Op-Ed Page
| By educating people into the proper, respectful use of medicines like cannabis, peyote, mushrooms, and by celebrating the elders of our culture, we guide kids to a better trail than hard drug addiction. --Steve Hager, High Times Editorial: Speaking Out on Pot hotels in DubrovnikI want you to be clear on how I feel about marijuana at this point in my life knowing fully that my perception and understanding may change over time. I feel that I am here to speak my truth no matter how unconventional a case it may be. But my truth is that when I smoke small quantities of marijuana, meaning no more than three to four modest hits on my water pipe, I have had instances where I have felt profound connection with God and the Holy Spirit. It's a God of caring and of loving and of nonjudgement and of guidance. I would notice that shortly after I had smoked I would sometimes be piqued by my environment into a feeling of uneasiness about something or I would begin to worry. And in those instances I recently began taking the time to center myself as I mentally professed my commission of the experience to the Holy Spirit. And as I did so, I would begin to feel such loving peace and I would receive such clarity and guidance. Often my tense muscles of which I was not aware before suddenly became loosened. And I would see clearly to the core of the issues that were immediately before me. This is what I mean by guidance. I would somehow know what the higher, or more loving of my options were in any given scenario, either mental or real. I would see the grander picture, I would write beautiful music and cry over it. I would feel that I were hearing the direct voice of God and I would know it by its truth. If I were drinking I would immediately lose my desire to have another beer. As I write this, part of me insists that I state that I am aware of the possible negatives from smoking marijuana like the risk to one's health, a tendency to worry and loss of coordination with the alteration of visual perspective. However, during these times I simply would not focus on those and it allowed for a much higher experience. (No pun intended) The message was never that I needed marijuana, only that if I chose to do so that the experience of God was available for me there too, as God has no judgement either way. As a song I wrote about just this suggests, perhaps I'm harder to reach otherwise so he takes my invitation when I am in a state of mind where I am less likely to judge the incoming signal. And from that opportunity it blossoms. But within that message is always the feeling that the weed is not necessary and that a similar invitation on a regular basis when I am not high can do so much more. I just seem less able to tap into the clarity and the widened perspective in my normal waking state. Perhaps one of the messages I am hear to say to anyone who chooses to smoke marijuana regardless of their level of choice in the matter is that you too can choose to call God into the experience, whatever form or name your understanding of God is to you. Then try to maintain a willingness to experience things differently and know that the loving spirit of God has accepted your invitation. If we are going to choose to use drugs as an individual or as a culture we do ourselves no service by holding ourselves in guilt or harsh judgement for the action. All anyone need do is commit any and every experience to the management of the Holy Spirit and you will have the power of the universe at your fingertips to stop or start any behavior you choose. For as you get into the practice of calling on me throughout your day and before you sleep your will become more and more aware of my will. There is nothing to indicate that our current convict and condemn practices we hold for our drug using population are doing anything to drastically curb drug use or promote the healing of our culture. It seems the best we can offer a brother who admits to a problem with drug or drink is an A.A. or N.A. program in which everyone immediately adopts the indelable, life-long title "and I'm an Acloholic" or "and I'm an Addict." But the power of profession keeps them in a kind of inescapable land of the lotus eaters from which no one ever leaves. There never seems to be the allowance for true healing when one is considered forever diseased. But maybe if we accept, forgive, embrace and offer help to our brother who chooses to experiment with states of consciousness we may soon find that we have no drug "problem" at all. If all were encouraged to look for the divine pearl of love and wisdom within every experience regardless of how socially unacceptable or painful a situation it may be, we may start to have a culture that learns to hear its own inner guidance. A culture that has learned to hear the voice of God. --Chris Evans | Editorial: Marijuana --Shamanic Tool of Ancient Cultures With all the conversation and commentary these days about legalizingmarijuana for medical purposes, and the damage to our youth that mightensue, the war on drugs to prevent young people from using them lacks anessential discernment. This is not just a black/white, right/wrong issue.In addition to medical benefits, marijuana can be a valuable tool in thatmost essential journey of soul that human beings are here to make. ERROR MSGWe are very different as a function of our belief systems. For some,life is a power struggle and acquisition is the goal. For others, who arefurther along in their psycho/spiritual development, it is a divine dancewith the source of everything. Feeling aligned with that fundamental force,commonly called God, is a very different life experience than feeling separatefrom it, and people who have a that perspective handle marijuana differentlyfrom people imprisoned in separation. This ancient tool of shamanic culturesaffords them insights rather than escape -- a blueprint to another levelof reality beyond the small self, where we are connected to everyone andeverything. Marijuana gives insight into whatever fears and other reactiveemotions blind us to this unity, helping us to be the authors of our livesand not its victims. The natural urge to transcend this reality to connect with a largerone needs to be acknowledged for young people to deal realistically withtheir feelings and longings, which, when denied, makes them crazy. Kidsmade wrong for what is ingrained become split off from themselves, naughtyinstead of natural. We have a lot of naughty people getting psychotherapyto unravel unrecognized needs they have expressed in unacceptable ways. The drug problem will not change until society at large changes; nopunishments will be harsh enough to break people of wanting what is sodesirable to them. When we deal with all of "us" intelligentlychoosing, and not just "them" as some renegade minority of abusers,we will be tackling the right issue. We all need to meet in the miracleof life, the sacredness of earth, and the divinity of soul. That, and nota war on anything, should be our societal objective. Then, assistance frommarijuana can be seen as the blessing it can be. Albuferia accommodationAs marijuana can reveal the mind of God, a good education demands focusin a non-transcendent state. Youngsters might never acquire the basis theyneed to succeed in life if they enter transcendent realms too soon. Theyneed a frame of reference in this plane for marijuana to teach them aboutthe next one. This is a reason for abstinence, where the power of the humanto choose what is right comes into play. This intelligent choosing is whatwe need to be looking at, as all of us as a society work out our futuretogether. --Suzanne Taylor email Suzanne at MightyCompanions If you want to publish your opinion recherche d'hotels Helsingborgon the PFPF op-ed page, send it! Pray For Peace: End the War on Drugs |
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