Another book I wouldn't consider picking up - but this one provoked at least as many interesting ideas per page as compared to any other book club selection. I liked it.
Also liked a prior Pollan book - "The Botany of Desire"- some overlapping concepts, but not many.
My notes are below - lots to think about.
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Does mention the botany of desire thesis - perhaps mushrooms learned how to benefit from manipulating humans - seems unlikely. When author takes the azzies (found near Columbia mouth - the three parks we visited) - this is what he thinks of - communicating with plants (timing of the experience, and conceiving the book?) (Wife has a painterly experience more specific to her profession.) End of ch 2 . . . Seems to be the same as my ruminations below about a mere chemical reaction, influenced by one's personal history,
middle aged persons recommended to try (not so much young folks) - ? maybe more prone to seek/find incremental meaning if not busy enough, not connected enough, "searching" for whatever reason? Feeling the clock is running out, maybe the job wasn't enough or the family experience wasn't everything one hoped for??
Seems telling that expectations matter so much to the experience that occurs
James's definition of "mystical" - they do try to put some words around it so that it is possible to say the experience is "mystical" - but necessarily vague . . . if religions try to do this, immediate skepticism
Darwin/evolution - what kind of world where one can tap into the main consciousness only if found the right set of chemicals? ["stoned ape" discussion not closely tied to this - hominids finding mushrooms unleashing their brains to put together language - huh?]. That makes no sense to me.
Seems unsurprising that we can stumble upon chemicals that act upon the brain in a fairly consistent way . . . yielding a different experience than available in the absence of those chemicals, but colored by expectations, setting, prior experiences. Not sure how significant it is.
Except there would be value for folks that are troubled by whatever - without proving anything about consciousness outside the brain - if the experience consistently reinforces the basic values: the road map thing about trusting, open, being (whatever the fourth item) - "love is everything" - things that might seem prosaic but somehow clarified in this condition?
everyone is "searching" to some extent . . . where does this take us?
I already don't feel up to the task of fully absorbing music, literature, religion - much of this is pretty elevating - not sure why I would want an "artificial" (word chosen intentionally) prop in this enjoyment.
look for: how this might connect to Eastern spiritualism; Christian mystics; Native American experiences. Folks get there without drugs . . .
References to Goethe, Joseph Banks - broader views than modern specialists
1960s - descriptions of LA practitioners making $$ off free samples from Sandoz; Cary Grant's sad story
Some guy named Hubbard credited with spreading around Silicon Valley . . . engineer willingness seems like MLB players looking at steroids.
Leary, Ginsberg - boring to me then and now. So much blather about change the world, expand consciousness, "squares" refusing to partake.
I emphasize curiosity . . . am I uncurious about this? Perhaps . . . moreso a feeling that this would be of value, something like religion, to persons who feel something is missing in their lives. Or looking for something to do. Or they just enjoy it - there's a lot of stuff people enjoy that I don't understand or desire for myself. Pretty strong reaction that I need to convince myself this isn't useful, at least for me. why?
Chapter trying to define mysticism - useful - brain is chemical-driven, how much does it matter where the chemicals are sourced? "Quieting the ego" - less aware of oneself. Goes on to discuss non-added-chemical approaches that seem to do the trick.
Discusses how the "trick" as to efficacy might be shutting down brain's default mode . . . the sector where the brain does work when not required to deal with a task. Might relate to dreaming. "Default mode" sector identified in early 2000s so not clear.
But might align with evolutionary stuff in Africa book . . . brain development had upside but also consumed so much energy . . . a brain system utilizing shortcuts makes a lot of sense.
Book continues with lots of discussion of the "default mode" issues, how that can start to become a negative if the mind gets "stuck" in defined tracks - addictions, depression (focus on certain harmful issues), etc. Psychedelics as possibly helping break the cycle.
Interesting discussion comparing children's minds to adults on psychedelics - when very young, much more open to trying out-of-the-box solutions.
Maybe a world of intense specialization makes many of us narrower in some way, makes "breaking out" more important than in less specialized times.
Regaining the sense of awe or wonder (thinking of those Romantic-era scientists).
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