Cannaspirituality: How Cannabis Enhances Spiritual Experience
When I was a 20-year-old college student, I used to work weekends at a jam club where live music played every night. During my breaks, I’d step outside for a smoke and some fresh air, joining the crowd of club-goers who were usually lighting up something a bit more exciting than just tobacco. Almost every break, I’d find myself surrounded by happy, sweaty dancers passing joints around. Someone would always offer me a hit, not knowing that back then, I wasn’t a cannabis user, and I’d politely decline. Of course, this would spark a flurry of questions about why I didn’t want to join in, along with endless attempts to convince me to take part in the “collective ritual.” Smokers would often ask if I really didn’t want to try cannabis, insisting it made music and dancing a truly “spiritual experience.”
Every time, after finishing my tobacco among the cannabis enthusiasts, I’d quickly head back to work, sometimes amazed at the stories people would invent to justify their “silly habit.” Now, as an experienced cannabis user and a seasoned cannabis journalist, I fully understand what those friendly people meant about cannabis’s ability to turn music, dancing, or really any simple activity into something amazing, delightful, and even sacred.
For me, as for many cannabis enthusiasts, it’s no secret that this plant has been used by humanity for thousands of years as an accessible and easy-to-use entheogen—a substance that can inspire awe, wonder, and joy in the human mind, comparable to religious ecstasy. To this day, since ancient times, cannabis has been used by many religious communities—like Zoroastrians, Indian sadhus, and the well-known Rastafarians—as a sacred sacrament and a tool for connecting with God, the Higher Truth, or the Cosmos. For example, the traditional Indian medical system, Ayurveda, has carried the message for thousands of years that cannabis was given to humanity by Lord Shiva himself for healing body and spirit. Many other world religions later adopted this idea. (Interestingly, the tradition, despite praising cannabis’s healing properties, also notes that the plant should always be used in moderation and for its intended purpose, stating that using it for intoxication is “poison for the body and soul.”)
Looking back, I understand my former skepticism about using cannabis for “spiritual” or “meditative” purposes, especially since using cannabis—whether in its natural form or as extracts—always walks a fine line between therapeutic and religious use, and the potentially dangerous use of a sacred plant for mere recreational intoxication. Because there’s no clear boundary between simple intoxication and religious or mystical ecstasy, about a century ago, the plant fell into global disfavor. However, the forgotten traditions of using cannabis to connect with higher powers are now returning to public consciousness, thanks to renewed legalization or decriminalization in some countries. Thanks to reforms in Europe and the Americas, new groups and esoteric communities are emerging, representing both new and old traditions of using cannabis as a means to achieve higher, spiritual states.
The New Wave of Spiritual and Mystical Cannabis Use
As I mentioned, alongside the revival of ancient traditions of using cannabis as a religious sacrament, the modern wave of legalization has given rise to new religious communities that see cannabis as a source of mystical experience and ecstasy. These groups often lean toward free interpretations of Eastern cannaspiritual traditions, especially those combining cannabis use with yoga, meditation, and ancient Indian medical practices. In the US and Canada alone, hundreds of such groups have appeared in the last 5–10 years, such as “Cannamaste,” “The First Church of Cannabis of Indiana,” “The International Church of Cannabis” in Colorado, “The First Cannabis Church of Florida,” “The Healing Church” in Rhode Island, “The Church of the Coachella Valley” in California, “The Maui Cannabis Ministry” in Hawaii, and many others.
Besides these commonalities, these groups are also united by their belief in universal love, forgiveness, pacifism, equality of all people and living beings, and kindness and understanding even toward their enemies and persecutors.
Despite some differences in how they accept new members or conduct sacred cannabis rituals, these groups claim that communal cannabis use helps people free themselves from the chains of ego, allowing them not only to connect with their “true self” and higher powers, but also to feel all-encompassing universal love and unity with others, regardless of skin color, social status, or life experience. For example, members of the previously mentioned “International Church of Cannabis” claim that cannabis is not just a “sacred plant,” but a “gift to humanity, allowing each person to touch their true, free, and creative Self,” different from our daily personas bogged down by worldly worries and competition.
So, what sets these communities apart from people smoking cannabis outside a club and claiming it helps them reach a state of “revelation” or “spiritual ecstasy”? According to numerous interviews with members of these groups, while cannabis is an important sacrament and even a “Teacher bringing supreme wisdom and unity,” the social and communal aspect is just as important. While these organizations don’t condemn recreational cannabis use, in practice, the ritual element is crucial—not just the act of smoking, but the ritual itself, which encourages self-reflection, breaking down ego defenses, and intimate connection with the souls and lives of those around you.
