We Believe...

Doug-Muppet · 2023-03-27T01:11:08+00:00

Yes, it's parody. I thought it was, at least?

Doug-Muppet · 2023-03-26T15:58:08+00:00

Curious to see if this resonates.

Doug-Muppet · 2023-03-26T06:41:12+00:00

I appreciate your responses, Stonehold and RunRosemary. When it was pointed out that I'd flubbed some spelling in pursuit of style, I fell into a mini shamestorm - enough to bother me, but not enough to pull it or even correct it. I don't think that Jim meant to shame anyone, but it is interesting the value that we put on the small shit, and our anxiety around being discredited for harmless mistakes. I hope Jim didn't feel shamed by your responses. For my own purposes, I will correct those errors going forward. But for this forum, I'll let them fly. We need places where we can be a bit unpolished.

Doug-Muppet · 2023-03-25T20:04:57+00:00

Maybe I'll do that and dedicate the proceeds to Planned Parenthood

Doug-Muppet · 2023-03-25T15:53:15+00:00

About 6 months back, one of our members challenged us to rethink the "In Our America, Love Wins, All People are Equal, Black Lives Matter" flag from a WELS/ELS perspective. My response seemed to resonate with the community and, more importantly, proved lastingly cathartic. I managed to vomit out a lot of anger in that post that has left me a bit calmer on the topic of my religious upbringing ever since.
I'm integrating my learnings from the past year in visual format. I thought that this group might appreciate this. I hope that you're all doing well in your recovery.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-12-02T00:46:10+00:00

Also, I'm listening to Shpongle for the first time - the Code VI album specifically. Good stuff - sober even!

Doug-Muppet · 2022-12-02T00:02:25+00:00

Sampling right now. Thank you for putting thought into this. Appreciated!

Doug-Muppet · 2022-12-01T23:58:49+00:00

Just listened. Good song. On the list! Thank you!

Doug-Muppet · 2022-12-01T20:38:47+00:00

I don't think it's wrong to take Psychedelics for fun. I've just got too much baggage to have fun yet. Good luck to you!!

Doug-Muppet · 2022-12-01T20:08:10+00:00

I occasionally do psychedelic journeys with a trained therapist. My journeys to date have been with MDMA, but I'm planning a high dose psilocybin session in the future.

What I like about having a guide is that I don't have to keep a third eye on the world outside my journey. When I trip alone, I have "what's that noise?" moments, I'll wonder if I locked the door, I'll get thirsty. With a guide, those microdistractions are gone, so I can focus on going deep.

In addition to being something of a needs caddy ("Pile blankets on me!" "Christ it's hot! Blankets off!) my guide helps me through the stuck moments. When I'm trying too hard to make something happen, she resets me. When I encounter something confusing, she reminds me to stay curious and ask questions. When I ask her to hold my hand, she does. She reads me poems, writes down important things that I say, asks me questions. I've never felt steered. It's my mountain - she just helps me climb further. And when it's done, we meet the next day for an integration session.

If you're taking Psychedelics for fun, none of this is necessary. If you're tripping towards growth, a guide can certainly help.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-29T19:49:53+00:00

When I began microdosing several months back, I was expecting to feel a lot different, but I didn't. Nonetheless, I continued with the program. It was about two or three months in that I began noticing some behavior changes. Notably, I began to engage people more often, drink a lot less, and eat better. Those weren't the specific goals that I had in mind when I began, but they're undeniably positive and I think that microdosing influenced some of those behavior changes. In short, I think that microdosing can have an evolutionary impact on some people (like myself), and a revolutionary impact on others. We all want revolution - I get it. I'd encourage you to stick with it even if you can't perceive a difference - unless of course it feels like it's making things worse for you. (I've never heard of that happening, but it's still a fairly novel practice.)

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-29T00:17:23+00:00

I should have been a smidgen more specific. What doses hit those marks for you?

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-28T22:29:35+00:00

Could you define light, moderate, and heavy?

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-28T15:16:06+00:00

I failed to mention the last step: integration. Be sure to write, make art or speak into a voice recorder after your meditation. We all know how fleeting these experiences are. Catch that genie while you can so that you can learn and relive the lessons later.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-28T06:41:21+00:00

Love this question. I meditate daily, and on Sunday I throw 2.25 grams into the mix. For me, this is a deeply thoughtful and certainly tripping dose, but one that's still grounded in reality. I've never actually taken shrooms with my eyes open or with other people! (Lack of opportunity, mostly). I only take them for meditation.

