[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Another good piece in the LAT (you probably need to register for free): http://tinyurl.com/3tqkld Thanks Bob, this article had the bit of the story I love: But testing in experimental animals showed no significant activity for the drug -- although the animals were observed to become restless after its administration -- and it was abandoned. During this period, Hofmann synthesized at least three amides that became drugs: Methergine, used to halt bleeding after birth; Hydergine, which improves circulation in the limbs and cerebral function in the elderly; and Dihydergot, used to stabilize circulation and blood pressure. Prompted by what Hofmann later described as a peculiar presentiment that LSD-25 might have properties other than those established in the first investigations, he decided to look at it again. On Friday afternoon, April 16, 1943, Hofmann had just completed synthesizing a new batch when, he subsequently wrote to his supervisor, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with slight dizziness. At home, I lay down and sank into a not-unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours, this condition faded away. Hofmann suspected that the state had been caused by something in the lab. In an interview on his 100th birthday, he said, I didn't know what caused it, but I knew that it was important. After breathing the solvents he had used produced no effect, Hofmann suspected that the synthetic drug was the source. LSD spoke to me, he said. He came to me and said, 'You must find me.' He told me, 'Don't give me to the pharmacologist, he won't find anything.' A peculiar pre-sentiment - One of those intuitive moments where the unconcious mind seems to know more about what's going on than you do. Like Francis Crick dreaming of spiral staircases when he was stuck on working out how DNA reproduced itself. One of the greatest flashes of inspiration. But rumour has it that when he was on his death-bed he admitted the inspiration came to him during an acid trip.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: After breathing the solvents he had used produced no effect, Hofmann suspected that the synthetic drug was the source. LSD spoke to me, he said. He came to me and said, 'You must find me.' He told me, 'Don't give me to the pharmacologist, he won't find anything.' A peculiar pre-sentiment - One of those intuitive moments where the unconcious mind seems to know more about what's going on than you do. Like Francis Crick dreaming of spiral staircases when he was stuck on working out how DNA reproduced itself. One of the greatest flashes of inspiration. But rumour has it that when he was on his death-bed he admitted the inspiration came to him during an acid trip. Here's an interesting piece of American celebrity lore that I always found interesting. Picture Cary Grant, right? The quintessence of outgoing charm, poise, elegance, and savoir faire, even though he started life as Archie Leach in a poor neighborhood in England. Well, as it turns out, Cary Grant drop- ped acid 2-3 times a week for much of his adult life under the care of his psychiatrist, a rebel who came up during the early psychedelic revolution with Leary and Alpert, and who never abandoned his belief that it (LSD) could be a powerful and bene- ficial psychiatric tool. It would appear, given the generally positive response that most people have to the vibe of his long-term patient, that he was correct. I agree with Curtis and with others who said that the trouble with LSD was the recreationalization of the drug. It was a sacrament, and used as one, could lead to valuable insights -- about the world, about the self, and about Self. Like him, I never had anything but the most positive, uplifting experiences during the period that I experimented with LSD, and have the greatest respect for it. I liken its cheapening as something to party down with to some callous youth finding a 200-year- old bottle of the finest cognac and seeing it only as a way to get drunk.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Here's an interesting piece of American celebrity lore that I always found interesting. Picture Cary Grant, right? The quintessence of outgoing charm, poise, elegance, and savoir faire, even though he started life as Archie Leach in a poor neighborhood in England. Well, as it turns out, Cary Grant drop- ped acid 2-3 times a week for much of his adult life Sorry...mistype. Make that 2-3 times a month.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo richardhughes103@ wrote: After breathing the solvents he had used produced no effect, Hofmann suspected that the synthetic drug was the source. LSD spoke to me, he said. He came to me and said, 'You must find me.' He told me, 'Don't give me to the pharmacologist, he won't find anything.' A peculiar pre-sentiment - One of those intuitive moments where the unconcious mind seems to know more about what's going on than you do. Like Francis Crick dreaming of spiral staircases when he was stuck on working out how DNA reproduced itself. One of the greatest flashes of inspiration. But rumour has it that when he was on his death-bed he admitted the inspiration came to him during an acid trip. Here's an interesting piece of American celebrity lore that I always found interesting. Picture Cary Grant, right? The quintessence of outgoing charm, poise, elegance, and savoir faire, even though he started life as Archie Leach in a poor neighborhood in England. Well, as it turns out, Cary Grant drop- ped acid 2-3 times a week for much of his adult life under the care of his psychiatrist, a rebel who came up during