Cannabis has been used in an entheogenic context - a chemical substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context[1] - in India and Nepal since the Vedic period dating back to approximately 1500 BCE, but perhaps as far back as 2000 BCE. There are several references in Greek mythology to a powerful drug that eliminated anguish and sorrow. Herodotus wrote about early ceremonial practices by the Scythians, thought to have occurred from the 5th to 2nd century BCE. Itinerant Hindu saints have used it in Nepal and India for centuries.[2]
-wikipedia
In the sections below I outline rastas and sadhus, two very similar but very different entheogenic cannabis using cultures, then below that I ramble on about spirituality and cannabis for a while....
-eg
In modern culture the spiritual use of cannabis has been spread by the disciples of the Rastafari movement who use cannabis as a sacrament and as an aid to meditation
Reasoning
A "reasoning" is a simple event where the Rastas gather, smoke cannabis ("ganja"
, and discuss. The person honored by being allowed to light the herb says a short sentence beforehand, and the ganja is passed in a clockwise fashion (passing 'pon the lef' han' side) except in times of war when it is passed counterclockwise. It is used to reason with Jah.
For Rastas, smoking cannabis, commonly referred to as herb, weed, kaya, sensimilla (Spanish for "without seeds"
, or ganja (from the Sanskrit word ganjika, used in ancient Nepal and India), is a spiritual act, often accompanied by Bible study; they consider it a sacrament that cleans the body and mind, heals the soul, exalts the consciousness, facilitates peacefulness, brings pleasure, and brings them closer to Jah. They often burn the herb when in need of insight from Jah.
Sacramental use of Cannabis in celebration of the Rastafari faith became legal in Jamaica on April 15, 2015.
By the 8th century, cannabis had been introduced by Arab traders to Central and Southern Africa, where it is known as "dagga"[32] and many Rastas say it is a part of their African culture that they are reclaiming.[33] It is sometimes also referred to as "the healing of the nation", a phrase adapted from Revelation 22:2.[34]
Alternatively, the migration of many thousands of Hindus and Muslims from British India to the Caribbean in the 20th century may have brought this culture to Jamaica. Many academics point to Indo-Caribbean origins for the ganja sacrament resulting from the importation of Indian migrant workers in a post-abolition Jamaican landscape. "Large scale use of ganja in Jamaica... dated from the importation of indentured Indians..."(Campbell 110). Dreadlocked mystics Jata, often ascetic known as sadhus or Sufi Qalandars and Derwishes, have smoked cannabis from both chillums and coconut shell hookahs in South Asia since the ancient times. Also, the reference of "chalice" may be a transliteration of "jam-e-qalandar" (a term used by Sufi ascetics meaning 'bowl or cup of qalandar'
. In South Asia, in addition to smoking, cannabis is often consumed as a drink known as bhang and most qalandars carry a large wooden pestle for that reason.[35]
According to many Rastas, the illegality of cannabis in many nations is evidence of persecution of Rastafari. They are not surprised that it is illegal, seeing it as a powerful substance that opens people's minds to the truth – something the Babylon system, they reason, clearly does not want.[36] They contrast it to alcohol and other drugs, which they feel destroy the mind.[37]
They hold that the smoking of cannabis enjoys Biblical sanction, and is an aid to meditation and religious observance. Among Biblical verses,[38] Rastas quote the following as justifying the use of cannabis:
Genesis 1:11 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."
Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
Genesis 3:18 "... thou shalt eat the herb of the field."
Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man."
Proverbs 15:17 "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."[39]
Revelation 22:2 " the river of life proceeded to flow from the throne of God, and on either side of the bank there was the tree of life, and the leaf from that tree is for the healing of the nations."
According to some Rastafari,[40] the etymology of the word "cannabis" and similar terms in all the languages of the Near East may be traced to the Hebrew "qaneh bosm" קנה-בשם as one of the herbs that God commanded Moses to include in his preparation of sacred anointing perfume in Exodus 30:23; the Hebrew term also appears in Isaiah 43:24; Jeremiah 6:20; Ezekiel 27:19; and Song of Songs 4:14. Deutero-canonical and canonical references to the patriarchs Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses "burning incense before the Lord" are also applied, and many Rastas today refer to cannabis by the term "ishence"—a slightly changed form of the English word incense. Some Rastas claim that cannabis was the first plant to grow on King Solomon's grave.
The Rastafari way of life encompasses the spiritual use of cannabis and the rejection of the degenerate society of materialism, oppression, and sensual pleasures, called Babylon
wearing of dreadlocks is very closely associated with the movement, though not universal among, nor exclusive to, its adherents. Rastafari maintain that locks are required by Leviticus 21:5 ("They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh."
and the Nazirite law in Numbers 6:5 ("All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow."
. The Dreadlocks represents A lion's mane and Yeshua (Jesus) in his Kingly Character.
-wikipedia
Sadhus are sannyasins (renunciates) who have left behind all material attachments
The Sanskrit terms sādhu ("good man"
and sādhvī ("good woman"
refer to renouncers who have chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practice
Sadhus are sannyasins (renunciates) who have left behind all material attachments.
sadhus wear their hair in thick dreadlocks called jata. Aghori sadhus may claim to keep company with ghosts and live in cemeteries as part of their holy path. Indian culture tends to emphasise an infinite number of paths to God, such that sadhus, and the varieties of tradition they continue, have their place.
A popular characteristic of Sadhu ritualism is their utilisation of cannabis (known as charas) as a form of sacrament in line with their worship of Shiva who was believed to have an adoration or affinity for the leaves of the plant.[6] The plant is widely used during the celebration of Maha Shivaratri
-wikipedia
the Nazirite law in Numbers 6:5 ("All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow." ) .
-wikipedia
Even the pre-Buddhist bon-po shamans of Tibet were entheogenic cannabis users, and their influence shows in Tibetan Buddhism which replaced bon (bon-po) as the official Tibetan people's religion.
I suspect the bon-po shamans had some form of DMT or MAOI/DMT preparation as well, the Tibetan book of the dead reads like a "DMT spirituality handbook", and most credit the pre-Buddhist influence for this...(Though DMT is endogenous, these are the same monks that practice "tumo" meditation, where they are in freezing cabins high in the mountains, the wrap themselves in wet sheets, and with in minutes steam rises off the sheets and they dry, they sleep in freezing g cabins with nothing but these sheets and they do fine, if they can control an involuntary like body temperature, maybe they can also control endogenous DMT release through meditation
-eg
My spirituality is entheogenic.
I believe that cannabis is the entheogen that nature and the divine designated for human's daily use, to keep human-kind in a happy, holy, peaceful, and healthy state of mind, the ingestion of cannabis induces a peaceful, meditative, happy, and holy state of mind, it keeps human kind healthy, it keeps humankinds interaction with the divine through sacred plants daily. The other entheogens are not to be used this way, and should you try due to rapid tolerance they won't work, this is the divine (nature) instructing humans that these sacred plants are not meant to be used daily, they are meant to be used on special occasion, however cannabis is the exception.
I deeply appreciate the sadhu (Hindu) and rasta use of cannabis, and use cannabis for the same reasons, however I feel that cannabis is only half of the spiritual entheogenic story, you must use cannabis daily, but you must also use the classic entheogens occasionally, as a means to maintain a balanced spiritual practice and an active cconnection to the devine.
My spiritual practice is mostly shamanic, an incorporation of entheogenic shamanic traditions and practices from every corner of the globe and from all parts of history, even the most obscure shamanic cultures and traditions have been heavily researched and if possible we have a living practitioner/expert in which ever school of shamanism it may be to come instruct us. Entheogenic shamanism centered around cannabis, mescaline cacti, psilocybe fungi, ayahuasca, other plant DMT preperations (virola resin, yopo, etc...), pure DMT, as well as other plant entheogens of other classes (salvia, ibogaine, amanita muscaria, etc...)
Though we have also incorporated other non-entheogenic shamanic practices (drumming, smudging with sage, etc...) As well.
Then we have incorporated meditation, Buddhist and Taoist practices, as well as practices from hindu and Rastafarian traditions, it's basically a mix of every entheogenic or meditative spiritual practice, our principles are peace, love, compassion, and living by the laws of mother nature and the divine, we practice healthy living, good exercise, healthy diet ( most are also vegetarian or vegan), we reject materialism and western and mainstream ways of living, which are centered on greed, selfishness, ego, violence, and negativity, most of us don't shave our faces or cut or comb our hair, though some of our more Buddhist members believe hair represents attachments and will shave their heads...
Though other times when I've attempted to explain the spirituality practiced by myself and a small group of close friends and family it was met with misunderstanding so I won't go into that any further here.
-eg
The entheogenic use of cannabis is a major piece of my spiritual practice, and apparently it's been a key entheogen in many others spiritual practices through out history from the start of history to the present day.
I really dislike the present attitude towards cannabis use, I feel I should be able to roll a spliff and smoke it in the middle of a conversation or walking down the street and it should be seen as no big deal, you don't get overly obsessive and treat the marijuana like a street drug imposing street drug ritual on its use, everything they do regarding their attitudes towards and use of marijuana in the movie "half-baked" is a perfect example of not treating weed like a normal every day thing...matijuana should be smoked when ever possible through the day, but it should be treated like a normal practice and not "made a big deal of" as recreational users so often do...
I'm getting too far off topic again though, I'll keep posting entheogenic marijuana information here.
(All the little emotion faces are not supposed to be there! In the text this " ) " was too close to another symbol making the computer think your trying to add emotional faces to your text)
-eg