Overall, the philosophy of spiritual and religious cannabis use can be seen as an attempt to limit the growing commercialization of cannabis that comes with legalization. In other words, the new cannareligious movement, much like the craft cannabis business, wants to preserve the plant’s “higher roots” and traditions, preventing its history and future from being taken over by faceless corporations interested only in profit. Combining cannabis with mystical ideals leads to a more holistic understanding of the plant and its effects on body and soul, allowing both society and individuals to see it as something deeper and more meaningful than just a recreational substance or accessible medicine.
Swami Chaitanya, a self-proclaimed cannabis mystic and experienced grower living in California’s Emerald Triangle—famous for his “Swami Select” strains—is one such advocate for a more spiritual approach to cannabis and its use.
“To fully experience the mystical, mysterious spiritual aspect of cannabis, you should prepare yourself for the sacrament with a mantra, prayer, or simple affirmation,” says Chaitanya. “In the same way, you can enhance the plant’s creative and healing effects by focusing its sacred power on a specific goal.”
The Power and Meaning of Cannabis Rituals
While the idea of performing “magical” or “mystical” rituals with cannabis might seem primitive to modern people, it’s worth noting that even secular societies are deeply infused with such formalized practices. Even with modern science and a deeper understanding of how the world works, ritualizing certain actions and phenomena is a universal and natural part of human psychology. As Chaitanya noted, even the simple act of setting an intention before using cannabis can serve as a ritual: by focusing on a certain effect or perception, people give meaning to the things and events around them, which in turn gives themselves and their community a sense of purpose and significance.
Beyond that, rituals and the choice of sacred symbols serve another important purpose: together, they form a “society” out of a group of unrelated people, acting as a “mystical glue” that unites individuals into a single whole with shared goals and worldviews. Chaitanya agrees with this “scientific” explanation of the theoretical basis for new cannabis religions and mystical groups, noting that this ideological unity is the main goal of groups like Cannamaste, which he and his partner Nikki Lastreto are part of.
“Besides the act of consuming the sacred plant, every gathering of our religious group begins with a communal ritual, where each member offers a cannabis flower to the ‘common table,’” he says. “We roll a joint from these offerings, affirming our unity through our shared contribution, and then begin to smoke the sacred joint. With the left hand on the heart, each participant passes the joint to the next person in the circle, looking them in the eye and saying ‘Cannamaste’ as their ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ takes a puff. This creates a sense of unity and shared purpose—not just a recreational high, but a symbolic recognition of each member’s contribution, fully experiencing the elevation above personal interests for the common good. In this way, the act of smoking takes on a higher, transcendent meaning.”
Chaitanya also notes that cultivating cannabis plants and preparing them for ritual use can be just as important and unifying as the communal ritual itself.
“With the right mindset and spirit, any action—whether related to cannabis, its use, or anything else—can become a true, unifying ritual,” Chaitanya explains. “For example, Nikki and I perform rituals when planting new crops, always sowing in the evening under a waxing moon, sprinkling the plants with water from the sacred Ganges River, and chanting mantras for their health and prosperity. In this way, the plant is mentally and spiritually given a certain personality and purpose, making its later harvest and use no less of a sacrament. Subjectively, these actions influence the subsequent communal ritual, giving it an elevated power that fosters unity and spiritual healing for everyone in the Cannamaste circle.”
Cannabis as a Spiritual Teacher
The concept of the “sacred plant as a spiritual teacher” is an ancient idea that comes from the peoples of India and the Middle East. Modern religious communities using cannabis as their mystical sacrament are reviving this concept, creating a kind of “tulpa” for group members that embodies higher ideals like universal unity, helping direct people’s feelings and emotions toward transcendence, ego loss, and religious ecstasy.
“By combining the physical effects of cannabis with creative intentions, a person can transcend their ego and go beyond the limits of everyday consciousness,” says Chaitanya. “By opening my soul and mind to the plant’s message, I first experienced something greater—something higher than just existing to survive and consume. For the first time, I learned to enjoy the little moments and share them with others. I felt the sincerity and beauty of connecting with people, without social roles or the masks that come with them. In this way, I’d say cannabis taught me to truly appreciate the world and its original beauty. From this mystical experience, I learned real, practical lessons about love and respect for others—whether human, animal, or plant. Ego and personal interests faded into the background, making way for charity, the joy of simple work, the ability to organize people for selfless goals, and empathy for all living things.”
Other cannabis mystics, like Rachel Carlevale, founder of “Ganja Sana Yoga,” also claim that cannabis, when used with the right spiritual mindset, helped her find inner peace. “The ritual around cannabis use is important because it allows your soul to open up and be filled with the spirit of the plant, to feel a connection to something higher than just the desire for pleasure,” she says. “In this way, even without special practices, a person can set themselves not just on self-improvement of the body or personal skills, but on perfecting their soul, opening it to truly beautiful things in life—like compassion, universal love, and empathy.”
Original author: Emma Stone