the early psychedelic revolution with Leary and Alpert, and who never abandoned his belief that it (LSD) could be a powerful and bene- ficial psychiatric tool. It would appear, given the generally positive response that most people have to the vibe of his long-term patient, that he was correct. I agree with Curtis and with others who said that the trouble with LSD was the recreationalization of the drug. It was a sacrament, and used as one, could lead to valuable insights -- about the world, about the self, and about Self. Like him, I never had anything but the most positive, uplifting experiences during the period that I experimented with LSD, and have the greatest respect for it. I liken its cheapening as something to party down with to some callous youth finding a 200-year- old bottle of the finest cognac and seeing it only as a way to get drunk. I always wondered what the therapeutic use might be, it always seemed so confusing and so much never-the-same thing-twice, perhaps it was the mind expanding sense of greater reality that helped put things into perspective for people. I sure never looked at the world the same way. But more likely the dose was smaller than you'd take at one of Leary or Keseys' (or my) acid parties. I would like to have tried it in that context but I can't see our recreational use as cheapening it, we had real God consciousness experiences, and the music helps, in fact it's designed to take you as far as you can go. We all ended up kidding ourselves it was the real reality that would somehow lead us to the promised land. Didn't work of course, not for anyone. But you have to follow every lead in my view. The problem comes, as it does with all drugs, when you start taking it too seriously and mistake the signpost for the destination. Or using it to escape rather than arrive, That must be what Albert saw and worried about. It did make a good party great, you could save the analysis for when you got home. Which we did, the best times tripping are when you're with people you like in cosy surroundings, good music etc. Best of all on a summer day out in the country on magic mushrooms, got a real connection with nature, it's like the same movie but with different cinemaphotography. It made me wonder that there was some greater power connecting everything together for a tiny little piece of fungus to have that sort of effect on you. I've seen clouds turn into the most beautiful living statues of Greek Gods and dragons coiled round the moon, battalions of tigers chasing across the sky at sunset. I could go on but I'm sure you get the general idea. Cheapening or not, it was the best of times. Perhaps the true sacrament is the mind and hallucinogenics just one of the keys to unlock it.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: I agree with Curtis and with others who said that the trouble with LSD was the recreationalization of the drug. It was a sacrament, and used as one, could lead to valuable insights -- about the world, about the self, and about Self. Like him, I never had anything but the most positive, uplifting experiences during the period that I experimented with LSD, and have the greatest respect for it. I liken its cheapening as something to party down with to some callous youth finding a 200-year- old bottle of the finest cognac and seeing it only as a way to get drunk. I always wondered what the therapeutic use might be, it always seemed so confusing and so much never-the-same thing-twice, perhaps it was the mind expanding sense of greater reality that helped put things into perspective for people. I sure never looked at the world the same way. I'm sure Cary didn't, either. I don't know any of the particulars of who his shrink might have been and whether he was successful using LSD in his practice with a large number of patients. But I can certainly see it as being possible. The phenomenon of putting things into perspec- tive alone would be invaluable to many people whose perspective had gotten skewed enough that they sought psychiatric counseling. On the other hand, I would suspect that the shrink in question had to be very, very careful about whom it was appropriate to use this kind of therapy *with*. I'm thinking it would be possibly appropriate with patients who were dealing with neuroses and problems in their daily lives, and hideously inappropriate with someone dealing with psychosis. But more likely the dose was smaller than you'd take at one of Leary or Keseys' (or my) acid parties. Actually, it wasn't so much the dosage but the purity. 125 micrograms of real Sandoz acid was far more powerful than 1000 mics of street acid. Kesey's parties (I only attended one of them) served Sandoz acid at the start, and later Owsley stuff, so they were pretty fun parties. :-) I would like to have tried it in that context but I can't see our recreational use as cheapening it, we had real God consciousness experiences, and the music helps, in fact it's designed to take you as far as you can go. Please forgive my overly harsh condemnation of party acid earlier. I was definitely includ- ing myself as one of the targets of that rant. Some friends of mine and I ran a light show and concert promotion business back in 1966-7, and heck, we *worked* stoned on acid. :-) I was also known to party down on acid more than once during that period...uh...often in fact. Mea culpa. :-) It's just that in retrospect (the last time I took LSD was in 1967) I lament pissing away on a party what I could have used in the silence of the desert or a forest. But hey!, as you say, the parties were fun, too. And the music just rocked. We all ended up kidding ourselves it was the