Cannabis

THE BELOVED CANNABIS PLANT

For at least 5,000 years cannabis has been held sacred and used in religious ceremonies, first known record being in India, which has spread its seed to every part of the globe.

According to the ancient Hindu Vedic textbooks "The Atharva Veda" (Science of Charms) as “Sacred Grass”. The Vedas call cannabis a source of happiness, joy-giver, liberator that was compassionately given to humans to help us attain delight, lose fear and releases us from anxiety.

Ganja (cannabis) is believed to be one of the five most divine plants. They called it "Ganja" because the Temple priests grew it along the Sacred "Gange River".

It was called by its Sanskrit name, Ganja, which is still widely used today, tho mostly considered a "Rasta" word. The fourth scripture of these Vedas say "Ganja is the five realms of herbs, which mitigate anxiety".

For thousands and thousands of years Cannabis consumption in one form or another, it use, or its involvement has been a part of many spiritual and religious rites.

The Vedas are dated between 2000BC and 1400BC and there are two stories on the origins of how Cannabis came into use, both linked to Lord Shiva.

A) The first is that after getting into an argument with his family one day, he went off by himself, wandering on a mountain until falling asleep under a leafy plant. When he woke up, he ate (or smoked) some of the leaves and felt rejuvenated and peaceful, relieving his anger. Thus it became one of his favorite snacks.

B) Another says that Shiva drank a poison when gods Brahma and Vishnu churned an ocean of milk with some Demons trying to create a potion of immortality but became a poison and threatened to kill the whole universe. To save the universe he drank the poison but became almost on fire with burning passion and anger so he ate some marijuana and smoked his chillum which says "Cooled" him- thus saving the whole universe !!

Along with using Cannabis fiber as a textile, ancient Hindus would rub flowering buds between their hands then scrape the residue and roll it into a ball, called Charas to smoke or they drank Ganja boiled in milk with herbs and spices to make what they called "Bhang." Where the word BONG comes from !!

Smoking a Ganja packed chillum or consumption of bhang continues today, especially as part of Maha Shivaratri and Holi, both spring festivals. For its influential past with Lord Shiva, each year in February, the Hindus from India & Nepal meet in Kathmandu to share marijuana and meditate upon Lord Shiva. This is arranged on MahaShivaratri, where thousands upon thousands of Hindus assemble (below) near the Pashupatinath temple chanting the name of Lord Shiva-

'SHIVOHAM, SHIVOHAM, OM NAMAH SHIVAYA, SHIVAYA NAMAH OM'

This is one of the earliest examples of Cannabis being used as a healing medicine to what we call today Cannabis Indica. 'INDICA' literally means "FROM INDIA"

There is no contradiction in any of the ancient stories,

Lord Shiva is extremely connected to the Cannabis plant !

WHO IS LORD SHIVA??? SHIVA IS CONSCIOUSNESS ITSELF !!!

What about other religions?

RASTAFARI

( BOB MARLEY BLAZING )

When most people think of weed smoking and religion most think of the late Great and Positive Rasta Man Bob Marley and Rastafarianism, the religious belief that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement.

Tho Bob Marley is most recognized as the "King of Rasta's" there is no central authority in control of the movement and much diversity exists among practitioners, who are known as Rastafari, Rastafarians, or Rastas. Central to the religion is a monotheistic belief in a single God, referred to as Jah who is deemed to partially reside within each individual.

Rastafarians embrace the concept of reincarnation, a fundamental principle of Hinduism, which offered the hope of transcending the limitations of mortal existence. Similarly, the idea of detachment from material possessions, central to both Hinduism and Rastafarianism, provided a guiding principle for living a spiritually enlightened life.

Moreover, the impact of East Indian culture on Rastafarianism can be seen in the use of marijuana. It is believed that Indian slave labor of the English empire introduced marijuana to the people of Jamaica as a means of achieving spiritual union with God. This practice eventually became a key element of the Rastafarian belief and practice. Essentially the Indian Shiva Baba got on a ship and got off in Jamaica.. Probably went up into the hills of Jamaica and found good soil and grew BIG NUGS !!!

