As far as I can determine, no one has shown scientifically that the human mind can be "expanded" by any means. Anyone who has evidence that it has been shown, should cite it here. LoisI had my mind "expanded" by attending school regularly for a long time, believe it or not.
As far as I can determine, no one has shown scientifically that the human mind can be "expanded" by any means. Anyone who has evidence that it has been shown, should cite it here. LoisI had my mind "expanded" by attending school regularly for a long time, believe it or not. It wasn't your mind that was expanded but your knowledge. Don't confuse the vessel with the contents. If you fill a large vessel to capacity, it doesn't expand the vessel. Lois
I smoked a ton of pot and hash in college. It absolutely did expand my mind. In particular I listened to alot of music while stoned, and the detail you notice is so much more intense, and the musical connections, and what not. Try listening to John Coltrane while high…OMG! Of course it wasn’t free…it cost alot, I gained weight from increased hunger, non-high reality seemed dull so I “checked out” so to speak. So I wouldn’t do it again if I had the chance.
As far as I can determine, no one has shown scientifically that the human mind can be "expanded" by any means. Anyone who has evidence that it has been shown, should cite it here. LoisI had my mind "expanded" by attending school regularly for a long time, believe it or not. It wasn't your mind that was expanded but your knowledge. Don't confuse the vessel with the contents. If you fill a large vessel to capacity, it doesn't expand the vessel. Lois What about balloons?
I smoked a ton of pot and hash in college. It absolutely did expand my mind. In particular I listened to alot of music while stoned, and the detail you notice is so much more intense, and the musical connections, and what not. Try listening to John Coltrane while high...OMG! Of course it wasn't free...it cost alot, I gained weight from increased hunger, non-high reality seemed dull so I "checked out" so to speak. So I wouldn't do it again if I had the chance.When people talk about "mind expansion" I think they are mostly talking about enhancing creativity. I think that creativity comes down to being able to integrate from multiple perspectives and come up with something that is functional or appealing. Thus multiple perspectives are required. Drugs that don't completely F you up, can provide you with alternate perspectives. But then so can reading diverse subject matters or visiting different places or listening to different people, etc., etc.
I can say pot does not expand your mind, just dulls it. I can’t have any conversation with my friends while they’re high, and when I was playing a game with them I had to remind them it was their turn and all the things they could not do. It was annoying to say the least.
That and all the times I smoked with them it had zero effect on me.
If you have ever hunted, you know the experience of zooming in on one small item and having that expand to be your whole experience.Yeah, good one. When I first went hunting (my early 40s), the most amazing eyeopeners for me was how qualitatively different and focused my awareness became. Totally different from usual ladeeda walking through the woods for fun and whatever crosses my path. Very impressive insight. Which in it's own way was profoundly enlightening for me. Mind expanding, even. Lois, brains like muscles are more like balloons, than boxes with their set volumes.
I smoked a ton of pot and hash in college. It absolutely did expand my mind. In particular I listened to alot of music while stoned, and the detail you notice is so much more intense, and the musical connections, and what not. Try listening to John Coltrane while high...OMG.As someone who can't stand Coltrane and his ilk, I'd like to think drugs would make that sort of music more tolerable, instead of more enticing. :) That said, your right that drug use can make a musical experience more intense.
This is your brain on psychedelics
The Canyons of Your Mind] by the Bonzo Dog Band.
Yes, I was in the right frame of mind to appreciate this in my youth. 
I can say pot does not expand your mind, just dulls it. I can't have any conversation with my friends while they're high, and when I was playing a game with them I had to remind them it was their turn and all the things they could not do. It was annoying to say the least. That and all the times I smoked with them it had zero effect on me.Totally agree. It never did anything for me, and potheads are complete idiots. The fact is that psychedelics are bad - like all drugs are, and people don't use (abuse) them because they're creative or intelligent or whatever other horseshit users run their mouths about - people use them because there is some void in their life that they can't fill with something more productive.
This is your brain on psychedelics The Canyons of Your Mind] by the Bonzo Dog Band. Yes, I was in the right frame of mind to appreciate this in my youth. ;-)Oh Dear Non-existent God! If a substance helped you appreciate that as anything other than some sort of parody, you must NEVER use that substance again!
If you have ever hunted, you know the experience of zooming in on one small item and having that expand to be your whole experience.Yeah, good one. When I first went hunting (my early 40s), the most amazing eyeopeners for me was how qualitatively different and focused my awareness became. Totally different from usual ladeeda walking through the woods for fun and whatever crosses my path. Very impressive insight. Which in it's own way was profoundly enlightening for me. Mind expanding, even. Lois, brains like muscles are more like balloons, than boxes with their set volumes. Have to give credit to Michael Pollan for that. In Omnivore's Dilemma he goes mushroom hunting. He does a bit of a parody of the feeling of being part of nature when hunting game. You can use the abilities to focus on one object or look for a pattern or to use your peripheral vision and try to take in a whole landscape, anytime you want if you train yourself a little.
It just occurred to me some this of mind-expansion stuff may be about knowledge percolating into your body.
I often us the descriptive “visceral” because that’s exactly what it feels like, certain awarenesses that infuse my whole physical being.