real reality that would somehow lead us to the promised land. Didn't work of course, not for anyone. But you have to follow every lead in my view. The problem comes, as it does with all drugs, when you start taking it too seriously and mistake the signpost for the destination. Or using it to escape rather than arrive, That must be what Albert saw and worried about. I did the same thing. Unlike many who started TM at the same time I did, I didn't have to wait 15 days. :-) I had stopped using psychedelics of any kind some months before, and had already been experimenting with other forms of meditation. Stopping was a cultural thing more than a spiritual or health thing for me. I had literally been through the Summer Of Love in L.A. and San Francisco, and had seen the whole Hippie thing go down the toilet as soon as the media got ahold of it. And I had seen what the street drugs were doing to people, and didn't want to be around it any more. It did make a good party great, you could save the analysis for when you got home. I analyzed even at the parties. I think that acid was one of my first self-taught experiences of mindfulness. Which we did, the best times tripping are when you're with people you like in cosy surroundings, good music etc. Best of all on a summer day out in the country on magic mushrooms, got a real connection with nature, it's like the same movie but with different cinemaphotography. Good metaphor. Did you see the film What Dreams May Come? That's the first acid-like cinematography that popped into my mind when you mentioned it, but now that I think about it, Antonioni's Blow-up might have been more acid. It made me wonder that there was some greater power connecting everything together for a tiny little piece of fungus to have that sort of effect on you. I've seen clouds turn into the most beautiful living statues of Greek Gods and
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
The most significant period of my life occurred at age 19, in late September, '73, during a two-week stretch of a several week road trip with a high school buddy, the itinerary of which included nightly camping under the stars near flowing streams, and a daily drive of several hours between camp sites along a path from Colorado through the Great Northwest. Friends in Manitou Springs introduced us to a woman who joined our trip. A year older than my buddy and I, she was quite earthy and spiritual. She introduced us to 'Be Here Now', and was able to score windowpane on the morning we left Manitou Springs for the ascent into the Rockies. That afternoon was the Autumnal Equinox. Aspen trees were changing colors for everyone's perception, whether altered or not. The immense beauty of the mountains, streams, and trees was heightened by the full dose of windowpane kicking in to stimulate a recognition of the unity and harmony, and immense love that permeates creation. For the next two weeks, as we traversed some of our countries most beautiful landscapes, I'd trip in the afternoons, and by the campfire we'd telepahtically communicate our understanding of 'Be Here Now'. I'll always appreciate Mr. Hoffman for the waves of intense bliss that flowed through my heart and the lessons of spirituality I was introduced to during that time. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its psychopharmacological effects until five years later, when he accidentally ingested the substance that became known to the 1960s counterculture as acid. He then took LSD hundreds of times, but regarded it as a powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropic drug that demanded respect. More important to him than the pleasures of the psychedelic experience was the drug's value as a revelatory aid for contemplating and understanding what he saw as humanity's oneness with nature. That perception, of union, which came to Dr. Hofmann as almost a religious epiphany while still a child, directed much of his personal and professional life. Dr. Hofmann was born in Baden, a spa town in northern Switzerland, on Jan. 11, 1906, the eldest of four children. His father, who had no higher education, was a toolmaker in a local factory, and the family lived in a rented apartment. But Dr. Hofmann spent much of his childhood outdoors. He would wander the hills above the town and play around the ruins of a Hapsburg castle, the Stein. It was a real paradise up there, he said in an interview in 2006. We had no money, but I had a wonderful childhood. It was during one of his ambles that he had his epiphany. It happened on a May morning I have forgotten the year but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden, he wrote in LSD: My Problem Child. As I strolled through the freshly greened woods filled with bird song and lit up by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light. It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wanted to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness and blissful security. (more) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/world/europe/30hofmann.html
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
Bob wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid... Well, Bob, now we know that there at least eight, including yourself, drug addled clowns posting here! LOL! Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Bob Brigante Date: Wed, Jul 2 2003 1:45 pm Subject: Re: Meditation and Insomnia http://tinyurl.com/4h6ykx
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
I'm addled enough without it. ~ S --- Richard J. Williams wrote: Well, Bob, now we know that there at least eight, including yourself, drug addled clowns posting here! LOL!
