If you would like something similar but stripped of all religious notions, please follow this link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/7c6uy4/administrative_a_proposal_to_cull_the_noise_and/
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Update: There are going to be some not-minor changes that make this even more open than it is up until the end of November. I need to talk to a few more people. But this is a start. I will no longer be moderator after this sub is 44 days old and will step into another role temporarily.
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tl/dr is in bold. Read the bold in this post and the post linked at the end to get get the gist in <5 minutes. Then come back through and read the details that you want.
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Facts that led me here. These are roughly in the order that they occurred to me:
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1 - Over 5 years ago - Ibogaine is used for the treatment of addictions (specifically for opiates, but it may help with other addictions as well.) Look up 'Ibogaine Clinic Canada' or Mexico for plenty more information. The success rate approaches 90% with proper pre and post counseling or therapy, though it is an illegal schedule 1 drug in America. This is extremely relevant to the state of emergency that our 'president' declared today about opioid addictions. I acquired Iboga Root Bark & Ibogaine legally in Holland and personally used it in 2013 to make headway against my addiction to depression. I think it helped because that was my intention going into it.
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2 - Some Time ago - Mushrooms have been used in trials to help the terminally ill overcome anxiety related to death. This is an illegal schedule 1 drug in the US. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-psychedelic-drugs-can-help-patients-face-death.html I first used mushrooms in 2016 and purged a lot of bad energy from childhood trauma.
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3 - Some time ago - Native Americans have a legal exemption for the use of Peyote in their religious rituals, granted in 1996. See '42 usc 1996' and 'American Indian Religious Freedom Act.' #cues best church lady voice# "How Conveeenient." I have not used Peyote yet. Oh, and once again, Peyote is an illegal schedule 1 drug in the US.
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4 - A year ago - A Lawyer friend of mine used LSD to quit smoking. Surprisingly he has much extreme hesitation about this idea, so much so that he appears to oppose it. He published an article about his own use in Newsweek though. http://www.newsweek.com/how-acid-helped-stop-smoking-413593 Without my own use of LSD, this subReddit and probably this idea wouldn't exist. You guessed it... Illegal schedule 1 drug.
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5 - September 23 - There is an opiate overdose epidemic in Staten Island, not far from where I am at the moment. The addicts are under-served. This is the article printed September 21, though I had the printed version that I took on the Megabus home. HTTP://www.metro.us/news/local-news/new-york/staten-island-opioid-overdoses-lack-treatment-options Opiates are controlled substances and rightfully so because they are extremely addictive and destructive. Unfortunately most of them are not schedule 1.
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6 - September 23 - The UDV "Union of the Vine" Church from Brazil gained an exemption from the US Supreme Court for the use of Hoasca (Ayahuasca) in their ceremonies in 2006 after having 30 gallons of Ayahuasca seized by the DEA in 1999. Look up 'UDV Hoasca USA.' When you look through their site you can find the court case. The DMT in Ayahuasca is schedule 1, even though DMT is naturally occuring in every living organism, from a bacterium to a piece of grass to a human (interestingly not viruses, and we don't consider them life forms.)
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7 - September 24 - Other churches (rarely) have also been granted exemptions for psychoactive plant use for religious purposes in the US, and some have been denied for various reasons that we plan to avoid. I may have to find the links and #post them here later.# I am aware of 1 or 2 others who have been approved. I will be posting these links and all the others in the sidebar. You may suggest related links to the moderators also. I must note that all psychedelics, as a group, were banned in the late 1960s and soon after classified as schedule 1 drugs. Meanwhile dangerous addictive drugs such as morphine, opium, methadone are schedule 2, with some medical use. Guess which group is a boon to big pharma, and indirectly to the government through taxes and lobbying? https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf
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8 - September 24 - The thought occurred to me "Why can't we start a religion of healing, and use these entheogens as sacraments of healing?" And so I established the Order of the Cosmos shortly before midnight on September 24th near the woods in the middle of very rural Pennsylvania. No angels or Gods appeared to me, though I am sure there were plenty of spirits around. I just knew that I wanted to be like a saviour and help some people. And in saviour I don't mean to sound like a megalomaniac or say that I'm a prophet or profess any kind of power against death, I just want to extend people's lives and improve people's quality of life, and also continue the spiritual development, awareness, and enlightenment in my life and in the lives of others.
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The Order of The Cosmos will have no human leaders or deities, will be compatible with all other religions, and will be as decentralized and transparent as possible. Adherents will be able to initiate themselves into this spiritual practice without ever having to meet anyone, will be allowed to perform our rituals and use our sacraments in religious rituals, and will never be required to contribute finances to call themselves a member. Some adherents may benefit legally from being a part of our group if they find themselves in trouble, others may become well, and we hope all will benefit spiritually. There will be other unique features discussed here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j9tk/general_spiritual_how_will_the_church_be/
The purpose of this subReddit is for all of us to found the structure and workings of the church together as a group.