It’s probably why Alex Gray’s work impresses and mesmerizes me because I actually sense that sort of stuff inside - it goes beyond intellectual knowledge. Like it’s one thing to understand Earth, moon, sun, planet’s orbits and rotations, but it’s another to occasional feel it under your feet, sort of like on the outside looking in. Or that getting into what’s actually happening within your body, or that ultimate religious experience of great music that infuses every cell of your body as it dances you, while taking your spirit soaring.
Now that I got myself out of bed to put down those thoughts, I’m reminded me of another mind-expanding experience I’ve had.
In my earlier couple adult decades I had fleeting, but repeated attempts at deep spiritual meditation, getting in touch with The All, that stuff guru’s and mystics talk about.
Then one time out in Canyon Lands NP, out there literally on top of world looking at an endless vista, camping a few days and hiking a bunch with friends.
We did some Black Honey, ground up mushrooms in honey in a cute honey bear. My pals and I were on a walk off to an interesting rock formation and I was getting into the zone, and decided to split off, go into another trippy rock formation/pile, and sat down, breathing, closing down my internal dialogue, trying to touch that spiritual place, I felt primed and the time was right. Well I got into the zone alright and found myself out in the middle of a void and it was like frightening as hell, getting kicked out of a space ship or something - FUCK THIS! :ahhh: , I’m getting back to my rocks and real life stuff. That was the last time I dabbled with that deep meditation shit. Ever since I’ve been happy to keep my meditations Earth bound, it’s a wonderful place, at least what’s left of it - and oh that life story she has, man that is something we can’t take away from her and it’s the most wonderful amazing thing to be aware of on a visceral level - beats religions texts and promises a billion to one.
Good night and may providence bless 
- well maybe 2nd ultimate
I can say pot does not expand your mind, just dulls it. I can't have any conversation with my friends while they're high, and when I was playing a game with them I had to remind them it was their turn and all the things they could not do. It was annoying to say the least. That and all the times I smoked with them it had zero effect on me.Are you sure you weren't smoking oregano, which looks alot like pot? Or maybe you're abig fella and smoked too little. :)
I smoked a ton of pot and hash in college. It absolutely did expand my mind. In particular I listened to alot of music while stoned, and the detail you notice is so much more intense, and the musical connections, and what not. Try listening to John Coltrane while high...OMG.As someone who can't stand Coltrane and his ilk, I'd like to think drugs would make that sort of music more tolerable, instead of more enticing. :) That said, your right that drug use can make a musical experience more intense.Interesting. I've never heard any serious jazz lover say they didn't like Coltrane. Although if your idea of great jazz is Count Basie and such I could understand (which is not to say CB is not great jazz, just that if that's what you were raised on then ya I can see that Coltrane, Bird, etc. would be a hard sell.) Coltrane does take some serious listening though to "get it". I often think if Bach were alive he'd dig Coltrane because Bach too had many layers that took serious listening to detect and appreciate.
As far as I can determine, no one has shown scientifically that the human mind can be "expanded" by any means. Anyone who has evidence that it has been shown, should cite it here. LoisI had my mind "expanded" by attending school regularly for a long time, believe it or not. It wasn't your mind that was expanded but your knowledge. Don't confuse the vessel with the contents. If you fill a large vessel to capacity, it doesn't expand the vessel. Lois What about balloons? The mind is not a balloon. Also consider what many balloons are filled with--hot air. Lois
I smoked a ton of pot and hash in college. It absolutely did expand my mind. In particular I listened to alot of music while stoned, and the detail you notice is so much more intense, and the musical connections, and what not. Try listening to John Coltrane while high...OMG.As someone who can't stand Coltrane and his ilk, I'd like to think drugs would make that sort of music more tolerable, instead of more enticing. :) That said, your right that drug use can make a musical experience more intense.Interesting. I've never heard any serious jazz lover say they didn't like Coltrane. Although if your idea of great jazz is Count Basie and such I could understand (which is not to say CB is not great jazz, just that if that's what you were raised on then ya I can see that Coltrane, Bird, etc. would be a hard sell.) Coltrane does take some serious listening though to "get it". I often think if Bach were alive he'd dig Coltrane because Bach too had many layers that took serious listening to detect and appreciate.Nah, I'm not a jazz fan - never been able to get into it. Some jazz rock is OK, but it's not something I couldn't live without.
I can understand that MA. Jazz was an acquired taste for me. Weather Report’s Sweetnighter album did it for me. Coltrane is less accessible. Don’t even think about listening to Sonny Rollins.
As far as I can determine, no one has shown scientifically that the human mind can be "expanded" by any means. Anyone who has evidence that it has been shown, should cite it here. LoisI had my mind "expanded" by attending school regularly for a long time, believe it or not. It wasn't your mind that was expanded but your knowledge. Don't confuse the vessel with the contents. If you fill a large vessel to capacity, it doesn't expand the vessel. Lois What about balloons? The mind is not a balloon. Also consider what many balloons are filled with--hot air. Lois Ok so I was being an "airhead" with that comment. (Although, I think, a rather clever airhead.) Seriously, though, the term "mind" is a rather artificial construct that is a convenient way of communicating about our general thought processes. It seems obvious to me that my thought processes have become more "expansive" so to speak, more complex, more prone to be multi-perspective, more inclined to be analytic, etc. etc., through not only taking in new "knowledge" but thru having been exposed to various experiences.
The mind is not a balloon. Also consider what many balloons are filled with--hot air. LoisFair enough, but sure has the ability to grow. Or . . . ? _______________ Tim, thumbs up!