> I welcome the idea of learning from the past rather than imposing romantic fantasies over it, but that doesn't mean the past is where everything of value resi

> I welcome the idea of learning from the past rather than imposing romantic fantasies over it, but that doesn't mean the past is where everything of value resides. If you think religions relate to real things, rather than purely being a human construct, then those things have agency of their own, and exist in the present day. Authenticity, then, becomes about the strength of connection. I see them as instructive in inducing certain mind states, similar to mindfulness, that allow one to perceive reality through a different lens. You will see angels and demons when ingesting psychedelics, that take on attributes of your own psyche.