Top 10 Greatest LSD Quotes
![JERRY GARCIA [1942-95] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2136/2457654579_1cf00ec18e_o.gif)
“Nobody stopped thinking about those psychedelic experiences. Once you’ve been to some of those places, you think, ‘How can I get back there again but make it a little easier on myself?’”
—Quoted in Rolling Stone, November 30, 1989
![TERENCE MCKENNA [1946-2000] Image](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2458484896_2746dae91f_o.gif)
"LSD burst over the dreary domain of the constipated bourgeoisie like the angelic herald of a new psychedelic millennium. We have never been the same since, nor will we ever be, for LSD demonstrated, even to skeptics, that the mansions of heaven and gardens of paradise lie within each and all of us."
![STEVEN WRIGHT [1955- ] Image](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2458484954_38491c1130_o.jpg)
"If God dropped acid, would He see people?"
![BILL HICKS [1961-94] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2166/2458484992_5a634c3099_o.jpg)
"Always that same LSD story, you've all seen it. 'Young man on acid, thought he could fly, jumped out of a building. What a tragedy.' What a dick! Fuck him, he’s an idiot. If he thought he could fly, why didn’t he take off on the ground first? Check it out. You don’t see ducks lined up to catch elevators to fly south—they fly from the ground, ya moron, quit ruining it for everybody. He’s a moron, he’s dead—good, we lost a moron, fuckin’ celebrate. Wow, I just felt the world get lighter. We lost a moron! I don’t mean to sound cold, or cruel, or vicious, but I am, so that’s the way it comes out. Professional help is being sought. How about a positive LSD story? Wouldn't that be news-worthy, just the once? To base your decision on information rather than scare tactics and superstition and lies? I think it would be news-worthy. 'Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves' . . . 'Here's Tom with the weather.'"
![JIM MORRISON [1943-71] Image](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2457654743_0dae588bb8_o.jpg)
"In the beginning we were creating our music, ourselves, every night . . . starting with a few outlines, maybe a few words for a song. Sometimes we worked out in Venice, looking at the surf. We were together a lot and it was good times for all of us. Acid, sun, friends, the ocean, and poetry and music."
![KEN KESEY [1935-2001] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2458485068_eb0704b350_o.jpg)
"I believe that with the advent of acid, we discovered a new way to think, and it has to do with piecing together new thoughts in your mind. Why is it that people think it's so evil? What is it about it that scares people so deeply, even the guy that invented it, what is it? Because they're afraid that there's more to reality than they have confronted. That there are doors that they're afraid to go in, and they don't want us to go in there either, because if we go in we might learn something that they don't know. And that makes us a little out of their control."
—Quoted in the BBC documentary, "The Beyond Within: The Rise and Fall of LSD," 1987
![TOM WOLFE [1931- ] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2458485154_f931c5a407.jpg)
“The Pranksters had what looked like about a million doses of the Angels’ favorite drug—beer—and LSD for all who wanted to try it. The beer made the Angels very happy and the LSD made them strangely peaceful and sometimes catatonic, in contrast to the Pranksters and other intellectuals around, who soared on the stuff . . . The Angels were adding LSD to the already elaborate list of highs and lows they liked, beer, wine, marijuana, Benzedrine, Seconal, Amytal, Nembutal, Tuinal. Some of them had terrible bummers—bummer was the Angels’ term for a bad trip on a motorcycle and very quickly it became the hip world’s term for a bad trip on LSD. The only bad moment at Kesey’s came one day when an Angel went berserk during the first rush of the drug and tried to strangle his old lady on Kesey’s front steps. But he was too wasted at that point to really do much.”
—The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, 1968
![TIMOTHY LEARY [1920-96] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/2458485190_2ac2f9e73a.jpg)
"'Turn on' meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. Drugs were one way to accomplish this end. 'Tune in' meant interact harmoniously with the world around you—externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives. Drop out suggested an elective, selective, graceful process of detachment from involuntary or unconscious commitments. 'Drop Out' meant self-reliance, a discovery of one's singularity, a commitment to mobility, choice, and change. Unhappily my explanations of this sequence of personal development were often misinterpreted to mean 'Get stoned and abandon all constructive activity.'"
—Flashbacks, 1983
![HUNTER S. THOMPSON [1937-2005] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/2457654951_41d16c7da2_o.jpg)
“That was the fatal flaw in Tim Leary’s trip. He crashed around America selling ‘consicousness expansion’ without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all the people who took him too seriously . . . All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours, too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped to create . . . a generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old mystic fallacy of the Acid Culture: the desperate assumption that somebody—or at least some force—is tending the Light at the end of the tunnel.”
—Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971
![ALBERT HOFMANN [1906-2008] Image](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/2458485266_9250d9c34e_o.jpg)
"Of greatest significance to me has been the insight that I attained as a fundamental understanding from all of my LSD experiments: what one commonly takes as 'the reality,' including the reality of one's own individual person, by no means signifies something fixed, but rather something that is ambiguous—that there is not only one, but that there are many realities, each comprising also a different consciousness of the ego. One can also arrive at this insight through scientific reflections. The problem of reality is and has been from time immemorial a central concern of philosophy. It is, however, a fundamental distinction, whether one approaches the problem of reality rationally, with the logical methods of philosophy, or if one obtrudes upon this problem emotionally, through an existential experience. The first planned LSD experiment was therefore so deeply moving and alarming, because everyday reality and the ego experiencing it, which I had until then considered to be the only reality, dissolved, and an unfamiliar ego experienced another, unfamiliar reality. The problem concerning the innermost self also appeared, which, itself unmoved, was able to record these external and internal transformations. Reality is inconceivable without an experiencing subject, without an ego. It is the product of the exterior world, of the sender and of a receiver, an ego in whose deepest self the emanations of the exterior world, registered by the antennae of the sense organs, become conscious. If one of the two is lacking, no reality happens, no radio music plays, the picture screen remains blank."
—LSD: My Problem Child, 1980
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User Comments - Add a Comment
Bob Dobbs, Slacker - 2008-05-21 20:46:24
Acid is life without having to live. A quadriplegic could fly all the way to the moon if he could get enough acid
drg - 2008-07-06 10:16:22
I AM BIG FAN OF WILL SMITH
Thomas - 2008-07-17 14:47:11
These people are incredibly diluted; All but Hunter S., anyway. I took acid in my youth. I certainly identify with the character of the experiences described. But this idea of LSD as some sort of ultimate gateway to enlightenment is a joke. It is a chemical. It causes chemical reactions in the brain. It is fun and euphoric and exciting, sure. But it is not a path to any ultimate reality. It does not elucidate the nature of the universe. It causes neurons to fire in an abnormal manner. End of story.
Anonymous - 2008-07-24 11:44:16
sorry thomas but youre obviously a very simple person who apparently doesn't have the metal capacity to understand what you experienced. you can be filed under the people that use the chemical just to get "messed up" rather than a unique and amazing tool as well.
blowden - 2008-07-24 16:00:58
You can look for explanations and insight, get all wrapped up in something way bigger than you or any thoughts about reality that you've ever had. Or you can chill the fuck out, have a good time, and end up standing on the shore of lake Erie shouting out horrible things to Canadians across the water.
Anonymous - 2008-08-04 14:47:12
You're right Thomas, that's exactly what it does. Plays with your neurons. But ultimately, the state in which it leaves your mind is, indeed, a state of enlightenment. Enlightenment, simply put, is wisdom, understanding and clear perception. Whether it be religious enlightenment, spiritual or whatever you want to call it, LSD surely induces it. Your neurons control all functions of the brain, and if LSD has the ability to alter those neurons then why do you have such a hard time coming to terms with the fact that while on the drug you are indeed at times enlightened, and as Hofmann said, taken by you're subconsciousness' alter ego. I'm only 17 and this is what I believe.
Rev. John C. Link - 2008-08-10 10:05:55
The Terence McKenna quote should be #1, by far. But if you're interested...go with a naturally occurring plant, and only work with a reputable Shaman. These are Sacraments, and Medicines that these purveyors of these ancient arts understand. Go with a good guide, or don't at all. Doing this right is akin to Tantra...anything less may well be well intentioned, but not the way to go IMHO. Blessings!
ppp - 2008-08-11 19:18:36
Shrooms are better.
acidhead - 2008-10-22 16:17:27
well. first of all, define perception. once you have done that you will realize time is infinate, reality is meaningless and procured by the observer. out of the box?
Aaron Morgan - 2008-11-01 04:42:25
One from Me 'the one who fights acid is fighting a battle they can never win'
sam - 2008-11-13 01:10:49
Starvation leading to a lack of glucose in the brain can lead to tripping, which may explain how many monks centuries ago would have "revelations" after confining themselves to caves or the woods for weeks on end. Also a lack of sleep leads to the same scenario. These have to do with the loss of the brain's ability to maintain a "survival" mode where resources are saved and the input valve remains shut; that is, after extenuating stress or some sort of chemical receptor-mediated event (influx of LSD), the brain's neurons will begin firing rapidly allowing senses to become distorted and extravagant. Absent these conditions, the mind is focused on gaining energy, saving energy, and staying alive. Read Huxley's The Doors of Perception.
Here - 2008-12-10 13:26:41
@Anonymous, puh-leeze. It gets you stoned. It's no better then heroin or pot. Taking it for what it is, a mere drug you take to get high, is fine. Taking it and saying it gave you some kind of major religious experience and leads you on the path to nirvana is just stupid. Using drugs is pretty stupid anyway but using them to "better" yourself or your thinking just makes you a tool.
Dave - 2008-12-13 01:13:28
Fucking hippies. New-age bedwetters, always looking for some mystical answer to a question they've long forgotten. Patchouli-scented relics of a time greatly exaggerated by Madison Avenue and the beginnings of voyeur journalism, all brought to you by Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Huh. The lagacy of these losers? Well, there's granola. And the still-sold idea that somehow collectively we can change the world with rock and roll under the summer sun with daisies painted on our nipples. Christ almighty. Acid was fun, sure. But damn.
