The Music of Symph

[AeonHorus]

And all of a sudden Grandma's and Grandad's are like....

 

 

[Symph]

6 hours ago, Arch said:

@Symph

Btw I find that the songs by the band Gorillaz take on a whole other meaning to me after pondering your song.

 

 

They were pretty cool for a minute weren't they?  At the time I was a staunch "Only old music is cool, everything new sucks" kind of guy, but I've stopped being so elitist since then and can appreciate them now.  I should probably check out their stuff as my wife was a fan, though she's not currently listening.  We've been obsessing over THIS lately  

 

3 hours ago, katrinka said:

OK, I'm here. 
It's actually not bad. But if you're going for weirdness, allow me to suggest that you lean this way:

 

Ol' Kartinka is a fool for drums. Can you make it more like this? 

Moon the Loon has long since shuffled off this mortal coil, but HOT DAMN, this was sublime. I've been dazzled since 7th grade. ❤️ Please tell your drummer to try harder! He won't get there -NOBODY can touch Moon, Bonham, or Mitchell AFAIC- but drums are important. A lot of people tend to overlook that and make drummer jokes, and the world is a sadder, more boring place for that.

But yeah...it may sound critical, but I'm just tossing ideas out there. I think you have something here. It just needs some pizzazz.
 

Hehehe it's almost a decade old...  and there is no drummer Katrinka, I play them by hand on the keyboard, and I'm not much of a drummer, more a guitar guy, but I consider myself a guitar guy who has a good feel for rhythm.  I have watched that full performance by the Who a few times actually, dude was amaaaaaazzzzing.  I really wish I could get some help with my songs though, the weakest elements are the bass and drums, I do what I can but I know the wow factor would go way up if I had band members who were talented in their specific instrument and had the time to just focus on killer basslines and awesome drum parts.  

2 hours ago, AeonHorus said:

Butthole Surfers 😜

 

Now! It all makes sense ✊

 

My personal favourite! 

 

 

Never was into the Butthole Surfers,  I think at the height of their career I was a Weezer/SoundGarden/Alice in Chains guy.  I'm listening right now... yeah it just does very little for me, at least it doesn't annoy me though, a lot of music does haha

2 hours ago, AeonHorus said:

And all of a sudden Grandma's and Grandad's are like....

 

 

BWAHAHAHAHAHA  Yeah... it is like that now isn't it?  

[katrinka]

5 hours ago, AeonHorus said:

They are still going though right ?

Absolutely. 
Get thee to facebook and friend Paul. When they get up to something, he mentions it. (Right now they're in a fallow period and he's posting his new oven. Red knobs FTW.)

 

[katrinka]

3 hours ago, Symph said:

and there is no drummer Katrinka,

That's what I'm saying (in my inarticulate, just-pulled-another-12-hour-shift-and-had-a-couple-of-shots-of vodka-way.)
You NEED a drummer. A good, old fashioned drummer who hits the hell out of them and does little rolls and shows off and all of that. 
There's good potential here. 

3 hours ago, Symph said:

I play them by hand on the keyboard, and I'm not much of a drummer, more a guitar guy, but I consider myself a guitar guy who has a good feel for rhythm.

Yes. But man does not live by keyboards alone. 
Glorious though they can be. (Augie was the shining jewel of THIS.)

 

People want that GROOVE. It's an old fashioned word, I know, but that doesn't change anything. People are people. You need that thing that makes them shake their patooties involuntarily, lol. 

Those drums, that bass, that rhythm pocket...freaking magic.

3 hours ago, Symph said:

  I have watched that full performance by the Who a few times actually, dude was amaaaaaazzzzing. 

He's been described as "an octopus". 
People rank Moon second to Bonzo, because Bonzo had that jazz thing. And I'll give them that. And I do love Bonham. (My very first concert was Zep, OMG, that Moby Dick solo, I'll never forget...<3)
But AFAIC, nothing beats Moon. 
Bonus: rock and roll mayhem - 

 

LOL. And you don't necessarily need somebody who wrecks drum kits and hotel rooms and makes an early exit from life. Or even has that level of technical skill. The best things are a little rough and garage-y:

(Disclaimer: neither I, nor Roky (may he rest in peace), advocate this particular drug. But it's a hella jam!)

