peculiar thread
As I understand (little, eh) aboriginal societies, the shamans were the guiding spirit - and they were loaded whilst communicating with whoever.
So, realistically, how would one presume to understand the iconography or symbolism without also being loaded?
And for those without the experience of interpreting things while high (or low !), do not for an instant believe it is the same as sober.
I too am quite fond of the SW desert, and hey - those rocks are shape-shifters also when one is dehydrated. Yet another line of inquiry.
projection is not understanding 
my limited exposure is that drugs (sweat from toads, shrooms, etc.) were used as a component of
communication activities
that we, today, may communicate with spirits while sober may be a reflection of the spirit's desperation to talk to/with someone
hey, the spirits are lonesome
edit: Ditlihi, do the spirits talk to you? (Please do not post a video - spirits at work)
sdcfia: interesting to me as well; should I start a thread "Priming the Pump to Communicate with Spirits" ?? (tuning the mic ?)
and someone will post about Jack Daniels vs Capt Morgan
Good late morning!
Do I communicate with spirits? No. I intuit things based on prior knowledge I have accumulated. Am I a 'Sensitive'? Possibly. But not in the woo-woo way. I simply open myself to that Intuition and trust it, having learned through trial and error. I tend to not repress, overthink every angle. I free associate. I believe in using my intuition alongside my intellect. They are really both the same thing after all, it's just a matter of your level of trust in your own decisions. Do I make mistakes? Of course I do, but I learn from them and move on. In my opinion that's called growth. I'm not 'all-knowing' and don't aspire to be. I'm having too damned much fun learning.
Yep, this is a peculiar thread, and I love it. It's a rolling, free associative conversation between friends and misfits, who are not hampered by thin skin and thoughts in a box. Is it uncomfortable for some? Probably. Does it foster innovation and invention? Absolutely. So what? I am fully aware of human nature's tendency to interpret statements and comments according to their own paradigm. I'm fine with that, just don't expect me to coddle your opinion if it differs from mine. I'll consider it....even emulate it. To a point. But if it becomes apparent that we are never going to find a common ground of agreement, I'll allow you yours and move on. No harm done.
As an Indigenous person myself, and having grown up on 'the reservation', I have a working knowledge of Shamanism; and after living and working in such far flug places as Honduras, Guatemala, the Middle East, in my capacity as a geologist, I am familiar with those drug induced visions (in others, I chose not to partake). I'll accept that some of the free association you've seen here on this thread may appear like the musings of a mind on a bowl full of Ayahuasca, lol. But I can assure you they are not. Lol.
Does my thread belong here? Is it only a "Spiritual Quest Discussion"? That's for you to form your own opinion. In my opening post I stated the purpose of my post....
" Who created these colossal stone Guardians, and why? What story do they tell? Is there a special significance to certain areas in these mountains, or to the mountains themselves? Do great Treasures lie buried beneath our feet as we tread silently above in awe at their magnificence? Or has Nature's Architect played a supreme joke on us, as improbable as it seems after witnessing such miraculous oddities?
These questions and more will be the basis of my journey over the next few weeks as I travel the Desert Southwest in search of Truth and Treasure. "
So, does it belong in Signs/Symbols, or elsewhere?
Ya'll decide, I'll abide. It makes me no difference. I don't have control issues.
P.S. Bill the Skeptic, start that thread, I think it would be awesome.
P.S.S. Do spirits use video, Bill? Please advise.
Her Hineyness