Cannabis For Spiritual Use
Can Cannabis Enhance My Spiritual Practice?
How Do I Use Cannabis Spiritually?
Are There Special Varieties That I Should be Using?
These are some of the questions I often face when discussing the Ceremonial or Spiritual use of cannabis. While some have been using this profound teacher to deepen their study of the self for many years, newcomers are eager to learn how this plant can benefit their spiritual journey.
To answer the first question: Can Cannabis Enhance My Spiritual Practice?
Yes! Cannabis has long been used to enhance, deepen, and further spiritual devotion, experience, and study. With traditions dating back millennia, some notable examples are found in ancient Egypt, where cannabis was considered integral to various mystery schools and religions. In India, its place in Shiva worship is well documented, and even today Sadhus (wandering Holy Men) are commonly observed consuming Bhang (Cannabis edibles), smoking ganja (Cannabis Flowers), and charas (Cannabis Resin) from chillums (stone/clay pipes). In the Islamic tradition, Fakirs (Muslim Mystics) also eat and smoke cannabis products, and research conducted within the past few decades reveals that Moses, and his Hebrew Priesthood, prepared and consumed Cannabis, via highly charged topical ointments and alchemically prepared incense. In sub-Saharan Africa, cannabis was and still is used in divination, healing, and spiritual journeys within traditional African faiths. Even in the Americas, it is used for similar purposes as it is in Africa. Perhaps most famously in the West, is the use of ganja by those of the Rastafari faiths. With so many long-standing Traditions, the power to transform our innermost selves through the use of cannabis is quite clear.
This brings us to the second question: How do I use cannabis Spiritually?
There are three factors that play into this;
Set and Setting
Intention
Awareness
When it comes to Psychedelic Sacraments and Plant Medicine Ceremonies, we may be inclined to think of terms like Ayahuasca, Peyote, or Psilocybin Mushrooms. Even though it is the most widely used Entheogen in the world, Cannabis does not always get the attention it deserves. When prepared properly, and utilizing the right varieties, a powerful entheogenic experience unfolds.
All Sacraments and Ceremonies are built upon the set and setting. This is the location and the mindset one has going into the Ceremony, and will have a profound effect on the experience. Clearly setting the intention for using Cannabis is equally important to self awareness.
This brings us to the practical side of the question: How do I use cannabis in a spiritual manner?
Using Cannabis spiritually is easy and straightforward, and no shaman is needed to perform this type of Ceremony. By following some simple guidelines you can be sure that you will have a successful experience.
Here are the components of a Cannabis Ceremony:
Creating a Scared Space
Setting Your Intention
Listening Within
Absorbing and Contemplating The Experience
1. Creating A Sacred Space:
Creating the appropriate atmosphere for your ceremony will require you to find a location indoors or outdoors where you can be alone for a set amount of time. The duration depends on whether you are eating, or inhaling the cannabis. Make sure you will remain undisturbed during the ceremony so that you can give your full attention to self-awareness. Set the space up in such a way that you will remain comfortable during this time. Make sure to have enough drinking water, fresh fruit, access to a restroom, and a place to lie down if necessary. Water and fresh fruit are important, as they help you to stay hydrated and are light and easy on the body.
A quiet and comfortable ceremony area is helpful in facilitating relaxtion and inner awareness.
Next, it is highly recommended that you smudge the area in which the ceremony will take place. This is to clear away any negative energies, purify the air and the mind, and help set the intention for the ceremony. Smoke is a powerful tool for carrying prayers into the astral/spirit realms, so use this time to recite your prayers and/or intentions. Smudging can be done using Palo Santo, Frankincense, Myrrh, Syrian Rue Seeds, Juniper Wood or Leaves, or Mapacho (Sacred Tobacco). My personal favorite is a mixture of equal parts Frankincense, Myrrh, and Syrian Rue Seeds, ground and blended, poured over smudging coals in an incense burner. While this method is more elaborate, I prefer it because the Frankincense contains chemicals similar to THC, evoking a tranquil meditative state. It is also an antiseptic and physically cleans the air. Myrrh is also antiseptic, and is a powerful mood booster, while Syrian Rue contains MAOI (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors), which also boost mood, provide clarity, and dispel negative energies. The seeds are highly revered in the Middle East as a potent remedy for removing black magic and “the evil eye”. Similarly, Frankincense is considered to be integral to blessings and positivty. When visiting friends and family, the visiting party is heavily smudged before departure to imbue the love and positivity shared during the visit.