3 hours ago, Symph said:

I really wish I could get some help with my songs though, the weakest elements are the bass and drums, I do what I can but I know the wow factor would go way up if I had band members who were talented in their specific instrument and had the time to just focus on killer basslines and awesome drum parts.  

ADVERTISE, dude. A lot of those great old bands came together because somebody put an ad in the local paper. 
You have INTERNET. What's the holdup? 😉

[katrinka]

PS I will not be showing my tits to Slayer. Sandra Araya is a nice lady. And probably has a better rack than mine. 😁

Katrinka: has things to do other than homewrecking.

Edited February 23, 2020 by katrinka

[AeonHorus]

6 hours ago, Symph said:

I really wish I could get some help with my songs though, the weakest elements are the bass and drums,

&

1 hour ago, katrinka said:

ADVERTISE, dude. A lot of those great old bands came together because somebody put an ad in the local paper. 
You have INTERNET. What's the holdup? 😉

I couldn't agree more....

 

Another avenue to pursue is the second hand musical equipment shops. Put an ad up on one of there boards. Advantage there is that anyone who sees it should be able to play at least. Well that's the theory 😉 

[xTheHermitx]

man @Symph, that song reminded me a lot of early 311 musically!!  Did you play all of the instruments? When you play, you gotta get your stuff out there man!!  Don't be afraid. It is how you get better, gain confidence, and learn humble pie!!  I get the self conscious thing though. I get real nervous before every gig, even after having played live since 1981. I feel that if you are not nervous, you don't care. I want every performance to be perfect, so that the people who took the time to be there had fun. It would be cool to see/ hear what you come up with here in the next few months if you start to write again.

 

@Wanderer: I love the sound of the harp, and have always been fascinated about the coordination to play one. I am a drummer, and people always "marvel" at drummers coordination, but I think piano and harp are harder to do! Plus harps are seemingly so fragile, and from what I hear, are hard to keep in tune.

 

love the Butthole Surfers, and saw them here in town with a local group back in 1983 as a tender 13 year old. Was one of my first punk shows...

 

@katrinka:  didn't realize you were into drummers!  Where do you stand on Neil Peart and Bill Ward?  Peart is my most favorite, as Rush is my most fav band ever, and I think Bill Ward was sort of the "forgotten" drummer of the 70's super groups.

 

  And it is funny that anyone would think of showing their boobs at a Slayer concert, unless it was a mishap in the pit...I have seen many things at Slayer shows, and none of them involved exposed breasts...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[katrinka]

11 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

It is how you get better, gain confidence, and learn humble pie!! 

Did somebody say HUMBLE PIE? 🥰
 

11 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

I get the self conscious thing though. I get real nervous before every gig, even after having played live since 1981. I feel that if you are not nervous, you don't care.

This. 
The best people are like that. Not scared so much as WIRED. Adrenaline is a helluva drug. But yeah, there's a "DO NOT **** this up!" element.
And they generally don't. ;)

11 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

 

love the Butthole Surfers, and saw them here in town with a local group back in 1983 as a tender 13 year old. Was one of my first punk shows...

 

*fistbump*, you broke into your teen years proper!
My first show at 13 was Zep. Bonham's Moby Dick solo and the subsequent Wrecking Of The Drum Kit. The first time I heard Zoso stuff was there, at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston. It would be released a month later. The crowd reaction was insane. You could tell it was going to be HUGE . 
Yeah, I'm old. But I saw THAT. So it's OK.

The last time I saw the Buttholes was in 2012 or so, I think? It's been too long, I need to remedy that,
It was at the Scoot Inn in Austin. Double bill with the Meat Puppets. Halloween-ish, and Curt Kirkwood came out with a Michael Jackson mask and they did "Ben", lol. The Butthole Surfers did the whole Locust Abortion Technician album, It was up there with the 80's shows. 
They LOOK older, but they don't PLAY older. Love those guys!

 

11 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

didn't realize you were into drummers!  Where do you stand on Neil Peart and Bill Ward?  Peart is my most favorite, as Rush is my most fav band ever, and I think Bill Ward was sort of the "forgotten" drummer of the 70's super groups.

Neil Peart is another amazing one, absolutely top tier. Love Neil! 
Rated up there with Bonham and Moon. No mean feat. 
Rush has a hella knack for picking drummers,, BTW. Remember John Rutsey?
 

 

 

11 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

and I think Bill Ward was sort of the "forgotten" drummer of the 70's super groups.

