ABRIDGED THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION 

Historical information by Reverend Dr Chris Bennett Contemporary information by Reverend Dr Damuzi Spring Edited and abridged by Reverend Dr Damuzi Spring

Index

MESOPOTAMIA
THE BASALT FRIEZE
KING ASSURBANIPAL
THE HOLY ANOINTING OIL
THE HOLY INCENSE
THE ANOINTED
MIRACLES
JESUS THE INITIATOR
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
REDISCOVERY OF GNOSTIC TEXTS
ONENESS AND RITUAL
INCENSE OF SAINTS
CANNABIS AS RELIGION
JESUS HEALING MINISTRY REAWAKENS
THREE PRONGED JAIL TEST
DESIDERATA
FULL UNEDITED BIBLIOGRAPHY

MESOPOTAMIA 

The Tree of Life is strongly associated with the mythical soma, the original sacrament of the most ancient of peoples. Numerous scholars, such as Alain Danielou , AL Basham, and Steve Hager, have suggested that due to Rig Veda descriptions of the ancient sacrament, and the way it was prepared, that soma was a cannabis preparation.

Similarly, cannabis is strongly associated with the Tree of Life. The ur-root of the word ³cannabis² is present in the oldest forms of language. Ancient Mesopotamian writings point to an intoxicating substance that was used for sacrament and medicine.

In his 1874 work, Lenormant wrote that: “The Chaldean Magus [Mesopotamian holy men of the Chaldean kingdom, circa 400-500 BC] used artificial means, intoxicating drugs for instance, in order to attain to [a] state of excitement acts of purification and mysterious rituals increased the power of the incantations Among these mysterious rituals must be counted the use of enchanted potions which undoubtedly contained drugs that were medically effective” (Lenormant 1874).

An ancient and recurring symbol for the Tree of Life appears during the earlier Mesopotamian kingdom of Assyria, on the Basalt Stela of king Esarhaddon (circa 700 BC), in the form of an elaborate looking plant directly behind the ancient monarch (figure 1). Another Stela depicts the symbol of the Tree of Life and "king Esarhaddon stand[ing] before an elaborate incense chamber with smoking censer pictured in cut-away in the lower portion of the chamber, the upper chamber is tent-like with an opening" (Bennett, J Osburn & L Osburn 1995). The tent was used to hold smoke, which the king would inhale by placing his head inside of it; a common means of smoking incense in the ancient world, and an act of worship.

An ancient Babylonian inscription reads: "The glorious gods smell the incense, noble food of heaven; pure wine, which no hand has touched do they enjoy". According to Mackenzie, ³[in Babylonian religious rites,] inspiration was derived by burning incense, which, if we follow evidence obtained elsewhere, induced a prophetic trance. The gods were also invoked by incense."

In a letter written in 680 BC to the mother of king Esarhaddon, reference is made that gives clear indications as to what substance was burning in the king's incense tent. In response to Esarhaddon's mother's question as to "What is used in the sacred rites", a high priest named Neralsharrani responded that "the main items for the rites are fine oil, water, honey, odorous plants (and) hemp [qunubu]."

In 1989, Barber noted that, in the second quarter of the first millennium BC in Mesopotamia , the "word qunnabu (also rendered qunapy, qunubu, qunbu) begins to turn up as for a source of oil , fiber and medicine "(Barber 1989). Oil, fiber and medicine are three of the most well-known products of the cannabis plant. In our own time, numerous scholars have come to acknowledge qunubu as an early reference to cannabis .

In 1979, Schultes and Hoffman wrote: "It is said that the Assyrians used hemp as incense in the seventh and eighth century before Christ and called it 'Qunubu'". Further, the pioneering research of etymologist Sula Benet led to his assertion that "the ritual use of hemp as well as the name, cannabis originated in the Ancient Near East" (Benet 1975). Benet wrote further that, ³cannabis as an incense was burned in the temples of Assyria and Babylon 'because its aroma was pleasing to the Gods.'"

Benet's research is in agreement with that of the earlier German researcher Immanuel Low, who also regarded the ancient Near East as the location from where the modern name cannabis was derived (Low 1925; reprinted 1967). This ancient Assyrian name qu-nu-bu , is the phonetic equivalent of the ancient Hebrew name for hemp, q¹aneh-bosm and the strong connections between the two can be seen in the similar ways both Mesopotamian and Hebrew worshipers used the plant.