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Update: This is starting to look more and more like an underground spiritual movement as I talk to more people. That's OK, Christianity was underground in many places when it started. Basically we are more legitimate reason (in the eyes of the courts) to use these substances than because you feel like it, we offer a potential defence if in trouble (religion), and we won't cost you a thing. This spiritual practice is also designed to galvanize a small self-chosen group to do big things, to spread virally and globally in the underground, away from the spectres of the authorities. In my humble opinion, the next age of humanity is about moving away from hierarchy towards 'decentrarchy' and connection. Read on for the details.
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The name of our ministry is "An Answer To Heal."
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The 3 pronged purpose of the church is in its missions. The first mission of this church is to heal using the plants that were provided to us, and that many indigenous people have used for centuries in their religious and medicinal practices throughout the world. The 2nd mission is to provide compassionate care where healing is not possible yet. The third mission is to encourage and support spiritual development is this increasingly spiritually desolate and confusing world.
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In summary, the missions are "To heal those who can be healed, to have compassion for those who can't, and to provide spiritual enlightenment for everyone who is willing."
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The sacraments of the Order of the Cosmos so far include:
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1 - THC (Marijuana or Cannabis) originated in the Middle East - used for initiation and as a daily sacrament for the forgiveness ritual here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/78l5s5/general_spiritual_a_potential_initiation_ritual/
2 - Iboga (Iboga root bark or Ibogaine) originated in Africa - used for healing of addictions, and connection to spirits of ancestors
3 - DMT (Ayahuasca or various Pharmahuascas) originated in South America - used in healing, and for connection to the mother plant spirit
4 - LSD (LSA might be better) (synthesized from ergotamine which is extracted from ergot, a poisonous mold of Rye) originated in Europe - Use? Used for clarity, expansion of self awareness, spirituality, problem solving? I need some help here. If it wasn't for LSD & Cannabis, this subreddit wouldn't be here ;)
5 - Mescaline (Peyote or San Pedro) originated in North America - Use? It is interesting that the users call it 'the medicine' and that MDMA is an analogue of it. Used for deeper connection to other people and spirits?
6 - Psylocybin (Magic Mushrooms) found everywhere. Associated with Antarctica since hardly anything grows there - used for compassionate care related to terminal illness, and increasing spiritual awareness
7 - Possibly the active ingredient in Amanita Muscaria originated in Mainland Asia - use?
8 - What entheogen originated in the subcontinent of India? What is Soma?
9 - What entheogen originated in Australia?
10 - What entheogens originated in the Pacific Islands and other small places?
11 - Are there any important entheogens left out? Salvia Divinorum from Central America? 5-MEO-DMT (Bufotenine) from frogs in Mexico? Kambo sticks? I am sure there are others that I have never even heard of.
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Update: The courts have consistently ruled against the use of more than 1 sacrament in a religion, even though Revelations 22:2 may be a good defense. Even so, we may completely evade the law by becoming completely decentralized and underground, as I have done my best to lay out here. More about that in the structure of the church thread. Another option is starting a separate spiritual movement for each sacrament. Why can't we do both? Now open for discussion.
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Use of sacraments will never be required by adherents, except in the case of THC for the initiation and forgiveness rituals. Those performing these rituals will not be required to inhale the THC. In the case of physical or mental allergy (paranoia or deep fear) to THC, or some other medical reason, the initiator and initiate will be able to agree on an alternate sacrament used symbolically to represent THC for use in the ritual. The Catholic church allows for substitution for those who are alcoholics or allergic to grapes, so why can't we?
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Hemp leaves might be a good alternate. If using tobacco, I would encourage you to use a pure tobacco of good quality. The indigenous people of South America use Mapacho or South American Tobacco for ritual use. It has 10 to 20 times the nicotine compared to our typical tobacco in the Western World, so it is not suitable for recreational smoking. For those who are in a place where it is illegal and very risky to have Marijuana, you can also agree on an alternate sacrament, however we would encourage the initiate to repeat the ritual on their own once they are in a place where it is legal or at least less risky.
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All other sacraments will have their own uses and rituals, resembling the rituals of the religions where they have been previously used. People may initiate themselves, but we will educate people on medical harm reduction and legal harm reduction. Consumption of sacraments will always be self-administered. Never under any circumstances, sell, distribute, or administer a sacrament to another person, or you will subject yourself to potentially serious legal consequences, especially if something bad happens medically. Always let the initiate or adherent bring their own sacrament, hopefully acquired legally or anonymously, or if necessary, very discreetly. Your service is only as a sitter. Avoid harm by never violating this principle, even with the legal sacraments.