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
The world is as you are, Willy. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Bob wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid... Well, Bob, now we know that there at least eight, including yourself, drug addled clowns posting here! LOL! Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Bob Brigante Date: Wed, Jul 2 2003 1:45 pm Subject: Re: Meditation and Insomnia http://tinyurl.com/4h6ykx
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
mainstream wrote: The world is as you are, Willy. It's here now, wasn't it? Bob wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid... Well, Bob, now we know that there at least eight, including yourself, drug addled clowns posting here! LOL! Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Bob Brigante Date: Wed, Jul 2 2003 1:45 pm Subject: Re: Meditation and Insomnia http://tinyurl.com/4h6ykx
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
What, the image of the clown in your mirror ? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: mainstream wrote: The world is as you are, Willy. It's here now, wasn't it? Bob wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid... Well, Bob, now we know that there at least eight, including yourself, drug addled clowns posting here! LOL! Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Bob Brigante Date: Wed, Jul 2 2003 1:45 pm Subject: Re: Meditation and Insomnia http://tinyurl.com/4h6ykx
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo richardhughes103@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: I agree with Curtis and with others who said that the trouble with LSD was the recreationalization of the drug. It was a sacrament, and used as one, could lead to valuable insights -- about the world, about the self, and about Self. Like him, I never had anything but the most positive, uplifting experiences during the period that I experimented with LSD, and have the greatest respect for it. I liken its cheapening as something to party down with to some callous youth finding a 200-year- old bottle of the finest cognac and seeing it only as a way to get drunk. I always wondered what the therapeutic use might be, it always seemed so confusing and so much never-the-same thing-twice, perhaps it was the mind expanding sense of greater reality that helped put things into perspective for people. I sure never looked at the world the same way. I'm sure Cary didn't, either. I don't know any of the particulars of who his shrink might have been and whether he was successful using LSD in his practice with a large number of patients. But I can certainly see it as being possible. The phenomenon of putting things into perspec- tive alone would be invaluable to many people whose perspective had gotten skewed enough that they sought psychiatric counseling. On the other hand, I would suspect that the shrink in question had to be very, very careful about whom it was appropriate to use this kind of therapy *with*. I'm thinking it would be possibly appropriate with patients who were dealing with neuroses and problems in their daily lives, and hideously inappropriate with someone dealing with psychosis. But more likely the dose was smaller than you'd take at one of Leary or Keseys' (or my) acid parties. Actually, it wasn't so much the dosage but the purity. 125 micrograms of real Sandoz acid was far more powerful than 1000 mics of street acid. Kesey's parties (I only attended one of them) served Sandoz acid at the start, and later Owsley stuff, so they were pretty fun parties. :-) I would like to have tried it in that context but I can't see our recreational use as cheapening it, we had real God consciousness experiences, and the music helps, in fact it's designed to take you as far as you can go. Please forgive my overly harsh condemnation of party acid earlier. I was definitely includ- ing myself as one of the targets of that rant. Some friends of mine and I ran a light show and concert promotion business back in 1966-7, and heck, we *worked* stoned on acid. :-) You worked! Jesus, the only technical thing I could do was roll joints, no matter where we were or how wasted we got I could always get a number together. What a great skill! Saved the day many a time I can tell you. I should put that on my C.V. I remember you posted a list of bands you had at your parties, It was good stuff. I would have loved to have been there. Must've been great, I read Wolfes Kool aid- acid test and felt I'd been born too late. But we made the best of it with bands like the Ozric Tentacles who had the most amazing light show. It was a blast. I remember you had The Doors at a party they are probably my fave band from then. Or Spirit perhaps , did you hear their LP The Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus, what a classic. Or the earlier jazzy stuff they did. Highly recommended. I was also known to party down on acid more than once during that period...uh...often in fact. Mea culpa. :-) It's just that in retrospect (the last time I took LSD was in 1967) I lament pissing away on a party what I could have used in the silence of the desert or a forest. But hey!, as you say, the parties were fun, too. And the music just rocked. We all ended up kidding ourselves it was the real reality that would somehow lead us to the promised land. Didn't work of course, not for anyone. But you have to follow every lead in my view. The problem comes, as it does with all drugs, when you start taking it too seriously and mistake the signpost for the destination. Or using it to escape rather than arrive, That must be what Albert saw and worried about. I did the same thing. Unlike many who started TM at the same time I did, I didn't have to wait 15 days. :-) I had stopped using psychedelics of any kind some months before, and had already been experimenting with other forms of meditation. Stopping was a cultural thing more than a spiritual or health thing for me. I had literally been through the Summer Of Love in L.A. and San Francisco, and had seen the whole Hippie thing go down the toilet as soon as the media got ahold of it. And I had seen what the street drugs were doing to people, and