The original Sumerian words for ³Tree of Life² contain a language clue as to the plant¹s euphoric nature. As Allegro noted in 1970, "In Sumerian the words for 'live' and 'intoxicate' are the same, TIN, and the “tree of life”, GEShTIN, is the 'vine'". Likewise, the Hebrew word used for life, (as in the Tree of Life), 'chay', has more to do with enlivening, freshness, or merriment, rather than personal immortalisation. Ancient Mesopotamian myth, passed down in Sumerian, eventually codified into early biblical accounts written in Hebrew. During this process, the semantic resonance of the words “Tree of Life” stayed the same, indicating a fundamental connection of the fabled Tree with ecstatic states of consciousness.

THE BASALT FRIEZE

Amongst the first to connect the sacred tree depicted in Assyrian art with the mythical Tree of Life was Sir A. H. Layard, who described and commented on the symbol over a century and a half ago. "I recognized in it the holy tree, or Tree of Life, so universally adored at the remotest period in the East, and which was preserved in the religious systems of the Persians to the final overthrow of their Empire The flowers were formed by seven petals" (Layard 1856). The "seven petals", referred to by Layard, can be seen to be more likely stylized depictions of the seven distinct spears of the cannabis leaves. Likewise, the pine cone-like objects held by the figures often surrounding the plant represent the pine cone like buds of the sacred qunubu (figure 2).

Behind the sacred tree and Esarhaddon in fig. 1, sits the Bull of Creation, while below are the early tools of ancient agriculture, perhaps indicating an intimate connection between the three symbols. Carl Sagan has speculated that early man may have begun the agricultural age by first planting hemp. Sagan used the pygmies from southwest Africa as an example of his hypothesis in action, as the pygmies had been hunters and gatherers until they began planting hemp, which they used for religious purposes (Sagan 1977).

As the oldest known piece of woven fiber was made from hemp, along with the fact that the agricultural history of cannabis extends far-back beyond recorded history, one could speculate with Dr Sagan that cannabis was indeed the first crop of ancient man. Cannabis' hybridizing, whether for narcotic or fiber purposes, is certainly known to predate recorded history. Indeed, with its useful fiber, nutritious seeds, and fragrant incense it could have easily been conceived of as a Tree of Life in the ancient world.

Interestingly, there are no known written descriptions which give an account of what the ancient stelas actually represent. Likewise, there are said to be no known depictions of the sacred qunubu, cannabis, which by all accounts played a very important part in the sacred rights, which are exactly what the stelas of the Tree of Life are believed to represent. We of the Church of the Universe believe that these ancient stelas are depictions of the cannabis Tree of Life, stylized to hide its identity from the uninitiated.

KING ASSURBANIPAL

Engravings from the time of Assurbanipal, another ancient Assyrian king associated with cannabis, also depict the sacred tree shown in the basalt of his father, King Esarhaddon (figure 3). In 1951, Professor Widengren, postulated that every temple had a holy grove, or garden with a Tree of Life that was taken care of by the king, who functioned as a 'master-gardener'. By watering and caring for the Tree of Life, the king gained power over life. A scribe of the Assyrian king Assurbanipal recorded in 650 BC: "We were dead dogs, but our lord the king gave us life by placing the herb of life beneath our noses"(Ringgren 1973). Interestingly, we find that Assurbanipal's ancient cuneiform library contained recipes for hashish incense which "are generally regarded as copies of much older texts" and this archaeological evidence "serves to project the origins of hashish back to the earliest beginnings of history"(Walton 1972).

The ancient Sumerian city of Ur was Father Abraham¹s ancestral home. When Abraham traveled from Ur to become the father of Judaism, he carried with him the legends and customs of his people. Many of these legends and customs have particular relevance as sources to our modern bible.

