Iamblicus

We had all settled back into silence after Mrs. Karoll's graciously prepared dinner. My thoughts were occupied with the conversation with Dr. Karoll just prior to our interruption to enjoy some refreshment. Before long, I realized I had failed to pursue my thought upon a particularly intriguing aspect of psychedelic drugs.

"Dr. Karoll," I said, "you have not discussed in enough detail the way hallucinogens were used by Initiates."

"I'm glad your interest is sharp on this subject, David," said Dr. Karoll. "In your times, even persons who were open minded upon broader aspects of religious thought found themselves highly prejudiced about psychedelics, and only to be religious in the ordinary sense would close some doors. Many kind and generous people were religious in this sense. They naturally opposed ideas which infringed on their understanding of their religion because they had been conditioned not to use their minds in this area of thought. The Bible contained so many idioms from ancient cultures that could not be understood when taken literally that the `don't question, just believe' approach was imposed by your spiritually blind leaders."

"Why do you bring up this point," I protested. "Initiates, you have said, can't be identified with a particular faith but are universal in their thinking."

"For a very good reason, David," answered Dr. Karoll. "You were exposed to a society which conditioned a broad segment of the public to reject the possibility that psychedelic drugs had the potential of greatly expanding mankind's understanding of the physical world with its life forms and the spiritual world. The idioms of the various religions and infinite divisions had caused the scientific world to stumble over spiritual realities. The blind faith approach to spiritual teachings required the powers of reason to be blunted. Neither of these groups, the scientific nor the religious, could be impartial in their examination of the psychedelic drugs because they produced phenomena which raised threatening questions concerning generally accepted `facts.'"

"Neither religious leaders," continued Dr. Karoll, "scholars, nor even the psychical researchers could very easily overcome the prejudice that hindered them from making constructive investigation of psychedelics. Many vested interests were threatened by psychedelics. But there was still another barrier even more difficult to surmount which severely hindered their evaluation by competent and well financed investigators."

"And what was that?" I asked, wondering when Dr. Karoll would get to the point.

"The necessity for two years of self discipline, including a nutritionally correct vegetarian diet, chaste living and thinking, and development of mind control through the practice of meditation. Such a thorough preparation is an absolute must in order to condition mind and body to experience the full potential of the spiritual illumination the psychedelics may enable one to have." Dr. Karoll answered earnestly. "Needless to say, persons who studied and used these drugs were quite sure that such disciplines were not necessary and would make no real difference."

"Well...," I paused to think about that for a moment, "I guess that lets me out for a while. Two years, you say," I paused again. "Why two years? Can you tell me something about the evaluation that could have been made, if a scientist had known and been willing to make the personal preparations?"

"Surely, David," said Dr. Karoll with a smile. "My point was to show it was not likely for anyone to stumble upon the information accidently. It took a truly dedicated scientific mind to investigate the psychedelics, for we have a field of investigation here which demands certain conditions to be met within the body and mind of the scientist himself. He must develop a clean strong body, purify his blood, have a clean mind, meticulously conserve his procreative powers, and have control of areas of the unconscious mind which were not being cultivated by the investigators of your times."

"Then who did meet these conditions," I wondered.

"Initiates of Egypt, India, China, Persia and Greece were such men, David. Mystery Schools for spiritual initiation have thrived at different times in history and in different places throughout the world. The neophyte accepted for initiation was a superb human specimen. Some of the Mystery Schools used psychedelics for the initiation rites. Two years of extremely disciplined training preceded a single experience with a psychedelic herb. This one psychedelic experience opened his spiritual organs, counterparts of the physical in a higher level of consciousness, and introduced him into the psychic world. A previously initiated Master accompanied him and, leaving their bodies, together they would go into other realms and communicate with lofty beings. The body was in a deep coma while they moved into higher levels of consciousness. After one such experience, the individual was transformed. He had a personal experience with the Universal Christ and became a `new creature in Christ Jesus,' to use Christian terminology. Or else he was mentally and emotionally shattered, sometimes permanently. Great perils threatened a neophyte. For example, the soul, dazzled by the beauty and freedom of the psychic world, was in danger of wandering away and losing interest in coming back to its physical body. If this occurred, the physical body would die and the soul entity would have lost a great opportunity to make spiritual progress. To prevent this, masters stood by in prayer to draw the soul back to earth consciousness so that it could fulfill the humanitarian mission it had been trained to accomplish."

