Contents:
- Citation
- Excerpts
- Main chapters on surrendering to “the shadow” to gain Transcendent Knowledge
- Pages – Frenzy Mania Control Stability Testing
- Chapter 9: How to Navigate the Space (p. 111)
- Chapter 10: Challenging trips and introduction to the Shadow (p. 120)
- Introduction to the Shadow (p. 122 section)
- Ways to deal with challenging trips (p. 127 section)
Citation
Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion: An Informative, Easy-to-Use Guide to Understanding Magic Mushrooms—From Tips and Trips to Microdosing and Psychedelic Therapy
Michelle Janikian
2019 (per Copyright page & review)
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushroom-Companion-Easy-Mushrooms/dp/1646043901/ –
Excerpts
The book Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion, 2019, has a representative sample of phrasings and quoted passages from “thought leaders” with murky folk-level explanation and description of how “surrender” to the “shadow” provides Transcendent Knowledge.
The biggest false psychology in this book and in this field is the premise that what you are threatened by in “the shadow” is your own personal, unique “psychology” history, per ordinary-state mundane life.
That is the wrong, mis-identified domain of referent. That is state-reductionism.
Main chapters on surrendering to “the shadow” to gain Transcendent Knowledge
Ch 9: How to Navigate the Space
Ch 10: Challenging Trips and Introduction to the Shadow
also pp. 17 32 43 59 63 69 109 … 149 156
Pages – Frenzy Mania Control Stability Testing
17
dangerous: when people become a threat to themselves
32
feel safe, trust, let go
surrendering
resist therefore have challenging trip without the transformative effect from relinquishing control
43
trusting enough to completely let go, embrace the experience; thereby healing occurs per mystical peak experience
44
ego dissolution, ego loss
peak experience losing their sense of ‘I’ and becoming one with the entire universe/ God
[Ego dissolution is mere beginners’ ego cessation, as opposed to advanced formal active self transgression/ cancellation; sacrificial ego death proper, by alignment with block-universe eternalism – cm]
45
trustworthy
personal empowerment
[beware of that assumed aspiration, like the giveaway telltale word “freedom” -cm]
shift in self-concept
46
shadow
51
navigate situations to make decisions and plan future
new novel connections
anarchic ego dissolution and insights
chaotic state is more flexible and less dominated by the everyday narrative we tell ourselves which are harming us and holding us back
59
avoid unnecessarily bad or stressful trip
confidently release your control without any underlying anxiety
a vulnerable state
overwhelming, frightening
63
be in a more secure headspace because your thoughts can turn against you and become overbearing
69
relinquishing control
a paranoid, negative thought loop
73
a challenging experience
stuck in a negative thought loop
help get you out of a challenging place
distract you from paranoid negative thoughts
79
altar
[Setting up an altar is mentioned many times, no mention of making it from rock per block-universe eternalism. -cm]
leave the mushrooms on the altar to honor their power
87
things get rough or scary
trusted source of mushrooms
92
feel more secure and comfortable letting go
100
low doses bring negative feelings without transcendence
[Theme: negative experience -> trust -> transformative Transcendent Knowledge. -cm]
the importance of working through these difficult
these uncomfortable feelings are precisely what we must resolve to free ourselves from the Shadow, gain strength, and function more competently
stuck in negativity, challenging experiences… what these challenging experiences are trying to teach you
[That’s a favorite theme of mine in this book: the dragon shadow is teaching you -cm]
101
heroic dose
ego loss and ego death
[Ego loss or ego dissolution = beginners’ dissolution/ passive lifting, unearned trespassing; unstable, transient, perishable, temporary, contingent.
Ego death = advanced, active self-transgression, comprehended, fulfilled, reconciled. -cm]
the feeling that you’ve lost your mind and you’re never getting it back, a terrifying experience, the possibility of being traumatized by a trip you aren’t prepared for
[My two recent developmental health themes:
We must have more successes/ completed graduates.
We must have less friction or turmoil or inefficiency along the way (psychological trauma.) -cm]
terrifying or blissful
prepare for this by low-dose and then increasing the dose, terrifying or blissful, prepare for this by low-dose and then increasing the dose
[Such instructions say you’re supposed to play the game by increasing the dose.
