Passing on the Messages From Psychedelics
Written By: BLUE BIRD
If there’s one lesson that I’ve learned through my psychedelic journeys, it’s that I’m the creator of my world. That’s incredible, empowering, and absolutely beautiful, but what does that actually mean? I never thought of myself as a creative person. I thought you had to be a very talented artist to be creative, but psychedelics taught me that creativity is more than painting extravagant art or composing concertos. Creativity is simply living according to your own desires. Every single moment you are creating. Every conversation, movement, thought, and dream is a creation. You have the power to create whatever you want. So, the question is, what do you want to create?
I’m an elementary school teacher, and every lesson that I learn for myself, I try to pass on to my students. If I’m the creator of my world, then wouldn’t it mean that my students are the creators of their worlds? While it’s important for me to teach them reading and math, it’s my duty as an educator to teach these little souls the absolute power and creativity that resides in themselves.
I decided to give my students a lot of leeway when it came to how they wanted to create in our classroom. I created an environment where creativity was always highlighted. We co-created our class values, and used those to guide the students in creating their own rules.
Every morning meeting, the students would go around in a circle and share what they “made” at home the previous evening. Sometimes they had projects that they showed to the class. Other times, they made things and had their parents send pictures so the class could see. Some students “made” a winning goal, others “made” time with their family. Every day was something different. What was important was that they had the opportunity to share their creations.
I gave them tools for creating, but didn’t give them strict expectations. I gave them math problems before teaching the strategies to see what they would come up with first. They learned how to collaborate with one another and write their own plays at recess and perform them for the grade. They made up their own games to play as a class and agreed on their own rules. My hope is that these activities helped children feel empowered to create rather than simply intake information.
Creativity is just one lesson that I have learned through psychedelic experiences. There are many more that can be passed onto children. The lessons that we learn in our psychedelic journeys aren’t just for us - they’re for our friends, families, and communities as well. We can embody these lessons and teach them to future generations. One day, we may have societies of people who understand their creative power because of the lessons that they learned as children.
