In misc.news.internet.discuss, JAB <here@is.invalid> wrote:

Dozens of religious leaders experienced magic mushrooms in a
university study. Many are now evangelists for psychedelics.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/26/this-is-your-priest-on-drugs?

I would say the central, if not explicitly stated, thesis of the 2012
book _Hallucinations_ by neurologist Dr Oliver Sacks is that all
reglious and spiritual visions (including seeing things like pixies,
gnomes, and fairies) are caused by different types hallucinations, some relatively common and some relatively rare.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucinations_(book)

Sacks died in 2015, so it was one of the last books he wrote.

Elijah
------
has read at least four books by Dr Sacks

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Dozens of religious leaders experienced magic mushrooms in a
university study. Many are now evangelists for psychedelics.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/26/this-is-your-priest-on-drugs?utm_campaign=falcon_FCzP&utm_brand=tny&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

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On Wed, 4 Jun 2025 01:59:55 -0000 (UTC), Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> wrote:

I would say....reglious and spiritual visions
caused by different types hallucinations

I believe meditation is different from chemically induced experiences.

I'm not aware of 'tripping out' by those meditating, who are not using
these chemicals.

hallucinations

Interesting word.....say one has ingested a psilocybin-containing
mushroom and can see 3 dimensions in a 2d picture. Or can see their
footprints on a carpeted floor. On the other hand, seeing pictureless
content in their mind is descriptive of hallucinations that most
likely are created via chemical(s) acting upon neurons.

I believe YMMV (different experiences) happen with chemical usage, but
for those who mediate, a common set of experiences without "trips".

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On Wed, 4 Jun 2025 01:59:55 -0000 (UTC), Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> wrote in <eli$2506032159@qaz.wtf>:

In misc.news.internet.discuss, JAB <here@is.invalid> wrote:

Dozens of religious leaders experienced magic mushrooms in a university
study. Many are now evangelists for psychedelics.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/26/this-is-your-priest-on-

drugs?

I would say the central, if not explicitly stated, thesis of the 2012
book _Hallucinations_ by neurologist Dr Oliver Sacks is that all
reglious and spiritual visions (including seeing things like pixies,
gnomes, and fairies) are caused by different types hallucinations, some relatively common and some relatively rare.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucinations_(book)

Sacks died in 2015, so it was one of the last books he wrote.

Elijah ------
has read at least four books by Dr Sacks

I've read (but can't remember where) that temporal lobe
epilepsy can bring on religious experiences.

The next step away from hallucinations toward reality
are "illusions", which are actual sensory input(s) that
are misinterpreted. For example, there is the
"Sun Miracle of Fatima".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_Sun

--
-v

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On Wed, 4 Jun 2025 02:55:30 -0000 (UTC), vallor <vallor@cultnix.org>
wrote:

The next step away from hallucinations toward reality
are "illusions", which are actual sensory input(s) that
are misinterpreted.

Oh, the T-Borg syndrome...

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On Wed, 4 Jun 2025 01:59:55 -0000 (UTC), Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> wrote:

different types hallucinations

Superficially aware of this topic, but I suspect most all represent
what has been seen/experienced before, but 'amplified/embellished.'

"Set and setting" can/will affect a person's 'trip'

"In 1966, Timothy Leary conducted a series of experiments with dimethyltryptamine (DMT) with controlled set and setting. The aim was
to see whether DMT, which had then been mostly thought of as a
terror-inducing drug, could produce pleasant experiences under a
supportive set and setting. It was found that it could." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_and_setting

RE: "Dozens of religious leaders experienced magic mushrooms in a
university study."

Hence, it could be expected they could experience "reglious and
spiritual visions" since they had serious time in the religous saddle.

Sidebar

Toxicity From Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) After Ingestion or
Inhalation: A Case Series

Plant extracts and other novel psychoactives can be ingested, vaped,
injected, or insufflated. This includes products such as extracts from
the blue lotus flower (Nypmhaea caerulea), which is known to produce
euphoria and hallucinations at high doses. https://academic.oup.com/milmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/milmed/usab328/6338457

The lotus has long been regarded as sacred by many of the world's
religions, especially in India and Egypt,

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