Power Animals | Brumby & Rabbit

Images by Ravenari on Deviant Art

Introduction

During the Opening Gathering of my Four Seasons Journey we went on a Drum Journey to find our guides from the Upper, Middle and Lower realms (more on this later).
We were instructed to all lay on our backs comfortably and to cover our eyes without touching anyone beside us. Our teachers and the apprentices then drummed loudly all to the same beat.

This post is about my journey to the Lower Realm to find my Power Animal.

The Journey

At first I went down into a creek but I came up somewhere I wasn’t meant to be.

Then I went down a wombat or fox hole. When I came out, I was in the wild Australian Bush but it was dark – kind of like the sun was just about to set or it was a really overcast day.

I met a giant wombat who didn’t speak. I asked if it was my power animal and I knew it wasn’t the moment I asked the question. So I asked if it could take me to my power animal – it allowed me to ride on it’s back. We walked for ages and saw lots of different things but I don’t remember what they were, I was content. We passed by snakes who hissed at me and bared their fangs. There was also birds like owls and kookaburras all flying around (but not with me).

We then came to a clearing where a white male brumby was waiting. I knew it was my power animal but he confirmed it with words. He bowed to allow me to ride on him bare backed. We joined his heard and rode with them around the realm. We did nothing in particular except enjoy each others company and the company of the others under his care (I’m certain he was their leader/caretaker).

We then came across a family of rabbits who allowed me to curl up with them in their burrow for a nap.
That was when my ovaries/uterus twinged somewhat painfully.

The drum beat changed and I saw an image of a walking stick or knife or something of that kind.

The Brumby/Horse

Keywords: Cooperation. Companionship. Trust. Journeying. Loyalty. Spiritual journeys. Guiding and guardianship. Overcoming obstacles. Endurance. Stamina. Energy. Healing and guiding others. A powerful ally. Possible danger. Wildness. The wild spirit.

“When the horse came into native peoples lives and was domesticated the distance of journeys was shortened, travel and hunting was made easier. People were able to discover places further afield, and not just stay close to home. Also, visiting far away clans strengthened communication and relationships.”

In Australia, brumbies (derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘wild’) are the descendants of escaped or lost horses, dating back to the early European settlers in the late 1700’s. The long journey by sea from England, Europe, and Asia meant that only the strongest horses survived the trip, making for a particularly healthy and strong Australian stock, which aided in their ability to flourish. The brumby is an herbivorous, social animal, without a fixed territory. Stallions will fight for dominance over a group of mares.

Therefore, horse is connected to sincere, meaningful relationships and valuing what our spiritual paths hold for us. This influences Native Americans customs to view Horse as the symbol of True Power, which comes when opening up to others with compassion and love, sharing their gifts with their communities.

If Horse enters your life, you will probably feel a power within you that is sometimes hard to control, a bit wild and fiery! You probably love to travel. People with Horse as power animal are fiercely independent and have little tolerance for anything or anyone that limits their free expression. They give us the safety of speed and the promise of adventure.

If Horse is your power animal, you are a teacher to your family, partner and friends demonstrating how to be strong within themselves.

Horse is there to teach us how to ride into new directions, to awaken and discover our own freedom and power. He is also your warrior spirit, giving safety in your physical and metaphysical journeys.

Rabbit

Keywords: Increase and decrease. Land degradation. Taking the land for granted. Growth. Fertility. Personal growth for a price. A fighting spirit. Power. Surviving despite adversity. Adaptability. Facing fear. Walking the underworlds. Anxiety.

“Rabbits are herbivorous, social creatures that dig extensive warrens that can house a great community. They are generally nocturnal. Rabbits can breed at any time of the year and are prolific breeders. It is not certain when rabbits were introduced into Australia, though they were probably introduced for the purposes of food and hunting.”

Metaphysically, rabbit can indicate a need to journey, particularly in the Underworlds. Calling up your fears or shadow self during this time, or triggering initiatory experiences, can all be beneficial.

Rabbits are well known as timid, shy and afraid creatures. We can learn from the rabbit that if we are always afraid of something then we may draw/create the very experience we are afraid of in to our lives. Rabbit energy can sometimes feel like a trap, that you are ‘caught in the headlights’, or cannot stop looking at the problem approaching. The good news is that rabbit teaches power, and how to survive despite adversity. Believe it or not, many rabbits are capable of fighting back, and not just freezing during a time of crisis.

