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

Chapter 21Spirits andSpiritual CommunionSpirit contact is a central part of many psychedelic practices. Whilethe autonomy of spirit entities is a subject for some debate, the reportsof seeing spirits under the influence of psychedelics are commonenough to make some generalizations. First, psychedelic entities areanthropomorphic interfaces through which psychedelic information isgenerated or transmitted. Second, formal spirit types representidealized versions of specific information matrices: cellular, insect,plant, animal, ancestral, mythic, alien, pagan, machine, cosmic, and soon, and each type of spirit reveals different insights into the orderednature of life and the universe. Third, psychedelic spirits are tricksters;they often speak in riddles, communicate in visual rebus andpantomime, and typically never give a straight answer to inquiries.From an information standpoint it does not matter if the spirits are realor delusion, the information they generate is real and can be analyzedfrom a formal perspective.Habits and Customs of the SpiritsA study of the literature on shamanism and helper spirits tells usmany things about the behaviors and habits of spirits. First, spirits donot generally like light; they will occasionally appear in the daytime, butthey prefer to appear in dim light, at night, in an area illuminated onlyby candle or firelight. Second, spirits usually come only when you callthem, only after you have called them, in the long moments of silencefollowing the request for them to appear. Third, spirits do not like loudnoises; keeping the entire local area perfectly quiet is the only way to