I was driving to a friends church two Sundays ago and had my radio tuned to NPR and heard a rather strange feature story. I was used to NPR being fairly antagonistic to my particular point of view, (I have come to think of NPR standing for New age Pantheist Radio.) but I listen occasionally, as its important to get a wide swath of opinion to inform ones viewpoint on where the world is heading and whats important at that moment. The feature story was called "Searching for the God Spot".
As part of the available commentary that came with the article, I found this on their website.
"NPR.org, May 17, 2009 · The sun was still high in the northern Canadian sky when I arrived at Laurentian University early in the evening on July 8, 2006. I had traveled to the remote town of Sudbury, Ontario, to meet Dr. Michael Persinger, an American researcher who had gained some notoriety in neuroscience circles — and among journalists — for his experiments in spirituality. Several years earlier, he had produced the "God helmet," a reconstructed motorcycle helmet that was supposed to evoke mystical experiences in its wearer. According to Persinger, the helmet would use weak magnetic fields to stimulate parts of the brain — in particular, the temporal lobe. This, in theory, would evoke a "Sensed Presence," the feeling that a non-material being was in the room. In other words, through the wonders of neuroscience, the helmet could summon counterfeit angels or demons on demand. I wanted to see if it would work its magic on me."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104067676I listened in interest as the interviewee tried to make a purely logical case that belief in the spirit world was entirely rational, and indeed meant no feat other than to come down on another side of a seemingly arbitrary issue, as if we were discussing whether or not to put raspberry jam on toast.
This isn't the first time this kind of thing has come about. An article in "National Geographic" talks about a similar experience by the writer, Kira Salek, in this case brought on by using a tea heavily laced with Dimethyltryptamine or DMT.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0603/features/peru.html "I will never forget what it was like. The overwhelming misery. The certainty of never-ending suffering. No one to help you, no way to escape. Everywhere I looked: darkness so thick that the idea of light seemed inconceivable. Suddenly, I found myself swirling down a tunnel of fire, wailing figures calling out to me in agony, begging me to save them. Others tried to terrorize me. “You will never leave here,” they said. “Never. Never.”
I found myself laughing at them. “I’m not scared of you,” I said.
But the darkness became even thicker; the emotional charge of suffering nearly unbearable. I felt as if I would burst from heartbreak—everywhere, I felt the agony of humankind, its tragedies, its hatreds, its sorrows.
I reached the bottom of the tunnel and saw three thrones in a black chamber. Three shadowy figures sat in the chairs; in the middle was what I took to be the devil himself.
“The darkness will never end,” he said. “It will never end. You can never escape this place.”
“I can,” I replied. All at once, I willed myself to rise. I sailed up through the tunnel of fire, higher and higher until I broke through to a white light. All darkness immediately vanished. My body felt light, at peace. I floated among a beautiful spread of colors and patterns. Slowly my ayahuasca vision faded. I returned to my body, to where I lay in the hut, insects calling from the jungle.
“Welcome back,” the shaman said.
The next morning, I discovered the impossible: The severe depression that had ruled my life since childhood had miraculously vanished.
Giant blue butterflies flutter clumsily past our canoe. Parrots flee higher into treetops. The deeper we go into the Amazon jungle, the more I realize I can’t turn back. It has been a year since my last visit, and I’m here again in Peru traveling down the Rio Aucayacu for more shamanistic healing. The truth is, I’m petrified to do it a second time around. But with shamanism—and with the drinking of ayahuasca in particular—I’ve learned that, for me, the worse the experience, the better the payoff. There is only one crucial requirement for this work: You must be brave. You will be learning how to save yourself."
Regarding Ayahausca and DMT she writes:
"“Ayahuasca,” a Quechua word meaning “vine of the soul,” is shorthand for a concoction of Amazonian plants that shamans have boiled down for centuries to use for healing purposes. Though some call the mixture a drug, indigenous peoples regard such a description as derogatory. To them it is a medicine that has been used by the tribes of the Amazon Basin for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, demanding respect and right intention. The main chemical in the brew, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), accounts for ayahuasca’s illegality in the United States; DMT, though chemically distant from LSD, has hallucinogenic properties. But it is ayahuasca’s many plant ingredients, cooperating ingeniously to prevent the breakdown of DMT in the stomach and allow it to circulate freely in the body, that produce the unique ayahuasca experience."
The whole article is laced with a subtle, and at times, even not so subtle patina of finding ones own salvation, through interaction in the spirit world. This "saving of self" has very obvious implications and shades from both theological, philosophical and practical perspectives. To put it bluntly, It points inward, saying in effect "I am God."
The final paragraph has a particularly dark tone to it. As the writer is coming back from her final ayahausca induced trip from what her shaman tells her is the spirit world, she finishes the enigmatic article thusly:
"It takes almost all the energy I have left, but I feel around for my flashlight and shine it into my vomit bucket. No. I lean down closer. Steady the beam of light. I catch my breath as I examine the object: A small black snake seems to have materialized from my body"
Truth be told, there are several organizations out there that are making a concerted effort to interact with and investigate the spirit world in a similar way as the national geographic author. One of these is doctor Rick Strassman. Dr. Strassman has been giving people DMT in a clinical setting and recording and compiling their experiences for awhile now. Some excerpts from his book dealing with his DMT research, "The Spirit Molecule":
"When reviewing my bedside notes, I continually feel surprise
in seeing how many of our volunteers “made contact” with
“them,” or other beings. At least half did so in one form or
another. Research subjects used expressions like “entities,”
“beings,” “aliens,” “guides,” and “helpers” to describe them.