CatsFive - 2008-12-15 14:53:04
Blowdon-- Dude. I live in Canada, and I wish you trippers over there on the beach would hold it down a little. It's -30C here right now. We're trying to meditate, and it's a little hard with nonsensical statements like "Your stones are just a heart's throw away!" wafting over the lake to us. Thomas, what you just wrote is so incomplete and so poorly understands everything that LSD is and the world it opens up for people, it's like saying, "I tried sex. The orgasm is just your brain's neurons firing." Uhhh... the orgasm pretty much drives the f#@king planet, dude. And yes, LSD is like sex. Sure, it's a transcendant experience and all that, but it's something you have to practice. It's something you have to get good at. "Bummer" bad trips are like premature ejaculation. They don't happen very often to expert trippers. I've been offered shrooms and LSD dozens of times and said no, thanks, I'm not in the space, not ready right now. And when it's all ready, and all right... magic. That's when you learn that the worlds our most famous intellectuals talk about here aren't just fiction. If you're not ready to understand that, then I suggest you have "END OF STORY" carved into your tombstone.
yeah right - 2008-12-15 18:05:03
1) granula was invented by some cereal guy in the '30s, it was stolen and renamed granola by those kellog douches. 2) acid definitely fucks you up, a lot of people see "god" or are "reborn" (literally through the birth canal) and lots of other wacky group-identity stuff...that doesn't make it more or less "true" than not tripping your face off 3) A lot of these guys were great...Hunter S, Hoffman, even the lunatics understood they were on to SOMETHING they just never figured out what it was, except for maybe Hunter and Hoffman.
Thelonious - 2008-12-15 19:24:53
A) Quote #6 is lame. It says nothing about LSD. B) There is some middle ground between "LSD is a gateway to enlightenment" and "What a bunch of fucked-up losers." One need not buy into some baroque esoteric metaphysics to acknowledge that LSD offers some insight (perhaps rather difficult to interpret) into consciousness and our relation to the world. Verbalizing it can be difficult, so maybe we should cut those fucked-up stoners a little slack.
steve - 2008-12-15 22:31:44
as with anything in live, you get from hallucingens what you can take from it. i became severely manic depressive on a mushroom trip, and i look back on it as one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. ive learned more about myself in the handful of evenings on hallucinogens than in the 20 years of life prior to them.
fucked-up stoner - 2008-12-15 22:56:40
i agree thelonious and thanks for cutting us potheads some slack.
deadhead420 - 2008-12-16 18:18:34
Take it for what it is, a chemical, yet a psychedelic. Ive taken LSD 5 times, and mushrooms several, each trip very different and unique. Your experience is greatly affected by your mindset. First time i tried LSD i wasn't as into the psychedelic nature and peace and everything else i believe in today. My trip was not very spiritual. A year later after becoming what you consider a 'hippie' although i do not like the term, i tried LSD again. Used it as the gateway to enlightenment that it is and never have i had a more amazing, spiritual look at myself and well everything. Have the right mind frame and your experience will be much more pleasurable.
Justin - 2008-12-17 15:18:11
@ HERE, You are right and wrong. The first time I did acid, I just wanted to get messed up, I was never informed what it actually does to you, just that it makes you see trippy things. After the very 1st time I loved it. That's where you're right, people can love it too much and, although it's not physically addictive, it's very mentally addictive. You do it once, and you love it so much you want to do it over and over again. I've done LSD about 24 times, 23 of them were amazing trips. I was in an alternate reality, without even realizing it, and that wasn't good, because the reality I was in on drugs would have ruined my life (because I was stupid with drugs) if I didn't have a bad trip. My 24th time, I had a 36 hour bad trip, the longest, most horrifying, most insane 36 hours of my life. But that trip changed my life. Having the bad trip made me realize afterwards that I need to change and realign my priorities. If I never started doing acid, I can guarantee I would have been doing some other stupid ass addictive drug that fucks my life up. I never dropped acid in an effort to better myself, I took it to escape to such a euphoric and amazing place, and to make myself more knowledgable. In the end though, it DID better myself. I know and the people around me can see that I am a better person. I don't plan on doing acid for a long time, my brain is still a little fried, but over the years of my life, I definately would love to do acid once in a long while, just as a vacation. Too many vacations though, then you'll never return.
soapboxguy - 2008-12-23 05:45:19
Re: Here. Everything I had to say in response to what you said has already been addressed barring one point. You lumped Heroin and Pot in the same category, when in every aspect (chemically, intentional effects, side effects, etc.) those are completely different substances. It is ignorant to regard a vast spectrum of substances (heroin, pot, ecstasy, cocaine, etc) as one evil concept, i. e. Drugs. We are living during Prohibition 2.0 The War on Drugs is wasting billions of dollars a year and has wasted trillions. It is a disaster and another symptom of religious doctrine invading our government. We can put this behind us by educating ourselves and others.
mcsquared - 2008-12-24 23:50:25
I was always fond of Jack Kerouac's opinion of Acid "Walking on water wasn't built in a day."
