Cannabis effect on Cultivation; views in CTM

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

cannabis is not conductive to violent, high impact, or long enduring practices, except as a supplement between sessions...

HOWEVER...

There is a "secret" about cannabis that makes it whatever you need it to be: It exaggerates the active mentality of the user.

If your mentality is one of focused hard working intent, then smoking before practice would emphasize your very practice:  I smoke it before doing warmups, because it helps me unify my mind/body conncetivity.  BUT this is also because i INTEND TO unify my mind/body connectivity; THUS cannabis amplifies the mentality that "i will unify my mind and body" and my practice is extremely efficient AND effective.


LIKEWISE, however, if your mentality is one of lazy dull-minded, carelessness, cannabis will amplify this mentality and you will be lazier, duller of mind, and far less cautious.

[Synchronic]

Hey guys, I'm a huge cannasiour and have been smoking near daily for the past 9 years or so.

 

I love the tastes, smells, and effects of lovely high grade strain of weed, in the same way I am a huge fan of craft beer/ales (especially super hoppy IPA's, funnilly enough hops are the closest relative to cannabis also).

The only thing is that I have been realising that it definitely makes me less productive and have less energy in general, I've been on a 5 day break from both beer and weed (which I've done a few times over the years), and I feel much more vibrant and productive, infact in the last 24 hours I started a new company and facebook page, and built 6 high-grade instrument cables to sell as a business, which I have been meaning to do for over a year but never got around to it.

I would love to be able to keep smoking and drinking fine ales but this trade off of productivity is getting to me, and combined with the fact that I am getting heavily into the Taoist practises and excersises it seems like it will be holding back my progress in that regard too perhaps...

I think I am going to continue on my break for a while (although it is my birthday tomorrow so I am going to allow myself a day of endulgment.) Then I might try some of these ideas people have posted from the Indian schools of thought, using other herbs and plants to counter the effects. Ginseng and Calumut seem to be the 2 ideal ones? Dark chocolate as well? (I have 100% organic caocao nibs at home so I will try using those before/after smoking aswell as the herbs/roots).

 

 

Just a question, when people have mentioned that it causes you're energy to go upwards and out of the body, and needing to bring the energy down, what kind of activies or practises can achieve this? Something like the MCO or cold draw?

 

Many thanks to anyone who is able to give me some hints, and thanks already to those who have posted with this very interesting information. Cheers, take care!

 

 

EDIT: I am also thinking that drinking hoppy beers and smoking weed at the same time could be making the negative effects even more pronounced? Since they are both very closely related, and both have mild sedative/relaxant properties?

 

Thanks again.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Synchronic

[futuredaze]

Hops are definitely estrogenic, but I also heard the amount used in beer is not enough to make a drastic change.  My personal take is that it probably adds up if someone drinks several hoppy beers a week, but just having a few here or there probably isn't a big deal.  Since there are already tons of xenoestrogens in the environment, lots of soy in everything which is estrogenic, etc. I try to avoid the hoppy beer.  Maybe one day I will home brew beer, hard cider, and wine - I always feel better when I drink home brews, probably because there are still trace minerals and probiotics present that would get destroyed with more processing.

 

http://gruitale.com/art_fall_of_gruit.htm - some interesting reading.

 

I've heard mixed things about cannabis being estrogenic.  Lately, I've been trying to abstain.  I don't think having a little here or there would hurt, and could even be helpful, but if it becomes a daily ritual it seems like it can hinder practice, it becomes a crutch (unless someone has serious health issues).

 

I don't know if you need to counter the upward, heady energy of cannabis while stoned.  Just enjoy it.  When you sober up later, then practice MCO or some form of meditation and observe the differences.  The older I get, the more I realize I don't need cannabis, while at the same time I can enjoy it more when I do partake (as long as I don't do it in excess) - quite paradoxical, but true.

[wilfred]

if you want to bring your energy back into the body and ultimately get grounded after prolonged cannabis use, definitely look into body parts meditation practices ie meditating through the body.

[Synchronic]

Thanks for the info, will look into doing some "body parts" meditations. I guess it's using the intention to bring the energies back into the body rather than staying in your head?

Also FutureDaze, I have been at points of 5-10 pints of hoppy IPA's everyday which is definitely excessive, I agree that a few a week shouldn't really have much/any effect on estrogen levels in the body. Many of the beers I drink are unfiltered+unpasteurised as well which means lots of beneficial micro organisms, minerals/vitamins, and good stuff from the hop resins etc..

 

The gruit beer styles seem interesting as well though, I've tried some "heather" ales that are based on old style recipes like that, but for me no drink tastes as good as a nicely hopped IPA haha.

 

Was my birthday 2 days ago so indulged a bit, smoked up for the first time in a week, continuing the break now after that.  Thanks for the tips guys, good luck with your practises. Cheers!

