Acceptable? I suppose so. I mean, I’m not opposed to people altering their consciousness. I hope they don’t do it to excess—in a way that causes a lot of problems in their lives.
However, I prefer rituals that don’t involve the use of chemicals to alter your mind. I think that your mind is clearer when you alter your consciousness without chemical assistance. I suppose that sounds like an oxymoron, but I don’t think it is. I have found that while I have done some incredible things musically while high, I don’t know how I got there and I can only remember a very hazy impression of what happened.
When I make music while straight, I can get “high” anyway. Most of the musicians I play with always smoke weed before playing. I was thinking about this the other day. How they love the way I play. I wonder if they would like it as much or more if I were high. When I’m clean, I feel like I can hear what’s happening and understand it. I think if I were high I’d either be in the groove without knowing it, or I’d be unable to find it.
I have played with musicians who forget to share when they are high. It’s not fun. I wonder if I would forget to share if I were high. Anyway, as it happens, I don’t need chemical assistance. I’m already out there—just part of my personality. If I had indulged in a lot of hallucinogens, it is likely that I would have had serious mental problems a lot earlier in my life.