Roger - 2008-12-26 18:31:29
LSD is to enlightenment as McDonalds is to nutrition. The state attained with LSD is better achieved through meditation which is the Eastern way. The Western mind wants it fast and without effort and the fact that the drug is a foreign substance flaws the so called revelations that result. Apply hallucinogens day after day and it will tear one's personality down. Apply meditation and yoga day after day and the result is strength.
Archie _ 1970's - 2008-12-31 22:22:50
I've taken more than 100 acid trips, all to my enlightenment. I thing these freaks that jumped off buldings and thought they could fly had mental problems. A good friend, last name "Armen" said it best, "LSD is a good time in a pill". I only wish it was still readily available! I'm 51 now, but would still entertain the idea. LSD is impossible to overdose on, at least for a human being, so party on, and pleade send me some. My wife really wants to try it with me. PS: she's never tried mescaline, LOVe2ALL
Bill - 2009-01-03 09:23:22
#7 FTW... I've taken a few drugs now, some to get away from reality, some to enforce the pure ass kicking reality can give you and some to get over a bad day. Coke is shit, Speed is shit, meds are shit, alcohol is SHIT, smoking is shit, most drugs are shit. You feel guilty because your constantly snuffling and laughing like a fucking sex offender. And the next day can be a killer... Well folks, that didn't happen to me on LSD. I didn't feel guilty, I felt comfortable. I didn't get a headache, my head was just full of thoughts. And most importantly, I began to think about the small things in life. How can a little piece of paper send you into a different place? The answer for me is: Of course it's a chemical. That buzzing is a side effect. The rainbows and tracers and distorted faces are fucking side effects!!! But what goes on in your head is not a side effect. You've been given the push on the bike of deep thought. Ride it hard...
Xanadu Xero - 2009-01-09 11:01:40
Timothy Leary came to my wedding party, which was a biiig disco shebang, kind of Burner '78. He didn't come because I was so cool. He came because he was that sleazy. I just vaguely knew 'who he was.' To me he was just one of The Old Guys I saw drunk at every party, whether invited or not. http://www.xanaduxero.blogspot.com
Bernhard Grünewald - 2009-01-16 05:00:12
A perfect list. I am going to read it at the Stockholm Concert Hall event on February 7th.
Henry Clay - 2009-02-01 22:01:10
Having dabbled in the world of psychedelics my opinion is this: Acid does not provide spoon-fed enlightenment. What it does, however, is help the user acknowledge the complexity and wonderment of the cosmos. In its own special way, LSD allows the mind to transcend the held notions of society, ripening the conditions for a journey into Enlightenment. Nobody should expect to become the Buddha in 12 hours. Inner peace ought to be earned, but LSD may lead you on the right path.
Nakedblues - 2009-02-05 20:56:20
Hell yes Henry. LSD and other such drugs only show you the door. They cannot get you through but they can show you what the other side has to offer. I agree that enlightenment is better reached through a disciplined practice in being present in your inner-space or heart, yet LSD can push you in that direction. It did for me that's for sure. Some people do only "get fucked up" but that is only because that is what they chose to get from their experience. Reality is what you make it. "Yeah Right", you said that "even the lunatics knew they were on to SOMETHING but never figured out what that something was"? Well read a little about Krishna Dass and Ram Dass (who were part of Leary's crew at Stanford). They believe that they have found what that SOMETHING is and LSD was the start of their path. LSD is like a little whisper in you ear that turns you on to your inner self and galactic contemplation. I encourage you all to read BE HERE NOW by Ram Dass and Living the Bagavadgita-Paths to GOD by Ram Dass assuming that you are well read in famous mythology texts such as the Bagavadgita. Keep in mind that all the known spiritual or religious texts out there such as the Bible and what have you, they are all beautifully written metaphors, never meant to be taken literally. Those three texts are some of the most beautiful texts I have ever read and they put it all into a pretty good understanding. Furthermore, you are all correct for there is no such thing as right or wrong. There is just the infinite moment which is chaotic peace. Blessings. OM Shant Shanti Shanti
Al - 2009-02-11 17:56:00
LSD is an an amazing chemical, but there is one amazing thing it cannot do, and that is to think for things for you. Any sort of enlightenment or profound discoveries do not originate from this molecule, these come from your self. Your experience will completely depend on your memories, thoughts and perceptions. All LSD is is a tool to create a new perspective and see the world and yourself in a completely different way than you ever have before. To say the whole experience comes from a drug and not your own psyche is extremely narrow minded. On the other hand, it does not really cause one to become enlightened. If enlightenment is what you seek, perhaps you will find it and maybe LSD can help you get there, I don't know. But it does seem to be an enormous catalyst in the creative thought process, and can help you see the ways you have been programmed by society and media and perhaps to break free from some of this conditioning.
