I love fractals. The sheer beauty of many of them, the sheer darkness of others, seems to offer a perspective on the Divine that links directly to rational thinking. William at Integral Options Cafe has a post on the subject today. And he mentions how they remind him of his experiences with altered states of consciousness using entheogens as a tool. I posted a comment because it's encouraging when I come across someone who gets it.

A few weeks ago, during a Bodhisattva Precepts class at the zendo I attend, the subject of "psychedelics" came up. One member relayed a story about how a guy he knew was telling him how he had an Illuminati experience; he told the guy, "Dude, you didn't experience the Divine, you were just tripping." I didn't feel it was appropriate, in that moment, to offer a different perspective, interrupting the flow of the class, so I let it go. I have thought of that comment a few times since, though, and it strikes me how profoundly naive that statement is. If research shows that a significant number of people who encounter entheogenic-induced transcendental experiences report that the experience was one of the top 5 in their lives, right up there with marriage and the birth of a child, saying "you were just tripping" ignores the reality of the subjective experience and attempts to deny that significant, potentially life-altering experiences are possible. That IS profoundly naive. And it is another example of conformist thinking. Thankfully, the monk teacher pointed out that many people come to Buddhism through such experiences, and whatever brings you to practice can be viewed in a positive light. She also equated it to visiting the garden, not living in the garden, and said that it is often disciplined practice that brings you to life in the garden. That is an analysis I completely agree with.

For the record, I haven't used entheogens as a tool for many months. There is a time and a place, and they should not be used casually, in my experience, only with profound respect; otherwise, one is likely to get burned. See previous posts on this subject under the category named Freedom.