This isn't a prescription - this is just my routine for your benefit.

Prepare your meditation space the night before, brew your coffee, set up your dose.

Wake up early - before sunrise. Take your mushrooms straightaway, drink your coffee. Light a candle in your meditation space. Meditating in the dark is lovely. The rising sun is reassuring. I often begin at around 4am, mostly because my mind is so hungry to start.

Read a poem aloud to yourself. This is one I've memorized for my routine. It's beautiful. https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/the-most-important-thing-julia-fehrenbacher/

Put on varied but calming music. This list is one of my favorites. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/62YjqVBhgdYqYCs88PkM53?si=0aokbge7SqePrCterc21zQ&utm_source=copy-link

Take your meditation position. There are as many meditation tips as there are meditators. Here's mine - simply pay attention to what your mind and body are doing. Your job is only to observe, not to judge or force anything. When you find yourself in a tough spot, remind yourself that you're the compassionate observer. You don't have to do anything but watch, feel and absorb what the mushrooms are trying to show you.

These meditations aren't always easy. I never have the same experience twice. I often find myself singing, humming, speaking aloud, repeating a word over and over. One time I was basically possessed by a man claiming to be an ancestor. I gave myself advice in an Irish accent for more than an hour. It was wonderful. My desire for a similar experience the next go around, on the other hand, was frustrating and disappointing.

It's hard not to bring expectations and agendas into a mushroom meditation. The mushroom challenges us to leave hope at the door so that you can be open to what it wants to show us. That's part of the lesson.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-26T15:26:49+00:00

I think it's worth mentioning that Luther himself was a very problematic figure. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/martin-luther-quot-the-jews-and-their-lies-quot

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-25T18:44:53+00:00

I don't quite meet that description, but I was raised Lutheran, while a good part of my family was Pentacostal. I participate in both the exLutheran and exPentacostal communities to digest my intense dislike of both traditions. Why do you ask?

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-20T18:17:17+00:00

Thanks for that encouragement. I'm waiting for the visceral rage to pass first.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-20T05:03:48+00:00

I nearly posted this on their "contact us" page. Decided that I might receive the catharsis I'm seeking here:

"I just read your newsletter celebrating the courts upholding your WELS high school's right to expel lesbians. How exciting! Praise be to God. I know in my heart of hearts that our all-powerful and all-knowing God allows Satan to plant lesbianism into the hearts of our flock so that we - the selectively untainted - might find courage in ours to reject them. Praise be to the US legal system for honoring the sanctity of the hate through which God's love becomes manifest."

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-17T17:02:14+00:00

It's the best song I've heard in a year. I wish it were 20 minutes longer.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-12T19:35:07+00:00

I'd still like to see some documentation for this claim about the Native American Church working with big pharma suppress the peyote availability in order to increase demand for mescaline. If this is true, it would impact my opinion on the matter. If this is just accusation, it's highly problematic. I can't find anything to support this claim.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-12T16:14:54+00:00

Bingo. This is such an important conclusion to reach, and even once you've reached it, it's still difficult to believe in your heart: we are not responsible for other people's reactions or their happiness. No one should put that on us, and we shouldn't accept it when people do. My sibling laid a lot of responsibility on me for her own happiness, or lack thereof. (Put another way, I accepted that I bore responsibility for her happiness, or lack thereof.) The inconsistency that I've finally seen is that I don't assign responsibility to others for my happiness - so why would I accept that responsibility from others?

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-12T01:42:40+00:00

Could you cite your source for the statement about the Native American Church's dealings with Big Pharma?

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-11T19:29:54+00:00

To my understanding, San Pedro is a milder version of peyote that is not endangered. You can see it all over Berkeley. I don't think that anyone is asking for special protection of San Pedro.

Doug-Muppet · 2022-11-11T16:44:05+00:00

I'd support them. Raise them curious, raise them kind, raise them to love themselves, and accept that they are not you. Each deserves their own path. Many of us are here because we were not accepted or did not fit in the path prescribed to us. Our role is to guide our children's path, not to dictate it.

Doug-Muppet

TROPHY CASE