Gabriel Cruz - 2009-03-25 21:13:24
On acid you can see everything is changing, there´s no reality without change, without movement, without transformation... Reality is , in fact, like waves on the ocean, they only exist in motion...
Bob Barson - 2009-04-03 21:36:47
We just did it to have a good time.
bryan - 2009-04-09 11:13:51
drugs are soooo GOOD!
Anonymous - 2009-04-10 16:07:26
theres a good and bad side to everything. i wouldnt be the same without my experiences and it has definitely enriched my life. i used to have incredibly bad depression/anxiety and acid really let me step outside that and see that everything is a state of mind and i am a much more quality individual now. acid did way more for me mentally than any psychotherapy ever has. for everyone who says ohh its just a chemical blah blah blah fires up your neurons well i got news for you our entire reality is made up of chemicals and electricity. and i also think its worth considering that acid was developed at the exact same time as the atomic bomb. its definitely the love drug and it has a lot of potential
D - 2009-04-12 20:51:55
You can accomplish all you need spititually naturally. Let the body connect with your spirit through your heart. The chemical way is a trickster . just think about the chemical world we experience now , how does it feel? Everything needed to have happiness is within.. just ask.
kita - 2009-04-15 14:13:06
anyone experienced with psychedelics - used with right will, right intent .. in right setting ... understands that these substances serve as allies in the quest for a deeper understanding of human consciousness and one's existence ... yet these allies can also be partners in crime to the those who haven't done the 'work' ... there is no easy path to enlightenment ... and no better or worse path .. it matters not the path or practice ... it is entirely contingent upon the traveler ... the most powerful example of this i have ever experienced was in an ayahuasca ceremony in peru ... ayahuasca allowed me an experience of being imbedded within "source" ... and the message was powerfully loud and clear ... we ALL have access to this 'power' ... that it is entirely up to each and every one of us what we do with it .. we ARE the creators of our own experience ... there is no passing the buck ... nor any bail out .. there are substances that guarantee a bad trip ... alcohol most especially ... they aggrandize the ego and nail shut the doors to expanded perception ... best to be avoided at all cost ... any substance or practice that stills the mind, expands awareness and opens the heart should be valued and cultivated ... yet even as such, can serve no purpose to the uncultivated heart and mind ...
flower power - 2009-04-15 15:18:53
CREATE ... In the name of the KRE, the LSD and the MTE. ... CRE ate ... LSD ... MTE ease the mind feeled of mines. Eh, man!
2dumbfortheinternets - 2009-04-16 20:09:59
When I hear things like, "we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively", my bullshit detector goes completely wild. What the fuck does that mean? Could one of you explain it to me? Of course not; it is a meaningless, subjective, completely irrational statement. What I find most interesting about the testimonials of most (not all) of those who advocate psychotropics as a means of discovery -- either of the self, or of reality -- is the vague, vapid ambiguity of their statements. They seem to feel as if they are part of some exclusive club, which the rest of us cannot gain access to because of some inherent defect -- usually, that we are too stupid, deluded or ignorant to "see the light". Ironically, most of them seem completely oblivious to the fact that they sound like a bunch of religious windbags who shill similarly irrational statements to their followers while condemning the non-believers. Like said windbag, the LSD-advocate remains blissfully ensconced in his smug, self-assured beliefs, and any attempt to convince him that what he has experienced is merely another subjective experience is met with derision and scorn. Why? Because, like religious experiences, the "knowledge" accrued during acid trips cannot be proven or disproven; it purports to transcend reality itself, to reach beyond the bounds of science into the realm of faith. Does acid allow you to see reality as it truly is? Are the experiences real, or conjured? That is *completely impossible to say*, just as it is impossible to say whether a person who believes they get down on their knees each night and speak to Jesus is a mystic or a schizophrenic. Believe it if you want, but you will not catch me living my life according to the "discoveries" made during what is effectively a theological coin toss, and shame on anybody who runs about spouting off about it to others. Kesey advocated acid as a tool for thought; those who think of it as a method of transcendance are just playing dice with spirituality.