Rabbits are guides into the shadow world, where our personal fears lie. When the rabbit shows up it is time to examine those deep reflexive fears that hold you back from growing. The rabbit asks you to face your fears with compassion for yourself. You must accept that it is part of human nature to feel fear at times, but also believe that our fears need not paralyze our growth and movement.

Rabbit always indicates a need to re-evaluate the process you are undergoing, to rid yourself of any negative feelings or barriers, and to be more humble.

All rabbits indicate an energy of increase and decrease. There are times when your life is filled with abundance and fecundity, and times when there will be nothing at all, and no resources to pull from. This natural ebb and flow of life and death, energy and lack there of, cannot be fought against and is something that needs to be accepted as a natural cycle.

Thoughts

I do very much relate to the energies of the Horse/Brumby and Rabbit. I believe that the Brumby is trying to teach me leadership and strength whilst also encouraging me to expand my horizons. I felt safe and content being in his presence.
When I was with the Rabbit, I was a part of it’s family and sleeping in it’s burrow. I believe it’s trying to teach me trust in my path and the need to let go of my fears – specifically in regards to starting a family or being relied upon with in the community.

References

http://www.shamanicjourney.com

http://www.wildspeak.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org

4SJ2014 | Opening Gathering

About the Opening Gathering (OG)

The Opening Gathering was about connecting with my fellow Mermaids, creating a stable foundation and feeling out my intentions for the year ahead.

My Thoughts

“I had the most AMAZING time at the Opening Gathering to my Four Seasons Journey! There really are no words to explain how blissful and safe I felt when I was there and how calm I feel now.
Change is coming and I’m totally OK with this ❤ ❤ ❤
BRING IT ON UNIVERSE.”

I have this image in my head of sitting in The Grove next to the creek whilst I was creating my drum. I’m surrounded by my fellow Mermaids, in this contained space. Someone is humming gently whilst she weaves. I smell sage, Earth and raw deer hide. The air is warm and every now and then a cool breeze caress’ my face. The stream gently weaves itself through the Earth and around rocks. Frogs and small birds are speaking to one another. The sun streams down through the leaves of the trees, creating patterns of shadows on everything around me.
I feel completely safe and calm in this moment. I have the quiet support of everyone around me – someone starts to play a flute softly.

I left feeling revitalized and content with my lot in life. My fear of vulnerability was something I really needed to overcome to get the most out of it all and once I did that, I began to learn a lot about myself.

…and it’s just the beginning!

What I Learnt

I learnt about vulnerability and how to hold space for someone else to show their vulnerability.
I learnt how big of a role my birth plays in how I process and how I create.
I made a drum out of raw deer hide and learnt how to get past my negative self talk regarding my creative process.
I learnt about altars, rituals and cycles (foundational knowledge).
Most of all I learnt about myself and I got regular glimpses of who I really am.
I learnt how reluctant I am to share things with others; how embarrassed and awkward I get when I do share.

Course Work

• Formulate my intentions for the Four Seasons Journey year.
• Bring my awareness to my menstrual and/or luna cycle.
• Identify my dominant Goddess archetypes: Artemis and Persephone
• Have an in depth look at my Moon Sign and Sun Sign.
• Map my birth and reflect on how it effects the way I process and engage.
• Post about:
  – Altars
  – My Drum (coming soon!)
  – Ritual/Ceremony
  – Smoke Cleansing (coming soon!)
  – Invoking the directions and elements.
• Research Different Cultures:
  – Aboriginal Australian (coming soon!)
  – Ancient European (Celts, Picts, etc) (coming soon!)
  – Native American (coming soon!)
• Drum Journeys:
  – Inner Journey Walker: Wild Witch Woman
  – Power Animals: Brumby and Rabbit
  – Guide: Kookaburra (coming soon!)

My Inner Journey Walker | Past Life Wild Woman

Image from Janey-Jane on Deviant Art

Introduction

During the Opening Gathering of my Four Seasons Journey we went on a Drum Journey to find our guides from the Upper, Middle and Lower realms (more on this later).
We were instructed to all lay on our backs comfortably and to cover our eyes without touching anyone beside us. Our teachers and the apprentices then drummed loudly all to the same beat.

This post is about my journey to the Middle Realm to find my Inner Journey Walker (my teachers were calling it an Inner Shaman but I feel uncomfortable using that word).

The Journey

I walked out into the wild Australian Bush where my Inner Journey Walker met me. She sat astride a deer (I believe it was a buck) and she was leading another one for me to ride.

