Kip Ashlynn on Nostr: This is such a deeply cool thread thank you for tagging me!! I have so many thoughts ...

This is such a deeply cool thread thank you for tagging me!! I have so many thoughts to add!

1) Yes I believe the gateway experience is about this process. We should differentiate between the gateway experience, from the Monroe institute and military run programs like project Stargate (and a bunch of other names because every times it's declassified/cancelled it pops up elsewhere with a different name) that used the gateway experience as training. The program I was in when I was little did sensory deprivation in a very low tech way, the lady would bring me into the library supply closet and turn off the lights while I listened to the recordings on big noise cancelling style headphones. If you go to the Monroe institute and do the program officially, they have little nooks that act as sensory deprivation spaces to do the meditations. But its pricey, I have bootlegged copies of the tapes and manual if anyone's interested. In the philosophy behind it all we're taught to imagine oneself inside of a torus, and that donut hole in the center is a vortex of two energies spiraling around you.

2) to add into the snake as a representation of forbidden knowledge discussion, I think it was less secret in the way back when days. You can almost see the high water line in these stories, of when the knowledge became forbidden. There are many interesting myths about the conquest of snakes, for example in Ireland the reason St. Patrick is celebrated is for casting the snakes out of Ireland. There's a delightful modern novel that is well rooted in regional Estonian folk tales called The Man Who Spoke Snakish about the era of medieval times when the Hanseatic League was finally bringing Christianity and Roman/Western style capitalism to the far north of Europe and the mythical Snakish language died out.

3) although these stories are often linked to Christianity, I believe it's more about the conquest and dominance culture related to economics which is why I'm calling it Roman/Western but to be fair the Romans might have blamed Babylon as the root of this and so on and so forth a la that song "we didn't start the fire" by Billy Joel. Christian philosophy lived alongside the pre-Christian pagan philosophy and I've seen this most clearly in Ireland where old churches have snake symbology and Sheela na gig carvings. The book of Kells has a lot of snake imagery. Keep in mind the island of Ireland has never had an environment that supports snakes. There is a lovely children's animated movie which explores this era and is well researched mythologically (also it has award winning beautiful animation) called the Secret of Kells. Depending on what side you were on the pre-Christian God Crom Cruach was a dark force of human sacrifice or a voice hidden in the mists, a god-worm living in lakes and wells. Going into the darkness grants sacred knowledge. The worship of Crom was also said to be ended by St. Patrick. The spiraling snake eating its own tail is why much Celtic knotwork are infinite loops. The message of the whole movie is to turn the darkness into light, which is the message of alchemy as well. Turn the darkness of trauma and tragedy in our lives into the golden light of the spirit.

What I found the coolest was the coincidence that I am actively reading both Stalking the Wild Pendulum and 78 Degrees of Wisdom. I love connecting with other psychonaut adventurers!