An energetic cannabis experience, from a novice yoga practitioner

Spirituality
#1

It’s challenging to find like minded people to discuss yoga and/or meditation related topics, and I tend to further convince my friends that I’m losing my mind when discussing these types of things, so I’ve figured it would be best to share my situation here. It’s long, so I’ll apologize ahead of time and hope you still read it :slight_smile:

When I was a small child, I would see a dense colorful static when closing my eyes, or in dim light. It was similar to an incorrect TV channel, but with indistinguishable colors. As I was growing up, I would see this “static” from time to time, and think nothing of it. The more I focused on it, the easier it was to see. As high school came around, I would occasionally smoke cannabis with friends. After high school I stopped, until one day when I was about 23. After partaking and enjoying a relaxing quiet moment, I closed my eyes and saw the “static” again. This time, however, the colors from the static had worked together to form complex geometric patterns moving in sync. The level of detail was astonishing, and was comparable to 100x that of a kaleidoscope. Over the years, I would see these beautiful patterns from time to time when smoking, but never without smoking.

Seemingly unrelated, I started practicing hot yoga about a few months ago. One night when I was smoking (which i really don’t do very often) I got the urge to practice some asanas. The result was remarkable! The patterns returned, but with MUCH more clarity and intensity. Sometimes the patterns turned into numbers and symbols, and the flowed from an outside point into what felt to be my 3rd eye region. It felt like information was flowing into my mind. At times it was so overwhelming I’d have to take my concentration elsewhere to let it fade away. It was simply… Beautiful. (On a side note, The experience is very similar to the famous “Joe Rogan DMT rant” for those familiar with it, and of course I am not using DMT. ) I’ve been able to duplicate the experience when smoking, but I don’t know if I should continue this. I can of course still see the “static” at any time. It’s worth noting that I smoke INCREDIBLY small amounts, probably 1/10th of a gram, and can have these effects. I have friends who smoke 3 grams a day of high quality cannabis and have never experienced anything like this. It’s like a full hallucinogenic experience, I can even control the colors of what I see just be thinking “Green”, “Blue”.

My questions are:

  1. A yoga instructor that I spoke with claimed that the static I see is energy. Is this accurate?

  2. Do other people see this, is it normal?

  3. Should I continue the experiences, in your opinion?

  4. With more yoga practice will I be able to have similar experiences without smoking?

Thank you! :smiley:

#2

I’m sure others will chime in, and my answer will be brief, and not as complete as you’d wish.

When you partake of drugs to open your spiritual centers, you are doing so without having control over this opening. While it may be a very exciting and “cool” experience, you are doing yourself a disservice. Do you feel these experiences have helped you to grow as a person? Do you see an improvement in your life as a result?

If you can see this energy without the help of drugs, then yes, with focus and commitment, you will likely be able to develop this ability and begin to use it to help yourself and possibly even others. But you will hinder yourself by using drugs to help with the “opening”.
What I"m saying is you need to learn the discipline that will help this ability to develop within yourself.

It’s like trying to learn to help yourself sleep better by taking sleeping pills, instead of working up a good bedtime routine, practicing relaxation, etc., to cure a sleeping problem. the sleeping pills won’t help it one whit. You have to do the work, I’m afraid.

Your ability sounds wonderful, can you see the auras of people and animals? I would suggest educating yourself on the ability to see energies. You will find out so much! It’s truly exciting, and you may find that once you develop your ability, you may be able to help so many people in many ways.

#3

My answer here

OK the link will not work so I had to quote myself from the old post it was suppose to take you too… this is what I was talking about

[QUOTE=Yulaw;28494]OK maybe I’m old, and I am sorry, but I am of the belief that smoking anything is not really good for your health.

And a few years of studying Qigong meditation tells me you don’t need anything but you. You don’t need alcohol, drugs or any other mind or mood altering additives. Actually IMO that would be counter productive.[/QUOTE]

#4

Yulaw - page not found. sorry. :frowning:

#5

[QUOTE=Joanna63;46654]Yulaw - page not found. sorry. :([/QUOTE]

I know I just checked, the link is right but it is not allowing me to do it… so I had to quote myself from a similar post a while back… I put it above… sorry about that

#6

Many great opinions here. I have been considering leaving the substance alone, but it’s challenging because of the amazing displays seen. I was hoping someone may have had similar experiences to tell me that it’s normal, but the more I feel it isn’t normal the more I want to see where it goes. Ideally, I’d like to pursue a path both with and without the plant.

