From: Anders Sandberg Drugs In Mage "I in my grandeur have surpassed the sky and this vast Earth. I am great! Great! Flying to the skies! Have I not drunk the soma?" Rigveda 10.119.8, 12 Mages have never been constrained by the morals of the sleepers, and have always explored realms far beyond mortal comprehension. One such area is the use of various drugs to alter perception, consciousness or reality itself. Mages have always been seeking ways to bring their visions to the unenlightened or help their followers to understand transcendent reality, and many have found drugs quite useful in this respect. While many mages have used various substances useful to their own magick and inspiration, most regard them as a bit of upaya (Sanskrit, "Skilful means"), simple tricks to help on the path to Ascension. Alamut Black This mixture was reputedly developed by Hassan i Sabbah (the founder of the Assassins) himself, and used for initiating members of the order or to achieve mystical insights. Since then the secret of its preparation has been handed down in the Cult of Ecstasy through generations, from mentor to disciple. It is almost pure hashish with a pinch of belladonna and stramonium (20:1:1). Like ordinary hashish it is hallucinogenic, but the visual imagery is much more brilliant and persistent; it has been likened to an episode of Quiet and allows the mage to seek hidden knowledge and illumination in his own mixture of reality and imagination. Nephente This drug was used in the Mediterranean during the Greek Era. It was probably a mixture of opium and a rare kind of lotus, and induced in its users a languid, pleasurable state of mind with an intense sensitivity to beauty. On the downside, it made its users passive and somewhat sluggish. It is believed it was used by both the Seers to gain insight into the aesthetics of the world and by the Pythagoreans to become able to experience the music of the spheres directly. The Sacrament of the Black Mother This red-black elixir is made by the Cult of the Final Ecstasy. Its exact ingredients are not known, but are most certainly quite vile. Its effect is dramatic; it breaks down the will and rational mind of the imbiber, allowing the repressed sides to appear. During the influence (which can last for several days) the person will wander around in a daze, filled with strange emotions and visions (many latter describe the experience as being both dead and alive, surrounded by the immense presence of the frightening and comforting Black Mother). The Cult use this both as a way of controlling people and as an initiation rite; it is not uncommon for drugged people to gain deep insights in the ecstasies of life and death. Soma This is a legendary drug of the tantrics of India, known since Vedic times, when it was often offered as a sacrifice to Indra and the other gods. It was made from a plant that originally grew in heaven but was brought to earth by a heroic eagle that planted it in the mountains. Wise men gathered it, pressed it between stones into a wooden bowl, filtered the juice through wool and finally sprinkled the soma with clarified butter. Today this sacred plant have become very rare, and only the tantrics know where to find it. Soma is said to give both health and immortality, and its users feel exhilaration and rapture at the beauty and power of the world. Some mystics even worshipped it as the creative power of God. Among the tantric mages it is used in the ceremonial preparations before sex magick, both as a sacrifice to Indra and Lakshmi, and to make their own union truly divine. Theta-norepinephrine (CCrystal)) This drug was developed by the Progenitors and is currently marketed by the Syndicate. It is expected to become the new big designer drug, and currently the Mobsters are concentrating on spreading it among up-and-coming businesspeople and the jet set to give it the same air of glamour they gave cocaine. The drug (brilliant crystals which are placed beneath the tongue to dissolve, hence its nickname) is stimulates the user and helps him handle stress better. This has some quite profitable results (from the perspective of the Syndicate): the user becomes more effective and thus can afford the drug without getting burned out, his improved results will entice others to try out Crystal, people slowly learn to cope with the fast pace of modern life but become dependent on the drug which the Syndicate controls - and the best part is that it doesnttttttttt cause any physiological or mental addiction, but since the users will have taken upon themselves an excessive workload they canttttttttt stop using it without getting hopelessly inefficient. It has a tendency to promote high blood pressure, ulcers, heart trouble and other stress related diseases in the long run, so the Progenitors foresee a huge market of their next generation of tranquillisers and relaxation methods. The Dancing Powder This powder is made from dried crushed spiders of the poisonous species Aranea Praegustator (common in most equatorial America). When ingested it causes hyperactivity, an inability to remain still (it is quite common for users to begin to dance uncontrollably) and ecstatic trance states. The drug is generally used to facilitate possession by spirits or gods, who enter the user and manifest through him. White Lightening This is a very pure batch of LSD made by Richard Alpert in the 60's, (accidentally?) mixed with a small amount of Tass. Its effect on sleepers isn't unlike normal LSD, although it is much stronger and has the ability of