The “life-forms” looked like clowns, reptiles, mantises, bees,
spiders, cacti, and stick figures. It still is startling to see my
written records of comments like, “There were these beings,”
“I was being led,” “They were on me fast.” It’s as if my mind
refuses to accept what’s there in black and white."
One of his subjects, describing the experience, relates.:
"There is a sinister backdrop, an alien-type, insectoid, notquite-
pleasant side of this, isn’t there? It’s not a ‘we’re-going-to
get-you-[expletive deleted].’ It’s more like being
possessed.During the experience there is sense of someone, or something
else, there taking control.I’m aware of them and they’re aware of me. It’s like
they have an agenda. It’s like walking into a different neighborhood.
You’re really not quite sure what the culture is. It’s
got such a distinct flavor, the reptilian being or beings that
are present." " [Emphasis mine]
Dr. Strassman comments:
"Some sessions were so unpleasant, however, that subjects dropped out, or we asked them to discontinue. Ida hated the loss of control she felt on her low dose of DMT and withdrew immediately. Ken experienced anal rape by alien alligators, and dropped out after his high dose. Andrea bellowed NO! NO! NO! as her first high dose began. She felt she was dying but did not want to let go. Continuing in the tolerance study, she worked on frightening personal issues in a successful manner, ending her morning with a blissful resolution. Lucas' heart rate and blood pressure plummeted to near-shock levels when he opened his eyes to orient himself, and saw the research nurse and me terribly transfigured. Kevin's blood pressure rose so high in response to meeting with a terrifyingly hostile African warrior queen who was outraged at his presence, that it set off piercing alarms.”
While Dr. Strassman appears to be doing work in the science of spirit contact and psychedelic research, A "hub" in the burgeoning arena of psychedelic/new age experimentation with drugs seems to be the Noetic Sciences Institute.
http://www.noetic.orgThe noetic sciences institutes mission statement reads:
"At the Institute of Noetic Sciences, we employ the rigor of science, balanced by personal and collective wisdom, to support a shift in consciousness that transforms present global conditions into a world grounded in freedom, wisdom, and love. We serve an emerging movement of globally conscious citizens dedicated to manifesting our highest capacities."
The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS):
* Explores the frontiers of consciousness
* Builds bridges between science and spirit
* Researches subtle energies and the powers of healing
* Inquires into the science of love, forgiveness, and gratitude
* Studies the effects of conscious and compassionate intention
* Seeks to understand the basis of prevailing worldviews
* Practices freedom of thought and freedom of spirit
The IONS institute defines noetic thusly:
"The word "noetic" comes from the ancient Greek nous, for which there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to "inner knowing," a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason."
Now is this weird? HECK YA IT IS! To review.
It appears that there is a concerted move on the part of the New Age to push forward spirit contact using drugs and other means.
Disconcerting to say the least,
Whats scarier is the close association with the top evangelicals in politics, government and elsewhere to this particular part of the New Age movement.
One of the founders of the Noetic Sciences Institute is a man named Paul N Temple. Mr. Temple is a successful businessman, entrepreneur and supporter of the New Age. He was an attorney working for various oil companies in the past, having negotiated several land use agreements, most notably between Libya and Standard Oil (Now Exxon) in the 70's.
In a transcript about his life experiences, he had this to say.
During my stay in D.C. I met a man named Abraham Vereide who had been a
Norwegian minister who had come to the United States and settled in Seattle
where they were having a lot of trouble at that time with the Communist dominated
union. He had organized a group of men that became a prayer
group. They met and tried to work together to try to solve this serious problem
in Seattle. He also worked for Goodwill Industries. He had been ordained
as a Methodist minister. He had been working for the down and outs, but it
occurred to him that the up and outs had problems too. He decided to move
to Washington to see what he could do to create a leadership led by God.
Eventually it happened.
I had the good fortune one morning to go to a meeting with my friend Jim
Bell. He said, "Come with me. We're going to a prayer breakfast. " I said,
"Prayer breakfast?! You must be kidding!" He said, "No. Come, you'll really
enjoy it."
So I went off with him to Fellowship House. I found myself seated at a table
with 10 men and I remember Sen. Gillette from Iowa was there. The man who
was a moderator that morning was a three-star general from the Pentagon
who was in charge of military propaganda. I remember listening to him as he
was agonizing over the fact that he was believer in Christ but his job required
him to spin information in a way that was really distorted. He had to put the
best foot forward. His faith told him he needed to tell the truth but his job required
him to put a spin on things that didn't always come out exactly truthfully.
In that one breakfast meeting I experienced a relationship among men that
was compelling. It was the finest spiritual relationship among men who hardly
knew each other that I had ever experienced. I got hooked on this kind of
meeting and have continued to attend prayer breakfasts through the years.
For those who don't know, the men's prayer breakfast and the associated group "The Family" is an organization that which most or all of the top evangelical leaders of this country belong. The guest speaker at the breakfast is usually the current President of the United States.
We will be examining the "The Family" in a later articles, hopefully. For now I encourage you to do your own research into this evangelical group.
So, now to retrace. We have a very powerful man influencing both the New Age and what seems to be the top evangelical leadership. This man starts an organization that is doing work to bring about a "global shift" in thinking. This influential group contains some of the most influential people in the world, as well as some practitioners of openly occult belief systems.
One of these groups is doing work to try to quantify the experiences of pagan shamans trips to the spirit world through the use of DMT in a laboratory setting.
And finally, one of the largest, most well known, radio shows in the country is promoting the acceptance of contact through the spirit world by artificial means.
This is something to keep an eye on, to say the least.
your comments are appreciated.
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