#7

Consider that pursuing it for the amazement and thrill of it could easily lead you down an unpleasant path. It would be far better to learn to develop it, gain control of it, and see it blossom in that way. You will obtain the same end, but with a true appreciation for it the ability. Drugs open the chakras in an unnatural way, and inhibit true growth because of this. Know that the thc in your system does not truly clear itself out of the body for weeks. It coats every cell in your body like an oil, and inhibits nutrient transfer.
It really messes with the Chi flow.
If you truly seek enlightenment, or spiritual growth, you will want to set aside mild altering substances and learn to alter your mind with your own will, through discipline and by learning to open and still the mind. Yoga will help you learn to do that. :slight_smile:
you have a gift that many do not have. Wouldn’t it be awesome to truly see what you can do with it, other than light shows for yourself?

#8

[QUOTE=Joanna63;46717]Consider that pursuing it for the amazement and thrill of it could easily lead you down an unpleasant path. It would be far better to learn to develop it, gain control of it, and see it blossom in that way. You will obtain the same end, but with a true appreciation for it the ability. Drugs open the chakras in an unnatural way, and inhibit true growth because of this. Know that the thc in your system does not truly clear itself out of the body for weeks. It coats every cell in your body like an oil, and inhibits nutrient transfer.
It really messes with the Chi flow.
If you truly seek enlightenment, or spiritual growth, you will want to set aside mild altering substances and learn to alter your mind with your own will, through discipline and by learning to open and still the mind. Yoga will help you learn to do that. :slight_smile:
you have a gift that many do not have. Wouldn’t it be awesome to truly see what you can do with it, other than light shows for yourself?[/QUOTE]

I will give your comments much thought, the points you make summarize the argument I’ve been having with myself. I am looking for a way to justify continued use, and I am having a hard time finding it a way to do that, which is probably for the better. Thank you :slight_smile:

#9

[QUOTE=Joanna63;46646]

Your ability sounds wonderful, can you see the auras of people and animals? I would suggest educating yourself on the ability to see energies. You will find out so much! It’s truly exciting, and you may find that once you develop your ability, you may be able to help so many people in many ways.[/QUOTE]

I forgot to answer this earlier - I’ve been trying very hard to see auras but with little success. The “energy” that I see has become more vibrant since I’ve begun practicing yoga. When I use cannabis I can control the energy and manipulate it into what I desire, but I haven’t been able to gain that ability without its use. I will continue to try. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my little bonsai tree and have been trying to give it my energy. I’ve been trying to experience the sensations of love and gratitude while focusing on sharing my energy. I can swear I’ve seen many wisps of smoke like energy, but I cannot sustain the vision. One night I was able to see between two leaves of the tree against a surface in my kitchen. As I moved my head up and down I saw a distortion in the surface behind the points between the leaves. Now, I might just be hopeful here, but I feel that I should keep pushing.\

Edit: There was one night that I thought I may have seen an aura. I was always expecting an aura to have a definitive edge around a person. One night I saw the energy that I normally see, but there was a distinct color of red in the energy around this person. It has no borders, but just seemed to grow out from him in all directions. The person has a very pure heart and spends his life in service to others, even though it causes financial strain and distress in his own life.

If you have any recommended reading materials I’d love to know about that.

#10

@trademarked

The energy is real. I know this because I used to play the guitar when I was a kid. One day my mother told me that she could always tell when I had been playing, because she could see it in the air.

I’m not sure that the psychedelic experience is the same thing. Since you say that you can duplicate the experience, I’d like to know if you have a particular method, or if you just got your hands on some good herb.

#11

[QUOTE=Asuri;46731]@trademarked

The energy is real. I know this because I used to play the guitar when I was a kid. One day my mother told me that she could always tell when I had been playing, because she could see it in the air.

I’m not sure that the psychedelic experience is the same thing. Since you say that you can duplicate the experience, I’d like to know if you have a particular method, or if you just got your hands on some good herb.[/QUOTE]

The higher the quality of the plant the better the experience. All I do is focus my attention on the energy, usually one point, just as I am told in yoga class. That one point is usually the origination of the shapes/colors/symbols etc. It’s directly related to the concentration and attention on the energy. If I get overwhelmed by how much information is flowing into me I move my attention elsewhere and take a breath and say “whew! Wow!”. Sometimes it is more than just shapes - it can be detailed images and animations, like a movie. For example: When I used to imagine a cat, I’d have an image of a cat in my mind, but I wouldnt actually SEE it. Now I actually SEE the cat in front of my eyes. Weird, right?

