To conclude:

One thing that we mortals have to admit is that we have remained unconscious and superstitious.  The kings got replaced... so did the priests. But we have remained just stupid commoners! 

It is really up to us, the mere mortals, to raise above our doubts, fragile beliefs and superstitions, towards both religion as well as science and seek out our true intentions. What do we want? Why do we think the way we think? How can we set ourselves free from outdated doctrines, beliefs and practices? What is our goal? 

  

So was Moses under the influence of DMT or was he not? 

We may never reach anything conclusive. 

However, what he saw, felt or witnessed and what he did about it was Indulgent!  

That is given!

On Cognitive psychology:

Now let’s talk about cognitive psychology a bit:

Scientist and psychologist, for ages, have been trying to determine or scientifically define or disprove spiritual states of mind or being. This could be just another attempt.  An attempt to demystify, I think it is important to try and demystify, but not demean them as a psychological drug induced phenomenon more akin to mere hallucinations. 

Yes people hallucinate and they can be drug induced... but without a prepared mind A prepared mind which is all in readiness with a definiteness of purpose, a field all ploughed up with a womb like acceptance and ready to receive the seed.... without such a mind what can even the poor D.M.T induction do?

Time and again you will read that such and such person committed so and so crime and he was found to be under the influence of..... Whatever intoxicant you want put there.  We readily blame intoxication for causing these evils.  But these intoxicants can only bring to the fore what is within! 

All it can do is bring out A Moses out from a Moses and a Rapist out of a Rapist! That’s all! 

It also seems that most of these so called psychological researches are limited... in many ways prejudiced even though they are worded very neutral or factual and makes one wonder as to what their intentions are.... what are they trying to get at or prove?

If poor DMT was enough then how many Moses or Jesus or Buddha can psychology or Para-psychology or cognitive psychology produce in their clinics or laboratories?  That too without the modern, scientific equipment, technology, knowledge base...data etc. with only DMT?  Let's be fare!  Those were not the days of the Internet, knowledge was very difficult to get, no Ideology shared.... even peoples intellect was very limited. 

Love of God is Indulgence too!

Now for a social structure, for community living certain behaviors are not permissible, not workable.  Society does not encourage free thinking, solitary life goals and radical ideologies.  It is too dangerous for societal existence.  So religion, which the doorway to ones' spiritual journey (only the doorway mind you!) preaches certain socially friendly mannerism and behavioral norms and hence encourages adherence to morals and code of conduct etc. A Good system for a society to survive (not necessarily to thrive though) but may be stifling to an Individual.

It is also important to understand here that a  religious stand point is not necessarily a spiritual one.  In fact most religions, the way they have been practiced, not the way they originated, are designed to create believers in God (their God) out of fear…. 

Love of God will make you spiritual.  Love will make you indulge, question norms, seek new ways… for religion love of God is dangerous! 

They prefer to make you believe that you are not worthy of such love! Yes, God loves you in spite of the filthy sinner that you are… but will punish you if did not adhere.   They want God fearing people (believers) who will practice a prescribed (sometimes pseudo) form of devotion, submit to authority and serve the king.  Fear God, fear the priest… fear the King. They don't want you to be truly devoted to God either... nay not truly devoted... 

Because in true devotion you will ascend to love... If you truly take to devotion, you will be least interested in what your religion has to say!  So fear is the key! The fearful (and the benefactors) will be believers, non believers, the rebels... 

And the Spiritual ones… ? Well they are usually left alone... by religion (not society or family though).

A spiritual being is solitary by nature, not much use for the religious institutions.  Religion leaves them alone… till any threat is perceived.

Your focus here should be different.  Indulgence or not.... Are you sure that every person indulging in D,M.T will ever reach a state of mind where he/she will write a testament?  Or even come up with a theology or intuit existence of subtler realms in the universe and then sober down the next morning and go about propagating it?  You don't become a Moses because of DMT... so it won't get you there!  

All it can do is bring out A Moses out from a Moses and a Rapist out of a Rapist! That’s all! 

Definiteness of Purpose:

Many religions (not cults or sects),  religious preaching... most testaments may tell you to not indulge. The singular reason why religion has propagated against intoxication or such indulgences is you will remain just animals.  The reason is that for most people Indulgence is just an escape, a break with no purpose. The subliminal need is to go beyond but in the unconscious. It is true that Indulgence of any sort without definiteness of purpose can be quite counterproductive.  