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
Bob Brigante wrote: LSD chemist dies at 102 Yes, but did you enjoy? The trouble with relying on a drug-addled clown like Bob for one's meditation instruction is that this approach is as full of holes as Bob's brain after a lifetime of drug use. Apparently Bob has more potions in his medicine cabinet that Carter had 'little liver pills'. I also received the Night Technique, which is no longer taught by the TM movement, and it's important to understand that Willytex's instruction is not accurate. Read more: Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Bob Brigante Date: Wed, Jul 2 2003 1:45 pm Subject: Re: Meditation and Insomnia http://tinyurl.com/4h6ykx All this being said, it is difficult, if not impossible, to explain absolute rest to the understanding of the non-initiate, yet, so important is this aspect of life, that when Davendra fell out of 'bramhacharya' and confessed to actually sleeping with a woman one night, Maharishi asked: Yes, but did you enjoy? Read more: Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Willytex Date: Wed, Nov 20 2002 12:32 am Subject: Good Night Sweetheart http://tinyurl.com/63tb8n My intiation with Satyanand took place at a three-day residence course with Jerry Jarvis at SIMS in Berkeley in 1968. The entire course was truly inspiring as I recall, and the initation included a very deep five minute meditation led by Satyanand and concluded with one of the most impressive Guru Dev pujas that I have ever personally attended. As for the technique per se, and after much practice, analysis, and reflection on its meaning, I have concluded that this *night* technique is the *perfect* compliment to TM. Read more: Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental From: Willytex Date: Tues, Jun 11 2002 7:30 pm Subject: Advanced Techniques http://tinyurl.com/5zzqjq
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its psychopharmacological effects until five years later, when he accidentally ingested the substance that became known to the 1960s counterculture as acid. He then took LSD hundreds of times, but regarded it as a powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropic drug that demanded respect. More important to him than the pleasures of the psychedelic experience was the drug's value as a revelatory aid for contemplating and understanding what he saw as humanity's oneness with nature. That perception, of union, which came to Dr. Hofmann as almost a religious epiphany while still a child, directed much of his personal and professional life. Dr. Hofmann was born in Baden, a spa town in northern Switzerland, on Jan. 11, 1906, the eldest of four children. His father, who had no higher education, was a toolmaker in a local factory, and the family lived in a rented apartment. But Dr. Hofmann spent much of his childhood outdoors. He would wander the hills above the town and play around the ruins of a Hapsburg castle, the Stein. It was a real paradise up there, he said in an interview in 2006. We had no money, but I had a wonderful childhood. It was during one of his ambles that he had his epiphany. It happened on a May morning I have forgotten the year but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden, he wrote in LSD: My Problem Child. As I strolled through the freshly greened woods filled with bird song and lit up by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light. It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wanted to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness and blissful security. (more) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/world/europe/30hofmann.html Good old Albert, Rest in Peace dude. That's a really good obit, with lots I didn't know, like the epiphany he had as a child. And the bicycle day celebration among acid-heads, wouldn't fancy riding a bike under the influence mind you. Ah, I get nostalgic thinking about the great times I had thanks to Alb and his freaky, synchronicitous discovery. It was an essential part of the spiritual path for me. Opens the mind to the possibilites of infinite consciousness. It's a shame the path of excess doesn't really lead to the palace of wisdom, but there is some marvellous scenery on the way. Shame it doesn't mix with the meditation but you can't have everything. I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke. I've never had a negative experience from his work. But I have gained much insight during periods in my life when changing my mind to the core was valuable. The tragic loss caused by trivializing psychedelic drugs is to psychotherapy where tools like this have such unutilized potential. Thanks to the foolish evangelism of Tim Leary and US drug policies which are shaped by lobbiests, cash, and puritanism rather than rational insight. I suspect it will be left to future generations to uncover the true value of his discovery. Till then it will remain as just a way to make the repetitive boring folk jams of the Dead palatable to alternative college kids. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante no_reply@ wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its psychopharmacological effects until five years later, when he accidentally ingested the substance that became known to the 1960s counterculture as acid. He then took LSD hundreds of times, but regarded it as a powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropic drug that demanded respect. More important to him than the pleasures of the psychedelic experience was the drug's value as a revelatory aid for contemplating and understanding what he saw as humanity's oneness with nature. That perception, of union, which came to Dr. Hofmann as almost a religious epiphany while still a child, directed much of his personal and professional life. Dr. Hofmann was born in Baden, a spa town in northern Switzerland, on Jan. 11, 1906, the eldest of four children. His father, who had no higher education, was a toolmaker in a local factory, and the family lived in a rented apartment. But Dr. Hofmann spent much of his childhood outdoors. He would wander the hills above the town and play around the ruins of a Hapsburg castle, the Stein. It was a real paradise up there, he said in an interview in 2006. We had no money, but I had a wonderful childhood. It was during one of his ambles that he had his epiphany. It happened on a May morning I have forgotten the year but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden, he wrote in LSD: My Problem Child. As I strolled through the freshly greened woods filled with bird song and lit up by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light. It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wanted to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness and blissful security. (more) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/world/europe/30hofmann.html Good old Albert, Rest in Peace dude. That's a really good obit, with lots I didn't know, like the epiphany he had as a child. And the bicycle day celebration among acid-heads, wouldn't fancy riding a bike under the influence mind you. Ah, I get nostalgic thinking about the great times I had thanks to Alb and his freaky, synchronicitous discovery. It was an essential part of the spiritual path for me. Opens the mind to the possibilites of infinite consciousness. It's a shame the path of excess doesn't really lead to the palace of wisdom, but there is some marvellous scenery on the way. Shame it doesn't mix with the meditation but you can't have everything. I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--CNN report on Salvia Divinorum, a legal psychotropic plant, available in some cities and on the internet: from Wiki...: Salvia divinorum Epling J¨¢tiva[1] Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner¡¯s Sage,[2] ska Mar¨ªa Pastora, [3] Sage of the Seers, or simply by the genus name, Salvia, is a powerful psychoactive herb. It is a member of the sage genus and the Lamiaceae (mint) family.[4] The Latin name Salvia divinorum literally translates to ¡°sage of the seers¡±.[5] The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning ¡°to heal¡± or ¡°to save¡±.[6] Salvia divinorum has a long continuing tradition of use as an entheogen by indigenous Mazatec shamans, who use it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions. [1] The plant is found in isolated, shaded, and moist plots in Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows to well over a meter in height, has large green leaves, and hollow square stems with occasional white and purple flowers. It is thought to be a cultigen.[7] Its primary psychoactive constituent is a diterpenoid known as salvinorin A[8][9]¡ªa potent ¦Ê-opioid receptor agonist. Salvinorin A is unique in that it is the only naturally occurring substance known to induce a visionary state this way. Salvia divinorum can be chewed, smoked, or taken as a tincture to produce experiences ranging from uncontrollable laughter to much more intense and profoundly altered states. The duration is much shorter than for some other more well known psychedelics; the effects of smoked salvia typically last for only a few minutes. The most commonly reported after-effects include an increased feeling of insight and improved mood, and a sense of calmness and increased sense of connection with nature¡ªthough much less often it may also cause dysphoria (unpleasant or uncomfortable mood).[10] Salvia divinorum is not generally understood to be toxic or addictive. As a ¦Ê-opioid agonist, it may have potential as an analgesic and as therapy for drug addictions. Salvia divinorum has become increasingly well-known and more widely available in modern culture. The rise of the Internet since the 1990s has seen the growth of many businesses selling live salvia plants, dried leaves, extracts, and other preparations. During this time medical experts and accident and emergency rooms have not been reporting cases that suggest particular health concerns, and police have not been reporting it as a significant issue with regard to public order offences. Yet Salvia divinorum has attracted increasing attention from the media and some lawmakers. Media stories generally raise alarms over salvia¡¯s legal status, headlining, for example, with