LSD, Visions, Astral… What If It’s Not Spiritual?

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Summary: Drugs have often been associated with a spiritual quest, especially in the sixties. The states they produce can be intense, sometimes fascinating, and give the impression of accessing a deeper reality. Yet these experiences most often belong to the domain of the mind and perception. True spiritual seeking does not consist in multiplying states, but in recognizing what does not depend on them. The Path does not lead to the spectacular, but to a simple and stable peace.

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A sincere quest… but directed elsewhere

In the sixties and seventies, certain circles sought to associate drugs with spirituality. LSD, mescaline, and hallucinogenic mushrooms were seen as ways to explore the mind and access hidden dimensions of existence.

Many referred to figures such as Timothy Leary, or to the writings of Carlos Castaneda, to give a framework to these experiences. The intention was not always superficial. For some, there was a genuine search.

This approach was not limited to the West. In India, some sādhus consume ganja or hashish, often using a shilum, with a meditative or ritual intention.

But this search, whatever the context, relied on a means that, by its very nature, leads elsewhere.

Experience is not truth

Psychoactive substances modify perception. They amplify certain sensations, distort others, and open the door to unusual forms of experience.

These states can be striking. They can give the impression of accessing a broader, subtler, deeper reality. Visions appear, new sensations arise, and there is an unusual intensity.

It then becomes easy to believe that one is approaching something spiritual. But what is experienced remains, most often, within the realm of experience. And experience, when it depends on perceptions, sensations, or produced states, belongs to the domain of the mind.

There are states that go beyond this framework, but they do not arise through stimulation or the pursuit of sensations.

The mind can produce the extraordinary

The mind is not limited to ordinary perception. Under certain conditions, it can produce states very different from those we usually know.

In my youth, I happened to smoke cannabis. It was not part of a spiritual search. I was deeply attached to a young woman who used it, and I smoked with her to feel closer to her—like Orphée descending into the underworld out of love, without really knowing where it would lead him.

It was in this context that I had a particular experience: the music coming from the speakers appeared to me as something visible, with colored waves unfolding through space, in rhythm. The experience was surprising, almost fascinating.

It can also happen, with heightened attention, to perceive slight distortions in the air, like those produced by heat, above or around living beings. But these perceptions, as unusual as they may be, are not mystical.

They arise from a modification of the functioning of the mind, not from access to truth.

The illusion of “more”

What makes these experiences so convincing is their intensity. They give the impression of going further, seeing more, feeling more deeply. But this “more” is not necessarily “better.” It is an amplification, not a transformation.

These states can be sought for their own sake, as a form of pleasure or intensity. But this is not the same as the search for truth.

The astral and altered perception

It is possible to experience states in which the perception of the world changes profoundly. Some speak of the astral, out-of-body experiences, or other such states.

These experiences can give the impression of leaving the ordinary world. Yet, upon closer observation, it is not another world. It is the same one, perceived differently: with other sensations, other colors, but without any real change in nature.

One can have unusual, sometimes impressive experiences there, but one remains subject to the same limitations: lack of real control, dependence on conditions, and the impossibility of establishing oneself there freely.

What is being sought

Behind these approaches, there is often a sincere aspiration: to understand, to see, to go beyond the limits of ordinary perception.

But this aspiration easily turns toward what impresses, what stands out, what seems to reveal something more.

Yet truth does not necessarily manifest in this way. It is not, most of the time, spectacular.

Another direction

True spiritual practice does not consist in producing states, but in recognizing what is already there. What is sought does not appear as an explosion of sensations, but as a form of simplicity, stability, and peace.

It is not about seeing more, but about seeing rightly.

The role of the mind

The mind has its place. It allows us to act, to understand, to live in the world. But it is not the instrument of deeper knowledge.

To seek truth through the fluctuations of the mind is to look for what does not change within what constantly changes.

The Path

The Path does not offer a way to experience more intense states. It offers a framework to recognize what does not depend on these experiences.

It is addressed to those who do not seek merely to feel, but to understand. It does not lead to spectacular states, but to a more silent transformation.

A simple question

In the end, the question is simple: are you seeking experiences, or are you seeking truth? The two paths do not lead to the same place.

Each person is free in their path. It is possible to seek through sensations, experiences, and states. But it is important not to confuse these pursuits with spiritual seeking.

Phenomena, no matter how impressive they may be, are not the truth.

What truly illuminates

The lights, forms, and colors that may be perceived in certain states are not the inner Light.

That Light is often more discreet. It does not seek to impress. It does not depend on particular conditions. It illuminates in another way.

Conclusion

What is spectacular attracts. What is simple often goes unnoticed. And yet, it is not always in what impresses that what is true and transcendent is found.

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