I’ve seen her before in dreams and on other journeys I’ve made. She is a wild witch woman who’s dress is made from the fabric of the sky. Her hair is silver and flows down to the middle of her back.

We started to run barefoot through the bush – birds flying alongside us – until we arrived at a clearing where there was some sort of celebration. We began to dance around the fire with everyone else.

We then journeyed to a mountain where I met an male Aboriginal Elder. He had a long, grey beard and was sitting cross legged in a cave meditating. At the time I thought that he might be the male version of my Inner Journey Walker although I’ve never met him before.

We ran some more. This time we turned up to a tribe in Africa where I met their Medicine Man/Shaman (not sure of the correct term; I guess it changes from tribe to tribe?) who was androgynous. They had bones through their nose and short black hair. We danced some more around their fire in celebration.

Then my vision went black and I couldn’t see a thing. A hand then appeared from the depths and beckoned me in – we were back where we started.

I could smell mud and see lots of wild animals, mostly birds and deer. We were riding the bucks again.

Then, I picked up a black lantern which was full of smoke. My Inner Journey Walker and I cleansed the entire bush with these lanterns.

That was when the drumbeat changed to direct us back from the Middle Realm. An image of an eye flashed before me and then faded away slowly. That was when I said goodbye and thanked her for the dance. She kissed me on the forehead in farewell.

My Thoughts

It was like seeing an old friend and we were having so much fun that I didn’t want to leave. Afterwards I thought that maybe she was showing me who I was in my past lives as a Shaman/Medicine Man/Elder.

Moon Sign| Waxing Gibbous in Aquarius (2° 55′)

Image by Yuhon on Deviant Art

Basics

The Moon is the yin and provides us with the application of our purpose. The Moon being the closest heavenly body to us, controls the rhythm of the sea and all its creatures as well as the flow of blood in the human body.

Modality: Fixed Element: Air Ruler: Uranus Season: Winter 11th Sign of Zodiac

Metal: Uranium Stone: Amethyst Color: Sky Blue Anatomy: Ankles, shins, circulation

Keywords: individualistic, assertive, independent, humanitarian, inventive, original, eccentric, opinionated, intellectual, idealistic, cool, friendly, detached

Gibbous Moon

Those born during the Gibbous Phase have an innate desire for perfection. Having sharp, analytical minds, they have a need to understand. Looking at a subject from all angles, they experience sheer joy when delving into the core of the matter.

They live their lives in anxious expectation augmented by the breath of the coming revelation. Children born at this time will not be happy with the answers, they will want to know why and how the answer came about. Gibbous Moon people make good apprentices as their goal is to learn all they can and become as good as they can get.

Keywords: Perfecting; Analysis; Interpret

Moon in Aquarius

Original, knowledgeable, competent, has strong opinions.
Likes: freedom and reading.
Hates: mediocrity and incompetence.

They have their own, distinct and sometimes very original opinion. It is very important for these individuals to retain their independence and they don’t like their personal life to be anybody else’s concern.

Often the Moon in Aquarius individuals have some outstanding abilities in one or another field. They often take a central place in the company of like-minded friends. They can become really alone in their personal life, and their constant urge for independence can lead to chronic emotional stress.

There is an impression that at times they are getting tired of themselves which leads to trying to change abruptly; as if to become a different person.

To restore after a significant stress they need to have a hobby which they could plunge themselves into and forget about the surrounding world. It would be really good for them if they could speak out their problems, but this is not so easy, because Lunar Aquarian’s do not like to just chat with anyone about anything. They prefer dealing with experts in their field of interest – this is with whom they are ready to talk endlessly and if there is no such a person around, a good book could serve as a replacement for a friend.

There is a very idealistic and progressive streak in Lunar Aquarians that is admirable indeed. However, when the Moon is in Aquarius, natives often will deny the more irrational qualities of emotions—such as jealousy, possessiveness, and fear—in an effort to be “above” what they consider “pettiness”. When this goes too far, Lunar Aquarians can be emotionally blocked, distant, and detached.

Moon in Aquarius people are rarely flighty people, but they can be unreliable when it concerns the little things in life. Often, this is simply an assertion of their independence. In the long haul, however, they are rather constant, as Aquarius is a fixed sign. As long as they have their own space and the freedom to be themselves, however kooky that may be, they are trustworthy and loyal.