not necessarily well-supported comparisons to LSD. Parental concerns are raised by focus on salvia¡¯s use by younger teens¡ªthe emergence of YouTube videos purporting to depict its use being an area of particular concern in this respect. The isolated and controversial case of Brett Chidester, a 17-year-old Delaware student who committed suicide in January 2006, has received continued attention. He reportedly purchased salvia from a Canadian- based Internet company some four months prior to taking his own life; his parents consequently blame this for his death. Salvia divinorum remains legal in most countries and, within the United States, legal in the majority of states. However, some have called for its prohibition. Most proposed bills have not made it into law, with motions having been voted down in committee, failed, died, or otherwise stalled. Other more recent bills are as yet still at the early proposal stage. There have not been any publicised prosecutions of anti-salvia laws in the few countries and states where it has been made illegal. - In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke. I've never had a negative experience from his work. But I have gained much insight during periods in my life when changing my mind to the core was valuable. The tragic loss caused by trivializing psychedelic drugs is to psychotherapy where tools like this have such unutilized potential. Thanks to the foolish evangelism of Tim Leary and US drug policies which are shaped by lobbiests, cash, and puritanism rather than rational insight. I suspect it will be left to future generations to uncover the true value of his discovery. Till then it will remain as just a way to make the repetitive boring folk jams of the Dead palatable to alternative college kids. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo richardhughes103@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante no_reply@ wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, yifuxero [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --CNN report on Salvia Divinorum, a legal psychotropic plant, available in some cities and on the internet: from Wiki...: I vote this the most obnoxious drug ever. There is no experiential comparison between its effects and that of the other hallucinogens. Or so I've read... Salvia divinorum Epling J¨¢tiva[1] Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner¡¯s Sage,[2] ska Mar¨ªa Pastora, [3] Sage of the Seers, or simply by the genus name, Salvia, is a powerful psychoactive herb. It is a member of the sage genus and the Lamiaceae (mint) family.[4] The Latin name Salvia divinorum literally translates to ¡°sage of the seers¡±.[5] The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning ¡°to heal¡± or ¡°to save¡±.[6] Salvia divinorum has a long continuing tradition of use as an entheogen by indigenous Mazatec shamans, who use it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions. [1] The plant is found in isolated, shaded, and moist plots in Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows to well over a meter in height, has large green leaves, and hollow square stems with occasional white and purple flowers. It is thought to be a cultigen.[7] Its primary psychoactive constituent is a diterpenoid known as salvinorin A[8][9]¡ªa potent ¦Ê-opioid receptor agonist. Salvinorin A is unique in that it is the only naturally occurring substance known to induce a visionary state this way. Salvia divinorum can be chewed, smoked, or taken as a tincture to produce experiences ranging from uncontrollable laughter to much more intense and profoundly altered states. The duration is much shorter than for some other more well known psychedelics; the effects of smoked salvia typically last for only a few minutes. The most commonly reported after-effects include an increased feeling of insight and improved mood, and a sense of calmness and increased sense of connection with nature¡ªthough much less often it may also cause dysphoria (unpleasant or uncomfortable mood).[10] Salvia divinorum is not generally understood to be toxic or addictive. As a ¦Ê-opioid agonist, it may have potential as an analgesic and as therapy for drug addictions. Salvia divinorum has become increasingly well-known and more widely available in modern culture. The rise of the Internet since the 1990s has seen the growth of many businesses selling live salvia plants, dried leaves, extracts, and other preparations. During this time medical experts and accident and emergency rooms have not been reporting cases that suggest particular health concerns, and police have not been reporting it as a significant issue with regard to public order offences. Yet Salvia divinorum has attracted increasing attention from the media and some lawmakers. Media stories generally raise alarms over salvia¡¯s legal status, headlining, for example, with not necessarily well-supported comparisons to LSD. Parental concerns are raised by focus on salvia¡¯s use by younger teens¡ªthe emergence of YouTube videos purporting to depict its use being an area of particular concern in this respect. The isolated and controversial case of Brett Chidester, a 17-year-old Delaware student who committed suicide in January 2006, has received continued attention. He reportedly purchased salvia from a Canadian- based Internet company some four months prior to taking his own life; his parents consequently blame this for his death. Salvia divinorum remains legal in most countries and, within the United