Cannabis- The Art of Detaching

When I was working with the Anima Mundi Herbal Astrology oracle deck earlier this month, I asked my guides for the herbal ally that I should focus on this month. What I love about the Anima Mundi deck, is that the plants are associated with a word or theme that fits their doctrine of signatures/personality. Originally, when I pulled cannabis, I saw the word detachment and was sort of confused as to what to do with this information. I thought about it over the course of the next few days, however, and realized that now more than ever, we need to practice detachment at both a collective, as well as an individual level.

In today’s times, it feels like people are so emotionally charged, that rarely do we create room for detachment. It is fitting that on this day of the election results being revealed, we recognize that it is okay to not get so attached about something. Regardless of political affiliation, the power of detachment allows us to reclaim our own power. Luckily, we live in the USA, where we had the privilege to vote and many freedoms that do not exist in other countries. In this beautiful country, we are still capable of creating the life that we want, regardless of who becomes the next President. 

Cannabis is one of the oldest known psychotropic herbs.It is a strong musculoskeletal relaxant, an anti-inflammatory, an appetite stimulant, as well as a pain reliever. If you ask most people who use cannabis how it makes them feel, many report “it helps them take the edge off”. Cannabis is an excellent herbal ally, like all herbal allies, when used with intention and mindfulness to help relieve anxiety and relax the mind and body. Cannabis can be used as a tea, as a topical liniment or in creams and salves, as well as inhaled (although rarely do I recommend anything inhaled directly into the lungs as this can create other issues). 

Historically, cannabis has gotten a bad name through criminalization and abuse by mainstream culture, but this is a plant with deep spiritual power as well as physical power. As we are seeing with the current medical literature and recent research studies, cannabis is proving to be extremely helpful for people with tremors and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s and Tourettes. Cannabis is also really helpful for people with neuropathy (numbness and tingling) due to diabetes, poor circulation and other medical conditions.  It is also a great herbal ally for those suffering from nausea and vomiting for pretty much any reason, including chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Crohn’s or anxiety.

Let us learn from cannabis how to flourish and thrive in a world that can feel very polarizing by tuning into our inner calm. By rooting deeper into our daily practices of mindfulness, breathwork/pranayama, meditation, journaling or whatever works best for you, we can remain solid, level-headed and firmly planted in our medicine. Remember that we have all come here to share our medicine with the world, in whatever form that takes on. Breathe deeply. Love intensely. Release gracefully. We are not meant to remain the same. We are meant to challenge ourselves and continue growing, even when it feels hard. As we continue journeying with this Scorpionic energy, may we learn to gracefully let go of the things that are no longer serving us, so that we can become who we are meant to be.

Many blessings during this time. May you find peace in your mind, body and spirit.