In reality, however, through any Indulgence, you don't become.... only what you really are shows up.  With a certain level of clarity, definiteness of purpose Indulgence has been put to great use!

Let me narrate to you an incident:

I was travelling one time in the Himalayas, trekking to Kedarnath and I met a Yogi at a tea stall.  He was busy smoking hash. He took long deep smoking drag, rolled his eyes as if guiding the zonk straight to his head.  Then looked at me peering into my eyes... I matched his stare... and said... so you have a question!!  As a matter fact I did!  But I, being a trained skeptic, thought that this yogi is just trying the usual gimmick so I cleverly dodged him (or so I thought) and gave him a smart reply.  Since you know I have a question... why don't you tell me what it is and answer it too.

He said "Some of us (Yogis) smoke (hash) to train our brain to achieve a certain level of awareness.  We then remember that state and practice achieving it without!  Many of us in advanced stage of practice can induce these states just breathing fresh air and nothing else!"  Go on in your journey and Bholenath (Lord Shiva) will guide you!  Honestly I was humbled... this was my question about indulging in DMT by the Yogis and the answer quite profound! Such is definiteness of purpose.

To Indulge or Not to Indulge?

But Moses' Indulgence is not the problem.  Whether it was DMT or not, hallucinogenic drug or not is not even the issue. Because when the whole world was living in hatred to talk about love is Indulgent.  When whole world is at war to talk of peace is being Indulgent.  When the whole world was living in violence and slavery delivering God’s message is sheer Madness!

It is fairly simple to understand that one will speak the language one knows and the one that one’s audience can understand or relate with.  That is why many suggestions sound like sermons; road maps are delivered as Gospel, SOPs as Testaments.  It is perhaps a limitation of religious practices that these testaments are not reinvented or re-written/worded to make sense to the changing intellectual level of the audience.

You may have lot of grouse or could be totally against religion, orthodoxy and control of religious institutions but please do not give in to the temptation of supporting one evil in order protest against the other.  Your problem is not whether Moses indulged or not. It will make not much difference to you, personally.  It may, at best, support you in an argument of sorts, in a living room discussion for whatever it is worth.  

So what is the problem?   Your problem is with Indulgence itself not Moses.  With what you have believed in for so many years or with what you have been made to believe.  So let us attempt to dispel this Instead.  Why should we have a problem with Indulgence? 

Most religions teach, morally impose restriction (sin), even punish by laws (crime) and furiously preach (sermons) against any form of indulgence of this nature; of drugs, alcohol and other forms of intoxication.  

But the very fact that intoxication has remained an integral part of human life is an indication that we have always wanted, needed to get our minds off our everyday life, our version of it.  Animals don't go looking for intoxication.  It is only the humans who have always done so. 

Your problem with this research or with Moses' Indulging in DMT is either in defense of the religious teaching that you believe in or in your defiance to religion which is showing up as "Why should I believe a Junkie?"  Either ways it is indicates that you have a negative conversation about Indulgence itself that deserves correction, for your own sake! 

Whatever your faith maybe, you believe in the church or you don’t, (Church here refers to any religious institution) you are influenced by the ideology propagated or promoted by the church.  Your idea of morality, of good and bad, right and wrong is probably coming from there. If you are a believer in the devil and the divine as two opposite forces is also coming from there.  

Seriously, I have known many people who are against churches but believe in the theology as much.  It is quite likely that your belief against Indulgence is also a byproduct of the same ideology of good/bad  that seems to have been planted very skill fully in side of you that keeps you mediocre - plain janes... for ever making noises but achieving nothing.. Significant!

If you look around you, most people or Ideas that have had any impact or major impact on human societies, human lives all come from the same realm of indulgence!  Whether it is Jesus, Adi Shankaracharya or Buddha, Hitler or Mussolini, Martin Luther King Jr or Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela or Mother Theresa.... Einstein or Google or Facebook! They come from the land of Indulgence, not the land of survivalist or the commoners or the land of people who live a very limited circumstantial life governed by norms, precedence and mass beliefs. 

Many traditional societies in the World are much more tolerance to indulgences - drug induced psychedelic trips, to hash or marijuana, Hemp or even alcohol etc. because the significance was always to party or merry making or the contribution one is making to self and other seekers through these 'trips' than to the trip itself. It has always been an expression of rebellion, the urge to go beyond the limitedness of one’s beliefs and existence.  Whether it is the the Yogis, shamans or even the Hippies Armed Forces, the war survivors... the purpose is different, indulgence is different... DMT is an aid or an expression, that's all!