For Rastafarians, marijuana is a sacred herb that facilitates spiritual enlightenment and connects them with Jah (God). They believe that it opens the third eye, allowing them to access a higher level of consciousness. Both the Rasta Man and the Shiva Baba say when they smoke they experience a sense of oneness with the universe. This practice has its origins in Indian spiritual practices, where Hindu Sadhus have been meditating and using cannabis for thousands of years to facilitate communication with the divine.

The cultural exchange between Indian and Jamaican culture has created a rich and diverse tapestry of beliefs and practices that continue to shape Rastafarianism today. The enduring legacy of Indian culture on Rastafarianism is a testament to the vitality of cultural exchange. The cultural overlap and commonalities between Indian and Jamaican culture also continue to serve as a reminder of the universality of the human experience.

The influence of Indian culture on Rastafarianism is also evident in the Rastafarian's unique hairstyle "the dreadlocks." For both, dreadlocks signify the rejection of worldly pleasures and material detachment. The Sadhus believed that hair carries energy, and the longer it grew, the more they could use that spiritual energy to connect with God. Rastafarians see dreadlocks as a way to connect with their African roots and as a symbol of their rejection of Babylonian society and its standards of beauty. The dreadlocks represent simplicity, humility, and a rejection of vanity and materialism. The Rastafari movement also reveres the biblical Samson and his long hair as a symbol of strength and power, adding another layer of meaning to the tradition.

Rastafari beliefs are based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and they identify with Christianity/ ancient Judaism and Africa more so then any other religion. Marijuana is sometimes referred to as the "Holy Herb" and Rasta legend states that it grew on King Solomon's tomb, perhaps the wisest person from the Bible.

Their right to its use is often proclaimed from what God promised in the Bible --

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 1:29)

'"He cause the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the service of man.." (Psalm 104:14)

Like Shiva Hinduism- aka "Shaivism" or "Aghor", though not spoken much, there is a strong connection between the Shiva Baba's, Sadhus, or Hindu Holy men of India, and the modern Rastafari ceremonies and use of ganja.

Similar to these "Shiva Baba's" of Ancient India, Rastas often smoke communally from a Chalice/ Chillum (below), which is considered proper and even holy among the more conservative Rastas. The similarities to the annual gathering of the Shiva Baba's to Pashupatinath temple, Nepal is clearly visable .

See the Similarities ?

See how both have influenced HAPPY DREADY HIPPIES (below)

Norman Hugh Redington protests the Rasta stereotype in his "Sketch of Rastafaria History" that "pious Rastas do not smoke marijuana recreationally" but rather smoke, "fe good meditation."

BOB MARLEYS FRIEND RECOUNTING THEM 1/4 LB LOGS HIM AND BOB USED TO SMOKE !!

Now its not just the Shiva Baba and Rastaman that be loving the famous Cannabis Plant for all its good uses!

ANCIENT CHINA

2,700 BC recorded use of cannabis as medicine by Emperor 'Shen Nong'

Shen Nong (神農), variously translated as "Divine Farmer" was the first Emperor of the Ancient Chinese Yan Dynasty. Throughout all of China he is known as the Father of Chinese Medicine. As Emperor He was supposed to have ruled over China for over 140 years. While known mostly as ‘The Red Emperor,’ perhaps ‘The Green Emperor,’ would have been more appropriate because he is usually portrayed wearing a coat of green leafs. (above)

Today (in Chinese medicines) he is considered the patron of all herbalists and apothecaries as well as the author of 'The Great Herbal.' A book which, while probably modified from it original version, is still used today, by almost all practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

ZOROASTRIANISM

Zoroaster (c. 628-c. 551 BC), the Persian prophet, is responsible for the earliest mention of the plant’s use as a sacrament. He gave hemp first place in the sacred text, the Zend-Avesta, which lists over 10,000 medicinal plants. For the Zoroastrians – among whom it is widely suggested may have been the biblical Magi – cannabis was considered the chief religious sacrament of the priest class.

At its core, Zoroastrianism emphasizes a never-ending battle between good and evil — a contest between the religion's God, Ahura Mazda, and an evil spirit, Ahriman. Believers have the freedom to make good or bad choices; they were exhorted by Zoroaster to think good thoughts, say good words and do good deeds. It is believed that Zoroaster encouraged his followers to use Cannabis to overcome evil in their life.