daniel - 2009-04-20 08:19:54
hahahahhahahahahahaha im on acid at the moment and i think this is hilarious
EROCx1 - 2009-04-23 01:01:19
Nice list. I must add my favorite LSD quote: "well, I always thought Tim Leary said this, but when I asked him, he completely disowned this brilliant remark, which let me know he was an enlightened man cause I never would have disowned it. So, somebody said -- not Tim Leary -- "LSD is a psychedelic drug which occasionally cases psychotic behavior in people who have NOT taken it." Now many drugs are like that, and we have many psychotic people running around who have been driven mad by drugs they never took. But what they did take was your civil rights, your freedom to guide your own life, and your right to make your own decisions. This kind of thing is intolerable. If there is an iota of possibility that these substances enhance consciousness -- and remember, they used to be called "consciousness expanding" drugs (just a straight phenomenological description) -- if there's an iota of possibility that they augment consciousness, then we have to put the pedal to the metal in this matter. Because it is the absence of consciousness that is pushing us toward extinction, that is causing us to loot our children's future, that is causing us to accept the elimination of thousands of species per month without pouring into the streets to loot and smash the institutions of those who allow these kinds of atrocities to go forward. I think the era of politeness has gone on just about long enough. And there's going to have to come a moment where people stand up and are counted. We have seen our freedom taken away, we have seen our environment destroyed, we have seen our political dialogue polluted, and still we take it, and take it, and take it. You know, being counter-cultural is more than a fashion statement. I recall an obscure Chinese philosopher named Mao Tse Tung, who once said, "The Revolution is not a dinner party!" Of course, he went on to say it's an armed struggle, prosecuted by the forces of the people. I don't think we're ready to call for armed struggle, but I think it is time to call for "HANDS OFF THE AMERICAN MIND. GIVE US BACK OUR MIND." The American mind is one of the most creative minds in the world, and it is being confined, compromised, and sold down the river by people who can't think of anything better to do with the world than fabricate it into stupid products and sell it at twice its natural worth." -Terence McKenna
kevin - 2009-04-30 09:58:18
lsd switches your brain from survival mode to unfiltered perception..chemically its not very well understood but the end effect of these chemical reactions are simple and clear if looked at in a certain way
danm - 2009-05-05 11:37:50
I took LSD more than once. I spent twenty years working in a hospital psychiatric unit. I believe that most of our experiences of what we consider "real" is subjective, we create our view according to our culture, the events that shape us,and how we name it. I have met people full of kindness and compassion that never experienced a psychedelic, and I have met assholes that meditate and talk about how spiritual they are. Its all in the eye of the beholder. I learned to play and listen to music, read books,Tao Te Ching and I Ching were helpful. Weeding the garden, hiking, reading the currents of a river, and cooking and eating food at the end of a long trip were all quite informative. Sitting in silence, looking where my thoughts started, and watching them pull "me" into some drama. Lying on the floor with the ceiling a foot above my eyes. Helping numerous people go through bad trips, including myself. Watching my face melt to a skull and morph into a thousand faces. sitting with a friend and communicating without speaking. Connecting to trees, rocks, water, animals, and gaining an appreciation of nature. Being extremely uncomfortable and seeking the source of my discomfort, often finding it in a companion that is scared. Watching my "death". Hooked to the "acid chokechain" that pulled me back to things I did not like about myself, and seeking a way to resolve my loathing. Having an innate experience of empathy toward others, caring and nurturing others. I learned to listen and calm psychotic people, which I believe I learned from using LSD, and bringing that knowledge back. I believe that we synthesize and create neurotransmitters that can shift our consciousness, if we know how. I think that our beliefs may or may not any basis in "reality", mine included. Infinity and eternity can be experienced while eating a fresh picked garden salad. I laughed so hard, I was afraid I might need to go to an ER, which made me laugh more. If you are conscious, you might as well use it to explore, discover, and make sense out of nonsense, there is no word for it, if you say it, you're lying, you can't hold it, if you chase it, it will disappear, sit down, shut up, surrender. Oh, wait, it only made me crazy, but I did hold the keys to the crazy house, which counts for something. I think Ram Das gave his Guru three doses of white lightning, and the Guru overcame all effects of the drug. So maybe it is nothing, but there is" nothing you can hold for very long", like too many cups of coffee. Happy Trails to you
peter - 2009-05-17 08:46:42
hhaha im 15 and that shit is hectic theres deffinetly something about it its of the chain think aobut what it does that hecttic shit the visuals u can get off that shit is fucking hectic no other way to describe it its beyond words its so powerfull and mind altering make u start chain thinking were u teach your self i dno like thousands of thaught a second that all link up together in some way and ur realising something as all of theese thaughts are passnig through your head untill u come to a conclusion of something that really means nothing but u manage to get caught up in your own mindgames for the rest of the night
Bjork - 2009-06-11 22:53:04
Like Hofmann said everyone has a different way of looking at things. Reality is multi-dimensional. So everyone has a different experience on acid. Some may have a very life changing happening, others will just trip. 'Here' is pretty gay. Look up DMT. If anyone wants to get closer to themselves and attain the unknown,DMT is where its at bizshitches.
s0ul - 2009-09-10 00:09:37
acid taught me the meaning of life...
shay - 2009-09-13 23:33:16
these are the people we should be listening to. 2012 2012 2012 everything is what you make it to be
gaara adams - 2009-09-18 23:10:13
i thank ALBERT HOFMANN cos i beleieve tht LSD is one of the best discovery's in the world.