#12

Hello trademarked,

If I was in your shoes I would smoke very occasionally. As Joanna said, hemp obscures and distorts our subtle perception. The immediate effect can be enhancing and opening, but the side effects are exactly the opposite. I say this from my own experience believe me.

My recommendation is to engage an spiritual discipline, mo matter which, let your heart speak, and cast aside hemp. You will develop your subtle skills through the spiritual practice, certainly not through drugs as they backfire on us in a long run.

Good luck!

#13

If I was in your shoes I would smoke very occasionally. As Joanna said, hemp obscures and distorts our subtle perception. The immediate effect can be enhancing and opening, but the side effects are exactly the opposite. I say this from my own experience believe me.

You just reminded me of the period when I was much younger when I was smoking very occasionally over a period of about 3 years. I would only smoke once every week or two (sometimes more, often less) and when I decided to stop completely, I only noticed that my perception seemed cleared after about 4 weeks of abstaining. I quit smoking it because I noticed that yes, even when I wasn’t high, I felt slightly dulled, and wasn’t liking it.

#14

Once weekly might be too much. But once every three months is ok. I see no danger in it.

#15

Agreed. Just keep in mind it will continue to affect perception for some time afterward. :slight_smile:
Sort of like when we decide to drink alcohol, we are choosing to deal with the after effects the next day or so. Or when we eat sugar! lol.

I’m stopping here because then I’ll have to really face all the things I do that I know are harmful to my body. Too late I already thought of them.

#16

You may be interested in this

http://clareactman22.blogspot.com/

#17

There are two issues here I’d like to respond to.

The first are the experiences of the practitioner, be that the OP or others. This would include things like energetics, visitations, astral projections, levitation, and making your friend’s watch disappear.

The second is the path of yoga and the choices each person on that path makes as they navigate that path at whatever pace is appropriate for them.

On the first point I would simply say these things are merely another set of experiences - neither good nor bad. Neither evolved or devolved. Neither coveted or rejected. Yoga is not about tricks or powers, though those things may very well be available. We are all special but that quality is inherent and not dependent on an ability to balance on the thumbs, place the foot behind the neck, or dialogue with masters. With this said, I’d not put any fuel on the fire of what this is or isn’t. Unless it specifically helps the student to evolve, grow, connect with the heart center, and find their svadharma (life’s purpose) otherwise it is nothing more than another brick in the wall.

Is it energy? Of course. Everything is energy. Do others have such experiences? Some do, some don’t, so what? Should they be continued? If they come, they come. If they do not then they do not. Neither is significant. Observe, note, and move on.

On the second point, the path of yoga (in my view of it) mandates that the human being doing the practice effort to feel more. This is the nature of refining self-awareness; a commitment to and pursuit of feeling. When that is the choice made by the student (in the moment or over time) then those things which impair the ability to feel (both pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow) should be considered very, very carefully. It is for this reason one may not take an aspirin when their head throbs. It is for this reason one may not consume alcohol. My position on marijuana is obvious in another very lengthy thread here as well as my sidebar in High Times a few years ago.

Of course there is a time in life for experimenting, risking, sampling but that nature evolves and the experiments, risk, and sampling evolves, hopefully moving away from things that may be grossly destructive to the body’s systems. What one does in their 20’s may not be what one does in their 40’s as they’ve hopefully closed some chapters of their life book and begun to author others.

#18

[QUOTE=trademarked;46695]… but the more I feel it isn’t normal the more I want to see where it goes…[/QUOTE]

Why? What are you hoping will be on the ‘other side’, or what is your [U]intention[/U]?

#19

Very interesting. I had very similar visions as a child … colours and lights that presented themselves as static and often shapes. I remember having them during sleepovers and then realising that not everyone saw the same things. BUT they disappeared after pubity and I have smoked and done yoga (though not simultaneously) and I have never seen anything like it in adult life.
I can understand why you are curious to see what happens and how far you can take this. But I think maybe Gordon is right and just accept whatever is or is not.

#20

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;46895]Unless it specifically helps the student to evolve, grow, connect with the heart center, and find their svadharma (life’s purpose) otherwise it is nothing more than another brick in the wall.[/QUOTE]

Well said, my friend. I’ve seen it written somewhere that this is a trap. Higher consciousness is not about seeing pretty lights.