Who forgot Bill Ward? Do I have to whup up on a mofo?  😁

[Symph]

17 hours ago, katrinka said:

That's what I'm saying (in my inarticulate, just-pulled-another-12-hour-shift-and-had-a-couple-of-shots-of vodka-way.)
You NEED a drummer. A good, old fashioned drummer who hits the hell out of them and does little rolls and shows off and all of that. 
There's good potential here. 

Yes. But man does not live by keyboards alone. 
Glorious though they can be. (Augie was the shining jewel of THIS.)

 

People want that GROOVE. It's an old fashioned word, I know, but that doesn't change anything. People are people. You need that thing that makes them shake their patooties involuntarily, lol. 

Those drums, that bass, that rhythm pocket...freaking magic.

He's been described as "an octopus". 
People rank Moon second to Bonzo, because Bonzo had that jazz thing. And I'll give them that. And I do love Bonham. (My very first concert was Zep, OMG, that Moby Dick solo, I'll never forget...<3)
But AFAIC, nothing beats Moon. 
Bonus: rock and roll mayhem - 

 

LOL. And you don't necessarily need somebody who wrecks drum kits and hotel rooms and makes an early exit from life. Or even has that level of technical skill. The best things are a little rough and garage-y:

(Disclaimer: neither I, nor Roky (may he rest in peace), advocate this particular drug. But it's a hella jam!)

ADVERTISE, dude. A lot of those great old bands came together because somebody put an ad in the local paper. 
You have INTERNET. What's the holdup? 😉

Dear god woman you sure do make me laugh sometimes hahahaha  I have often imagined how amazing it would be if I could have a drummer like Mitch Mitchel (that's the 60s guy I would love to resurrect and snag for my tunes)  You ask "What's the hold up?"  Same thing it's always been, seclusion, depression, too much alcohol, shakiness, nerves blehhhh.....  I'm trying to break out of my broken record phase, cause I see how much I've been saying the same things over and over but just... damn this whole Tarot experience has been like some sort of therapy blitz for me.  Confidence is rising like crazy, I hear what you guys are saying, you're right, I need a band.  There's this bar out here in Rockford called District people keep telling me about, think I should go there and ask if I can play some acoustic sets, that might help my confidence rise even more, and I'm gonna do my college best to switch from alcohol to tea, it just gives me nerves all day and keeps me dependent on it for sleep.  I'll get it worked out, it's meant to be, thanks for the tips and the laughs... and I wouldn't mind a drummer who destroyed his kit at the end of each show if he always had a spare....  hahaha  

 

15 hours ago, AeonHorus said:

&

I couldn't agree more....

 

Another avenue to pursue is the second hand musical equipment shops. Put an ad up on one of there boards. Advantage there is that anyone who sees it should be able to play at least. Well that's the theory 😉 

We do indeed have a guitar center... I gotta make a to do list or these things won't happen, good tip!

12 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

man @Symph, that song reminded me a lot of early 311 musically!!  Did you play all of the instruments? When you play, you gotta get your stuff out there man!!  Don't be afraid. It is how you get better, gain confidence, and learn humble pie!!  I get the self conscious thing though. I get real nervous before every gig, even after having played live since 1981. I feel that if you are not nervous, you don't care. I want every performance to be perfect, so that the people who took the time to be there had fun. It would be cool to see/ hear what you come up with here in the next few months if you start to write again.

 

@Wanderer: I love the sound of the harp, and have always been fascinated about the coordination to play one. I am a drummer, and people always "marvel" at drummers coordination, but I think piano and harp are harder to do! Plus harps are seemingly so fragile, and from what I hear, are hard to keep in tune.

 

love the Butthole Surfers, and saw them here in town with a local group back in 1983 as a tender 13 year old. Was one of my first punk shows...

 

@katrinka:  didn't realize you were into drummers!  Where do you stand on Neil Peart and Bill Ward?  Peart is my most favorite, as Rush is my most fav band ever, and I think Bill Ward was sort of the "forgotten" drummer of the 70's super groups.

 

  And it is funny that anyone would think of showing their boobs at a Slayer concert, unless it was a mishap in the pit...I have seen many things at Slayer shows, and none of them involved exposed breasts...