A traditional Frankincense setup. The resin is placed ontop of charcoal to slowly burn. The handle allows for easy maneuvering.
One of the simplest methods of smudging is using Palo Santo. Which is easy to acquire and easy to use, only requiring a lighter to ignite the stick, which will catch fire quickly. Once the flame is allowed to burn for 30-60 seconds, the flame is blown out and the thick stream of smoke is used to clear the area. Palo Santo is related to Frankincense and is quite powerful in regards to enhancing the meditative state. It is a common smudging stick in South America, where it is frequently used in Shamanic settings such as: Ayahuasca and Huachuma Ceremonies and energy healings.
2. Setting Intentions:
Setting your intention is crucial to having a successful ceremony. This is where we set the tone for what it is we wish to accomplish or learn. By thoughtfully laying out what we want to understand or change within ourselves before consuming this powerful teacher, we allow ourselves the opportunity to truly become aware and learn from it. This is the main difference between conscious and unconscious use. When we are consciously engaged in some activity, we are aware of our thoughts and actions during said activity. This allows us to tune in and notice how we think and feel, and ultimately, this leads to profound inner growth. Since Cannabis is a powerful amplifier, what we think and engage in while using it, also becomes amplified, which is why it is so important to maintain a conscious approach and attitude while sitting with this teacher.
3. Tuning In
Once the area has been set up and smudged, prayers or intentions have been set, it is now time to consume the Cannabis and engage in your preferred Spiritual Practice. For some, it may be the perfect opportunity to perform pranic exercises such as breath work, hatha yoga, tai chi, or qigong. For others, chanting, silent meditation, or energy work like reiki, might feel more appropriate. My partner uses this time to engage in hatha yoga, meditation, reiki, and channeling light language. I use this time to practice sitting meditation, Japa (mantra meditation), and chanting. During the chosen practice, this is the time to allow the amplifying effects to take hold and carry us deeper into the experience. This is why it is so important to make sure you are alone and undisturbed.
4. Absorbing and Contemplating The Experience:
Once the ceremony feels like it has naturally reached its conclusion, it is our chance to contemplate and absorb what we experienced. Taking some time to go over any feelings or thoughts, that came up during the ceremony is of great importance. I recommend having a journal that is dedicated to these ceremonies, where you can write down what your prayers and intentions were, any feelings or thoughts that came up, and answers or conclusions you became aware of. Keep in mind that all time is now, so answers to your inquiries may not come immediately and may present themselves over the next few days or weeks following the ceremony. It is important to keep an open mind and heart that is ready to receive guidance and inner wisdom. Look for recurring themes and synchronicities that may show up, this is how you will know that something is trying to get your attention. Signs can come in many ways, even through dreams. For this reason, I also suggest keeping a dream journal. That way, further themes and messages can be discovered.
Bonus Practice:
5. Working with Cannabis without Consuming It:
Here is one way to learn from and commune with the spirit of Cannabis without ingestion. Creating a small silk, cotton, or hemp dream pillow (a small cloth bag that holds herbal preparations and is placed inside or under a pillow while sleeping). Filling this with leaves, buds, and or roots, can allow you to connect with the plant spirit while dreaming. Devote time (15-30 min) each day to meditate on the Cannabis Spirit, this can be done by sitting quietly while mentally picturing the plant or blossoms and opening up to energetically receiving.
Going Further:
It is important to note, that traditional healers, shamans, and spiritual seekers, would prepare themselves for transformative experiences or ceremonies by setting up a purofcation time. By changing their diet, and omitting certain foods, or fasting completely, meaning only drinking water. They might spend lots of time alone whether inside or out in nature, the point is to purify the body, as well as the minds, so that they could be like an empty bowl, ready to be filled.