 

 

[wilfred]

Thanks for the info, will look into doing some "body parts" meditations. I guess it's using the intention to bring the energies back into the body rather than staying in your head?

 

Also FutureDaze, I have been at points of 5-10 pints of hoppy IPA's everyday which is definitely excessive, I agree that a few a week shouldn't really have much/any effect on estrogen levels in the body. Many of the beers I drink are unfiltered+unpasteurised as well which means lots of beneficial micro organisms, minerals/vitamins, and good stuff from the hop resins etc..

 

The gruit beer styles seem interesting as well though, I've tried some "heather" ales that are based on old style recipes like that, but for me no drink tastes as good as a nicely hopped IPA haha.

 

Was my birthday 2 days ago so indulged a bit, smoked up for the first time in a week, continuing the break now after that.  Thanks for the tips guys, good luck with your practises. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

yeah if you increase awareness inside the body in a balanced way it has a natural grounding effect. you're kinda connecting all the dots the energy system which naturally builds it in the lower places. if you already do movement stuff that compliments it very much.

[Aetherous]

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=33026

[Synchronic]

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=33026

 

Interesting article, I went on to read part 2 and some other similar articles which I will add here for anyones benefit.

 

I have in the past 2 weeks or so been smoking only about 3 days a week rather than 7 days a week, as well as cutting down my beer consumption drastically. Definitely am more productive and able to get focused easier. Not tried using the counter-acting herbs/plants yet but will be making some purchases in the next week or so.

 

 

"Marijuana, Apaphy and Chinese Medicine" Parts 1 + 2

 

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=33026

 

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=33038

 

 

"Recreational Cannabis use and TCM"

 

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=33013

 

 

"Ayurvedic View of Marijuana"

 

http://www.somamatha.org/ayurvedic-view-of-marijuana.html

 

 

Some realy interesting stuff scattered through those articles, lot's of stuff that corroborates my own experiences.

 

 

 

Great plant, but too easy to become unbalanced and produce more negative effects than it's worth. Definitely something you should work with to find perfect harmony rather than just smoking up at will just because you enjoy it.

[futuredaze]

Lately, at the advice of a friend of mine, I've been trying to ask my heart, rather than my mind, whether or not this plant can serve my practice.

 

So far, I have felt a "no."  In my heart.  Unlike my head, which is usually like "yes, because ___" or "no, since ____", sometimes fluctuating back and forth, my heart gave me a very simple and clear answer.  It's hard for my to describe this process of asking the heart, since it is intuitive, but I recommend trying it out!

[HandsInTime]

Hi All, been several years since I've been on the forum. Ironically it was the last time I got sober, and as of now I'm 6 weeks without cannabis tomorrow. Professor Cheng Man-Ching said that cannabis takes from the kidneys and gives to the stomach (hence munchies?). In general it depletes the chi, although everyone has different experiences. For me, I was smoking several times a day, large amounts and would more or less function normally on it. Long story short life happens, and I'm now coming to terms with the fact that I may not be able to smoke again, something I truly enjoyed. Recently I have been thinking about this in terms of attachment, and releasing attachment. I have lost a lot of things in the past year, and I'm realizing that part of starting where you are at and living in the present is both accepting the conditions of life as they are, and yourself, and also letting go of some of the wants and desires, even goals. For me cannabis was a part of my life, something I truly enjoyed but also something that began to get out of control again. The longest I have gone without smoking was 15 months, and at this point I am just starting to feel approaching normalcy. Everyone is different, and in general I treated it as a tool as well. Simply put, it will drain your jing and chi...but have respect for youself and it, and challenge yourself to find healthy ways of doing what you use it for. And also...be grateful for it

[Synchronic]

Yeah after reading your guys accounts, and the TCM and Ayurvedic understandings of cannabis' effects on the body/energy system it all makes a lot of sense.

it gives you the relaxation and creativity to come up with good ideas (I've come up with so many creative projects and details in the past years it's unreal), but you lose the ability to really follow through with your plans in a physical and actualised way, since drastically cutting down (have been smoking at least 1.5 - 2g of really nice bud everyday in the past, too about 1g a week, once or twice a week.) I am finally getting my projects moving forward and gaining productive momentum. Which I assume is from regaining my Jing.

 

And also reading the symptoms of Kidney Yang deficiency, it definitely corresponds with some of my minor problems, so I am looking at sorting that out through herbs/foods as well. 

I think that cannabis can be used in a healthy and productive way, but after coming through a long term heavy usage of it, I (and/or others) need to re balance my system and use it more sparingly, so that it does not put your energetic systems out of whack, or deplete too much from a certain area.


Thanks for starting this thread futuredaze, as it has literally brought me so much insight into the effects of this plant on the energetic body/systems. One of the most useful threads and forums I've ever encountered, I'm so glad to have found out about this site also!