Psychedelic-information-theory-Shamanism-in-the-age-of-Reason

group. In the ego-driven beta state the solid norms of society andhierarchy apply, but in the relaxed alpha state behaviors become morefluid and intuitive. In the beta state the individual is concerned onlywith fulfilling their own rational agenda; in the alpha state theindividual moves seamlessly with the flow. When the tribe adopts afluid social state it becomes a temporary autonomous zone forinterpersonal experimentation, identity play, and other ego-blurringexperiences that reinforce intimacy and group loyalty.Informational Capacity of Group MindShamanic mythology tells us that tribe members synchronized togroup mind enter a telepathic dream-space where they can all sharethoughts and visions. The sensation of bonding and becoming one withthe group is real, but the level of telepathic ability achieved in groupstates is debatable. In a group trance the rational ego is detached andnon-verbal intuition is fully engaged; empathy bonding is high and thehallucinogenic medicine turns group intuition into concrete visions.This enhanced non-verbal intuition can be called telepathy, psi, or ashared dream-space, but it would be wrong to assume that eachmember of the tribe is automatically sharing the same thoughts orvisions just because they are all synchronized to the same hallucinogenon entrainment frequency.The informational capacities of group mind are limited in anumber of ways. Mutual feedback synchrony between peers coupled ingroup mind is nonverbal, local, and time dependent. At a distance peerand group coupling becomes weaker, and this coupling grows weakerthe longer peers are separated by distance. Many traditional shamanicceremonies recur weekly, or perhaps monthly with the phases of themoon. Shamanic ceremonies often employ the ritual of the medicinecircle, a literal circuit of individuals bound in the ceremony for theduration of the ceremony; breaking the circle in the middle of theceremony is strongly discouraged. Creating the sacred circuit on arecurrent basis extends the synchrony of non-local peer coupling overthe periods between ceremonies, allowing for extended synchrony at adistance as long as the circuit binds locally, or meets to synch up, at