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This Month

(starting yesterday) I have decided to go without two things that I enjoy, they are my pet 'vices'.

The two things that I am giving up are:

• Drinking Coffee
• Vapourizing Marijuana

I didn't really have a 'problem' with either of these things, I haven't been particularly controlled by them. But I do notice the cumulative effect of them, and am curious to see my perception without them. As I usually get up quite early in the morning either for yoga or work, I do enjoy an afternoon coffee which instigates a kind of second 'active period'. The marijuana might be more of a weekly thing, for creative pursuits, stretching, freestyle rapping, or long talks with friends.

In New Zealand many people do what is called a 'Dry July', where they stop drinking alcohol for that month. We have a pretty big drinking culture, so it seems like a big ask for people who are relying on booze to balance themselves emotionally and socially. I commend all the kiwis currently doing a dry July, and I hope you find the insight that enhances your perception.

I decided to go along with this idea of dry July although personally I don't drink, it doesn't really do much for me, my enjoyment of life is much higher sober. A friend once described it as making him want to fight, fuck, and sleep. It might not be that extreme, but it definitely doesn't enhance perception. Some people are completely OK with drinking and that's all good. We all have a choice. My personal journey has taken me from enjoying getting drunk to feeling quite uncomfortable even being around drunk people. To me drunk people seem very loud and confident, although quite disconnected from people and situations. It's a risky combination, and it's no surprise that people get hurt physically and emotionally.

I do drink coffee and vape weed though, and these are potentially toxic substances for the body - although not on the same level as alcohol.

There's a whole spectrum for how we treat out body. It goes from complete ignorance, or 'not caring', where you just stuff in all the sugar, meat, processed 'non foods', alcohol, and whatever else (because it feels good for a little while) - right through to the other end of incredibly pure lifestyles, eating only organic fruits and vegetables or even breatharianism aka pranic living.

We're all somewhere on this spectrum, and I think it's important to explore what the next logical step for you is. It could be to eat slightly more green things just to see how you feel, or only binge drink one night a week instead of two. Or maybe it's to stop snorting random powders with your friends at the club, because it makes you feel terrible the next day. Hell it could be going from vegan to raw vegan. Each of us is where we are at, and we move forward from there. If we aren't running these experiments then we start to solidify into potentially uncomfortable shapes. Have you yourself, or any of your family or friends solidified their habits and seem stuck to you?

Life is change, it's a dynamic journey of exploration and discovery.

In my personal journey, until I started to change my intake there was no way my consciousness could expand to where it is now. If you're on a journey of consciousness then this is super important, despite being very mundane and ordinary. Every thing has a 'consciousness' and when we take it into the body we take that consciousness into our own. I saw a great vlog of 'Dabbing with a Mage' with @alchemage and @kennyskitchen - they concluded with this idea, mentioning the handcrafted organic weed they were smoking.

• Try it, see how you feel, then if you like it attempt to integrate it.

• The integrating is the challenging part, requiring us to develop the beautiful qualities of consistency and integrity

Getting a Buzz

I want to investigate this notion because it's the main reason I drink coffee and vape weed. The coffee gives a physical and mental raciness that is enjoyable and can be put to use, the cannabis tends to create metaphysical thoughts and produce third eye 'imaginings'. I feel very sensitive and connected with cannabis, and confident and little disconnected with coffee.

I have noticed that if I drink a coffee every day, then on the days I skip I might get a slight headache, that makes me feel not so good about what it's doing to my brain. After large doses of cannabis I might feel a bit spaced out until I sleep.

I recognize the potential good in using plant's to alter our biochemistry, and I am not opposed to it. I don't feel so good about pharmaceuticals and synthesized drugs though. Some plants such as Ayahuasca and San Pedro can teach the human a lot about life, these things need to be treated with incredible respect though. How much ritual and respect do we give to our daily drink of tea or coffee? My intention is to give a small silent prayer for everything I take in. In many cases it's more of a chemical 'need' though, with no time to give thanks or even enjoy it.

If we treat things like coffee and cannabis as plant medicines then we can give them the same respect. Systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda have a knowledge of almost all consumable plants. With this knowledge there is guidelines about how to use them, how often, and when not to use them. This knowledge is strangely missing from contemporary culture, and is indicative of our lack of connection to the natural world in general.

It's about paying attention and being connected to out body, and our mental/emotional states. When I really look at it I accept all of the effects of something like coffee, not just the pleasant effects like enabling me to write furiously for two hours. It also makes my jaw a bit tight, makes my bowels move, and can make me feel more tired in the morning. I have read and heard that it drains the adrenal glands, necessitating a recovery time.

Another source of information is watching YouTube videos of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. In his explanation (as an enlightened master and yogi) neuro stimulants such as caffiene and marijuana will dull our sensitivity over time. This makes sense to me, and I am exploring this side of things as well. Coffee may work well to keep us as focused motivated 'workers', but it may not promote an overall sense of well being and relaxation.

I'm a spiritual seeker, so for me it's necessary to make these kind of sacrifices to enhance perception and also to break my attachments to being a certain way. I don't think this is necessary for every single person, but I think it will lead to a more enjoyable life if we challenge our dependencies every once in a while.

Health,
Balance,
Wholeness,
& Abundance to you my friend