établir un espace ouvert et rassurant au début de chaque session? Aura-t-on recours à de la musique ou à des chants? Les sessions seront-elles guidées? Quel sera le processus pour mettre en commun les expériences de chacune et chacun à la fin de chaque session? Quels lignes directrices devraient être établies au départ pour veiller à ce que chaque participante et participant se sente toujours respecté et en sécurité au sein du groupe? etc.) 

Ce groupe devrait tout particulièrement vous intéresser si :

• Vous pratiquez la méditation et vous ressentez une certaine stagnation dans votre pratique;
• Vous avez déjà utilisé des hallucinogènes, mais jamais dans le cadre d’une pratique disciplinée qui vous aurait permis de faire l’expérience de leur véritable potentiel;
• L’état du monde vous choque et vous vous demandez quand les gens se réveilleront enfin et comprendront que nous ne pouvons pas continuer ainsi;
• Vous ressentez un besoin profond de rétablir notre lien archaïque avec l’univers, lien qui été en grande partie rompu il y a longtemps et avec lequel nous dédaignons de renouer en raison des peurs, des tabous et des interdictions qui nous ont été inculqués.

Si c’est le cas, ou si vous vous demandez tout simplement à quoi pourrait ressembler un groupe de méditation enthéogénique, écrivez-nous à : spiritkuest@gmail.com  

« La vie dénuée de l’expérience psychédélique, qui est la base de l’expérience shamanique primordiale, est une vie banalisée, une vie reniée, une vie esclave de l’égo. »

« Voici pour moi en quoi consiste le but de l’expérience psychédélique. Nous devons tous devenir comme des pêcheurs. Naviguant sur le sombre océan de l’esprit, nous jetons notre filet à la mer. Ce que nous cherchons, ce n’est pas une prise gigantesque qui déchirera notre  filet et le plongera au fond de l’océan, nous entraînant à sa suite dans l’abysse. Nous ne sommes pas non plus à la recherche d’un tas de petites sardines qui passeront à travers les mailles du filet et disparaîtront aussitôt (…) Ce que nous cherchons, ce sont des idées de taille moyenne, des idées qui ne sont pas si petites qu’elles en sont banales, et pas si grosses qu’elles en sont incompréhensibles. Une idée de taille moyenne que nous parviendrons à charger à bord de notre embarcation et que nous pourrons rapporter aux gens qui nous attendent sur le rivage et avec qui nous pourrons partager un bon repas de poisson. Voilà ce que nous devrions rechercher chaque fois que nous nous lançons sur les flots de l’état psychédélique. Ce n’est pas pour le bénéfice de votre propre élucidation, et ça n’entre pas dans le cadre de votre psychothérapie autodirigée. Vous êtes des explorateurs, et vous représentez notre espèce, et la meilleure chose que vous puissiez faire, c’est de ramener une nouvelle idée, parce que le monde est en péril faute de bonnes idées. Notre monde est en crise en raison d’un manque de conscience. Par conséquent, chaque fois que nous parvenons à ramener un morceau du casse-tête, contribuant ainsi à la construction du nouveau paradigme, nous participons alors à la rédemption de l’esprit humain, et c’est après tout ce en quoi consiste vraiment l’expérience psychédélique. »

Traduction libre de citations de Terrence McKenna

Meditation and psychedelics – towards an archaic revival

We are looking for people interested in creating a meditation group that would include the use of legal entheogens as part of its practice. 

Entheogen

An entheogen (literarily "awakening the divine within") is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic or spiritual context. Entheogens have been used in a ritualized context for thousands of years; their religious significance is well established in anthropological and modern evidences. It has also been postulated that entheogens have played a key role in the evolution of human consciousness.

Although the amazing potential of entheogens can easily be explored individually, there are many advantages to using them within the context of a meditation group. One such advantage is support and safety. Also, participating in a group necessarily involves a series of routines, shared practices, etc. that reinforce the ritualistic aspect of the practice. Finally, the energy of the group can make for a very powerful meditative experience that can’t possibly be attained on one’s own. 

One of the first undertakings of the group will be to choose the best suited legal entheogen available, defining the process and the structure within which the meditation practice will take place (Where? When? What rituals will be used to establish a safe space at the beginning of each session? Will there be music or chanting? Will the sessions be guided? What will be the process for debriefing and sharing? What guidelines should be established to ensure a safe and respectful experience for all involved? etc.) 

You would particularly be interested in this group if:

• You’ve practiced meditation for some time but feel you could use a little nudge to expand your consciousness a notch or two (or three or ten);
• You’ve experimented with hallucinogens before but never with the kind of focused devotion that would have allowed you to unlock their true potential;
• You’re shocked with the state of the world and wonder when people will finally wake up and realize we just can’t keep going like this;
• You simply yearn for the revival of our archaic link with the universe which has been severed long ago and which is being denied to us through fears, taboos and prohibitions.

If it’s the case, or if you are simply curious about what an entheogenic meditation group may look like, please write to: spiritkuest@gmail.com  

"Life lived in the absence of the psychedelic experience that primordial shamanism is based on is life trivialized, life denied, life enslaved to the ego."

“My notion of what the psychedelic experience is for is that we each must become like fishermen, and go out on to the dark ocean of mind, and let your nets down into that sea. And what you're after is not some behemoth, that will tear through your nets, follow them and drag you in your little boat, you know, into the abyss, nor are what we're looking for a bunch of sardines that can slip through your net and disappear. Ideas like, "Have you ever notice that your little finger exactly fits your nostril", and stuff like that. What we are looking for are middle size ideas, that are not so small that they are trivial, and not so large that they're incomprehensible. That middle size ideas that we can wrestle into our boat and take back to the folks on shore, and have fish dinner. And every one of us when we go into the psychedelic state, this is what we should be looking for. It's not for your elucidation, it's not part of your self-directed psychotherapy. You are an explorer, and you represent our species, and the greatest good you can do, is to bring back a new idea, because our world is in danger by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in crisis because of the absence of consciousness. And so to whatever degree any one of us, can bring back a small piece of the picture and contribute it to the building to the new paradigm, then we participate in the redemption of the human spirit, and that after all it what it's really all about.”

Quotes by Terrence McKenna