States, legal in the majority of states. However, some have called for its prohibition. Most proposed bills have not made it into law, with motions having been voted down in committee, failed, died, or otherwise stalled. Other more recent bills are as yet still at the early proposal stage. There have not been any publicised prosecutions of anti-salvia laws in the few countries and states where it has been made illegal. - In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ wrote: I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke. I've never had a negative experience from his work. But I have gained much insight during periods in my life when changing my mind to the core was valuable. The tragic loss caused by trivializing psychedelic drugs is to psychotherapy where tools like this have such unutilized potential. Thanks to the foolish evangelism of Tim Leary and US drug policies which are shaped by lobbiests, cash, and puritanism rather than rational insight. I suspect it will be left to future generations to uncover the true value of his discovery. Till then it will remain as just a way to make the repetitive boring folk jams of the Dead
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, yifuxero yifuxero@ wrote: --CNN report on Salvia Divinorum, a legal psychotropic plant, available in some cities and on the internet: from Wiki...: I vote this the most obnoxious drug ever. There is no experiential comparison between its effects and that of the other hallucinogens. Or so I've read... I watched several YouTube videos of people's salvia trips and decided that doing salvia is an experience I can happily do without.
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante no_reply@ wrote: Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its psychopharmacological effects until five years later, when he accidentally ingested the substance that became known to the 1960s counterculture as acid. He then took LSD hundreds of times, but regarded it as a powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropic drug that demanded respect. More important to him than the pleasures of the psychedelic experience was the drug's value as a revelatory aid for contemplating and understanding what he saw as humanity's oneness with nature. That perception, of union, which came to Dr. Hofmann as almost a religious epiphany while still a child, directed much of his personal and professional life. Dr. Hofmann was born in Baden, a spa town in northern Switzerland, on Jan. 11, 1906, the eldest of four children. His father, who had no higher education, was a toolmaker in a local factory, and the family lived in a rented apartment. But Dr. Hofmann spent much of his childhood outdoors. He would wander the hills above the town and play around the ruins of a Hapsburg castle, the Stein. It was a real paradise up there, he said in an interview in 2006. We had no money, but I had a wonderful childhood. It was during one of his ambles that he had his epiphany. It happened on a May morning I have forgotten the year but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden, he wrote in LSD: My Problem Child. As I strolled through the freshly greened woods filled with bird song and lit up by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light. It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wanted to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness and blissful security. (more) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/world/europe/30hofmann.html Good old Albert, Rest in Peace dude. That's a really good obit, with lots I didn't know, like the epiphany he had as a child. And the bicycle day celebration among acid-heads, wouldn't fancy riding a bike under the influence mind you. Ah, I get nostalgic thinking about the great times I had thanks to Alb and his freaky, synchronicitous discovery. It was an essential part of the spiritual path for me. Opens the mind to the possibilites of infinite consciousness. It's a shame the path of excess doesn't really lead to the palace of wisdom, but there is some marvellous scenery on the way. Shame it doesn't mix with the meditation but you can't have everything. I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke. ** Another good piece in the LAT (you probably need to register for free): http://tinyurl.com/3tqkld
[FairfieldLife] Re: LSD chemist dies at 102
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, hugheshugo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Good old Albert, Rest in Peace dude. That's a really good obit, with lots I didn't know, like the epiphany he had as a child. And the bicycle day celebration among acid-heads, wouldn't fancy riding a bike under the influence mind you. Ah, I get nostalgic thinking about the great times I had thanks to Alb and his freaky, synchronicitous discovery. It was an essential part of the spiritual path for me. Opens the mind to the possibilites of infinite consciousness. It's a shame the path of excess doesn't really lead to the palace of wisdom, but there is some marvellous scenery on the way. Shame it doesn't mix with the meditation but you can't have everything. I was going to call my autobiography: Albert Hofmann - His part in my downfall But I wasn't sure how many would've got the joke. I would have. I doff my hat to the man as well. He gave me my first glimpse of Unity, from a bottle that still had his company's label on it. ( Should they go under, I will doff my hat to the passing of Sandoz as well. )