giving visions of the Umbra. On mages it has very different effects; it focuses their inner vision towards Ascension and the total unity of space, time, matter, consciousness and the mage. The effect is quiet and gentle, but powerful as the movement of the planets themselves. When the Akashic Brotherhood found out about the batch after Alpert visited Tibet, they immediately acquired it from Alpert and made certain he would not spread it among the Cult of Ecstasy. Apparently they were fearful of the effects of the drug on untrained western minds, or they did not wish that the vision of Samadhi would be replicated by mere chemistry. Witches Ointment This is an ancient Verbena concoction, consisting of fat from a sacrifice, belladonna, henbane and frog skin consecrated at a new moon. When applied to the genitals and anus it gives a feeling of drowsiness and vivid hallucinations. In this trance state it is much easier to send onesssssssss mind to remote places or worlds, giving rise to the myths about witches flying to the Sabbath on broomsticks. AUM This drug was developed by the Erisian Liberation Front, a subgroup of the Discordians. It is a complex extract of hemp, RNA, heroin, cocaine and LSD. The heroin stills anxiety, RNA stimulates creativity, the hemp and LSD opens up the mind to joy and the cocaine stimulates thinking and activity. The net result is quite subtle, and not immediately apparent to the user. The long term effect seems to be an increase in cconstructive gullibility,, an extreme openness to new ideas and perspectives which allows the user to move from paradigm to paradigm. The Discordians try to give it to unknowing sleepers, attempting to turn them from neophobes to neophiles. The results are seldom predictable, sometimes the users go insane, sometimes they become creative and starts to develop their own ideas, sometimes they spontaneously awaken - but might join the Technocracy just as well as the Discordians. AUM is even more dangerous to mages, who risk slipping into marauderdom by its effects if they are not careful. Poisons Hydra Venom This poison is sometimes used by the Euthanatos to bring the good death to especially worthy persons. It is a rare distillate of dozens of snake poisons gathered from the Shard Realm of Life, extremely toxic and virulent. As soon as it gets into the organism of someone, it will spread causing a burning agonising pain which only gets worse and worse. At the same time the victim becomes less affected by other kinds of pain, since they are so minor compared to the poison. Usually the victims commit suicide after a few hours of agony, releasing their souls from this incarnation. Lacrima Tenebris This alchemical preparation (a slightly salty liquid, indistinguishable from tears) is made from lead salts, nightshade and tears from people in sorrow. By distilling and consecrating the solution on a Saturday, it will become filled with the powers of death and darkness. It can be mixed in food or drink, and will quickly induce a stupor followed by apparent death. In reality the preparation just freezes the bodily functions, and the victim is still alive and fully conscious in an almost total darkness with occasional glimpses of the surroundings. It is extremely hard to tell that the victim is alive, and most are simply assumed to be dead and buried. Medicines Tetramethylhypnol This drug was developed by a research team led by Professor Heiselberg at the TAU construct to combat the effects of dreaming. It is an anti-hallucinogenic drug, which effectively inhibits all forms of dreaming during sleep. The drug makes its users rational and more connected to normal reality, draining away their creativity and imagination. Unfortunately the lack of dreaming also makes learning harder, and the unimaginative down-to-earth personality which emerges is actually not very suitable for the complex duties of technomancy. The drug is however widely used among field operatives and kamrads of Iteration X and the New World Order. Dr. Wilsonsssssssss Radioactive Wonder Elixir This mixture was devised around the turn of the century by a Son of Ether with a sense for business. He wanted both to help the sleepers and earn money, so he devised various more or less spurious medicines and wonder drugs. His Wonder Elixir was one of his most successful, mostly because it actually contains radioactive water (in addition to aanimating and potent minerals and herbs)) - so much in fact that a Geiger counter will give rather extreme readings around it. Despite the radioactivity it is without doubt extremely stimulating and completely non-addictive, and users report that it speeds up growth and improves their health quite a bit. SRA4I-23 SRA4I-23 (Serotenin Receptor A-4 Inhibitor 23) was developed by sleeper chemists, but has so far been suppressed by the Technocracy until they decide it is time to release it. It binds to the receptors in the pleasure centres of the brain, making it impossible to stimulate them by drugs of any kind. A user will not feel any cravings for alcohol, tobacco, other drugs or even chocolate during the effect. It also has the effect of decreasing the sex-drive and making the mood calm and positive. This drug could of course permanently solve many drug problems and become a tremendous weapon against the Cult of Ecstasy (as the NWO and some Progenitors wishes), but the Syndicate and the Pharmakopists aren't as thrilled. So far it has been mainly used within the Technocracy to ensure efficiency and dedication with very positive results.