I completely disagree with the notion that McKenna's experiences with the tryptamines (particularly DMT) are simply reflections of his own ego being projected and mapped onto the experience itself... I don't think it's quite that simple. I mean, did this guy ever thoroughly
listen/read McKenna other than on a few 5 minute YouTube clips? If he did, he would know quite often (at least in his somewhat younger years), Terence would blast off on DMT hits while peaking on tabs of the infamous orange sunshine LSD... he said it allowed him greater accessibility to the breakthrough, intensifying it while at the same time keeping him suspended in that breakthrough state for a longer period of time, allowing him to more efficiently navigate the space without the abruptness and time constraints encountered with just DMT alone.
Which brings one to the question; how does one NOT experience ego death while peaking on 250mics of LSD and 50mg or better of DMT? In this state, you are not going to have any concept of self.. I feel at a certain point once you hit a certain dosage range with tryptamines, ego throws its hands up in surrender and gives you over
completely to the flow... It goes without saying this effect is greatly magnified when using multiple tryptamines in the same session. I would like to see the author of that article dose 250mics or better of LSD and at the peak of its intensity take three or four huge hits of DMT, and THEN try to come back from that saying you still held on to concepts of self..... Sorry Mr. Bell, but the dosage ranges for tryptamines that Terence typically advocated (and dosed himself) are
most certainly far beyond even the strongest clutches of ego..
Another part of the article that struck me as odd (and seems to suggested that Martin Bell is at least relatively unfamiliar with all of McKenna's work) is this part;
Terence raises all sorts of speculations, questions, and possibilities, without ever making any definitive statements.
Ummm.. that was part of McKenna's whole ideology... don't cling too tightly to anything. Work with the best models you have at the time being, constantly question them and test them, when your models become obsolete, move forward with newer and better models and question those until you come across a better model, etc etc. His whole rap was about questioning everything... he was often the first to say it, always urging his listeners to come to their own conclusions and insisting they not simply believe what he says, but instead constantly inviting them to criticize his theories and develop their own. Ultimately he was just trying to give us a more effective dialogue to discuss this topic of psychedelics and tryptamine induced states of consciousness, he was not saying "Believe everything I say and take it as undisputed fact"... He enjoyed a good criticism probably more than compliments, simply because if the criticism was legitimate, it would cause him to rethink some things and grow as person/psychedelic explorer... to move onward to a newer and better model of thought.
He has stated it multiple times, that he simply wants to show people that things
CAN indeed be looked at differently, and these subjective views of reality are at times just as valid as the currently accepted
objective reality we have come to know...
I feel the author is essentially unfamiliar with a large body of McKenna's work... Makes me kind of doubt that he has ever read any of McKenna's four published works (more if you count the transcription of trialogues with Sheldrake and Abraham) and given them a fair chance, or that he had ever listened to/attended any of McKenna's lectures/workshops..
I'm sorry Martin Bell, but you're not quite qualified to write a thorough dissection of a mans entire career and lifes work based on the few random YouTube clips and couple interviews with Terence you have seen... I don't even want to mention the thing about the nasally voice.
And get this;
As with my writings, my views, as expressed on this podcast, are often challenging for listeners, but can also be profoundly transformative and liberating.
This is how Martin Bell describes himself on his website 8( ... Whole thing hes pushing looks/feels a little on the fake side.. The more I look into the author who wrote this article, the more I am skeptical of what he has to say to be honest.
I'm not one of the followers who believe Terence could do/say no wrong, and I certainly don't subscribe to all of his theories myself, but I do feel this criticisms in this article aren't very legitimate... Just my 2cents