THE HOLY ANOINTING OIL

In 1936, a little known Polish Professor, Sara Benetowa (later Sula Benet), did extensive etymological research, showing that both the Aramaic and Hebrew versions of the Old Testament contain references to cannabis as a fiber for rope and cloth, as well as an incense. But most importantly, Benet found that hemp was the active ingredient in the Holy anointing oil of the ancient Hebrews, to be used only in the installation of priests and kings, and in the consecration of holy items, as described in Exodus (30: 22-33).

According to Benet¹s research, cannabis appears in ancient Hebrew texts spelled with the Hebrew letters: “Kuph, Nun, Hé ­ Bet, Shin, Mem,” translated into western alphabetic forms as q¹aneh-bosm, kaneh-bosm or kineboisin. The book of Exodus records the event of Moses receiving the instructions for making and distributing the hemp enriched holy oil, in the most auspicious tones.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of qaneh-bosm, 500 shekels of cassia--all according to the sanctuary shekel--and a hind of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil” (Exodus 30: 22-33).

As one shekel equals approximately 16.37 grams, this means that the THC of over 9 pounds of flowering cannabis tops were extracted into a hind, about 6.5 litres of oil. The entheogenic effects of such a solution ­ even when applied topically ­would undoubtedly have been intense.

In 1980, a wave of interest in Benet’s work prompted numerous etymologists to agree with Benet¹s reinterpretation of the word qaneh-bosm in Exodus. That year, scholars at Jerusalem¹s Hebrew University confirmed her work, noting that the q¹aneh-bosm was mistranslated in the King James version of Exodus 30:23 as ³calamus² (Latimer, 1988). That same year, Weston La Barre also confirmed Benet’s work, noting further that "the term kaneh-bosm occurs as early as both the Aramaic and the Hebrew versions of the Old Testament, hemp being used for rope in Solomon's temple and in priestly robes, as well as carried in Biblical caravans" In 1980, the slightly cynical scholar Allegro also noted that this "volatile substance in the heat of an enclosed oracular chamber would contribute to the delusion of omniscience through their intoxicating effect" (Allegro 1980).

Allegro was commenting on the practice by which the ancient Levites literally drenched themselves, their utensils and the inner chamber of the tent with the highly entheogenic holy oil, as well as burning it alongside other incenses on the altar, as a means of receiving an oracular trance in which the voice of Yahweh was heard.

Indeed, the Hebrew title “Messiah” means the anointed one, and refers to the psychoactive cannabis ointment mentioned in exodus. The 'anointed ones', acting as shamans for the ancient Israelites, were in a sense the consciousness of the group or tribe. The "ideas" that came to them while they were high were heard as the voice of God, and through this 'inner voice' they guided the tribe in both war and peace. The holy anointing oil and incense was strictly used on the high ranking members of the priestly Levites, "the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests" (Numbers 3:3).

"Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for generations to come"(Exodus 40:15).

"The high priest [is] the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God"(Leviticus 21:10-12).

THE HOLY INCENSE

The Lord said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud "(Exodus 19:9).

In recent years scholars have expressed the opinion that, far from being a minor or occasional ingredient, hashish was the main ingredient of the incense burned in temples during the religious ceremonies of antiquity, and was also routinely used in Hebrew ceremonies until the reign of King Josiah in 621 BC, when its use was suddenly suppressed in the Hebrew tradition (Andrews 1997; Bennett 1995). In Die Flora Der Juden, Immanuel Low researched the ancient Hebrew technique for making Passover incense and concluded that it must have included cannabis as a prime ingredient (Low 1926/1967). Regardless of the ingredients of the incense, the burning of it would have released psychoactive cannabis compounds when lit upon the altar of incense, which was drenched in anointing oil, as directed in Exodus 30: 22-28, ³useŠ [the anointing oil] to anoint the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the alter of burnt offering and all its utensils.²

The clouded temple, pitched in a tent during the Exodus, was undoubtedly filled with the smoke of burning cannabis-oil, and was the meeting place of priest and God. In Exodus, 30:27, God gives clear instructions to place the altar of incense “before the veil that is by the ark of testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.” It was from behind this veil of smoke that Moses interpreted the words of the Lord. According to the Lord's decrees, the incense was to burn perpetually.

