Cannabis for Raising Consciousness
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated August 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
The cannabis herb (also known as hemp, weed, marijuana, ganja) has been used across the world for spiritual elevation for thousands of years. Just as evidence exists for tool usage and hunting to have increased brain size, there is ample evidence to suggest that psychedelic herbs and mushrooms used over the course of evolution of the Homo genus helped to increase our ancestors consciousness. It is very likely cannabis co-evolved with Homo sapiens, helping to transform our brains into the neural powerhouses they are today.
Elevating consciousness and spiritual evolution go hand in hand, as spiritual growth paves the way for truth to be discovered, and absolute truth is what allows for higher states of consciousness to be achieved. Cannabis is a mild psychedelic that can be used to elevate consciousness and bring awareness to states of reality, ideas, and truths that otherwise are obscured by the constant distractions and wants of modern society.
Note - The human brain still developing up to the age of +/- 25. I would highly caution against using any consciousness altering substances like cannabis until then. Regular cannabis usage at any age alters brain recruitment and gray matter density in ways that have yet to be understood. Cannabis should be used responsibly.
Meditation can also be used to achieve these higher states of consciousness, no psychedelics required. The advantage of responsible cannabis usage to achieve higher states of consciousness is that it can take you there quickly and then softly float you back down, creating a reference point for your meditation practice in the process.
“What you don’t know exists won’t prompt you to discover it. ”
Personally, without cannabis I am unsure I would have ever begun my spiritual journey towards self-realization. Conscious cannabis usage opened up the door to spirituality and I’m glad I walked through. As I have grown spiritually, I have used cannabis less but more mindfully.
Use Cannabis with Intention
Elevating consciousness means raising awareness, increasing focus, and having intentions. Cannabis used “just to get high” and to escape from reality is not how you use cannabis for raising consciousness. The quality of the cannabis you use, how you use it, and the intentions you set are all very important when using cannabis for spiritual development. The goal is elevating consciousness is to better perceive truth, and using cannabis in a way that clouds and dulls the mind works against that ambition. If cannabis is being used for reaching higher states of consciousness, it must be done so cleanly and at the minimum effective dose. It is recommended for these reasons that only biodynamic cannabis is used, either through dry vaporization of flower or ingestion. Smoking or usage of any distillates is not recommended.
When using cannabis for a spiritual activity like meditation, yoga, intimacy, or a walk/hike through nature, set your intentions before consumption. Ask yourself what you would like the cannabis aid to help you accomplish or realize. Be emotionally calm and in a relaxed state of mind. Have your mantras or meditation practice prepared. Then, after consumption, use your breath and state of mind to manifest that which you seek. Raising consciousness is a journey that requires patience, so if expectation aren’t met, more cannabis isn’t the answer, nor will it help you achieve your aspirations faster. If it has been a while since you have last consumed, it will take just a little bit of cannabis to adequately activate the endocannabinoid system and raise your consciousness.
How to Use Cannabis for Elevating Consciousness
Cannabis has been used for spiritual purposes for thousands of years, and before the advent of modern technology, this was either through smoking of the cannabis plant or ingestion. Now with vaporizer technology, cannabis flower can be heated precisely anywhere below the minimum combustion temperature of 230°C (445°F). Compounds found in cannabis that vaporize into a gas at various temperatures below combustion include water, terpenes, and cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Smoking cannabis can release 100+ dangerous compounds whereas vaporization only vaporizes water, terpenes, and cannabinoids out of the plant material. Combustion temperatures also destroy the cannabinoids and much more plant material is required for the same effect. Waste not, want not! It is for these reasons that I do not recommend smoking cannabis.
Healthy Rips manufactures excellent vaporizers which maintain a plastic-free air path. The Fury Edge is portable, has excellent battery life, and produces great vapor and flavor.
Vaporizing cannabis will be the fastest in effect because the cannabinoids are absorbed quickly by bloodstream via lungs, and creates more of a head high. For a longer duration but flatter effect that effects the body and mind equally, cannabis can also be consumed. Cannabinoids will still need to be heated in order to activate into their bioavailable forms (THCa to THC, CBDa to CBD), and this is most often accomplished by creating a cannabis infused oil over light heat. Cannabis that is ingested takes a minimum of 1 hour to first be felt, so be very patient and cautious when consuming cannabis this way. 2.5 or 5 mg is a good starting dose which can be increased by the same amount if the effects aren’t felt after an hour.
A protocol I like to follow which puts me into a great clear head space while increasing my connection to my body is to consume cannabis just at the minimum dose, and then an hour later to vaporize an equivalent amount to create a full body and mind experience. Using cannabis at a 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD is recommended. Unless you’re large in size, 5-10 mg of cannabinoids should be enough to enter into that state of clear higher consciousness. If you need to take more than that and you’re a regular cannabis user, consider taking a break, resetting your tolerance and reevaluate your relationship with cannabis in the process. Every cannabis tolerance break I have taken has been a growth experience and has helped me.
Cannabis Quality Matters
The way cannabis is grown will impact how it affects you upon use. Cannabis grown outside with rich soil and lovingly cared for will be much different in its effects than cannabis grown indoors with synthetic chemicals under artificial lights. Cannabis grown holistically is much different than cannabis grown for maximum THC extraction.
The cannabis plant houses hundreds of unique phytochemicals like cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, amino acids, esters, and many more. When cannabis is grown biodynamically, these chemicals all synthesize and balance in the right ratios for maximum entourage effect. The “whole is greater than the sum” entourage effect is disrupted when the plant is grown under artificial conditions. Cannabis is a plant that requires an ecosystem like any other, and when cannabis is grown monoculture with limited nutrients and only under certain wavelengths of light, the plant won’t develop properly. Biodynamic growing methods ensure cannabis is grown to it’s highest holistic potential.
Cannabis Grown with Love: Biodynamic
Outdoors
Full spectrum sunlight
Natural seasonal day/night cycle
Rich nourishing soil composted naturally from the land’s organics
Spring water, rain
Grown polyculture
Natural pest control methods are used
Grown with enrichment in mind and in practice
Cannabis Grown for Greed: Conventional
Indoors
Narrow-spectrum high frequency lights
Artificial light and dark cycles which are changed to induce vegetative or flowering growth
Inert soil that nutrient cocktails are added to regularly to sustain growth
Tap water
Grown monoculture
Pesticides are used
Grown with extraction in mind and in practice
The energy of the cannabis you use will be the energy that you experience. Cannabis grown under stressful conditions for maximum extraction is not cannabis that you want to consume at all, let alone as an aid to spiritual development. Likewise, when cannabinoids like THC are singularly extracted from cannabis and used, the entourage effect won’t happen at all. Cannabis used this way is solely an intoxicant, and creates a negative experience.
The Responsible Spiritual Usage of Cannabis
If you live in a locality where cannabis is legal and you are interested in discovering yourself and exploring your spirituality, then cannabis might be a plant medicine worth experimenting with responsibly. Everyone is as different on the inside as they are on the outside, and your experience using cannabis for spiritual development and to reach higher states of consciousness is uniquely your own. Cannabis plant medicine might be a great spiritual tool to use, or it might have zero effect. The quality of the cannabis and how it is delivered to the body matter greatly, so until you’ve ingested or vaporized biodynamically grown cannabis, reserve your judgement.
Cannabis usage is not spiritual development, it is merely a tool which can be used. Breathing, meditation, and practicing mindfulness are the main tools at the disposal for the spiritual seeker, use them regularly, and maybe occasionally use cannabis to reach new heights.
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