Magick and Marijuana, Wicca and Weed – these are some questions that people have been wondering about. Recently, I stumbled on a Reddit post where they spoke about how the collective “Wiccan community” feels about cannabis and the craft.
In this article, I’ll be taking some of the most upvoted comments and providing some commentary on that myself. The fact is that substances has long been associated with mystic states and that – at least in my opinion – there should be no real conflict with it unless it is distracting you from achieving your objective.
Nonetheless, I think it’s important to take a look at the different perspectives within the Wicca community and see how these folk consider cannabis within their magickal practices.
But first…what’s Wicca?
For those who aren’t familiar with the occult, the term Wicca might be confusing. According to Wikipedia, “Wicca is a modern pagan religion” where scholars classify it as a new religious movement or a stream of Western Esotericism. While the original principles of Wicca was first published in a series of books in the 1940s and 1950s, the movement has grown into various interpretations of the craft.
While I’m not going to dive into further sects of the Wicca movement, some of their core practices are working with deities, natural remedies, and an underlying tone of witchcraft.
What does the Community think about cannabis?
There were many different takes on using cannabis within the practice but the overall message was predominantly, “It’s pretty good stuff!” Of course, each practitioner had their own reasoning as to why cannabis was a helpful tool within the craft.
Seisme1138 said, “I just made a spell jar that includes seeds. They are wonderful for the promotion of general peace and of friendly feelings as well as calming. I have used the herb in a similar way as well.
Over the years I've found it easier to meditate or receive messages after ingesting. As well as pulling back the layers during shadow work.”
For the uninitiated, the seeds represent opportunity, life, growth, and in essence is a fractal representation of the universe itself. When you utilize these elements within spell work, you bind your thinking and intention with the “meaning” you assign to each part.
Hemp seeds are rich in nutrition and very healthy for human consumption. It’s definitely a “feel good” plant that promotes peace upon consumption (usually). As for “doing shadow work”, this is something within the occult which in “muddle language” would be akin to “facing ones demons” but instead of banishing the shadow, you integrate it.
RedColumbine pitched in;
I don't know how much of a "collective" we are - as the saying goes, ask 10 Witches a question and you'll get 11 answers - but Witches have been using herbs for a very long time. There are a few that I personally wouldn't mess with, but that's my own business.
Aside from the sarcasm which was eloquently dispensed, Red Columbine does have a point that witches are known for using herbs, some of them very dangerous. Cannabis has been used in several spells throughout the ages and considering that prior to 1937, it was actually one of the most important crops in the world, it’s not difficult to see how witches all throughout Europe used the flower, the stems and the seeds in their spell work.
SandInACan also brought up an important point…
“I don’t think there is a way for us to speak as a collective on this. It’s a personal preference for your craft. Do I think Gardner toked before circle? No. Am I against practicing high? Also no. Cannabis is hard to recommend for/against implementing into one’s practice. Everyone will feel the drug differently and there’s so much variation in what and how you take. An edible sativa will affect you differently than a dab of indica. Some like to harness a high that stills the mind, some prefer to take a nap. If you’re interested in using cannabis in your craft, know it and yourself first then implement as you see fit.
Remember, Wicca does not have a collective rule book to speak by, nor a collective voice to speak with. When individual practitioners come together and form a coven with rules, those are just the rules for that coven within its tradition.”
Sandinacan brings up a good point that Wicca is liquid. It’s a belief structure that has some history, but the interpretation is very individualistic. Cannabis might be good for certain practices and terrible for others. It might be good to cast a quick spell, and completely disruptive in casting another. One of the core tenants of Wicca is being mindful of the energies, both in your body and without. If you simply quiet your mind, and hold a nug in your hand – you should be able to feel if it’s right or not for the particular spell.
This is something that many younger practitioners haven’t developed yet and thus seek external approval. Since Wicca can be so individual in nature, they resort to places like Reddit to ask for this confirmation.
TheDanny942 serendipitously chimed in;
Funny that this thread would be created today, my full moon ritual last night involved cannabis… I’m still in the process of figuring out how best to use it for the craft but from what I have experienced so far I think Allan put it very well. I think it all depends on the intent of the ritual as to whether it’s a good idea. For connecting with deity/ancestors, meditation, divination, or other work that involves softening the boundary between worlds it can be a wonderful tool if you show it respect. For focused direction of the will into magick I personally would not use it, but some might find the opposite is true for them.
Last night my intent was to feel the magickal energy of the full moon and invite the energy of Hekate and Pan. I found a isolated spot in the hills near my house and created a consecrated circle. I wanted to use candles but it was too windy, so I just lit some incense and invited both deities to join me through some invocations and prayers that I had written. I blessed the joint that I had brought and asked that they guide me in it’s responsible use for my craft. I then played some music, smoked it, and had a glass of ale while gazing up at the moon.
What an experience it was! The aura around the moon seemed to glow brighter, and when I closed my eyes I experienced beautiful fractal-like visuals reminding me of LSD or psilocybin… These visuals became even more intense as I would raise my arms to the moon in a receptive posture, almost overwhelmingly vivid. After the ritual ended I walked home and began to somewhat regret invoking the energy of Pan as I could hardly walk straight even after only one ale lol… All of this is to say: intent is everything!
As you can see, cannabis can be a wonderful tool if used correctly. If you want to learn how to make a Sigil Joint Spell, I’ve written about it in my Weedscraft Series.
If you have any questions about magick and cannabis, you can always hit me up at Minds or on my Discord Server where I talk about esoteric things.
WEED AND OCCULT, READ THIS...
