I think that gets closer to the point I was trying to make.

Broadly speaking, I have the same basic criticism of mysticism that I have of psychedelic use. I think the goal of permanent being-consciousness-bliss is like trying to stay stoned all the time, or trying to bust out of jail without having faced why you're in jail to start with. How did we lose ourselves to start with? Where did prakriti come from and why? They don't know because they call the question a distraction and won't ask. I don't think that lack of self-knowledge is the root problem, even though it is a centrally important symptom. I think we lack self knowledge because we hide from ourselves and other people, because we're trying to get away with stuff and don't want to face what we're responsible for. If you don't hide, you naturally grow into self knowledge, seeking and gaining it is a part of life. I think its a mistake to make it a goal at the expense of everything else though, because that quest rests on ideological assumptions about what 'self' is and what the destination is. Better I think to live freely, while recognizing and respecting the boundaries of what is honest and what is not. Wilhelm's I Ching translation says something to the effect that the highest calling is to be free of blame. That may sound like some kind of moral ass covering, but I think that's not the right way to understand it. Basically its the golden rule, the honest will to do what is required to live in freedom and harmony. If we do that, the whole world is uplifted. And if we do it consistently enough, for long enough, the world is transformed, even stuff that we currently regard as physics changes. But if we try to escape the world, or escape into our private pleasant experiences, then that's part of the pattern that makes the world what it is. In other words, the billions of us all trying to get to heaven, with our many devices, are what makes the world what it is. But to the extent that we just do what our hearts and our brains tell us is right, that makes it better. I don't think lack of higher knowledge is what limits this. Simple example: consider what goes on at a modern beef farm in most countries. It is terrible. You don't need hallucinogens to tell you its wrong, or books to tell you its wrong, you just need to look at what's going on instead of shutting it away and trying not to think about it. We already have empathy. And when we grow within ourselves, by not hiding from ourselves, our empathy grows stronger and our awareness grows stronger.

Regarding your edit, I agree its a conspiracy. I think we're all part of the conspiracy. I think when we see it the right way, its not a paranoid kind of conspiracy any more, its just karma that we all contribute to. Some things we can't understand the right way if we see them too soon, we lack the proper context, and it becomes a burden on us. This is one reason its important not to push too hard, and to let things come to us when we're ready.