Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett has been researching the historical role of cannabis in the spiritual life of humanity for more than three decades. He is co-author of Green Gold the Tree of Life: Marijuana in Magic and Religion (1995); Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible (2001); and author of Cannabis and the Soma Solution (2010);  Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal herbs and the Occult (2018); and Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World (2024) . He has also contributed chapters on the the historical role of cannabis in spiritual practices in books such as The Pot Book (2010), Entheogens and the Development of Culture (2013), Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances (2014), One Toke Closer to God (2017), Cannabis and Spirituality (2016) and Psychedelics Reimagined (1999). Bennett’s research has received international attention from the BBC , Guardian, Sunday Times, Washington Post, Vice and other media sources. He currently resides in Nova Scotia, Canada.

CANNABIS CULTURE – In India we are dealing with a sacramental role for cannabis ranging from ancient times to the present day. This continued use of cannabis through the millennia offers many insights into the beliefs and role of cannabis likely held in the ancient world.

CANNABIS CULTURE –  Cagliostro (1743-1795), is an interesting figure, as he bridges the gap between alchemy and secret societies of the Masonic persuasion. As P.D. Newman has recently noted in Alchemically Stoned, there are indications of psychoactive elixirs in Cagliostro’s branch of Egyptian Masonry, and these may have included various preparations for different purposes and asRead More
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CANNABIS CULTURE – Alchemist, like magicians, were deeply influenced by the Kabbalah and Hermetic arts, and this included astrology. Every conceivable plant, animal, metal and mineral, was given to the dominion of the planets above.

CANNABIS CULTURE – The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism is still a practiced faith today, and its influence on the cosmologies and beliefs of Judaism, Christianity and Islam has long been noted by religious scholars. However a topic less discussed are ancient Zoroastrian references to the shamanic use of potent cannabis infusions. Was the Zoroastrian religionRead More
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CANNABIS CULTURE -Recent news stories about the discovery of a 2,500 yr old cannabis burning brazier from China, have inspired me to take a further look at cannabis long and controversial history in this area in a two part article. The first part will deal with cannabis’ role with the indigenous Han Chinese, its medicinalRead More

CANNABIS CULTURE – Like us, cannabis occurs in both male and female forms a differentiation which marks higher forms of both botanical and animal species .  “Propagation of the female species… is the total concern of the grower interested in the narcotic power of the plant.  It is thus a kind of happy coincidence thatRead More

CANNABIS CULTURE – “…the Indian cannabis has so many functions and the Indians use it mostly in their incense mixture that is used in the temples and some people prefer it more then the dregs of the wine and Yanbushath said it is also called the Chinese seed.”

CANNABIS CULTURE – Aleister Crowley is a well known 19th-20th century magician, Francois Rabelais was a 16th century monk, remembered largely for his well known work of satire Gargantua and Pantagruel, what could these two and cannabis have in common?
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