“Cannabis is always teaching, challenging one to think outside the box,” said Chaitanya. However, contemporary spiritual proponents of cannabis are reviving this notion, or at least making it more manifest. The concept of sacred plants as teachers isn’t novel. Chaitanya and his partner, Nikki Lastreto, for example, both align themselves with Cannamaste. Ritual also promotes social bonding with others. Ritual can be profoundly rational because it is often extremely effective in charging an intention, helping an individual to feel in control, reducing uncertainty, or diminishing anxiety. The truth is, however, that contemporary society is still saturated with ritual: it’s universal to the human experience. Ritual and ceremony may seem like archaic constructs or irrational throwbacks to old school religion. “Another use would be to enlist its aid in a healing or creative endeavor with a specific statement to that effect.”Ĭannabis rituals: Why they’re more powerful than you may think “To fully employ cannabis as a sacrament, the precursor to lighting the joint would be to acknowledge the source of the divinity enshrined in the plant with a mantra, a prayer, or a simple statement,” said Chaitanya. Swami Chaitanya, a long-time cultivator of Swami Select in the Emerald Triangle, is one such advocate of a more spiritual approach. Cannabis spirituality champions a more holistic understanding of the plant, in addition to its feel-good, curative, and palliative qualities. Since the Green Rush, cannabis is frequently mentioned in the same breath as market shares and industry. Such a philosophy has been interpreted as an effort to curtail the recent commercialization of cannabis and reclaim its roots, so to speak. Ingesting cannabis is also often accompanied by a ceremony or ritual, enwreathing the plant with the divine. Setting a clear intention before smoking or consuming is vital. Elevationists at the aesthetically stunning International Church of Cannabis in Colorado, for example, venerate cannabis as “the sacred flower to reveal the best version of self, discover a creative voice and enrich our community with the fruits of that creativity.”īut what distinguishes this new wave of spiritual cannabis consumers from those who smoke recreationally, claiming spiritual enlightenment as a by-product? For starters, the new wave treats the plant as a sacrament or refers to it as a teacher with numinous messages to impart. These cannabis-based spiritual practices and communities honor the plant for providing a gateway to the divine through connection with the self, others, and the Earth. Most have also adopted creeds that emphasize love, unity, tolerance, equality, and kindness. Alongside these looser affiliations is the blossoming of semi-organized cannabis-based religions and churches, including Cannamaste, The First Church of Cannabis in Indiana, the International Church of Cannabis in Colorado, The First Cannabis Church of Florida, the Healing Church of Rhode Island, the Coachella Valley Church of California, and the Hawai’i Cannabis Ministry. A new wave of spiritual consumersĪll over the globe, cannabis is being combined with practices such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. But recent years have seen the flowering of an elevated approach to cannabis consumption, which re-emphasizes its spiritual character. The line between spiritual development and pleasure may be thin, especially when it comes to weed. However, the Vedas caution that when used inappropriately or recreationally, cannabis is tantamount to a toxin. In Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems, cannabis is understood as a divine healing plant connected with Lord Shiva. Hindu sadhus, Zoroastrians, and Rastafarians honor cannabis as a sacred tool. Cannabis has long been identified as an entheogen: A plant that can expand one’s consciousness and assist in spiritual growth.
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