US FOUNDING FATHERS & HEMP

According to the official Mount Vernon website:

'Throughout his lifetime, George Washington cultivated hemp at Mount Vernon for industrial uses. One of the more popular quotes – a diary entry from August 7, 1765 – states: “Began to separate the male from the female hemp …” which is an indicator, that he used female cannabis plants for higher potency.'

The most famous reference to Hemp by George Washington was to William Pearce on 2/24/1794: "I am very glad to hear that the Gardener has saved so much of the St. foin seed, and that of the India Hemp. Make the most you can of both, by sowing them again in drills. . . Let the ground be well prepared, and the Seed (St. loin) be sown in April. The Hemp may be sown any where. "

The fibers from hemp held excellent properties for making rope and sail canvas. In addition, hemp fibers could be spun into thread for clothing or, as indicated in Mount Vernon records, used in repairing the 'large seine nets' Washington used in his fishing operation along the Potomac.

1750: Benjamin Franklin’s first paper mill was fueled by hemp.

Despite his later fame as a scientist and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin thought of himself first and foremost as a printer. He was without a doubt one of the most successful printers of his time in America.

His Pennsylvania Gazette was the most widely read newspaper in the colonies. But Franklin’s success didn’t derive from good content alone. From the 1750s, he and his wife collected flax and hemp rags, invested in setting up paper mills, fuelled by hemp, and eventually ran a thriving wholesale paper business.

Apart from Franklin’s Hemp Mill, He would play a central role in the great crises that led to the Declaration of Independence. In 1765 the Stamp Act placed a tax on all business and law papers and printed materials in the American colonies.

Many colonists opposed this taxation without representation. In a dramatic appearance before Parliament in 1766, Franklin outlined American insistence on self-government. Nevertheless, when the tax was removed Franklin again expressed his faith in America’s prospects within the British empire...but when the British insisted on continuing there oppression of the colonies in other ways Ben spoke up again...Then thru the betrayal and help of his son...The British burned his house, mill and laboratory down...But Ben Franklin continued on, he sailed to France, overcame numerous ailments, and secured financing and weaponry to help the Colonials found the great country of the United States of America.

Did Ben Franklin, George Washington and the other founding Fathers of the United States rolled Blunts or packed the Chillum? These men were deeply esoteric seekers in the Truth of life. They were learned men of the Arts & Sciences, both Franklin and Washington were the Grand Masters of their respective state Grand Lodges of Ancient Free & Accepted Masonry. They both showed respect for God, Nature and their fellow mankind. Their writings are pretty significant and just as valid today as they were 250 years ago.

We the gardeners of Shiva's Garden are strongly under the opinion that these guys most definitely knew of the psychoactive effects of Cannabis. Furthermore we also believe during the process of writing the United States Constitution....

THERE'S WAS A PUFF PUFF PASS POLICY !!!

Where does the word Cannabis come from?

The origins of the word Cannabis date to around 900bc with the Scythians — nomadic warriors from an area that today would extend from eastern Iran to southern Siberia.

They used Cannabis as a textile and also as part of a cleansing ritual after funerals. A teepee-like structure was set up and Cannabis buds and leaves were thrown on hot stones. The smoke and vapor was inhaled, by some accounts as a way of communing with the spirit world. Its use would have expanded as they discovered its anti-anxiety and mood enhancing properties.

( Scythian tribes left Cannabis seeds as offerings in royal tombs. )

500bc Scythian couple died and was buried with two small tents covering containers for burning incense. Attached to one tent stick was a decorated leather pouch containing wild Cannabis seeds. The grave site, discovered in the late 1940s, was in Pazryk, northwest of the Tien Shan Mountains in modern-day Khazakstan. The Scythians introduced Cannabis to the ancient Greeks, which is where our word for it comes from. The Scythian word was Kanab (which may have come from the Assyrian word Qunub) and the ancient Greeks borrowed that, calling it Kannabis. Then came the Latin word Cannabis, which we still use today.

Herodotus ( 430bc)

This closely matches the stories told by Herodotus.

