Originally posted by Soul4Raziel
A real feeling would be a product of your own accord, not produced or impacted by an outside force if you will, such as LSD.
I don't feel as if that line HAS to be drawn.
When I was younger I meditated quite a bit and as a result created some of the most "high" yet clear states of mind I've ever experienced, states I would compare only to lsd because of the overwhelming similarity, and never to a normal state of consciousness. Therefore, from my point of view, whether I attained this state though lsd or meditation ("a product of my own accord") is irrelevent, the result was the same in both cases.
While lsd is artificial, the state of mind it creates is not, and I feel that all states of mind have something to show us about ourselves and the world around us.
Everything we do practically affects our state of mind. The foods we eat, the temperature of the air around us, how much sleep we had, what events are going on in our lives, what we are thinking about, the time of day, the time of year, hormones, sunlight.. all these are factors which influence us. The influence of these factors does not make the state of mind invalid, besides, there is NO ONE who can say that this or that is valid or invalid, it's completely up to the observer to make that call and no one else.
Personally, I have never been so clear-headed as those times I was on lsd.
I have to wonder what you think lsd is like. I'm willing to bet you've never tried it. It's a very subtle yet profound shift of consciousness which is accompanied by increased alertness and capacity for thought. It also has a tendency to clear the mind and enable the user to gain incredible insights they may not have otherwise attained. These insights persist for years, long after the drug has worn off, and the user maintains the abilty to think from that clear lsd perspective, therefore, it's not merely a hallucination, something deeper and more profound has occured than just a simply fantasy. It's not like smoking weed or drinking booze, it doesn't incapacitate thought, it facilitates it, and it continues to facilitate it for years. I will never forget the insights I've gained from using this drug and I know I am a better and more intelligent person as a result of experiencing its effects.
I'm not the only person who feels this way about lsd by the way, there are many others as well, I'm just one of many. It's a great (although dangerous) drug.
Satori