Thoughts

This is actually scarily accurate. I’ve never considered my Moon Sign or the phase of the moon important (or as important as my Star/Sun sign) but this really does explain some aspects of the Libran personality type that has never quite fit.

It makes me appreciate how complicated astrology is.

References

http://www.cafeastrology.com/natal/lunarphases.html

http://www.lunarium.co.uk/moonsign/calculator.jsp

Four Seasons Journey Workbook

4SJ2014 – Goals and Intentions

Two weeks in to my Four Season Journey (4SJ) and I’m starting to get into the swing of things. I’ve been regularly writing in my Thirteen Moons Journal and recording any dreams that I have as soon as I wake up.

As part of the Course Work for the Opening Gathering (OG) I’ve got to come up with some intentions and goals to use in ceremony so I thought I’d do a bit of brainstorming here.

My Intentions

• To learn about myself by connecting with the ancestral knowledge that I can feel lurking just beyond my reach in my subconscious.

• To help other people access this same knowledge. I want to change the way people perceive the Feminine and through that, change the way they treat it/her.

• To learn to use my intuition properly and to develop my divination skills.

• To approach my life and my studies with curiosity, respect and acceptance.

My Goals

• Make friends with like-minded people.

• Get involved in discussions (and expressing my opinions regardless of what I think other people will think of me).

• To feel more confident and well-spoken on the topic.

• Allow my creativity to lead the way.

• Make a drum, a medicine bag and a mask.

• Make myself available to my community (and feel confident and proud at what I’m doing).

School of Shamanic Midwifery – Four Seasons Journey 2014

I’m excited to announce that I’ve begun my Four Seasons Journey (4SJ).

What is a Four Seasons Journey (4SJ)

The 4SJ is a year long course beginning in November facilitated by the School of Shamanic Midwifery.

During my 4SJ I will learn about the cycles of moon, earth, life and death and the menstruation cycles. I will learn heightened self awareness which will allow me to heal myself and in turn heal other people. I will learn about MoonTime and practice MoonLodge, I will get to practice shamanic journey work and make a drum and medicine bag.

What’s the Importance?

I’ve talked previously about the wounded feminine in my “D is for Doula” and “The F Word” posts and I still truly believe that a lot of the world’s problems could be eventually resolved if we stopped demonizing feminine attributes (such as creativity, intuition and empathy). On a more personal level, I would like to get more in touch with my own innate feminine nature.

As part of this journey I will also learn how to facilitate women’s and maidens circles which is one of the main reasons I’m doing this course. I would really love to hold space for young girls who have just gone through or are approaching menarche as part of a sexual education course through primary schools (obviously still a dream but a reasonably realistic goal none-the-less!).

Please Check out my 4SJ2014 Category for more information!

Pagan Blog Project #3 – ‘D’ is for Deity (or lack thereof)

I’m an Animist which means that I believe that “natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.”

Whilst a Deity is classified as:
1. A god or goddess.
2. Divine character or nature, especially that of the Supreme Being; divinity.
3. The estate or rank of a god: The king attained deity after his death.
4. A person or thing revered as a god or goddess: a society in which money is the only deity.
5. The Deity, God; Supreme Being.

[Definitions obtained from dictionary.com]

I don’t really worship any particular Deity as such. I acknowledge a God and a Goddess on my altar but they do not have names and are mostly a representation of the masculine and feminine energies present in us all. I’ve always felt that this idea of worshiping a being a bit dangerous – and maybe that’s stemmed from my experience of Catholicism and Christianity. I don’t think that any one being should be given that much power

I do however worship the Earth and maybe you would class that as a Deity. I hold extreme reverence for everything to do with the Natural world. We live in such a beautiful place that holds such wonder and amazement – I can see why people would assume some magical, all powerful being could be the explanation of it all.

Earth – or Mother Earth – is not a she nor a he, she is both and neither and everything in between and beyond. There is no classification or group, no feelings or thoughts or anything of that matter. Earth just IS. She is there, just being. Everything in the universe is just being and it is incomprehensible. We try to personify everything into these deities and giving them all jobs which leave it all neat, tidy and all packaged with nice little bows. For me, this isn’t how it is. For me it is all chaos; everything is created by complete chance and circumstance – our Earth and us included.

We were not created by anything or anyone, we evolved like everything else and by pure chance we developed the ability to think about ourselves and go beyond our instincts to question the purpose of everything. I believe that the reason for this isn’t metaphysical, I believe it’s the reason for every other adaption – survival and reproduction.

