Cannabis and Spirituality
An Explorer's Guide to an Ancient Plant Spirit Ally

Name: Cannabis and Spirituality
Brand: Simon & Schuster Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Stephen Gray
ISBN: 9781620559765

Author: Stephen Gray, Julie Holland

Narrator: Stephen Gray

Unabridged: 9 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Inner Traditions Audio

Published: 01/15/2019

Categories: Nonfiction, Social Science, Popular Culture Studies, Body, Mind, & Spirit

Synopsis

A guide to the benefits and challenges of the use of cannabis in spiritual practice

• Includes chapters by 18 authoritative and influential voices of the modern cannabis movement, including Kathleen Harrison, Joan Bello, Hamilton Souther, Steven Hager, Chris Bennett, Dee Dussault, Jeremy Wolff, and Roger Christie

• Explores the use of marijuana in a wide range of spiritual practices, including meditation, yoga, chanting, visualization, shamanism, group ceremonies, work with other entheogens, and as a creative aid

Truly a medicine for body and soul, one of cannabis’s greatest gifts is its remarkable potential for spiritual healing and awakening. In this authoritative guide, editor Stephen Gray and 17 other influential voices of the modern cannabis movement explore the spiritual benefits of cannabis and offer guidance on how to interact with the intelligence of this plant ally, a companion and supporter of humanity for millennia. Exploring cannabis spirituality in practice, Gray’s chapters examine dosage, strains, and methods of intake; the use of cannabis to open the creative channels; how to conduct group ceremonies with cannabis; and cautions and counterindications for cannabis use. We hear from Chris Bennett on the religious and ritual use of cannabis from pre-biblical times to the present, Joan Bello on marijuana and the body-mind connection, Dee Dussault on ganja yoga, Kathleen Harrison on humanity’s co-evolution with cannabis, and cannabis shaman Hamilton Souther on working with the spirit of cannabis. The contributors explore the spiritual future of this plant ally as well as the ritual use of cannabis by the Rastafarians of Jamaica and the Sadhus of India. The chapters from Brazilian ayahuasca shaman Mariano da Silva and ayahuasca apprentice Francisco present wisdom on comingling the sacramental medicines of cannabis and ayahuasca.

Revealing the potential of “the people’s plant” to enhance a wide range of spiritual practices, such as meditation, yoga, chanting, visualization, shamanism, spirit work, and explorations with other entheogens, this guide shows how cannabis is an effective ally on the awakening journey, unlocking the receptive energy in us all and helping us to feel connected to nature, to each other, and to ourselves.

About Stephen Gray

Stephen Gray is a teacher and writer on spiritual subjects and sacramental medicines. He has worked extensively with Tibetan Buddhism, the Native American Church, and with entheogenic medicines. The author of Returning to Sacred World: A Spiritual Toolkit for the Emerging Reality, he is also a conference and workshop organizer, leader, and speaker as well as a part-time photographer and music composer under the artist name Keary. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

About Julie Holland

Julie Holland, M.D., is a psychiatrist who specializes in psychopharmacology and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. An expert on street drugs and intoxication states, she was the attending psychiatrist in the Psych ER at Bellevue Hospital from 1996 to 2005 and regularly appears on the Today Show. The editor of The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis and Ecstasy: The Complete Guide and the author of the bestselling Weekends at Bellevue, she lives in the Hudson Valley.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James on May 08, 2017

I really liked this book. Like any collection of essays, a few of them just didn't meet me in a harmonious way. But the vast majority did, and the editors Stephen's pieces were poignant and super informative, sprinkled with wisdom that extends beyond the plant relationship and into daily life. Not in......more

Goodreads review by Shaurav on March 01, 2022

"Humans are complex latecomers compared to the higher plants … The origins of this plant family date back 90 million years. Our genus, Homo, is currently considered to be a mere 2.8 million years old. So the ancestors of this cannabis plant that we so love much were doing their own thing for a ve......more

Goodreads review by Judith on April 03, 2018

Some interesting views on the topic and some less so, aiming to sell an experience rather than objectively define. Overall recommended.......more

Goodreads review by Waddah on August 28, 2020

Tremendous guide that i will refer back to endlessly! Reinforces so many of my subjective experiences and relationship to the plant!......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on August 07, 2022

One must be open-minded when reading this book due to the varying degrees of religious, spiritual, and cultural differences. Overall, I'd give 3.8 stars if it were an option. Positives: -Great introduction on various religious and spiritual practices using cannabis as a spiritual/meditative medium. -......more

Quotes

“WARNING: Reading this book will forever change your opinion of cannabis and your relationship with it. Like too many of us, I had underrated cannabis’s spiritual effectiveness. No more! This wonderful, often lyrical, immensely practical book introduces you to its diverse spiritual uses, contemporary practices, and the possible results when you honor and respect the plant, the plant’s spirit, and yourself.”

“At its bottom line, this book embodies a highly passionate cognitive liberty/religious freedom perspective that will be persuasive, even to nonusers of cannabis--or nonbelievers. This is an informative, compelling, timely volume.”

“The contributors to this volume point to the ancient pedigree of cannabis as a plant substance that assists the work of shamans and spiritual healers and deepens our connection with the higher dimensions of reality and their creative expressions. This is an excellent addition to the literature on the many positive aspects of this sacred medicine plant.”

“Cannabis has a long history as a sacrament used to mediate our relationship with the sacred. This book reminds us of this great power plant and how best to take advantage of it!”

“Humans have fashioned a relationship with cannabis for many thousands of years, whether medical, recreational, or addictive. This volume offers a succinct yet broad survey of a fascinating aspect of that relationship, people’s eternal quest for transcendence.”

“The ideas explored in this book are an important step forward in our societies’ evolving understanding of currently illegal drugs.”

“Marijuana has undergone a mass resurgence in the past decade, as legal restrictions are relaxed and the plant’s medical benefits are demonstrated. This book provides a deeper context, examining cannabis’s value for spiritual exploration and creativity. I hope it inspires a new consciousness in how we approach and make use of it.”

“Inspirational, informational, and insightful, Cannabis and Spirituality more than accomplishes its mission of helping cannabis take its rightful place as one of our wisest and most honored plant spirit allies.”

“Gray offers a cogent case for cannabis as a spirit medicine and provides food for thought, perhaps best considered over a bhang lassi or a pipe of good hashish.”

“With a stellar cast of expert contributors, Cannabis and Spirituality is a page-turning anthology of beautifully written essays, overflowing with fascinating historical facts, rare botanical knowledge, and sacred shamanic wisdom about everyone’s favorite herbal ally.”