aurora borealis - 2009-09-23 20:45:21
Acid isn't the quick path to enlightenment. It's more like the bumps on a lego piece, the shape is already there, but the bumps hold it together. When I finally had my enlightened acid experience, I already knew everything, I already had all the pieces to the puzzle. What it did was help me understand them, and put them together. I realize that the my whole life I already knew the answers, I already had the emotions and beliefs, but once I had my enlightened acid trip, I realized the importance of them. They all came together and I saw the significance in all of it. How it all connected. I looked back on my life after my most prolific acid experience, and all my belief's, favorite quotes and books, feelings, and raw emotions, they all led me to this point. Acid just helped me see the connections in all of it. "the patterns" the mobius strip of life. Acid doesn't teach you anything you don't already know. It just allows you to see if in a way, free of ego, free of bias, free of your consciousness. Your subconscious is an extremely powerful tool, but our bodies, our ego, they keep us anchored to the physical, rational world. Acid takes you away from that, allows you to explore the deepest feelings and actually grasp them and make sense of it all. It breaks the barriers of emotion and allows you to see chaos for what it really is.. harmony. gravity, electricity, love, life, motion, science, religion. They're all just rational concepts trying to explain the irrational. It's the randomness, the chaos of the world that alludes to the harmony, and consistency of the world. The infinite choices, the unending predisposal of potentials. It's love, and hate meaning the same yet infinitely opposite. It's seeing how fucking goddamn beautiful it all is because of this. Life is, and I can't stress it any more, BEAUTIFUL. Acid doesn't do anything. You do all the work, Acid just helps you find that last missing puzzle piece. So never stop questioning the world. Understand why people feel, do, and act the way they do. See the beauty in sadness and happiness. stay in the middle and you'll discover the truth. Don't let others influence your beliefs, discuss them, but only allow it to build on your own. Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of the genius.
chelsea - 2009-10-28 18:51:38
Reading Timothy Leary's explanation hit me in a wave of understanding, agreement, and most of all, anger. I'm an A student, graduating high school this year, and the one bit of knowledge i recall from previous years of history (sad that they go through so much trouble for us to wipe clean the information instilled in our minds every year to prepare for the next) was that specific quote. "Tune in, turn on, and drop out." Not to say I've ever had anything against it, but the teacher explained it in the literal terms, saying just what Leary was trying NOT to convey to the people. It's a load of bullshit that we're expected to believe everything we hear in a classroom.
Dillon - 2009-11-11 08:28:32
I completely agree with Roger.
bookbeatkid - 2009-11-12 05:29:59
Roger.
Dan - 2009-11-21 14:27:03
experiences are enlightening..a drug is the most extreme thing you can do in a lifetime. 10 hits of acid will open your mind to a shit load more then jumping out of a plane
broadleef - 2009-12-06 13:09:26
LSD has been a catalyst for change in countless people. While some have changed for the worse, many many more were changed for the better. Yet, as Bill Hicks said, you won't here about that from the state run media. If this drug helps people to open the doors of enlightenment, which in turn causes them to emerge a better person, how is that a bad thing? Why are so many frightened by it? I would argue that those people are afraid to take a good look in the mirror which, in many cases, is exactly what acid cuases one to do. If it causes serious personal examination resulting in a positive change, why must so many try to stop it? Why must so many (who do not truly understand)speak out against it? Take for instance 2dumbfortheinternets post on 2009-04-16 in which he says "They seem to feel as if they are part of some exclusive club..." well, we do feel that way, just as if you talked with someone that had taken a vacation to the same place you had gone. Even though you were there at different times, you still have a lot in common and a basis for conversation. Now imagine if that place were not on this Earth, but a distant planet, through time, or even to a mythical or spiritual place, perhaps even a shared dream. People that have had an experience with LSD have been to the same mental place and realized their connection to all other life. They have a greater understanding of themselves and how they relate to the world around them. They know where their values lie and what is truly important to them. It is no coincidence that people who have experienced LSD show less concern for material wealth and greater concern for nature, family, and the true wealth of our lives. Do you still think it's just a chemical? Or could it perhaps be viewed as a tool to allow us the opportunity to see and understand those things in life that are truly important.
Anonymous - 2009-12-14 22:52:43
doesnt it seem odd to any of the advocates of LSD that no one in power in the world has these same views as you? you would think that if it were meant to be this way at least one ruler with this perception of reality would have come to power. there is a reason why the world is not being led in the direction introduced by LSD. just imagine if everyone DID take acid, how the world would be. it would go right back to the simple, unmaterialistic form of life that was lived by cavemen. this in turn, would cause history to repeat itself. it is human nature to invent and advance. i dont think it is realistic to say we could ever get to a point where we all have complete understanding and everything is in harmony.
Yohanan - 2009-12-24 14:28:10
LSD is a powerful enabler for the adept. Those who seek shall find, and when they find, they shall be bothered by what they have found, because they were not prepared for the depth and scope of what they found. Word to the wise,...be prepared, bring your finest tools, let go of what you "think", and step across the threshold of vanity, expect the most unexpected, fear not, allow your curiosity to wander. To all the others, who wish to "tell YOU about how YOUR experience will be"; Forget them, they "know" nothing of what you may have inside waiting to be discovered, they were never meant to understand, enlightenment is an individual quality, it is only for the brave. "If you do not bring out that which is within you, that which is within you will consume you."
