Further Considerations
July 13, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9781003405009-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the trance and visionary state induced by hallucinogens or natural means prepares individuals for after-death existence by allowing them to navigate the subconscious. |
Abstract
The crucial stage had now been reached - the borderland area between sleep, and lucid dreaming or astral projection. The act of transfer was all-important. Modern occultists use the term ‘skrying’ for this type of activity. In essence it resembles the shaman-istic journey into the hinterland of the subconscious. Carlos Castaneda’s transformation into a crow now assumes special significance as part of the shamanistic technique of astral projection. The mushroom smoke had transported Castaneda into the dimension of mind where whatever he could imagine, he would become. The trance and visionary state thus prepares us for our after-death existence. The ‘roles’ and ‘transformations’ are of a similar order, for they help us charter the Heavens and Hells of the subconscious. The death-comparison has been made by both those who use hallucinogens to achieve the’out-of-the-body state, and those who do it ‘naturally’.