Contradiction and Duality in Esoterica

Anyone that has delved into the occult or other forms of esoterica has probably noticed that there is a lot of contradiction going on in. Not necessarily in the sense of saying one thing and then saying another but more along the lines of taking two sides of a duality and combining them. It recently occurred to me that this is done for a very good reason.

As humans we tend to see the world in pairs of opposites: hot and cold, wet and dry, light and dark, good and evil. The list goes on and on. In truth, reality is a continuum of these assorted extremes but that doesn't stop us from categorizing things by what they are opposed to. This is just how we make sense of our world. This said, how can we understand the true nature of the world, the continuum, without combining these opposites in some way?

At the boundary where opposites meet, or even in that gradient between them, we find beautiful contradiction and dynamic interplay. This brings us to phrases like "the Middle Way" and to concepts like the androgynous Mercury that is a mixture of male and female. As Terence said, "Moderation in all things." I think this applies to belief systems and ideas as well. Perhaps we can only understand the extremes by seeing how they interact with one another. To know cold one has to know warmth.

I think that there is another, more important reason for expressing esoteric ideas in contradictions and riddles though. I think this is because some ideas or concepts can only be expressed by contradiction. Contradiction forces us to think outside of our typical day-to-day categorization. It frees our minds of the chains of physicality for a moment to consider the impossible, the higher realms of mind and spirit. Contradictions such as "cold fire" force us into a non-linear state of mind which is conducive to spiritual exploration and allows us to gain an inkling of the infinite.

Contradictions aren't always used to obfuscate information in esoteric texts. Sometimes that's the only way to actually convey the teachings. Some things cannot be expressed in words and sometimes the best we can do is guide the mind to that truth with something that ostensibly doesn't make much sense. It's not necessarily about reserving information for the chosen ones that can decipher the text; it's also about using that language to guide seekers to the state of mind necessary to really grasp what's being conveyed. Keep this in mind the next time you're reading through an old grimoire or religious text. You may begin to see things in a new light.

Mind-Altering Substances and Spiritual Experience

The use of mind-altering substances in mystical experience has been with us probably since mankind first discovered these substances. I have no experience with mind-altering substances other than alcohol so I will be using that as the primary example. What I have to say most likely applies to substances other than alcohol but that is for you to decide.

Moving through the various literature or communities that discuss metaphysical or mystical experiences you will probably come across those that feel that entheogens and mind-altering substances are tools for experiencing spiritual reality. You will probably also encounter those that feel one should never use these substances because they will hinder ones abilities and progress or they will simply trick the person into believing they are having a profound experience when it was really nothing but the effects of a psychoactive substance. There are more complexities such as the legality and availability of certain substances, the culture that comes along with them, and the possible risks to health but for the purposes of this post I'll focus on the question of whether using substances makes an experience less real than not using substances.

Again, I speak only from the perspective of using alcohol but alcohol is considered to be psychoactive so what I say should be relevant to those that use other substances. I find that using alcohol for mystical purposes simply makes it easier to enter certain states of mind. If I am drunk then I am drunk whether I am being mystical or just watching TV. There is a certain baseline to the experience of drinking alcohol. Alcohol typically affects memory and motor function and usually will not make you experience profound spiritual truths without a little effort on your part. This has been my experience at least.

What I am trying to convey is that simply being inebriated has a character of its own just as being sober has a character of its own. One can choose to perform mundane activities or mystical activities in either state and aside from the obvious effects on memory and motor function there will not be a lot of difference in the experience. I have found that alcohol makes it easier to access the states of mind required for mystical experience, probably because of alcohol's famous ability to lower inhibitions all around. Alcohol also allows a person to relax which is, in my opinion, a fundamental prerequisite for altered states of consciousness.

Broadening the example a little bit we could ask the question: Does a mind-altering substance cause you to have a mystical experience or does the substance allow you to have a mystical experience? I'm sure there are as many opinions as there are people that possess them. I think that if a person has experience with a substance outside of a mystical context then they will be able to tell when they are simply under the influence and when something a little more out of the ordinary is going on. Just as we notice a difference from everyday consciousness when drinking alcohol because we are sober most of the time we will begin to notice when something goes beyond the effects of a substance if we have enough experience with that substance to know how it normally affects us.

This is not to say you should run out and buy drugs or alcohol because they might help you into altered states of consciousness. I'm writing this only to give my perspective on the entheogen debate. One does not have to use mind-altering substances to have spiritual experiences. I have had profound experiences while absolutely sober and to date nothing I've experienced while intoxicated has compared to my sober experiences. I only observe that alcohol helps me reach a calmer, more receptive state faster. It does have its drawbacks in that being inebriated can be distracting to ritual or other relatively complex mystical contexts. There seems to be a "magic" amount that gives you all the benefits with few of the drawbacks and this is probably different for everyone.

There you have it, my views on the use of mind-altering substances in a mystical or spiritual context. I could go on about the symbolism of alcohol or whether using these substances will actually hurt your spiritual progress but those are perhaps topics for another time. I do feel that some people probably should not use mind-altering substances because of personality flaws that could make them more susceptible to addiction or other problems. Not everyone is capable of controlling themselves and even the best of us can still fall prey to substance abuse so before using mind-altering substances for any reason, mystical or recreational, one has to examine themselves closely.

Ultimately the decision of whether to use or not is up to the individual and they must take responsibility for their choices and their actions. I'll say again that you can have intense spiritual experiences whether sober or intoxicated. For some people the use of mind-altering substances may be something they wish to explore. For those that want nothing to do with it then more power to you. I'm a firm believer that there are several paths to any destination and that all roads eventually lead to the same place.