Jonah - 2010-01-11 11:37:21
Wow, 8 of the 10 people quoted here are dead. Is LSD that deadly?
benimble046 - 2010-01-15 01:05:13
Jonah, imho - you're comment was dumb. Everyone dies. Those quoted here, among so many others, are (were) very enlightened beings. Were would the 21st century be without their contribution to altered-state conciousness? You, I, and everyone (past, present & future) are in this "dream", we call life, together. You don't have to take LSD or any drug to understand this - unless you are so egotistical and self-centered that the universe revolves around you -. Drugs are not and should not be the only avenue to realization. Drugs inhibit us to sense our environment more directly and more quickly than what we have been physically conditioned throughout our existance. If we are to evolve, adapt, and survive we should consider and learn whatever it is we gain from this new knowledge. It's almost like we live in the era when the world was flat. But instead it's our collective conciousness that is flat, so to speak. If you deny that we are all connected, you must certainly have a very limited idea of the world. Becoming aware of the endless and infinite patterns that life weaves should encourage in us compassion and second-thought for our own actions and the actions done by others. LSD, religion, knowledge, etc. are not the answer to life, the universe and everything. Like many have said, it's a tool - whether you prefer to use a hammer or a rock is your own preference. It's where we are going and how we get there in the amount of time we have. :) BTW, I've only done acid once, and I'm uncertain if it was even LSD. I'm not an advocate of it or any drugs, but I can't and won't reject their benifits. It doesn't mean I won't do them in the future; I agree with kita, you should experience them in the right setting and with the right intent. peace
roguge_lemming - 2010-01-16 15:14:52
When you take lsd, it is just a chemical reaction in the brain, but if you think about it, so is death. You produce high doses of DMT for example, the moment you accept death (and also when you dream). All life is, who you think you are and what you wake up to every morning, is just the perception of this chemical reaction taking place in what we call reality. Accepting death for what it really is at the peak of an lsd trip, allows you to explore the infinite possibilities of life, and return, grasping on to time, memory and "reality".
Love - 2010-01-19 21:13:05
I've done acid three times in my life, the first two times I only did a hit, the third time, I did three, my cousin was with me and did one, but he said it felt like at least two compared to all the times he's ever done it, so perhaps I did a bit more. I've never had a more life changing experience. Prior to this I suffered from an anxiety disorder, of which I refused to take any valium or xanax bullshit for. I smoked weed to help with it, but it was a crutch on which I did not wish to lean. I didn't want to use drugs, I wanted to be strong on my own. Two hours into my trip, I left my body and my ego was dead. LSD turned me into many different things that I cannot explain. I existed as a mere particle of energy in environments so bizarre that words cannot describe them. One thing in my life that triggered my anxiety the most was the feeling that I did not have enough time for anything. Not for myself, not for the people I loved, or for the things important to me. Lucy carried me to the center of the Universe, and let me watch the hour glass that keeps time flowing in our reality. I watched as every grain of sand fell ever so slowly, and I laughed because it was so beautiful. Then she whispered, "See? You have all the time in the world." For the remainder of my trip I had many different visions and thought deeply into myself. All the while the words echoed through my head, "I have all the time in the world." After coming down from the peak I thought deeply about my loved ones. My mother, my father, my friends, my dogs. I cried as a realized how much I actually loved them, I had never realized how much they meant to me and how much I had taken them for granted. After this trip, I quit smoking weed. I started to express my love for my loved ones, and I now do everything I can to make sure they know I love them. I would go to the ends of the Earth for them. I also conquered my anxiety, with my simple phrase I had learned. Whenever I felt really anxious, like their was a boulder on my chest, like I was about to explode, I'd whisper to myself, "I have all the time in the world." And instantaneously the pressure was lifted from my chest, expelled in my exhale. I've never done LSD since. It was a bit of a frightening experience to be honest, and was nothing short of an emotional roller coaster, but it's what you make of this altered state of consciousness that's important. I don't claim to have reached Nirvana, but it definitely let me look at the world through eyes I never knew existed. It didn't change me, it simply showed me another way, and I chose to change.
our_last_stand - 2010-01-24 20:03:00
Your so right rogogue_lemming We wake up each morning and "reality" kicks in. Forget about that nice dream, time and money are real now. Coffee and a fag for breakfast, get in the shower and go to work, not really thinking about it, everybody else seems to cope fine. Get back in time for your favourite TV programmes, eat some food, gotta get up early tomorrow, get an early night. Repeat. Weekend comes, need to unwind. But how? Don't wanna meddle in dangerous drugs, could get 20 years, stick to beer for now, maybe risk a bit of weed. Don't think about that lsd trip you had when you were younger, it wasn't real. That feeling though... that i discovered something i shouldn't have. Choose life not reality
Woo - 2008-05-09 13:31:15
Hunter is so right on that. Some of these people have no critical thought.