The term entheogen, (entheos – inspired, full of the divine; gen – within the being) coined in the 1970’s during the first psychedelic renaissance, is defined by Marriam-Webster as “a psychoactive, hallucinogenic substance or preparation (such as psilocybin or ayahuasca) especially when derived from plants or fungi and used in religious, spiritual, or ritualistic contexts.” This term was created as a delineation from other psychedelics of non-plant origin, and specifically for psychedelic plants that are known to facilitate spiritual or mystical experiences.
Most people do not include cannabis in either category, psychedelic or entheogenic, which this author believes is a major disservice not only to our friend cannabis, but to the current psychedelic movement happening in our culture. Cannabis is a safe bridge that can help people prepare before a psychedelic experience, AND can support integration afterwards, when one knows how to leverage this plant to her fullest potential.
In the last article I wrote for the summer edition of Salt Baked City Magazine, I articulated the value and importance of using cannabis inside a meditation practice for medical reasons connected to pain, inflammation, sleep, and mood regulation. I referenced the profound healing potential of cannabis when it is used in this way. Cannabis meditation is a practice that not only supports the body in healing, but it simultaneously opens the mind to wider and more expansive states of consciousness. Much like her other psychedelic friends.
Oftentimes, cannabis consumers regard their consumption as such a normal part of their day-to-day lives, we often miss out on the actualized potential because we look at cannabis similar to our daily medications, vitamins or even coffee. Just a thing we need or choose to feel better. A helper. And although this is a beautiful way to work with cannabis and will yield so much relief, there is much more that we are not experiencing if this is our only relationship with this magical herb.
Cannabis meditation as a formal practice that I share with others online actually started as a cannabis ceremony. I chose to use the term meditation instead because the word ceremony can feel a little uneasy for some that are not familiar with that term or what a ceremony with plant medicine entails. I speak of this practice on my platform gently and toward the beginner as I don’t want people to feel timid about exploring the potential of cannabis. But the truth is, cannabis is absolutely a plant medicine, and when used inside sacred practices, it becomes psychedelic and entheogenic right before our (third) eyes.
There are a few marked differences between cannabis and the others, but these differences are why I believe cannabis in ceremony is the missing link in the psychedelics conversation.
One of the interesting ways that psychedelics interact with the brain is their impact on what is called the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN is the part of the brain that houses your personality, your ego, or the part of you that runs on autopilot.
The personality lives here. Under the effects of psychedelic plants, the DMN is often quieted or silenced completely. This is sometimes referred to as “ego death” which is not entirely accurate, but it is reflective of how this experience can sometimes feel. The ego death is just the moment when the DMN is effectively diminished to such a degree that the mind doesn’t know itself, as itself, for a moment in time, as the DMN is the part of your brain that you know as you. When you eat powerful psychedelic medicines like psilocybin mushrooms or ayahuasca, you essentially silence this part of the brain, which is why these experiences are so transformative for people.
It’s a moment or moments where you are no longer using your past, your history or your beliefs (false or true) as a frame of reference to know yourself anymore. This gives space and opportunity for the DMN to create a new narrative about the nature of your existence and the nature of existence itself. Very potent and powerful stuff, right?
Integration then becomes an attempt to make sense of these moments of “ego death” and whatever you might experience inside those spaces, bring it back to your waking consciousness, and allow it to change your core beliefs about yourself. If, for example, you have an experience on psychedelic medicines that quiet the DMN to such a degree that you experience yourself only as the Energy of Love, then how does one take that life-changing experience and integrate it into the waking DMN after a plant medicine experience?
Perhaps that sounds a little wild, especially if you’re not quite ready to explore these plants, but before you write me off completely, the point of this article is to make a case for cannabis and cannabis meditation, specifically, to serve as a way to prepare the mind/body/spirit for a psychedelic experience; AND the incredible tool this practice can be for integrating those experiences.
You see, when used to her potential, cannabis has a similar but far gentler effect on the DMN. Sometimes it can diminish it much like the other more powerful plants, but for the most part, it will just soften it slightly. So, the you as you know yourself to be, is still completely present for the experience, but the expansion that comes to the mind is equally as significant, and as healing as the other plants.
You don’t need to consume psilocybin mushrooms or other plant medicines in order to have a beautifully profound and life-changing experience. You can access those states with cannabis, if you know how. Generally speaking, people are not having psychedelic experiences on cannabis, which is why most do not regard her as a plant medicine in that way, but I have learned over years of working with her and supporting others in doing the same, that these psychedelic experiences are very much possible and very, very powerful.
The main difference however, if you want to access the depth and potential of this plant, you have to work with her. The “stronger” plant medicines will essentially take you to other dimensions of consciousness, but with cannabis, you have to practice in getting your mind and nervous system open enough to experience it. You have to choose to surrender into the moment, and into the body, in order to quiet that part of the mind, and feel safe enough in the body to find that depth. This is easier for some than others depending on a slew of variables, and requires practice for anyone. However, when practiced with good faith, cannabis will reveal itself as a powerful plant ally that can prepare you for a psychedelic experience and it can help you integrate an experience you already had.
But you have to put in a little effort. If you just consume your cannabis and go about your day, you will likely not have an experience like I am describing. But if you create a safe and sacred space in your home, consume with an intention, lie down and be present with yourself and your breath while you drop into the sensations in the body, you will (eventually) have an experience that will change your perception of cannabis completely. Even better, if you are being guided by an experienced practitioner that can hold the space for you energetically.
Every Monday evening, my virtual community and I meet for a guided cannabis meditation/ceremony session on Zoom. Depending on your intention, these sessions can drop you in as deep as you want to go. In my last article, I articulated that cannabis meditation is a great practice for pain, sleep, mood or any other medical ailment that cannabis is serving you for, but cannabis in ceremony is also a powerful psychedelic when you know how to work with her.
My work with Balancing Cannabis is to help people tap into her potential in any way. So if you are simply seeking pain relief and some better sleep, cannabis meditation can show you how to get there. If you are seeking expanded states of consciousness and an experience of unity with the entire fabric of the universe, cannabis meditation can get you there, too.
I hope to share this practice with you. Cannabis in sacred practice is a far safer journey for those that are not quite ready for other psychedelic medicines, and it is a fantastic way to prepare the mind/body/spirit for those medicines, for those who are. The scope of this article can’t begin to scratch the surface of the potential, you’ll have to just try it for yourself. Please find all the information you might need on my website, including how to join Monday sessions.