In modern times, we can achieve a similar state of reference, devotion and preparation, by decreasing or omitting our exposure to media screens, foods that are filled with additives or stimulants such as coffee, caffeine, or other mindaltering substances. Persons, places, or things that causes one to dwell too much on either negativity or over excitement is also ideally limited or avoided. The time spent preparing for a ceremony is a time to be with the self, and to set the intention of learning from the self.
While it is often said that what you put in you get out, everyone has different lifestyles, different goals and different focuses. All that truly matters is that you have a clear intention of what you want to receive from your practice.Understanding that cannabis is a sacred teacher, that it has its own consciousness, and that you are sincere in asking for guidance. It will answer you. Just remain open to hearing what comes through, you will receive guidance. You just have to open up and listen.
Another major component to understand is that cannabis is an amplifier and an accumulator. By accumulator, I mean that it physically accumulates or pulls things from the environment not only in the form of minerals from the soil, but it can also be used to clean up oil spills, radiation, and other pollutants that have gotten into the soil. Since it can pull pollutants out of the soil, it has been used quite successfully to clean up contaminated land. In the same way that it physically absorbs or accumulates things from the environment. It is also incredibly sensitive to the energy and thought forms that are present during its cultivation and consumption. This is where talk of “bad vibes” comes into play when using cannabis. These “bad vibes” can come from the growing process or from the mindset or people that we surround ourselves with while using it. Because of this, I recommend you grow your own Sacred Cannabis, or at least aquire it from a positive and trusted source. Ideally, the best situation would be for you to cultivate your own cannabis so that you can cultivate an intentional relationship with the plant, as well as have direction over the physical environment in which it is being grown.
Cannabis as an amplifier, means that what you do when consuming it will be enhanced and benefitted. This means if you are using it without intention and just mindlessly watching TV, funny videos on YouTube, or scrolling on social media it will enhance and promote that mindset and activity. Conversely, if you use it consciously and intentionally, as in when performing your spiritual practice, whether that be chanting, praying, hatha yoga, and so on. These activities and mindsets will be greatly enhanced. This is what makes it such a powerful tool to enhance our spiritual growth.
It is also important to poin out that specific varieties of cannabis are better suited to the spiritual focus or enhancement than others. For example, many popular modern-day varieties, have been bred to have the higher THC content and thus tend to have lower percentages of other cannabinoids. In traditional cannabis, also known as “Landraces” or “Heirlooms”, the cannabinoid profiles tends to be more balanced. Which leads to a more layered, complex, spiritually focused, and centering effect. It is these traditional varieties that hold the key to heightened Spiritual Experiences. Heirloom “Sativa” varieties are especially potent in regard to heightening spiritual awareness, as they tend to be clear-headed, blissful, soaring, introspective, and positive in their effects. They are also prone to enhancing a sense of wonder, and connection with the self and the world around us. For example, the herb that Peter Tosh sang and spoke about was primarily Heirloom Sativa, which in his day, would be dramatically different to the commercially labeled Sativas available today.
Peter Tosh in an Heirloom Ganja Garden
Peruvian Heirloom Sativa. Strong Spiritual Vibrations, this is the type of herb that is perfect for Ceremonial Use.
All the varieties available on this site have been specifically chosen and bred for their spiritually enhancing effects. They provide a clear head, centered, and grounded feeling that allows one to easily explore and deepen their spiritual practice. Varieties such as these are, can have their ceremonial qualities greatly enhanced by undergoing a proper curing method, known as fermentation. While they are very useful by simply harvesting and drying the flowers. The fermentation process takes this a step further and allows a deepening of the complexities, both chemically as well as energetically.
Peruvian Heirloom Sativa, fermented and cured for over 9 months. Herb like this is fully activated.
You will find explanations and references to the importance of fermentation in other blog posts on this site.
Remember to follow your local laws regarding cannabis cultivation, possession, and consumption.
I pray that this helps to give guidance and insight into how to use cannabis spiritually. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below or send me an email by clicking on the Contact Us link.
Om Shivamastu 🙏🏼