 

 

 

 

 

 

  LOVE 311 omg I still listen to em!  Their new stuff ain't bad either, it's not quite the magic that some of their earlier albums had, but they never did sell out in my opinion.  My new stuff is already written, I'm still writing quite frequently, I think lyrically and depth wise it's stronger than my old stuff, but having not recorded in ages I'm having a bitch of a time finishing anything, I've also been actually STUDYING mixing, cause my goal is to make it sound good enough for radio this time, at least underground radio.  Not sure I can pull off the drums to the degree Katrinka is talking about, but I can get it good enough to start selling some tunes on bandcamp or something.  I am working out now and it's starting to get me out of this funk I've been in, thanks for all the encouraging words, feels like I'm starting to come back to who I really am. 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Symph

[Symph]

Here is another, I'm gonna keep posting em so if you need to jump ship I won't tell you not to hehe.  THis one is a different side of me, trying to bring back some of those Beatles feels and write a melody I felt had a "classic" feel.  

 

I think it's also pretty obvious from this one I was british in another life...

[Symph]

PS, listening to Humble Pie, I'd never heard them before!  It's like Faces meets Rolling Stones.... love it!!!

[xTheHermitx]

1 hour ago, katrinka said:

 

 

*fistbump*, you broke into your teen years proper!
My first show at 13 was Zep. Bonham's Moby Dick solo and the subsequent Wrecking Of The Drum Kit. The first time I heard Zoso stuff was there, at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston. It would be released a month later. The crowd reaction was insane. You could tell it was going to be HUGE . 
Yeah, I'm old. But I saw THAT. So it's OK. 

The last time I saw the Buttholes was in 2012 or so, I think? It's been too long, I need to remedy that,
It was at the Scoot Inn in Austin. Double bill with the Meat Puppets. Halloween-ish, and Curt Kirkwood came out with a Michael Jackson mask and they did "Ben", lol. The Butthole Surfers did the whole Locust Abortion Technician album, It was up there with the 80's shows. 
They LOOK older, but they don't PLAY older. Love those guys!

 

Neil Peart is another amazing one, absolutely top tier. Love Neil! 
Rated up there with Bonham and Moon. No mean feat. 
Rush has a hella knack for picking drummers,, BTW. Remember John Rutsey?
 

 

 

Who forgot Bill Ward? Do I have to whup up on a mofo?  😁

my first show ever was the Jackson 5 in 1975...I was in first grade. Mom and dad took me for my birthday. And that is awesome that you saaw the Buttholes do "Ben", cause that is one of my most fav Micheal Jackson records, and I think it is not very well known in his lexicon

 

That year I saw the Butthole's was a great year for shows. I also got to see Minor Threat - my all time most fav punk band - that year, and also 7 Seconds and Agent Orange. Then I started my own trek of playing in punk/metal bands, and living in the world of house shows, and underground craziness

 

I definitely remember Rutsey. It was cool that they all got along after his departure, and sad that he eventually dies of the diabetes complications.

 

I think a lot of people forget about him...more than should. Sabbath is always known for Ozzy, Iommi and Butler...I feel like drummers know bout him, but not the general public.

[AeonHorus]

1 hour ago, xTheHermitx said:

I also got to see Minor Threat

Straight Edge X

[xTheHermitx]

8 hours ago, AeonHorus said:

Straight Edge X

 

yep...still Straight Edge after 50 years!! That is what the "X's" are for in my screen name

[AeonHorus]

58 minutes ago, xTheHermitx said:

That is what the "X's" are for in my screen name

Ha! Nice one!

 

Isn't it the three X's ?  

Don't X Drink Don't X Smoke Don't X Do Drugs

 

That's how it was when it hit the UK shores. 🙂   

 

So shouldn't it be 

 

xThexHermitx 

 

😉 

[katrinka]

11 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

And that is awesome that you saaw the Buttholes do "Ben", cause that is one of my most fav Micheal Jackson records, and I think it is not very well known in his lexicon

It was actually the Pupps who did Ben. I found footage (cell phone video apparently, so poor quality), you can see the mask lol:

 

Ah. Here's one from the Buttholes:

 

[xTheHermitx]

4 minutes ago, AeonHorus said:

Ha! Nice one!

 

Isn't it the three X's ?  