It is the modern or orthodox societies who've imposed so many do's and don'ts, musts and should, so much so that we have become totally hypocritical!  While a Drug is a medicine if prescribed by a Doctor, Alcohol is good for business, Tobacco is very good for Economy, Sugar is the bestseller, GMO is good for controlling the weak and the poor ... cannabis, hemp and marijuana organic but is not good… 

Look! I am not trying to promote use of any intoxicant…. My purpose of this monologue is to draw your attention to the more vital issues that often gets ignored.    We, as a society, have become more fearful, insecure and hence hypocritical than ever before.  Never before have the human society been in need of a social, political, economic and spiritual renaissance and never before were we plum and ready for one that is necessary and waiting.

So was Moses Indulgent?

So was Moses Indulgent? Was he Under the Influenced of Hallucinogenic Plant Extract?

So was Moses under the influence of D.M.T and hence is his experience of the ever burning bush, hearing Gods voice etc nothing but hallucinations of a Junkie?  Should we dump the Bible and its preaching as psychotic narratives adopted and promoted as religious belief by the conniving? A conspiracy to control, dominate and exploit?  I’m sure this would excite a lot amongst us who love the conspiracy theories.  Some of those theories do make sense though.  Should one be offended by such a suggestion?

What we need to understand is that any experience which is even remotely connected to a spiritual one, which I believe is the starting point of any religion,  will require you to indulge in some form of fantasizing, some form of imagination... disconnected to your everyday version of life.

If you are struggling with your problems or needs, negative emotions or anxieties, worries or tensions, fear, anger, hurt or your survival (of all sorts) all of that is the sum total of your circumstantial reality or what you call life;  Your version of life.  And for you to get your mind off it and think of anything, at all, may it be poetry or painting, art or sculpture or shamanic practices or simply sitting by the beach and gazing at the ocean, will require you to be indulgent...

In fact the very act of getting your mind off all of what you call life is indulgence!  It is indulgence of sorts!  I'm sure that you've been told to be practical and not fantasize. So if you are thinking beyond your times, you are being indulgent!  If you are thinking beyond your survivalist everyday kind of issues, if you are dreaming beyond your circumstantial reality, you are indulging. 

For someone to see an ever burning bush and to have heard God's voice, to have received God's message and his mission in life of communicating (job less suited for a stammering man for sure) to everyone of God's existence and his truth and to set the slaves free and lead them to the promised land... well it is some indulgence for sure!  How I wish for such Indulgence myself!!

My thoughts on the research article

Firstly my thoughts on the research article itself:

The Author is very fluid in his presentation of his idea, data and Biblical segment. His subtle (succinct) clarification of his position, professional qualification and religious inclinations may be missed by many, but is surely there.

His stand point in this research, however, isn’t very clear nor is the article offering any conclusive thoughts.  In fact the author very cleverly leaves it to the reader.  I say clever because one is dealing with an issue as fragile as religious sentiments (the author must have known that for sure),

What was intended through this research is not very clear. It seems to be a Modus Operandi with the scientific community to release a random research paper which will create a storm (controversy), public outcry, which will subside eventually, sometimes as a result of an official apology. But the research paper will remain in records and it will be used by someone at a later date for a different research, as a reference. A new truth (many of them make-believe) gets established … and accepted as common knowledge to serve someone…. Who’s the Benefactor will remain a closely guarded secret. Brilliant strategy, don you think?

Research Data, reference to people (with no names), one’s own experience (may or may not be corroborative), reference to various other research papers and books and so on is all perfectly done and is surely commendable.  But to what end?  Not a researchers’ accountability perhaps.  Or should one wait for a statement for the University or a Scientific Association – declaring that a lot of published research is in fact "unreliable at best, if not completely false."

Something I have never been able to understand about science, what allows it to state everything to support its claim, and yet claims nothing (only suggests), reveals quite a lot but nothing conclusive and isn’t accountable for causing any upheaval or chaos, apparently achieves nothing (in the immediate) but influences people and their decisions for which only they, the people are responsible!  Certainly there is a lot to learn here.

Since it is left to us, the mere mortals, to make our conclusions of sorts in the light of this research paper, I’m only offering my two-bit perspective for whosoever may find it worthwhile.