–> I’m going to leave it there for now as I feel I’ve said everything I can at this point in my studies (I also feel like going a bit off topic so will leave that for another post). Feel free to comment with any questions.

Also I’m sorry I’ve been a bit MIA. Check out my tumblr for an explanation and follow to keep track of my thought process.

A Dedication to the Goddess’ in my Life

If anyone follows me on my tumblr or my facebook you might have already heard me talk of VDay or 1 Billion Rising. It’s a movement against violence; specifically against violence towards women. The website for 1 Billion Rising inspired me to create my own event where the people I know and love can come together and communicate.

My goal for this is to see the elephant in the room and get women and men talking about the issues of marital rape, casual sexism, spousal abuse, etc which are more common in our society. Other issues such as forced female circumcision, rape and other horrible things experienced more overseas will also be on our minds and tongues.
After creating this event I got quite a positive reaction from those closest to me which then inspired me to create this altar. The jewellery box was given to me by my great grandmother, the incense holder by my mother-in-law, the oil burner is from my mum, the necklace is from my sister and mum (I wear it during my period), the jar is filled with coins and draped with fabric from my mother-in-law, a silver bangle from my nan surrounds the goddess statue I made from clay, the daffodil pin is from my other great grandmother, there are gold earrings worn by my aunty at my parents wedding, a book mark from one of my sister-in-laws and a key ring from my other aunty. Basically I made it as a dedication to the women in my life.

In the couple of days following the ritual I saw more people getting involved – even my grandmothers friends were excited and shared with me their stories. My relationships with women seem to be blossoming into something beautiful. I’ve always felt uncomfortable with other women for reasons I can’t quite pin point and I’m starting to believe that being comfortable with my sex is probably a step in the right direction to true equality.

Happy New Year – Dark Moon

This weekend was the Dark of the Moon and lucky for me I got the weekend off work. My fiance and I went camping in the middle of the Australian bush next to a beautiful river that flowed down from the mountains. I saw this as the opposite of the first full moon of 2013 as it marks the end or beginning of the first moon cycle of the year (depending on how you look at it I guess).

Not much conscious decision making or planning went into this trip. I’d only gotten the weekend off maybe two days beforehand, we started packing at 10.30pm the night before which led to us forgetting a bunch of stuff and we hadn’t even really decided where we were going until we started unpacking the car. I must say though, it was one of the best holidays I’ve had.

The purpose of the get away, for me, was to celebrate the new moon but I didn’t take any of my ritual items a part from my diary and some herbs. In hindsight though everything I needed was there – Brian and I, nature, a fire, some paper and a pen. This year is a big one for us as individuals and us as a couple. Big changes are coming, our personalities will be tested and we’ll be pushed to our limits. Lots of decisions need to be made, responsibilities need fulfilling and experiencing life needs to be made a priority. We talked, contemplated, laughed, made love, feared and comforted each other. We learnt about each other as we always do whilst camping – it always leaves us closer together than when we start unpacking the tent on the first day (a clear sign is how much we fight when we’re putting it up vs. taking it down).

Before we were about to leave we washed ourselves in the river and both wrote down our wishes and hopes for the coming year. We read them to each other and they both contained the same basic elements – then we sent them down the river.

Pagan Blog Project #1 – “C” is for Cannabis

Yep, I don’t do things half-assed – my first topic for the Pagan Blog Project will be about one of the most controversial substances of our time.

Introduction

Out of curiosity I did a bit of my own research on Cannabis and it was extremely hard to find any unbiased information on the plant – on one hand there are people saying it should be legal and other people who think it should stay illegal. Both parties had their extremists and, as a studying herbalist who has been taught to do research upon more research, nothing I’ve been able to find has really convinced me that either side is right or wrong.
Again, as a studying herbalist, I disagree with the amount of control the government holds over us – it seems a little bit hypocritical when I see doctors handing out prescription only medication like they’re lollies. But I know it’s not every doctor and I understand the reasons behind the scheduling of a wide majority of substances, not just cannabis. In my personal opinion I think cannabis should be offered as medication and treated like any other medication, but I also believe that more power should be given to qualified herbalists. We should be able to prescribe cannabis to people who would most benefit from it eg. cancer patients going through chemotherapy.3
Personally, I use it in spiritual ceremonies, recreationally and for anxiety – particularly social anxiety. I use it to allow an opening of my mind whilst also allowing inner dialogue to come through without over thinking it (which I have a habit of doing if you haven’t already noticed). A lot of my close friends and family use cannabis – a few of them being highly addicted. But I also have friends and family who are extremely against it and just from talking to them I know that they’re uneducated about the whole situation.