Don't X Drink Don't X Smoke Don't X Do Drugs

 

That's how it was when it hit the UK shores. 🙂   

 

So shouldn't it be 

 

xThexHermitx 

 

😉 

 

here in the US, we always just put an X before and after...but that might be a cool thing to add...maybe to start a rebirth of sorts

[xTheHermitx]

7 minutes ago, katrinka said:

It was actually the Pupps who did Ben. I found footage (cell phone video apparently, so poor quality), you can see the mask lol:

 

Ah. Here's one from the Buttholes:

 

So, I wonder how many people at that Pupps show knew the origins of the song? Or did they allude to it before they started?

[katrinka]

LOL.

 

The Kirkwoods generally don't explain things. I'm sure a lot of people were aware of the movie, though.

[Symph]

My favorite straight edge punk is Jonathon Richman,

 

I'll never understand how a straight edge guy can sound soooooo stoned all the time lol

I am definitely NOT a straight edge, far too hippy for that lol  I'm more like this

 

 

But I can respect the straight edge thing, I grew up surrounded by people who didn't think we could even have fun if we weren't all wasted, and I definitely don't like pills, my friends who got on the pills seemed to really lose themselves in the process.  But I believe in the power of psychedelics when done in a shamanic/soul searching fashion, it's all about surrender and trusting the process with those, and setting clear intentions.  And weed gets me off of alcohol and alcohol is the bane of my existence so I'm forever grateful to the herb for that, it's a shame it's so hard to obtain for me though.  That will change when my check comes in... come on march 6th!!  

[xTheHermitx]

9 hours ago, Symph said:

My favorite straight edge punk is Jonathon Richman,

 

I'll never understand how a straight edge guy can sound soooooo stoned all the time lol

I am definitely NOT a straight edge, far too hippy for that lol  I'm more like this

 

 

But I can respect the straight edge thing, I grew up surrounded by people who didn't think we could even have fun if we weren't all wasted, and I definitely don't like pills, my friends who got on the pills seemed to really lose themselves in the process.  But I believe in the power of psychedelics when done in a shamanic/soul searching fashion, it's all about surrender and trusting the process with those, and setting clear intentions.  And weed gets me off of alcohol and alcohol is the bane of my existence so I'm forever grateful to the herb for that, it's a shame it's so hard to obtain for me though.  That will change when my check comes in... come on march 6th!!  

 

it is funny how opposite we are as far as far as the use of psychedelics for soul searching...definitely b/c of the sXe thing. I could not even imagine taking on some thing as serious/ demanding / detailed as the use/studying of magik and soul searching in an altered state.  I feel like it is also about surrender and trust for me as well, but also being hyper aware to record and sift out all of the information.  If I am going to surrender, it has to be all the way...with no crutch or help. I also would want to remember every detail of anything that happens in my journeys, and i would be afraid of missing something if I am in an altered state

 

^^^^^^

this all goes back to the "control factor" for me. I can not stand to be out of control. That does not mean controlling, but being out of control of myself. I have always felt like if I lose control of my actions/thoughts/interactions with others, then I am breaking a trust-bond. I am giving up my responsibility for the  caring and well being of others around me. That is one of the big reasons that I never broke the Edge. 

 

In all of this though, I will tell you right now that I am not one of the judgemental sXe guys. 99% of the people I know and hang around are not Edge...ALL of my bandmates use at varying levels; most of my family at least socially drinks; my wife is Edge (but doesn't know it)...that was one stipulation I did make for myself when I was on the dating scene: I did not want to be that close to someone who was into drinking, or getting stoned.  That is probably the closest I get to being "judgemental", but I would rather be single than live that close to that world. Luckily I found someone who also lives in the same mind set.

 

And that just comes down to logistics...I do not identify at all with the world/mentality of "partying" and "keggers" and that level of chaos. I do not want to be an "adult babysitter". I could not imagine a life where I was spending time dealing with hangovers, and cleaning up the "messes" of that lifestyle. I DEFINITELY do not, and will never understand or condone the amount of money spent on the pursuit of being out of control like that.  

 

Anywhoo...I am starting to babble. Have to watch Colbert make sense of the Democratic Debate from today....speaking of a world of chaos that needs some "control"!!!   

 

 

[AeonHorus]

Has to be done really 🙂 

 

 

 

Sorry @xTheHermitx but I could't resist 😉 

[AeonHorus]

Oh and...

