I'm currently reading Huxley's 'The Doors Of Perception', and am finding it really interesting. Some of the stuff he says is ringing true, like I have always found it strange how the brain remembers and prioritises somethings and not others, and have often thought about the relationship between man and substances as a way to alter consciousness. How we filter things to create a 'reality' that could be, in theory, completely different to how things are (or even that there is no 'how things are', but simply how we interpret them in a given situation) has plagued me for some time.

Anyway, I just wondered if anyone here has ever tried mescalin, and if so, what did it feel like?

There's a book by Timothy O'Leary that seems to be in a similar vein which I might read next, but does anyone have any suggestions of similar material?

I read 'The Politics of Ecstasy' by Leary and found it highly interesting

Oooh, I shall add that to my list. I think I'm so interested in this topic because I have become so disenchanted with the 'real world' as we document and debate it, with all it's hang ups and problems and I'm trying to find something else to lose myself in. I was brought up a pretty strict Catholic, so organised religion is a big turn off for me, and I have never personally had any form of spiritual experience...though I long to. I guess I'm looking for answers, but aren't we all?

Anyway, thanks

As interesting as all those topics are, they can make things worse because you realise even more how fucked everything is after you have learnt about different, better alternatives. It makes you angry at a lot more people than you were previously.

ava__adore - if you're interested more in the 'questioning reality' side of things rather than the effects of drugs, i can recommend 'the holographic universe' by michael talbot as a kick start. it's one of my all time fave books on the subject of reality and is truly eye opening. i must admit, there are a couple of chapters which got into too much detail in the quantum physics angle but for the most part of it, it's an awesome read and definately one i'd recommend to anyone that is interested in expanding their mind (with or without the use of substances).