Crazy Creative

New research shows a link between mental health and creativity; researchers have shown that the dopamine system in healthy, highly creative people is similar to people with schizophrenia.

Crazy in our society is not being able to contend with or fit into a very tight mold; any deviation from proper conduct is deemed aberrant, requiring fixing. Even creativity is constrained by the necessity of making one’s art palatable for the public.

Serotonin and dopamine are mood enhancing brain chemicals that react favorably with hallucinogens like LSD and magic mushrooms. The state of being high or creative mimics the delirium of crazy people.

The first prophets as recorded in the Book of Shmuel/Samuel calls them Mashuganim/Crazies because they would travel throughout the land playing songs and being in revery–during prophecy they would tear off their clothes as not to have anything between themselves and the Creator. Creative people in this modern time are similar to the prophets of old.

Generally, human behavior is not considered crazy–just the many faces of human nature. My teacher related the following story: A woman once complained to a rabbi that her son was crazy because he eats pig and spends the night with strange woman; no, said the rabbi, your son would be crazy if he ate women and spent the night with strange pigs.

Why 420

According to Steven Hager, editor of High Times, the term 420 originated at San Rafael High School, in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking wiseacres who called themselves the Waldos.

The question is not about how this custom began but why it persists until becoming a world-wide phenomenon–smoking herb at 4:20. The Torah, particularly the Cabala provides answers.

Ashun/Smoke has a gematria of 420; also the three letters which make up the word Ashun are an acrostic for Olam/World, Shana/Time and Nefesh/Soul. When the Torah was given on Har Sinai the mountain Ashun/Smoked. The first ingredient of Ketoret/Incense is KaneBusim/Good Smell–Cannabis was also used in the inner service of the Temple–known to stand against plagues and rid the Temple of insects.

Herb was introduced into the world during the time of Avraham 4000 years ago; Avraham brought this special plant from Mars where the Tower of Babel had been erected–at the end of his life, Avraham sends his children that he has with Ketoret off to the east with gifts.

When one goes up to read the Torah before the congregation he is given an Aliah/Getting High–In the Torah God is referred to as, On High. To get high is to get closer to God through on the world stuck in time with our souls.