 

 

And it would just be plain old rude if I didn't  include 

 

 

this one into the mix 😉 

 

[AeonHorus]

The use of psychedelics for meditation and astral travel has been used for many centuries, look at the Souix, Navaho and other native indian tribes. Our brains grew because of  the use of psychedelics in our evolutionary path. Control.... hmmm now sometimes yes you can get out of control until you learn how to grip it and ride it. Just the same as you would when you learn to ride a bike, sometimes you wobble and sometimes you fall, but on the whole you are in total control.

 

[Symph]

5 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

 

it is funny how opposite we are as far as far as the use of psychedelics for soul searching...definitely b/c of the sXe thing. I could not even imagine taking on some thing as serious/ demanding / detailed as the use/studying of magik and soul searching in an altered state.  I feel like it is also about surrender and trust for me as well, but also being hyper aware to record and sift out all of the information.  If I am going to surrender, it has to be all the way...with no crutch or help. I also would want to remember every detail of anything that happens in my journeys, and i would be afraid of missing something if I am in an altered state

That's a fair way of looking at it, I've seen a lot of people who have this same attitude toward it, but I think it also is stemming from a misunderstanding of how psychedelics work and what they really do.  It always depends on the substance, the person, and the intent.  

5 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

^^^^^^

this all goes back to the "control factor" for me. I can not stand to be out of control. That does not mean controlling, but being out of control of myself. I have always felt like if I lose control of my actions/thoughts/interactions with others, then I am breaking a trust-bond. I am giving up my responsibility for the  caring and well being of others around me. That is one of the big reasons that I never broke the Edge. 

I am quite lucid on marijuana, I remember plenty of what goes on, in fact I usually have strong epiphanies and a sudden clarity of thought.  This of course gets undermined if the dose goes too high, but I don't ever allow that anymore I know my sweet spot, and in that sweet spot I will suddenly go "Oh my god I can't believe I haven't realized X about my behavior lately!!"  Or "I've been thinking about X so much I haven't even been considering my wife's feelings on it!!"  So for me it actually GIVES clarity, not takes it away, though I do know that I seem to be wired for it, where others I know are not.  I even tried in the past to convince someone to try and gain some clarity like me, only to find out it has an opposite effect on them, I think much of this has to do with body chemistry or something.  

5 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

In all of this though, I will tell you right now that I am not one of the judgemental sXe guys. 99% of the people I know and hang around are not Edge...ALL of my bandmates use at varying levels; most of my family at least socially drinks; my wife is Edge (but doesn't know it)...that was one stipulation I did make for myself when I was on the dating scene: I did not want to be that close to someone who was into drinking, or getting stoned.  That is probably the closest I get to being "judgemental", but I would rather be single than live that close to that world. Luckily I found someone who also lives in the same mind set.

Yeah I couldn't see you as the judgmental type, and wanting your partner to be on the same page as you is just wise not judgmental.  There's a lot of things that I'd never judge my friends for or even give a second thought to if I found out about them, but if it were my wife it'd be a totally different story.  

5 hours ago, xTheHermitx said:

And that just comes down to logistics...I do not identify at all with the world/mentality of "partying" and "keggers" and that level of chaos. I do not want to be an "adult babysitter". I could not imagine a life where I was spending time dealing with hangovers, and cleaning up the "messes" of that lifestyle. I DEFINITELY do not, and will never understand or condone the amount of money spent on the pursuit of being out of control like that.  

 

Anywhoo...I am starting to babble. Have to watch Colbert make sense of the Democratic Debate from today....speaking of a world of chaos that needs some "control"!!!   

 

 

Well I don't want any of that either haha, this is where we may be coming back to the misunderstanding.  A psychedelic like mushrooms is most definitely NOT a "party" drug by any stretch of the imagination, the fungus takes you on an inner journey and teaches you about yourself and the world around you, the whole trip feels incredibly sacred, and I've had some amazing breakthroughs thanks to them.  I can guaruntee you I wouldn't be on this forum if it weren't for weed, without marijuana I would have almost definitely remained a normal good christian boy who never questioned anything I was told, but one day I smoked some pot, and read the bible while I was on it, and eeeeeverything changed after that.  And I'm not exaggerating that was the moment I finally thought "Wait... what if there is more going on here than what I've been told?"  And a life long journey of exploration began.  Without the herb?  I'd of just stuck to the little bubble I was in.  

 

But we're all different, I'm very much a believer of continuing with what works for you in your deepest heart of hearts, if your heart says "I don't wanna touch that stuff" DON'T.