Topic: Psychoactive parasites
The most disturbing type of living being to consider (in my opinion) is the parasite which destroys its host to achieve its own selfish ends. Even more disturbing--venturing into the realm of downright evil--is the type of parasite which warps the mind of its host, making the host complicit in its own destruction. I had no idea such parasites existed until a little while ago.
One such parasite is called leucochloridium paradoxum. After taking up residence inside the body of the amber snail, this malicious organism sends parts of its own body up into the eye stalk. (It prefers the left eye stalk for some reason.) After doing so, it causes the snail to crawl out into the open and stay there--something snails don't usually do. Inside the eye stalk, the parasite wildly undulates it's brightly decorated appendage. You can see video of this happening here.
The parasite's violent pulsation is done in imitation of a caterpillar. Due to the swelling, the snail cannot retract its eye stalk. Eventually, a bird comes along and rips off the eye stalk, consuming a portion of the parasite within. This completes a part of leucochloridium paradoxum's life cycle. Watching the video gives me a visceral sense of disgust. The knowledge of just what the parasite is doing makes my brain want to vomit, if it could.
Another parasite, called dicrocoelium dendriticum, causes its host to take even more unusual actions. This parasite affects the mind of the ant. An infected ant waits until evening when temperatures begin to drop, then it finds a stalk of grass to climb. At the top of the stalk, the ant locks on with its jaws and holds its body straight up in the air. It holds this position until a cow comes along and eats it. If no cow shows up, the parasite allows the ant to unlock its jaws and go about its business until the next evening when the whole thing is repeated.
Invertabrates aren't the only victims. The parasite toxoplasma gondii gets into rats through their water or food. Inside the host rodent, it actually causes fearlessness of cats! The rat's natural aversion to feline pheromones is completely disabled. Once the suicidally brave rat is eaten by a cat, the parasite reproduces inside the body of the cat. The cat's body is the only place where the parasite can reproduce.
And here's the information you've been waiting for: toxoplasma gondii is found in humans. Not only that, but behavioral and mental differences can be measured in host human beings. According to a 1996 study by a doctor in Prague, "infected men were more likely to be aggressive, jealous and suspicious, while women became more outgoing and showed signs of higher intelligence." (source)
It is interesting to consider the mind of the parasite. All things in nature have a mind--whether literal or symbolic. A dandelion spore can be said to have a "mind" of the symbolic sort, because in its physical design is contained knowledge of the existence of wind. The symbolic mind of the psychoactive parasite is different and more complex. It shows intimate knowledge of the brain, mind, behavioral patterns, and ecological relationships of other animals! Unlike the dandelion spore, the parasite seems craven and faithless, desperately fixated on other animals to provide what it needs, fearful of its own inability to survive in the natural world.
How might a psychoactive parasite effect the human mind? Perhaps by passing on its symbolic mind? Maybe by encouraging fearfulness and attachment to the "social body", that teeming mass of other humans shaped into social structures by civilization? And here's another thought: what about other-dimensional parasites? "As above, so below", they say. If the reverse is true (as below, so above) then this may lend credence to the idea of energy-sucking parasites in the astral realm or other non-physical locales.
This makes me think of Scientology, with its ideas of body thetans. I read somewhere that L. Ron Hubbard spent some time in a mental institution, and there came up with the idea of "body thetans"--which are supposedly little spirit creatures attached to the body that cause various mental problems. Hubbard was torturing the more paranoid patients by convincing them of the existence of these creatures. After working them up, he'd offer to "help" his fellow patients get rid of their unwanted guests. When he saw how easily he could control people this way, he expanded the idea into a (very lucrative) religion. It's my opinion that Scientology is a malicious money-grubbing scam. But there may still be some truth to the original concept, since we do see evidence of purposeful interaction with the mammalian brain by parasites in the case of toxoplasma gondii.
It may not even be an original concept on Hubbard's part, either. Hubbard was connected to Thelema, as was Robert Heinlein. In the 1955 novel Puppet Masters, Heinlein wrote about organisms who hijacked human bodies by attaching to the spine and propagating their species through the humans. It could be that Thelemic initiates are given some information about real parasites of this nature, and Hubbard used this information to get rich while Heinlein used it as a literary element.
The human body contains a massive number of microorganisms. Some do no physical harm, (they're called "commensals") some are actually beneficial, (they're called "mutualists") and some--the parasites--are harmful. However, these classifications come from their physical effects on the body. Aside from the Prague study, there are no studies I know of which have attempted to measure the mental effects of these organisms. So a physically inert or beneficial microorganism might have deleterious psychological effects. I wonder if this is a vector of spiritual/mental attack?
(Incidentally, I was looking for information on the brain cysts that are caused by toxoplasma gondii, and the first hit on Google was a PubMed entry saying phenylalanine derivatives are active against Toxoplasma gondii brain cysts in mice. Phenylalanine is part of the composition of aspartame, otherwise known as NutraSweet. I don't know if that means anything.)
So what do you think of this topic? What do you think about the mind of the parasite? I think there are three forces of evolution: the creator, the environment, and the consciousness of the organism. What kind of self-directed conscious action or spiritual orientation might have informed the evolution of the parasite? How might it have come to be? How might it act upon the human mind? If such organisms exist, what do they want? What behavior and/or mental states do they desire? Why? Could major consciousness changes in massive numbers of human beings be introduced via ubiquitous microorganisms? Is it possible that psychologically beneficial microorganisms might exist?
I have been taking an organic black walnut and wormwood complex, as well as an oil of oregano capsule for the past few days to see if I notice anything. I'm a vegan, so I probably don't have a lot of the meat/dairy-related microorganisms in my system. But if I notice any changes, I'll let you guys know.
Cayenne pepper is another great supplement to keep in mind for killing parasites. They sell it in capsule form called "Cool Cayenne" with 40,000 or 100,000 heat units of strength.....but which doesn't burn your stomache, and also includes ginger mixed in as well. Good stuff, will kill anything. 
Cayenne also has additional beneficial properties, such as cleansing your blood. It definitely can't hurt anybody to take it, whether they have parasites or not. 
Sorry, I couldn't resist.........