"Dr. Karoll," I said, "such a picture as you draw excites my imagination to a fever pitch, but my mind is strained to accept a word of what you say."

"Ah, David," said Dr. Karoll, "you could not help but be excited by this story for you have participated in such experiences yourself as a Gnostic Christian, although you have no conscious memories of this. Also, David, you have been initiated into the Mysteries in Egypt and Greece, India and China."

"Shall I assume from your reference to the Gnostic Christians that early Christians found in the Christ Jesus the same ideal, the same pattern for their spiritual life, which had been found earlier by Initiates of the Mystery Schools of Egypt and Greece, as well as Judaism?"

"Yes, yes, you have the idea, David," said Dr. Karoll.

"Then," I said, "would you say that the Christian teachings actually did contain the wisdom of the ancients and so this why those incomprehensible Christian idioms had a mysterious power to touch the soul?"

"This is true, David," said Dr. Karoll. "And while the reiteration of these Mystery School terms inoculated the conscious mind of many people to resist their real meaning, like a vaccination arms one against the pox, nevertheless, little children could respond to the Gospel stories with their heart. Older people, with innocent hearts like children, could be thrilled and comforted because they did not resist the inner meaning of the story of Jesus."

"Is there any real value in this kind of faith?" I asked.

Dr. Karoll was silent for a moment as he pondered how to best answer my question. "Initiates must consciously face the great personal responsibility of direct knowledge of the power of Christ within. Children and the gentle sweet old women and old men with simple faith and goodness like that of little children could wield the prayer power of an Initiate and, unknowingly, often did, and so contributed mighty forces to help mankind evolve toward the ideal of brotherly love throughout the earth."

"Dr. Karoll," I said, "I thought that I understood something of the psychology of religion but each conversation we have shakes my self confidence further. Now all appears hopelessly complicated and garbled. The picture you have given me suggests that pagan rites, mythology, blood sacrifices, reincarnation, miracles of healing, speaking in tongues, Mystery Schools, hypnotism, hallucinogenic drugs, trance mediums, chastity, vegetarianism, visitations from outer space, ghosts, Hawaiian Huna doctors, the lore of ancient Atlantis, and Mu, African black magic, cataclysmic earth changes, and Christianity are all intermingled and inextricably linked together. They appear all the more so as our discussions proceed. How are you going to bring me out from among the trees so that I may recognize the outline of the forest?"

"No one can do that for you, David," said Dr. Karoll.

"No one," I echoed, feeling puzzled and surprised at this answer. Dr. Karoll made no further comment. It was evident he was going to allow me to ponder his words for a while. I started to rephrase my question but then, instead, decided to quietly think upon our conversation. Knowing Dr. Karoll's way of stimulating my thoughts, I assumed he had already given me the answer. I tried to concentrate. It was not easy for me to do this, at best. Fifteen or twenty minutes went by in silence. Mrs. Karoll quietly brewed some of her stimulating herb tea and sweetened it with mountain honey from Dr. Karoll's apiaries. The tea made me alert, keyed up my mind, and relaxed my nerves. A few more minutes passed quietly.

"Meditation, of course," I finally said out loud.

They smiled at this and I felt I had achieved a victory.

"Meditation," I said it again more confidently. "You have done it to me again, I see."

No one made any comment as they quietly waited for me to offer whatever thoughts I had.

"You make me feel that I will not be a useful citizen in your society, or even of much value to myself, unless I learn meditation. I don't react very well to having pressure put on me to do something. I can't say you are doing this to me either, yet I feel under constraint. My attitude doesn't make sense to me. I'm well able to see that you believe meditation is the `Open Sesame,' but something in me is objecting to the discipline of personal application."

Again no one spoke. Their sympathy for my inner conflict and the feeling I had of their warm personal affection for me was an influence that was reaching out a helping hand to draw me upward. I sensed that meditation was the way to transform my nature and that these changes would come at the expense of my ego. I was dealing with pride and knew it. I was faced with overcoming a frame of mind like the Pharisee who prayed, "God, I thank Thee that I am better than other men are." Still, I knew myself to be a fool for entertaining this thought, especially under the circumstances that I was in.

We flew on in silence. I knew the doctor and his wife and daughter did not need words to have communication with each other, but I was not sure of the extent they could read my mind! I guess I preferred not to know. Another hour slipped by and our twelve hour journey was more than half over. I could see that there was a great expanse of water far below. A giant thunderhead cloud below to our right told me that fifteen miles underneath us a good sized island was hidden from our view.