Psychedelic Yoga :: essays research papers

The following article originally appeared as an uncopyrighted set of mimeographed sheets sometime during the late 1960s, which was freely distributed on a limited basis, probably in San Francisco.psychedelic YogaThe Application of Yoga Meditation Techniques to the Use of Psychedelic SacramentsBy Sri Brahmarishi Narad The fact that psychedelic drugs induce a greater sensitivity to subtle spiritual and psychic energies, and run up the influx of impressions from deeper levels of consciousness, raises the immediate question of how these energies can be properly understood and handled. Obviously, if these energies are not guided, they can do more harm than good. The cover of traditional Yoga meditation techniques while under psychedelic experiences, can provide a constructive solution to this problem.According to Yoga philosophy, the most spiritual and powerful face of mans nature is thefaculty of financial aid or consciousness. The most fundamental aspect of mans free will is the ch oice as to what he brooks his attention to dwell upon. The attention always has to be onsomething, but we can choose what we allow it to dwell upon.The goal of all Yoga practices is to discover and directly experience what the attention or faculty of consciousness in man is. The yogi seeks to know that principle by which all else is known. Observing the observer or placing the attention on the attention itself achieves this goal. This whitethorn at first seem very abstract and hard to grasp in terms of practical application but there are workable, time-proven methods for achieving this secern of pure consciousness, which when consistently applied and practiced are bound to yield results.It should be constantly remembered during a psychedelic session that whatever perceptions, thoughts and even hallucinations go on -- they are all the creations of ones own mind andconsciousness, and are filtered through ones own instrument of perception. These perceptions are patterns of our own p sychic energy. We give energy to whatever thoughts and feelings weallow the attention to dwell upon. Wherever the power of attention is focused, it generates mental and emotional energy in the form of its own lower overtones, thus feeding and brace the thoughts and emotions that the attention dwells upon. It becomes clear that the key to remaining in control of a psychedelic experience is in controlling the flow of attention. Distracting experiences can be avoided in the first place, and the flow of attention can be properly directed by the use of Raja Yoga techniques of meditation.