“Psychedelics don’t work for enlightenment”

I had someone share this post with me today and ask for my thoughts on it. It ended up sparking an incredible discussion in my Psychedelics for Self-Inquiry Program group call. So I decided to write down some of what it sparked for me and share that here. I leave out the author, because that part honestly doesn’t matter. That’s not what this is about.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with me, I am a nondual psychedelic facilitator. Shamanism and its secret enlightenment teachings have been my primary vehicle for awakening. Plants are my gurus.

I hear spiritual teachers share this sentiment frequently: that psychedelics aren’t useful in the awakening process. But these sentiments are one-sided and incomplete.

I’m not writing this to rebut this teacher’s post point-by-point. But rather to invite a curiosity into the overlooked truth that exists in the Shamanic lineage. Because this isn’t about this one teacher. It’s a response at-large to a message I hear again and again.

I want to start by saying that he makes many great points in this post, and I agree with a large majority of what he’s saying — I cover most of this in my Psychedelics for Self-Inquiry Program, because frankly without this basic level of discernment, you’ll likely get stuck. But does this mean psychedelics don’t work to support awakening? No. It simply means that most either don’t see, or they misinterpret, the deeper teachings which have long been carried by the Shamanic tradition.

Using his same language, I could easily discredit meditation and every tradition it has been built into:

“If enlightenment could happen through meditation, it would’ve already happened to millions of people. It hasn’t.”

Meditation on its own doesn’t produce enlightenment. Meditation is a tool. And that tool can be used in myriad ways: to make life a little better, as an escape, and, when practiced with discernment and good guidance, it can be an important tool to support one’s journey of spiritual awakening. Psychedelics are no different.

We’re facing an interesting time in psychedelic history. Meditation is woven into spiritual lineages that have maintained a certain level of respect and continuity since their inception. This continuity has upheld the integrity of meditation as an invaluable practice on the path of enlightenment. 

Even though plant medicines are also part of lineages that have a certain level of continuity, that continuity has unfortunately gotten warped and discredited by a culture steeped in a “war on drugs” that has a long history of crushing anything we deemed “savage”. Even though we’re now “beyond” those times, the ripples remain. It’s the ocean we’re swimming in, and these echoes of colonialism remain largely invisible to most of us.

One could easily explore meditation on their own and come to the conclusion that it’s no good as a tool on the path of awakening. Outside of the lineage, the real teachings (and their depth) are likely to get lost.

We’re seeing that with plant medicines in the modern era of spirituality. The true enlightenment teachings are hidden underneath mental fireworks and temporary ego-death experiences. The traps and pitfalls that we can get swept up in are real; and we’ve allowed this to discredit these sacraments as a genuine tool. And, as someone who is devoted to the Shamanic lineage and its secret enlightenment teachings, I find that to be a shame in a time when psychedelics are coming back to the forefront.

I’ve done my fair share of meditation, but that doesn’t put me in a position to discredit it or the lineages it’s part of. Who am I to say what path another should follow? Who am I to discredit something? For some, prison is the path to enlightenment. Does that mean everyone who finds themselves in prison will wake up? So why do we discredit and dissuade those who naturally feel drawn to plant medicine, rather than encouraging them to find their own unique path?

It’s important for those who seek truth and lean on the help of plant sacraments to remain vigilant of the many pitfalls and cul-de-sacs one can fall into. It’s important not to get caught up in escapism. But the tendency towards escapism isn’t pointing us away from psychedelics, but rather to the truth of the conditioning our modern world has instilled in us without our knowledge. 

Having personal experiences with psychedelics is not the same as being a wisdom-keeper. Just like doing loads of meditating doesn’t make one a zen master.

It saddens me to hear spiritual teachers making claims like this from a place of ignorance, and doing their followers a great disservice in the process.

To those who have used psychedelics or plant medicines and can feel that there’s something deeper there: I urge you not to let teachers dissuade you. Just because one person cannot see the deeper teachings, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Perhaps all it means is that you haven’t yet encountered someone who is able to transmit them.