In 1967, Hebrew Scholar Ralph Patai pointed out that Yahweh traveled in a cloud, which was produced from copious incense smoke: “The epithet, "Rider in the clouds," refers to Yahweh in one of the Psalms In fact, the desert sanctuary was called the Tabernacle (Hebrew, mishkan; literally, dwelling place”) because of the divine cloud that abode (shakan) over it and in it. In Exodus 40 it is written that God's presence in the Tabernacle was indicated by a cloud, which both seemed to hover over the tent and to fill it, and which at night glowed like fire.”

”As Moses would enter the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshipped, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:7-11).

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14). Such were the words Moses first heard after his initiation into the Midianite priesthood, during his first encounter with the Burning Bush.

Exodus 24:15-18 and Numbers 7:89 also make reference to Moses “meetings with God, who comes to speak with Moses in the cloud-drenched ³Tent of Meeting.”

THE ANOINTED

From the time of Moses, until that of the later prophet Samuel, the shaman-like Levite priesthood used the Holy Anointing Oil in order to receive the revelations of the Lord. At the dawn of the age of Kings, Samuel extended this use to the Hebraic monarchs, who, with the benefit of the entheogenic inspirations provided by the Holy oil, led their countrymen possessed by the "spirit of the Lord". As Doane noted in 1882, “[anointing] was common among kings of Israel . It was the sign and symbol of royalty. The word 'Messiah' signifies the 'Anointed One', and none of the kings of Israel were styled the Messiah unless anointed". Matthew Henry noted in 1997 that “Solomon was anointed with it, and some of the other kings, and all the high priests, with such a quantity of it, as that it ran down to the skirts and garments.²

But, wrote Henry, the Holy Oil fell into disuse when it had become associated with aspects of pagan worship: "[A] l agree that in the second temple there was none of this holy oil, which was probably owing to a notion they had that it was not lawful to make it up." Members and Priests of Semite sects that likely used cannabis (like that of Ashera, Queen of Heaven) were viscously persecuted and slaughtered at the same time as the holy oil became prohibited (Jeremiah 6:20 and Jeremiah 44). Despite these prohibitions, certain underground sects retained the topical entheogen and continued to practice the older religion of the monarchic period, silently awaiting the return of a king in the line of David.

The ministry of Jesus marked the return of the Jewish Messiah-kings, and thus the re-emergence of the Holy Oil. If Jesus was not initiated in this fashion then he was not the Christ, and had no official claim to the title, as it was only given to those "having the crown of God's unction upon them" (Leviticus 21:12).

Although the traditional King-James bible account of Jesus “baptism describes it as submersion in water, the Gnostic scriptures indicate that originally the rite was performed with kaneh-bosm rich anointing oil. According to Gnostic scripture, Jesus received the title of “Christ because of the anointing, not because of a water baptism.” On the topic of water baptisms, the Gospel of Philip chides: "there is water in water, there is fire in chrism," a term for the practice of anointing with oil which derives from the same root word as “Christ.” The term baptism itself has a meaning relating more to initiation, rather than submersion in water.

In the first few centuries AD, Christian Gnostic groups such as the Archontics, Valentians and Sethians also rejected water baptism as superfluous, referring to it as an "incomplete baptism." According to the Gospel of Philip, the pseudo-initiates of the rite of Baptism "go down into the water and come up without having received anything." As Rudolph noted in 1987, it is written in the Jewish Gnostic tractate that, "the Testimony of Truth, water Baptism is also rejected, with a reference to the fact that Jesus baptized none of his disciples, and instead the Baptism of truth¹ is commended.²

The true initiation was much more than water. The Gospel of Philip records that: "The anointing (chrisma) is superior to baptism. For from the anointing we were called 'anointed ones' (Christians), not because of the baptism. And Christ also was (so) named because of the anointing, for the Father anointed the son, and the son anointed the apostles, and the apostles anointed us. [And if] one receives this unction this person is no longer a Christian but a Christ.”

Similarly, The Gospel of Truth records that Jesus specifically came into their midst so that he "might anoint them with the ointment. The ointment is the mercy of the Father those whom he has anointed are the ones who have become perfect". In some Gnostic texts, like the Books of Ieou and Pistis Sophia, the chrism or spiritual ointment is a necessity for entry into ³pleroma,² meaning the “highest mystery.”