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As you can see, even the establishment of sacraments has not been completed. Let's aim for 12 sacraments, covering every large geographic area of Earth, since humans are indigenous to the whole Earth. Revelation 22:2 "On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations."
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For anyone who has any skepticism about all of this, please understand that I also have the same skepticism, and that is healthy. I think I am being very optimistic when I say that I believe we have a 50% chance of being very successful in America, at least in the near future. I do however think we can get at least one sacrament legally recognized in the US and that this is enough for now. We will fight the the good fight for more later if we have to. The good news is, since everything is legal somewhere, there is a 99.9% chance that this spiritual movement will spread. We just may find out that we do not have all the religious freedom here in America that we claim to have. In the US, if we eventually only get 2 or 3 sacraments legally recognized then that is GREAT!!! We will roll with that. We will still keep this same full list of sacraments anyways, but adherents will have to travel to other places set up in other countries to do specific rituals ---> which means Pilgrimages!!! YAY!!! I would suggest a temple in Amsterdam, Portugal, or Switzerland if we have to. And your travel and expenses will be tax deductible too. If our government moves to limit our religious freedom, then there will be a penalty for them.
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For anyone who thinks that we should wait for medical availability. Well, I fully support what MAPS and other medical organizations are doing. I am their biggest fan. But people are dying NOW and it is worse than most of you think. Ibogaine is not even on the governments radar for trials for opiate addicts, probably because of the lobbying and other efforts of big money & big pharma. And actually what we are doing here may lead to quicker legalization for medical use. The government will see that no matter whether they approve or not, we are still going to practice our religion regardless, just in other places like our forefathers were forced to do, while they sit around and NOT get revenue, and most importantly NOT help people. So that might light a little fire under their ass. The last thing the government needs to do is to repress a religion because we are not strictly Christian. As for the church, in an act of civil disobedience, we agree with the right of our adherents to practice their religion in accordance with their civil and constitutional rights, and we will reasonably do whatever is wise and within our power to support them. The idea is to pool our resources from the people that believe in this and use that to defend our adherents, as well as force the government to allow for our right to religious freedom. It might be an uphill battle and take awhile, but for me personally, it is worth the risk. Please join me in this most worthy fight!
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Honestly I think it is ludicrous and sad that we have to resort to having a religion and help people in this way, but at least it is entirely appropriate. I am aware of all of our potential sacraments except one being used for religious purposes by well recognized groups all over the world. And from the ones I have experienced, there is something really spiritual that cannot easily be explained about all of them. Just as with the major religions, you must have first hand experience to understand. I would still create a spiritual movement around these sacraments even if the substances were legal. In other words, we do have a genuinely spiritual purpose here other than healing.
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To fill out our list, specific properties of entheogens we are looking for include 1) used to connect to god(s) or spirits 2) not commonly addictive, 3) not man-made, and 4) has been or can be used for healing. Fortunately this rules out opium and coca, but it also rules out tobacco. However since tobacco is not illegal and South American tobacco (Mapacho) is used in ritual healing by their indigenous people, it will be permitted as a healing aid in our spiritual practices, but not formally as a sacrament. Wine (alcohol) was a sacrament in Ancient Greece, but it is also addictive, so it is ruled out.
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Entheogens would of course not leave the church premises, and will be used in ritual, and only by members of the church or during initiation of new members. Some sacraments (such as Iboga) will only be self-administered with oversight by doctors (harm reduction) who are licensed in the state, and only after sufficient medical tests have been performed. These tests will have been determined by doctors with prior hands on experience with iboga. Health screening will be absolutely necessary for safety with some sacraments. Each sacrament we choose will be evaluated by doctors on a case by case basis. Other sacraments (such as THC) will be able to be overseen by anyone in the religion (only in ritual) to initiate new members into the spiritual movement or for their own personal religious rituals. The doctors who are adherents will be called shamans and will be the only ones authorized to oversee the self-administration of more dangerous sacraments. I am not a doctor and therefore will not be a shaman, but I will be a minister.
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For very specific and detailed discussions of these points, please start a new thread. Make general comments in this thread. Maybe share your initial thoughts, support, or why you think this will or won't work. I welcome constructive dissent here, as it will make us stronger when we face the real opposition. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
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Warmest Regards,
Sebastian
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P.S. Continue to next sticky here on how we establish the church... (Click this and read the bold if you are just scanning.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j691/sticky_what_needs_to_be_done/