The drug way of coming into this consciousness belongs originally to a distant era, when spiritism, of which ancestor worship was then also a part, was the most widespread religion on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. For primitive people, descendants of Lemurian and later Atlantean races, it was as far as they could develop at the time. A minority of the higher evolved followed, drew beyond the herd and prepared the way for higher teachings yet to come. The astral, or psychic, centres were sufficiently alive to need only a little prompting by the tribal leaders or priests--usually a group affair at certain festivals. It was then that their drugs obtained from Nature were used or, in the case of followers of her darker side, misused, even abused, resulting in sorcery, sex orgies, and black magic. In the more moral use of drugs, although the higher kinds of religious and mystical experience were not attained, the idea of survival was firmly implanted, along with respect for traditional codes teachings and ways. The development of intellect dimmed the astral centres. The use of drugs is an attempt to revive what is no longer proper for modern man.
-- Notebooks Category 16: The Sensitives > Chapter 11 : Fanaticism, Money, Powers, Drugs > # 146
