Ascension vs. steps of light vs. enlightenment etc.

[Tae]

Does enlightenment tie in with followers of the negative path at all? If so, how? What does such an experience mean to someone who has been trying to love exclusively the self. If it doesn't tie in, what happens if a psychedelic like 5-MAO is forced upon such an individual, forcing that person to experience the unity of all creation? Or maybe is there a "negative enlightenment" experience, regardless of the means of experiencing, resulting from simply the "choice" of the experiencer? How about in the case of someone undecided? Would there be an unfair sway in one of the two directions? How does this thing work?

Well, friend, this is what's known as a "bad trip". If you're not in a good headspace, and I assume that would include things such as your polarization, the things that psychedelics connect you to are not nice.

This is why I am not opposed to the use of psychedelics as a spiritual tool. Because they're not exactly a shortcut. They only connect you if you're ready; your higher self is still in control of what you get to access. If you take them when you're not, you will have a bad trip, or a social trip where lights are pretty and music is amazing and the cat is the softest, and you're pretty sure you're having a conversation with him right now. They might shortcut you from having to spend half an hour meditating to get there, but if they get you there, you could've done it by meditating deeply while sober that day too. I also see no sense in gatekeeping what brought someone to this place; whatever road they took was valuable for their journey.

I have used psychedelics a handful of times. Once it bridged me to such a place of unity. It served as a teacher because I used it as such; I do not need to take psychedelics to repeat that experience, and therefore, have not. It is not something that I regret.

If someone focused solely on themselves were to experience that loss of ego it would be terrifying and perceived as a negative thing, thereby resulting in the quintessential "bad trip". It's perceived through their own distortion.