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Rastafarians do not eat animals; we are undeniably the most peaceful group on Earth.
Either softly or brutally, we do not kill and consume any sentient organisms. We are totally in harmony with nature.
However, there also happens to be some beef between the Rastafarian Empire and the non-Rastafarian camp, including the legal world.
Continuously disciples experience a multitude of unnecessaries due to mainly lack of knowledge requisite to make a just decision and wide spread intolerance, again due to the former. Remember what Jeremiah said, my people are being arrested because of lack of knowledge. Or is it simply undermining other people’s belief and practices.
For now let us explore how we partly got to consume “the most controversial plant on the planet” for spiritual purposes (entheogenic use).
“Shiva is the oldest known God-head figure in the world. Devotees of Shiva sometimes meditate by drinking a milk and cannabis mixture prepared by priests (bhang). Sadhus and other devotees endlessly walk around India searching for the spiritual oneness with Shiva. These Sadhus also smoke ‘Charas’ and ‘Ganja’ from chillums.
“Consumption of bhang wasn’t always reserved for the gods and Holy days. In fact, not so long ago it was considered an insult to refuse bhang.”
Bhang is made using cannabis leaves and milk, almonds, rose, water and other items. Bhang is also used to describe the actual cannabis plant in some parts of India
The reason true Rastafarians have dreadlocks, are vegetarians and smoke ganja (a Hindi word for compressed female buds) in chillums (another Hindi word for a small clay pipe) is partly because of the British.
When the British abolished slavery they shipped over hundreds of thousands of Indian labourers to work on sugar plantations. These immigrants brought the religion of cannabis to a new continent.
Cannabis appeared and started growing in many places where the British took Indians. The Caribbean is just one place where local people quickly acclimatised to the plant and claimed it as their own. There are stories about Rangoon in Burma being another of those places as well as Bangkok, Philippines and Lebanon.
One of the most important thing is that Rastas call the best female weed Kali. This is a Hindu term for ‘Kali Mata’ a dark form of Shiva’s wife Parvati.
In addition, Kali means bud in Hindi (pronounced Kuli). I think Rastas probably got the term from Kali Mata.
Another thing that relates the two religions is Shiva and Rastas’ dreadlocks. Most of the ancient Rishi mentioned in the Hindu scriptures had grown their ‘Jata’ knotted hair when they renounced normal living and became spiritual Sadhus; these are some of the most respected people from the religion.
It is also noted that in the famous epic “The Ramayana”, both Ram and Lakshman grew their hair into Jatas when they went into the jungle for 14 years. The Sannyassins in India usually go to the mountains or jungles to meditate and they probably did the same when they went to the Caribbean.
The slaves were freed and some went to work as paid labour in the fields or the big plantation houses, but a few freed slaves went up to the mountains and hinterlands where they learnt about spirituality and cannabis.
When Marcus Garvey came along with his “Look to the East for the crowning of a Black King Speech” the Rastas (freed people of the mountains) had a real interest because of the religious stories they had heard from the Hindu priests about the Avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu and how he will appear on earth again.
Then Haile Selassie got crowned King Emperor of Ethiopia and the Lion of Judah.
This was it for the Rasta. They saw it as the Saviour and the Avatar mentioned in the old stories as well as the man in question was claimed to be the direct descendant of Solomon and Sheba. And also of Moses.”
This insight was provided by an author simply identified as Shiva.
Rastafarians and all sects inclusive, are not unique when it comes to the utilisation and positive use of cannabis for spiritual purposes.
The following groups also add in their fair share: the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, the Santo Daime Church, the THC Ministry, Cantheism, the Way of Infinite Harmony, the Cannabis Assembly, the Church of Cognitive Therapy (COCT Ministry), Temple 420, Green Faith Ministries, the Church of Cognizance, the Church of the Universe, the Free Marijuana Church of Honolulu, the Free Life Ministry Church of Canthe, and the Church of Higher Consciousness.
Only space, the list does not end here.
References
wikipedia.org; pinterest.com ; exoticindiaart.com ; blog.artoflegendindia.com ; youtube.com; thebuddhasface.co.uk; answers.yahoo.com ; gnosticteachings.org.
Online Reporter