The importance of the holy ointment amongst the early Christians is also attested to in the apocryphal book, The Acts of Thomas, which has the rite of anointing clearly eclipse the significance and importance of the placebo water baptism. This, and the ointments entheogenic effects derived from a certain "plant", is aptly demonstrated in the prayers and invocations which the apocryphal book recorded as accompanying the rite: "Holy oil, given us for sanctification, hidden mystery in which the cross was shown us, you are the unfolder of the hidden parts. You are the humiliator of stubborn deeds. You are the one who shows the hidden treasures. You are the plant of kindness. Let your power come by this [unction]'"

In 1987, pre-eminent Gnostic scholar Kurt Rudolph described the initiation ritual of the ancient Gnostic Ophites [circa, 1st Century BC], which included the application of a “seal”, after which the recipient announced, “I have been anointed with the ointment from the Tree of Life.² The Gnostic Naasenes [contemporaries of the Ophites] "claimed to be the true Christians because they were anointed with the 'ineffable chrism,' poured out by the serpentine 'horn of plenty'"(Mead 1900).

The after-affects of Jesus baptism and initiation indicate that Jesus received an intense entheogen-like experience, as the heavens open, the holy spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove, and God speaks to him with words of love. As in Exodus, cannabis ointment is the doorway to an experience of God.

Gnostic sects were viscously persecuted by the early Roman church. Eventually, they were killed or driven into extinction in foreign lands. In his discussion of Gnostic texts which dealt with the anointing rite, the Church Father Irenaeus (130-200 AD), accused the Gnostics of initiating with "secret sacraments." Some Gnostics had the foresight to bury their holy books in a safe location in Nag Hammadi, Egypt , where they were eventually found not long ago.

MIRACLES

”The leaves of the Tree are for the healing of nations” (Rev 22:2).

Another important factor, in the case of miracles and exorcisms, is that at the time of Christ, no differentiation was placed between medical treatment and exorcism or miracles, all three were interrelated. To cure somebody of a disease was paramount to exorcising the tormenting spirit. As to cure of disease was considered exorcism, so too was healing a person¹s injury considered a miracle.

By the time Jesus began doing miracles on the road, he was a mature man, in his mid-thirties, and of some experience. The descriptions of Jesus¹ rituals and healings in the Gnostic gospels reveal that he was also likely an initiate of one or more of the Mystery Schools which existed in the ancient World (more on this to follow). Many of these Mystery Schools, (and most relevant for this study, the Gnostics, Essenes, and the Zoroastrian Magi who influenced them both so strongly), had an extensive knowledge of plants and healing techniques which parallels that of other aboriginal people. From such groups Jesus would likely have learned of the miraculous healing qualities of cannabis, the medicinal value of which is still extolled today.

The sacred anointing oil, rich with cannabis resins, was one of the miracle medicines in Jesus¹ ³first-aid kit.² As it says in the Book of Mark: ³And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them²(Mark 6:13). But in the case of cannabis-laced anointing oil, unlike the phoney "snake oils" of yesteryear, there is an abundance of medicinal properties that have been used for centuries to treat a variety of ailments.

Amongst the more well known accounts of Jesus' miracles is his healing of the lepers that appears in the first three Gospel accounts (Matthew 8,10,11 Mark 1, Luke 5,7,17). Leprosy meant something slightly different in biblical times than it does now. What we call leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a bacillus discovered in 1868 by the Norwegian physician Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen. ³Hansen¹s disease² was known in New Testament times as elephas or elephantiasis. Ancient sara'at or lepra, on the other hand, covered several diseases, all of which involved an acute flaking or scaly skin condition - including psoriasis, eczema, fungus infections of the skin, (Crossan 1994) or pruritis. Cannabis oil, applied topically, has been known to bring relief to sufferers of all of these ailments, and is being used today by cannabis compassion clubs for this very purpose. Pruritis, an atopical dermatitis, has even been known to be relieved by smoking the healing herb (Grinspoon & Bakalar 1993)! Perhaps part of the action of cannabis in relieving skin conditions can be attributed to its impressive antibacterial effects, as demonstrated by a Czech study done in 1960 (Mikuriya 1971).

