2012 and the Psychedelic Shamans (cont.)
By Thomas Razzeto
The Psychedelic Effects of the 5-MeO-DMT from the Bufo Toad
In his book Tryptamine Palace, James Oroc describes the
effects of the psychedelic chemicals from this toad. By the way, the
main chemical is called 5-MeO-DMT and it has different effects from
other types of DMT from different sources such as the vines used to make
the ayahuasca brew that is well known in South America. Now, it is
important that I clearly point out that this chemical is illegal and
because of this, I strongly recommend meditation rather than
psychedelics as a tool for self-discovery but let's continue. Oroc
states that he had the experience of becoming “consciousness without
identity.” Since this is commonly reported by others who have used this
drug, it is extremely likely that the Maya shamans also had this
experience.
But what does it really mean to become consciousness without
identity? First of all, you do not become it; you simply recognize that
it has always been that way. Mainstream science holds that your
consciousness arises from the biochemistry of your body and brain. But
what if your consciousness exists independently from your body? What if
you true identity is your pure awareness? Honest scientific research
into subjects such as out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences
and past lives support this idea. This means that our common idea of who
we are is false and we should embrace a fundamental re-identification.
And what better way for the Maya to point to re-identification than with
the rebirth metaphor. When you are born, you get an identity. When you
realize that what you thought of as you is not really you and that your
true self is your pure awareness, you become reborn in the deepest way.
Your awareness seems to be personal since it brings you your personal
experience. With your awareness, you experience your own unique bodily
sensations, your own emotions, your own thoughts and even your dreams
and more. Since my bodily sensations, emotions and so forth are all
different from yours and completely inaccessible to direct perception by
you or anyone else, we think of our personal awarenesses as separate
and distinct. But what if there is only one awareness and this
experience of separateness is just an illusion?
I will continue with this very important question in just a few
minutes but first I want to get back to the Maya. While the subject of
psychedelic shamanic rituals is often completely overlooked by the
academic community, it is hard to dismiss the dual role these toads
played for the Maya. Yes, of course they were symbols of transformation
and rebirth because of their own physiological shifts but the use of
their mind-altering, paradigm-shifting chemicals cannot be ignore. The
Bufo toad does more than just physically demonstrates the principles of
transformation and rebirth; it provides the Maya with a means to explore
the spiritual world and most importantly, to discover the true
fundamental self. I think that the presence of the Bufo toad in the
sacred ceremonial site of Izapa speaks volumes. In fact, the statues
were not just used as symbols; they were used as altars. This raises
them to the highest level possible. This is strong evidence that in the
eyes of the Maya, these psychedelic experiences were supremely
important!
(Due to copyright restrictions, I cannot show the pictures of the
toad altar on my website but you can use the following link to see them.
Note that the photographer comments that in his opinion, the altar
looks more like the head of a snake or turtle. But I think that I can
see the all-important poison glands behind the eyes so to me, it looks
like it is a toad. You can make up your own mind. Here is the link: pictures of the toad altar.)
I think that this profound spiritual awakening to the true self was
so important to the Maya that they pointed to it with their numerous
astronomical and non-astronomical rebirth metaphors. When you take into
account that the Maya folklore also contains many references to
transformation and rebirth, it starts to seem as if this concept is the
Maya's favorite subject! Some of the scenes from this folklore are
depicted in the stone carvings in Izapa. In my opinion, the evidence is
very strong that this sacred site is primarily dedicated to the idea of
transformation and rebirth. All things considered, it seems to me that
the emphasis of Izapa is spiritual rebirth in general, not the specific
time of 2012, since there are no carvings of any Long Count calendar
dates in the actual sacred site of Izapa. (Think about that for a
while!) So the Maya are focused on the core meaning of the rebirth
metaphor, not the time of 2012. That is just the time when the
astronomical metaphor will unfold. The calendar merely points to the
astronomy which points to the timeless rebirth metaphor.
I like to think of it like this:
If I write a poem about enlightenment and spiritual awakening and use the sunrise as a metaphor since that is the event that fills our dark world with light and we are all awakened
from our physical slumber, the poem should be taken as a reminder that
spiritual awakening is possible in a general sense. It certainly should
not be understood to say that we are all going to become enlightened
during the next sunrise, although that might happen. If people focus on
the event of the sunrise because they think that enlightenment will happen at the time of that event,
they will have missed the point of the poem. The same thing is true for
the sacred triple rebirth of the sun in 2012. It is a reminder that we
can all awaken to a new spiritual understanding at any moment. Focus on
the concept of spiritual rebirth, not the time of the astronomical event
that was used as the foundation of the rebirth metaphor.
Almost all calendars are based on astronomy and it is beyond a
reasonable doubt that this is also true for the Maya calendar, although
in a rather spectacular way! And very often the messages handed down
from ancient people are metaphorical, not literal, since this can more
easily point to spiritual wisdom. In this way, I believe that the
message of 2012 is metaphorical. If the focus of the calendar is a
metaphor and everyone is looking for a literal event (other than the
astronomy), they will miss the whole point of the calendar.
In my opinion, the conditions of the world are not at all the point
of the message of 2012. That is just the outer form of creation and
everything that has been created will change. The message of 2012 is
much deeper than that. It is about something that never changes. It is
about the fundamental principle of reality, as revealed by the
psychedelic experiences of the shamans. The ancient Maya discovered the
greater reality that lies behind our ordinary reality and most
importantly, they discovered their true fundamental self, which was
never born and will never die.
People all around the world throughout all of time have discovered
that both God and creation are the same reality in different forms, just
like water and ice are different forms of the same essence.
Fundamentally, there is only the one awareness; it is primordial and all
of creation arises out of it. This understanding is often called
“non-dual” or the “perennial philosophy.” I like to call it “mysticism”
and I believe that this mystical awakening is the heart of 2012.
The questions of 2012 are very deep. They are: “Who am I?” and “What
is the true nature of reality?” Asking what is going to happen to us in
2012 is much too superficial. Many people think that 2012 is about a
spiritual shift that will exhibit itself in physical form such as a more
peaceful world. In my opinion, the message of 2012 is about a radical
shift in identity, a shift that is so extreme that you no longer claim
your old self to be you. (Note: I am using the word “radical” in its
truest sense: going to the root.)
The profound understanding of your true self is difficult to put into
words and this is why metaphors are often used. You cannot literally
show anyone their true self since it has no attributes that can be
perceived in anyway. You cannot grab it and put it on the table and
proclaim, “That's what I'm talkin' about!”
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