Cannabis' spiritual use

Event uses cannabis for meditation

 By SOUBHIK CHAKRABARTI

Cannabis has been legalized in Canada for over a year now, and this newfound freedom has helped users find their inner selves.

UBC adjunct professor Mark Haden said that psychedelic plants and substances can help people reflect on themselves and that it is a way to connect with one’s inner self.

“There is no specific spiritual path that is more helpful,” Haden said. The Spirit Plant Medicine Conference, an international gathering of notable cannabis activists and casual enthusiasts, was held at UBC from Nov. 1-3 and had attendees try out a new form of meditation -- one with cannabis as an integral ingredient.

Rachael Carlevale, a cannabis activist and conference presenter guided attendees through the evening in an attempt to calm their mind and refocus.

“It’s a relationship you’re building,” she said during her session, “to see it [cannabis] as a friend or an ally.” Carlevale wanted people to use cannabis with a purpose and to help them reach a goal.

One attendee, named Trina, asked for her last name to be withheld.

Trina said she loved how cannabis and meditation can go hand in hand. “It’s both informative and engaging,” she said about the session, “They are partners, for sure.”

Trina added that even though Canada legalized cannabis over a year ago, there is still this feeling of stigma around the use that persists. “People are very cautious. We know that people are watching.”

Not all experts agree this is the best method for meditation. Deboragh Varnel, a certified teacher of Transcendental Meditation since 1984, says cannabis and meditation can never mix.

“We ask students to refrain from taking cannabis fourteen days before starting the meditation course,” Varnel said, “It’s important that you don’t have something coursing the nervous system when meditating.” When meditation is meant to refine the nervous system, release stress, and improve your mental activity, it’s hard to accomplish when an opposing force like cannabis is still in your system.

Maggie Stewart, the coordinator of Langara’s volunteer program said volunteer hours are a big part of what universities are looking for in scholarship applicants, and it also rewarding for students to give back and be part of a community. Stewart, said she wouldn’t be the person she is today without volunteering.

“Back when I was a Langara student, I volunteered one thousand hours in one year,” said Stewart, and said people who volunteer gain both personal and financial benefits, such as leadership, networking opportunities and scholarships. “I received scholarships that I would never have received without being so involved in my community.”

Stewart said that “although volunteering doesn’t have a direct financial gain it definitely pays off”. In the nine years since VOLT began, students have logged more than 730, 250 hours on-campus and off-campus volunteer hours, according to Stewart.

Shu Kurihara, an exchange student from Japan in the LEAP program at Langara said he never really volunteered until coming to Canada and that he is really enjoying volunteering.

“It’s a good thing and I’ve made friends,” Kurihara said, “I learned a lot of things I didn’t know before volunteering.”

Kurihara says that he recommends for everybody to take up a volunteer position.

Fulton Tom is a Langara professor and the organizer of the Good Swap, a free thrifting event where he gathers up clothes from across the city and has the student volunteers help run the event. Activities also included wrapping delicate objects and help keep things organized. “So that’s one of the nice things,” Tom said, “if they have a couple of hours, they can volunteer during their school day and then go to class.”

The Good Swap also collects donations and gives them to the Langara College Foundation. For Stewart, grades and volunteering are positively linked, for reasons like volunteering students end up spending more time on campus and working in community.