I don’t see it as a drug – I see it as another herb that allows me to change the body, mind, emotion and spirit of an individual. Just like any other medicinal herb. Of course if you abuse it you can get into a lot of trouble, but you can abuse anything. This is why I think it’s important that a qualified practitioner such as a Herbalist or Naturopath be given more power.

General Information

*Botanical Name: Cannabis sativa & Cannabis indica. Subspecies sativa is used for it’s fibre and seed oil (among other things) whilst subspecies indica is used for medicinal and recreational purposes.1
*Medicinal Properties: Intoxicant, sedative, analgesic, anti-emetic. Traditional uses include the treatment of pain, rheumatism and asthma. The herb has been used medicinally in Ayurvedic medicine and TCM since ancient times. In the 19th century, marijuana was popularly used as a pain killer especially for menstrual cramps. Nowadays it is used for nausea caused by chemotherapy, depression and lack of appetite in AIDS patients and to lower intra-ocular pressure in cases of glaucoma. Seeds are still used in Chinese medicine as a mild treatment of constipation in elderly people and as a superfood for a nutritional boost.1 4
*Parts Used: The female flowers, associated leaves and the resin which contain the highest amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC has been the only chemical found in the plant to cause the hallucinogenic effects on the central nervous system. However, in my research I have come across the drug Marinol which contains the synthesized version of THC and has had many side effects including death.1 2

Ritual

5 6 7 8

As stated previously I use cannabis as a way to open my mind – this can be extremely useful when I’m meditating for a particular purpose that I don’t think I can accomplish on my own. On numerous occasions I’ve heard cannabis being referred to as a ‘teacher plant’ – one of the many actually (Ayahuasca being another).
This I completely agree with because when I first started smoking, one of my friends from high school died in a car crash. It felt like after that that someone had shaken up my brain and all the information that was stored in there was out of place. The reason why I liked it was because it taught me how to get past the grief and sort everything else in my life out at the same time. It’s also taught me things about other plants and many other things besides.
I started using it in ritual about a year and a half ago after I meditated a few times high and learnt some amazing things about myself and the people around me that I would never had if I was sober – things that I use in everyday life now.

I set up the ritual as usual then roll a joint (1 part mugwort, 1 part damiana, 1 part lions tail, 1 part cannabis). Ideally I would have it sitting on my altar for a couple of days before I smoke and keep a majority of my herbs on or next to my altar. Whilst doing this I think about the purpose of the ritual and what it is I want to learn during the meditation. Of course, you still want some sort of intuitive flow so it’s important you don’t become too rigid with the question or intent. It’s also equally important to have a bullshit filter to avoid your mind going in circles or latching on to every tiny thought (meditating for 15 minutes before smoking or my Meditation flower essences can assist with that).
Next Cannabis will usually take me to the place I need to go this can be in the form of an overwhelming desire to walk down to the park or art gallery or to simply sit on the balcony. When I’m in the right space physically and mentally, I will meditate. Guided meditations are extremely helpful for me, however I’ve only come across a couple that I like it’s important that you look around a bit (music, movies or being in nature can also assist).
Next I will usually draw, paint or write what it is I see, hear or experience. Once I have what I need I usually have something high in protein to ground me again (plus some flower essences and water). Having a shower or bath or simply taking a nap can also be effective – this is why it’s important I have an entire day or night to conduct such a ritual.

Note

In my experience Cannabis needs to be smoked with respect and reverence – even if it’s just recreationally. Being educated on the herb itself and being aware of where it’s come from (hydro or bush) is also important so that you can gauge how much you will need. Of course everyone is different so it’s essential for your first time smoking to be with someone you can 100% trust, in a place that you know and that you know how to meditate effectively. Generally, it’s extremely harmful to smoke cannabis with tobacco – this is usually how people develop an addiction to cannabis. Do yourself a favour and chop up with some other herbs that can enhance the effects or offset the potential side effects.

Conclusion

It’s a bit of a riskay post but I use it a lot in my practice and I thought it was appropriate to document on my spiritual blog. Of course there is a lot more to a ritual or ceremony than meets the eye or that can be recorded in words. If anyone has any questions or comments I encourage you to come straight to me with it and I will answer or listen to the best of my ability.