All the “safety” books are recommending that you continuously increase dose – they sound like they’re preaching moderation, but actually, they’re preaching continuous escalation until things reach the climax transformation rebirth. -cm]
106
softening the boundaries of the ego; less distinction between self and other
[Contrast that against forceful self cancellation by perceiving the two levels of control revealed the block universe utterly cancels out ego steering.
The paradigm of “you need to have less and less ego” – that cannot work.
That was my big message in January 1988: the field of Transpersonal Psychology tries to subtract ego by degrees, but it should instead wholly annihilate the egoic premise in the altered state, a puff of illusion smoke sent up from the rock altar, like Ramesh Balsekar’s no-free-will & block-universe eternalism. -cm]
108
existential dread, an insiders view of how the world works
vulnerable feeling, sensation of strong connectedness to the entire universe
ego recedes, feel like you are an integral part of the universe and the divine plan, that you are a god
but there’s a double edge to the ego-loss coin, it’s possible to forget who you are, which can feel like going insane and that you’re never coming back
too far gone to remind yourself
Chapter 9: How to Navigate the Space
111
trust, let go – Bill Richards’ book Sacred Knowledge
[“Sacred Knowledge” = Sacrifice and repudiate the unstable, egoic mental model, and jettison the trainwrecking / bedeviling; the unstable control system, in order to save control while gaining integrity and transcendent knowledge.
You must sacrifice habitual depending on childish possibilism-thinking (the autonomy single-level control-model).
Sacrificially repudiate naive possibilism-thinking, rely on eternalism-thinking instead. -cm]
111
The hardest part overwhelming frightening approach with an excepting attitude and open mind the most important navigation skill is to relax. But relinquishing your control, to not resist its powers and just let go and see where it takes you, can be challenging.
112
you’re resisting the effects, let go
it is only through letting go that we make the most progress
this surrender is the crux of a successful journey
specifics on how to surrender, do not try to control the flow of images, allow your mind to take its natural course
relax and observe as your thoughts unfold without any effort
affirm that all experiences are welcome
surrendering to the experience, we shouldn’t try to control every thought, accept and welcome them as they come, this can be difficult
113
stop resisting and trying to control the mushroom experience; then had my first mystical experience
learn how to relax your mind and let thoughts come and go without engaging them
114
drop our resistances to it, the unexpected
reveal the unconscious, our minds have repressed those thoughts
[But Strassman there is wrongly thinking of unique ordinary-state personal content in therapy, when he should be talking about archetypal egoic mental structures made perceptible in the altered state.
Lots of bunk, flatland, ordinary state Psychologism reductionism, misconceived category error, psychobabble, off-base bad theory, conflating up the wrong tree. -cm]
115 –
not welcome the appearance of repressed feelings
you might find yourself overwhelmed by the irruption of repressed unconscious material without knowing how to deal with it
being in a stable place, having a firm sense of who you are and your purpose in this world, a meaningful trip
before you can feel sufficiently safe in the world to choose unconditionally to trust deeper or higher dimensions of being
you need good ground control, able to regulate yourself and your emotions, before jumping into an altered state
but how do you know if you have good ground control
who should take extra precautions, knowing when it’s the wrong time to trip
116 –
not an escape from your problems, but quite the opposite
a deeper look at yourself from a new angle
be prepared to have feelings bubble up
117 –
you might realize things that you haven’t fully dealt with
trauma can be challenging but also rewarding
tripping can get scary even if you do have a strong sense of who you are and are in a stable place
help them release their control, trust, let go
trust the trajectory, follow your path
censored by Wasson
url https://egodeaththeory.wordpress.com/2020/12/11/brinckmann-mushroom-trees-asymmetrical-branching/
if you feel like you’re dying, melting, dissolving, exploding, going crazy: embrace it
If the trip gets dark, feel fear or anxiety: face your fear, look at the monster in the eye, and move toward it
[that was a big theme in my “requirements for guides” section of my article: this theory does not avoid the shadow, but provides the skill to head straight for the heart of the sun, set the controls for the heart of the sun -cm]
what are you doing in my mind, what can I learn from you?
118 –
literally face your demons
a transformation can occur
the monster could turn into whatever in your subconscious is troubling you
this transformation is followed by catharsis and understanding
discover that the monster has meaning and is an invitation to enhanced psychological health and spiritual maturation, its purpose is not to torment but to teach – Bill Richards, in Sacred Knowledge
[Wouter Hanegraaff’s hermetic texts talk of astral planet fate rulers “tormenting” the entheogenized soul -cm]
the strength to face your demons, from having a strong support system, might not be as successful or easy
as experienced psychonauts know, bad trips only get worse when you run from the monster
catharsis comes from facing your shadow
how to deal with and avoid bad trips
a common way a trip turns sour: you get stuck in a negative thought loop
negative thoughts fueled by anxiety that repeat or spiral into more anxious thinking
techniques to curve these negative loops anything to distract yourself
[“Any escape will help to smooth, the unattractive truth” – Rush]
118
help get you out of a negative headspace: having an altar to look at, or a rock or crystal to keep you grounded or refocus your attention
🙈🪨💎🐉
it’s important not to beat yourself up or push yourself
be gentle and forgiving with yourself
be accepting to all experiences as they come
let your thoughts flow without trying to control them
Ch 10: Challenging trips and introduction to the Shadow
120
overwhelmed by anxiety from the resistance of an altered state, the shadow, resisting the discomfort instead surrender to it
these trips hold the most potential for personal growth, learning how to surrender enables this growth most effectively
letting go, relinquishing your control is paramount, a challenging experience
resistance will only make it worse, acceptance can lead to true insight and possibly transcendence
trust in your surroundings or yourself
you’re grasping for straws of control which can lead to more extreme paranoia and unpleasant experiences – James Jesso
121
challenging trips prepare yourself induced anxiety change scares people and causes them to resist
this fear, total surrender to it is always followed by feelings of liberation, whereas struggle against it prolongs the suffering
challenging trip experiences: the fear that the psychedelic experience will never end, and its related horror that permanent insanity is immanent, are rooted in the fear of losing control
the solution is letting go – Stan Grof
122
letting go to these frightening experiences can be next to impossible, even if you’re in a calm and safe environment
a harrowing experience, he was releasing his control to the experience, and just allowing it to happen – he was still overwhelmed
he was in complete anguish, experience of terror, his whole life was falling apart, and he got stuck in a deep flashback state
however, he laments, he never experienced ego death or transcended his traumas like the literature promises
Introduction to the Shadow
Page 122: section: introduction to the shadow
122
allowing more access to unconscious material
123
[This page is confused theory; it’s ordinary-state Jungianism, made-up reductionism, a category error.
The REAL “unconscious material” in ego death transformation/ maturation is structurally every immature / untransformed mind’s egoic naive possibilism-thinking. -cm]
all those unpleasant qualities we like to hide Jungian archetypes can be used to translate the images and visions
[Janikian says that Jung was against psychedelics – yet Carl Ruck says in a recent YouTube interview with Jordan Petersen and Brian Muraresku that Carl Ruck had one year of psychedelics before the Red Book. -cm]
126
127
avoid a needlessly hard trip, avoid a bad experience, prevent any resistance or anxiety
navigation skills, be more prepared for encountering challenging experiences on higher journeys and accepting or even transcending them
Ways to deal with challenging trips
Page 127 section: ways to deal with challenging trips
can get challenging even if you plan the perfect set and setting and are with people you absolutely trust
if you experience fear or are trying to control too much, the number one tripping navigation skill was letting go
stop fighting and trying to control or end the situation and accept it; even offer it curiosity and compassion
when one runs away from psychological conflict, the threatening specter grows bigger and one feels weaker and increasingly anxious
when the frightening image is courageously approached and confronted, one grows stronger and insights awaken
the acceptance and resolution of a challenging trip can be a great source of personal growth
distractions to get you out of a challenging place might not get the most healing out of distracting yourself
but the work is too difficult
don’t go inward if you can’t release yourself to your feelings
stop fighting the experience and ask yourself or your shadow: why are you here, what can I learn from you
130
don’t fight these feelings, just let them play themselves out — without hurting yourself or anyone else — and you will feel much better afterward
harm not the lad to demonstrate transcending the youthful way of thinking
whatever it takes to get grounded and calm is the best way to dig yourself out of a challenging trip
The Egodeath theory 