We read again in the Acts of Thomas, that "Thou holy oil given unto us for sanctification thou art the straightener of the crooked limbs," which is another miracle Jesus performed for the crippled. Cannabis was used for swelling and ³loss of control of the lower limbs² in ancient Babylon (Encyclopedia of Islam 1979); it was long used as an effective home remedy for rheumatism in South America, and for the same by Dr WB O¹Shaughnessy (circa 1850); it was used until 1937 in ³virtually all muscle ointments and [cystic] fibrosis poultices²(Herer, 1995). The epilepsy-like symptoms suffered by the boy that Jesus heals in Matthew 17:14-20, Mark 9:14-29, and Luke 9:37-43 would also have been massively relieved by cannabis, as would have MS and other seizure-producing illnesses, for which doctors today still prescribe the healing herb. Jesus¹ healing of the woman with chronic menstruation (Luke 8:43-48) could also have been effected with cannabis, which the US Dispensatory of 1854 lists as a remedy for ³uterine hemorrhage.² Pointing to a more ancient knowledge, Ancient Assyrian texts also listed cannabis as part of the recipe for treatments against ³female ailments,² and as an ³anodyne used in menorrhagia and dysmenorrhoea²(Thompson 1924), illnesses characterized by excessive and reduced menstruation respectively.

JESUS THE INITIATOR

Jesus said unto them "can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with"( St. Mark 10:38)?

In the Gnostic scriptures, Jesus and his apostles used their entheogenic ointments, incenses and potions for healing purposes, but also for complicated initiation ceremonies, or "baptisms", through which the adept attained to what was known as "the Kingdom of Heaven ." The Second Book of Ieou records that Jesus shared these baptisms with his disciples that they might be called ³Children of the Fullness (Pleroma), perfected in all mysteries.² Christ began by gathering his disciples round him with the words, "Come all of you and receive the three Baptisms ere I tell you the Mystery [of Withdrawing the Evil] of the Rulers!"

In Fragments of a Faith Forgotten (1900), Professor GRS Mead summarized the ancient Gnostic text "The Second Book of Ieou," in which Jesus refers to the three baptisms as the ³Treasure of Light.² In his translation, Mead reveals a complicated system of passwords and initiations, which promised the successful candidate attainment of the keys of gnosis needed to pass through the planetary spheres with their corresponding zodiacal signs as well as past their various guardians, back to the kingdom of light, a process with similarities to Kabbalistic practice. Involved in this process were three Baptisms: The Baptism of Water, the Baptism of Fire, and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, "and thereafter the Mystery of the Spiritual Chrism [i.e. anointing]" (Mead 1900) or ³Mystery of the Withdrawing the Evil of the Rulers,² as Jesus also calls it.

Jesus tells his followers that the master-mysteries of the Treasure of Light are the Seven Voices, (perhaps the correct passwords to make it through the planetary spheres), the Great Name of all names, (likely the secret name of the "hidden God"), and the mystery of the Five Trees, which in this case, likely means having knowledge of certain magical plants that were used as a shamanistic catalyst in the ceremony.

These same five trees were referred to in what is possibly the oldest Christian text in existence, the Gospel of Thomas: "there are five trees for you in Paradise Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death." In the Gnostic view, "not experiencing death" meant reaching a certain state of interior purification or enlightenment, at which point the initiate would "rise from the dead," meaning ignorance and blindness, and "never grew old and became immortal," that is to say, he gained possession of the unbroken consciousness of his spiritual ego, and as such realized that he was a part of the larger Cosmic whole that continued on long after the disappearance of the material body. Second Book of Ieou gives us a profound description of the shamanistic ceremony that led to this higher state, in part through the ingestion of the "five trees."

In the first baptism ­ the baptism of water ­ Jesus prays that ³a wonder be done, [that a spiritual agent] come and bring the Water of the Baptism of Life into one of these wine jars.² In the second baptism ­ the baptism of fire ­ Jesus again asks for a wonder, ³in the fire of this fragrant incense.² The final baptism, ­ the baptism of the holy spirit ­ Jesus asks for another unspecified wonder. The ritual draws to a conclusion with the Mystery of Withdrawing the Evil of the Rulers, which involves an elaborate incense offering and anointing oil.