“They anoint and wash their heads; as for their bodies, they set up three poles leaning together to a point and cover these over with woollen mats; then, in the place so enclosed to the best of their power, they make a pit in the centre beneath the poles and the mats and throw red-hot stones into it… The Scythians then take the seed of this hemp and, creeping under the mats, they throw it on the red-hot stones; and, being so thrown, it smoulders and sends forth so much steam that no Greek vapour-bath could surpass it. The Scythians howl in their joy at the vapour-bath. This serves them instead of bathing, for they never wash their bodies with water.” -Herodotus- the person who we get the word HERO from !

The English word, Hemp, has the same roots: English comes from Germanic dialects that can be traced to Latin and Greek, Kanab became Hanap, then Hanep and eventually Hemp.

Cannabis and Hemp technically mean the same thing in two languages, but today Hemp generally refers to the textile and Cannabis to the drug.

The term Marijuana — which comes from Mexican Spanish — was popularized in Canada and the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s as a pejorative connecting it to immigrants. Sativa is a Latin word that means ‘farmed’ or ‘cultivated’.

With this, we officially had two types of Cannabis — Sativa and Indica — but the debate over whether they really are two separate plants, or two variations of the same one, continues.

The Origins of Hashish

The actual origins of Hashish are as hazy as its lingering smoke!

One of the earliest written uses of the word 'Hashish' — which is Arabic for 'Dried Grass'—discovered so far comes from a pamphlet found in Egypt dated 1123AD.

It was actually used as a slur, accusing Nizari Muslims of being “Hashish-eaters,” which would be the equivalent of calling someone a stoner today.

Then in 1785, evolutionary biologist Jean Baptiste Lamarck decided the Cannabis plant found in India was different enough — and used to make Hashish — that it should have its own name, so he ascribed it Cannabis Indica L. (which means 'Cannabis from India')

With this, we officially had two types of Cannabis — Sativa and Indica — but the debate over whether they really are two separate plants, or two variations of the same one, continues.

The Arabian tale, 'One Thousand and One Nights' which dates to the 11th century, and records from the 10th century show scholars debated its use.

Stories were also spread that followers of Hassan ibn al-Sabbah — leader of the Nizari Muslims in what today would be northern Iran — used Hashish to help them get into the proper mindset to commit murder. They were called Hashishins, which got conflated and mistranslated through several centuries and languages, eventually leading to the modern term: assassin.

Dried resin or crystal trichomes are called kief (which comes from the Arabic word for pleasure), would have been pressed together, much like with Charas, and the climate of what today is Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon would have been hot enough for decarboxylation to happen, at least partially.

That means early Hashish would have been more potent than Charas, which could be why it was given a new, Arabic name. Still today, Lebanon, Morocco and Afghanistan are known for making the best Hash. The Hash pipe of choice globally is the "Chillum"

BEYOND 'HASH'

HOW WAS THC DISCOVERED?

People have been getting stoned off Cannabis for thousands of years, but it’s only been the last half century that we’ve understood why.

It wasn't in 1964 at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel that Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, along with colleagues Dr. Yehiel Gaoni and Dr. Haviv Edery, first isolated delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which we know as THC.

This began our journey of understanding of the mechanisms behind how and why we get high when we consume decarboxylated Cannabis — which continues today — and led to the discovery of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain and the endocannabinoid system in the human body.

Mechoulam and his colleagues also isolated several more of the 113 cannabinoids that have been found so far, including CBD.

Our understanding of THC has grown since that initial breakthrough. We now know there are CB1 and CB2 receptors in our bodies and brains, and that THC binds to these, giving us euphoric effects. Another positive that will come from legalization is the fact it makes research easier to undertake and it takes the money and threat of violence out of the hands of illegal drug cartels!

We also now know that when we smoke Cannabis, it becomes decarboxylated and the delta-9-THC molecules are carried from our lungs to our brains via capillaries. But when we eat decarboxylated Cannabis, our livers break the delta-9-THC molecule down, creating the metabolite 11-OH-THC, which is believed to be one of the reasons why edibles last much longer and are stronger than flower.

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No matter the age, the religion, the skin color, or political view, be it Artists, Musicians, Sports Personalities, or even the the worlds wealthiest businessman... This world be blazing Cannabis !!

The cannabis plant definitely has divine "Roots." It "unites" peoples, creeds, colors and class... While not for everyone....and thats ok...... MORE FOR US !!!

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA