Popular culture has long defined the characteristics of people who smoke cannabis. These images show us as giggly, spaced out, snack obsessed, lazy, irresponsible drop outs, who in extreme cases tend towards paranoia or even hysteria.
These caricatures hardly speak to the fact that the plant has been thriving on the planet for millions of years and has been used by humans for thousands of years as food, building material, paper, fuel, clothing, and many other things.
Rather, our society has intentionally vilified the plant and its devotees. Even committing many to serve time in prison for associating with the plant.
Over time, the dominant culture has become more comfortable with admitting the medicinal benefits of cannabis as research suggests that it does help with pain relief, prevention, and even the eradication of disease.
So cannabis has been allowed to be seen as a material resource and as a medicine (except when that conflicts with big business,) but when will we all see it take its throne as the safe spiritual ally it is?
Our world is in dire need of spiritual guidance. Modern life is not serving the people or the planet.
Gratitude must be given to the counterculture who has always helped us to “get real” and to see through the illusion of stuff, status, and self-limitation. Interestingly, never far from these people’s ideas and efforts was cannabis, growing alongside the movement, acting as a catalyst for societal change and awakening.
Cannabis raises our consciousness, individually and collectively.
When you come together with cannabis for this intention, you may notice that you grow in many ways.
For one, notice your heightened ability to be present with yourself and your surroundings. Allow yourself to explore deeply the sensations of your body and the emotions running through you. Notice how stubborn negative thought patterns and behaviors just don't seem compatible and true to you. Sense that you are safe and loved and observe oneness with everything around you. Allow your imagination to flow.
Embedding cannabis into your meditation and yoga practice is a natural fit, but also consider incorporating it into your time spent in nature, being intimate, gardening, dancing, listening to and creating music, painting, and even when doing the housework!
It is reasonable to accept that this practice is not for everyone. For some, there may be such severe sensitivity that it's not worth it. For others, it may go against what they have learned about what is acceptable to their own, already established spiritual lineage. It's all good; an authentic cannabis guide will provide a safe space for experimenting and teach you the ways of conscious consumption, but never force you.
We must lose these negative stereotypes, decriminalize, push through big business’ suppression, embrace cannabis as a medicine, and finally recognize the plant's ability to spiritually empower the people to find a new way to live in communion with one another and the planet.
Opportunities like Root and Rise Ayurveda's Guided VisualHIGHzation Session have been created for the people to feel for themselves that this plant can indeed help us to be healthy, happy, and holy.
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