Comments on: Hone Your Own Flow http://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/2009/05/11/hone-your-own-flow/ Psychedelic Musings from the Center of the Universe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:05:16 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Rafael http://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/2009/05/11/hone-your-own-flow/comment-page-1/#comment-1290 Rafael Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:51:27 +0000 http://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/?p=9#comment-1290 Just wanted to share with you my own flow experience, which I got from marijuana. Although I no longer smoke weed (I have my reasons), I still look back fondly on my stoner days. One thing I noticed was that when I was both drunk AND high, I couldn't play very well. I tended to lose my sense of rhythm, and even my place in a song. But when I was just high, I could play just as well as when I was sober. Sometimes, even a little better. Three years ago I visited my friend in another city. We smoked weed of course, then we went bar-hopping. In one of the bars we visited, there was a band playing. We were friends with the lead singer. He (the singer) invited me to jam with their guitarist since it was the end of their set anyway. So I sat down on the cajon and we played song after song. And I was still stoned but man, the rhythm was flowing out of me like a river! The singer was sitting at the table with my friend and he (according to my friend) was raving about my playing. Just wanted to share with you my own flow experience, which I got from marijuana.

Although I no longer smoke weed (I have my reasons), I still look back fondly on my stoner days. One thing I noticed was that when I was both drunk AND high, I couldn’t play very well. I tended to lose my sense of rhythm, and even my place in a song. But when I was just high, I could play just as well as when I was sober. Sometimes, even a little better.

Three years ago I visited my friend in another city. We smoked weed of course, then we went bar-hopping. In one of the bars we visited, there was a band playing. We were friends with the lead singer. He (the singer) invited me to jam with their guitarist since it was the end of their set anyway. So I sat down on the cajon and we played song after song. And I was still stoned but man, the rhythm was flowing out of me like a river! The singer was sitting at the table with my friend and he (according to my friend) was raving about my playing.

]]> By: Shamballistic http://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/2009/05/11/hone-your-own-flow/comment-page-1/#comment-1212 Shamballistic Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:26:57 +0000 http://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/?p=9#comment-1212 I've enjoyed your playful and explorative musings on the psychedelic experience - this is definitely your best article yet. I have to agree with Geopoliticus however that your overly skeptical, atheistic bias can be bit much. Eastern traditions have a far LONGER track record than Western "scientific positivism" in reliably and consistently taking people to higher states of consciousness. This "science" of the East (i.e. Yoga) with it's millions of practitioners over thousands of years, have mapped, explored and pioneered some of the furthest reaches of human consciousness. To casually discount it smacks of dogmatism and a very peculiar form of materialist bias given the subject matter. Treating the psychedelic endeavor as an elaborate computer game with "magic tricks" and "cheat codes" is fun to be sure, but if that's all you do, you'll come up empty when the quarters run out. I’ve enjoyed your playful and explorative musings on the psychedelic experience – this is definitely your best article yet. I have to agree with Geopoliticus however that your overly skeptical, atheistic bias can be bit much. Eastern traditions have a far LONGER track record than Western “scientific positivism” in reliably and consistently taking people to higher states of consciousness. This “science” of the East (i.e. Yoga) with it’s millions of practitioners over thousands of years, have mapped, explored and pioneered some of the furthest reaches of human consciousness. To casually discount it smacks of dogmatism and a very peculiar form of materialist bias given the subject matter. Treating the psychedelic endeavor as an elaborate computer game with “magic tricks” and “cheat codes” is fun to be sure, but if that’s all you do, you’ll come up empty when the quarters run out.

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