The "wonder" contained in the incense used by Jesus during the ceremony, and which so perplexed Mead, was presumably a reference to its indescribable entheogenic effects. The other undefined wonders likely point to magical properties of the different plants used in the ceremony plants which were identified to the participants as the Mystery of the Five Trees. The anointing with oil or ³chrism² is certainly a reference to the cannabis rich anointing oil described in Exodus.

Another Gnostic tractate, The Apocryphon of John , has Jesus make mention of Zoroaster's teachings and points to further evidence about the identity of at least one of the five trees. Jesus declares to John, the son of Zebedee: "if you wish to know them, it is written in the book of Zoroaster." Jesus may have been making reference to a tractate popular among early Gnostic groups entitled ³Zostrianos,² a figure some say is from the lineage of Zoroaster (Sieber 1988), and others say is Zoroaster himself (Rudolph 1987). In this tractate, the narrator travels through 7 spheres of the evil archons, in an attempt to reach the "place of repentance,² which he can only attain after various baptisms, a telling echo of the Mystery of Light described in the Second Book of Ieou. In the sadly fragmented Zostrianos, the initiate describes a certain mixture to be drunk during the ritual: ³it is perfect and gives [Š] there is power which [has Š those] in which we receive baptismŠ² Zoroastrian traditions maintain that Zoroaster used a preparation of hemp to achieve the type of shamanistic flight that is described in the Gnostic tractate Zostrianos, and that the ancient Persian sage initiated others into its use (Eliade 1964; Aldrich 1978; Abel 1980; Bennett et al 1995). Zoroastrian hero Ardu Viraf used the cannabis drink bhanga as a passport to the kingdom of heaven, in a process that some scholars have already likened to Gnostic accounts of heavenly ascent (Hinnels, 1973). We at the Church of the Universe conclude that cannabis must have been one of the mysterious five trees mentioned by Jesus in the Mystery of Light.

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The New Testament also contains references to the profound psychological state known in the Gnostic gospels as the Kingdom of Heaven: ³The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light²(Matthew 6:22).

When Jesus was asked what the most important of the commandments were, the choice of passages with which he replies again give indications that the highest attainment possible had to do with a divine sense of Oneness. ³The most important one,² answered Jesus, ³is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these²(Mark 12:29-31).

In the Synoptic Gospel of Luke, Jesus words leaves no doubt as to the location of the kingdom ³the kingdom of God is within you²(Luke 17:21). The Greek word ³ev en², translated as "within", definitely designates inside, and elsewhere in the bible is used to designate the location of the mind: "he thought within [even] himself"(Luke 7:39). Such a reading when applied to canonical material, and not Gnostic, creates some intriguing questions. As Campbell writes, "it implies a theology of immanence, which is exactly what the Church has been condemning as heresy and purging with fire and sword these many centuries"(Campbell 1964).

Writing in 1901, Richard Maurice Bucke referred to this unified state of mind as the Cosmic Consciousness identifying it with the “ Kingdom of Heaven ” references in the New Testament. Bucke concluded that as with other recipients of this cosmic sense, Jesus' own spiritual illumination and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven occurred instantaneously, after some preparation, around the age of 35, as is indicated by his personal vision after the baptism and initiation by John.

In the New Testament Jesus uses a number of ambiguous parables to describe the "kingdom", such as seeds sown in a field, yeast that spreads through dough, and most famously, a grain of mustard seed. The Gnostic Naasenes explained this parable as meaning that "the grain of mustard seed [is] the indivisible point, which is the primeval spark in the body, and which no man knoweth save only the spiritual." Here the mustard seed represents the sparks of light that had fragmented from the original godhead and became tabernacled in the body of material man. As Redeemer, Jesus had come to restore these sparks of light back to the "Kingdom of light". In the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia Jesus explains that when one attains this state, "though he be a man in the world, yet shall he be king with Me in My Kingdom. He is a Man in the world but a King in the Light. Though he be a man in the world, yet is he a man who is not of the world. Amen, I say unto you, that man is Myself, and I am that man." Similarly, in the Gospel of Philip it is written: ³You saw the spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you became Christ. You saw [the father, you] shall become the father."

Like the Yogi who has identified himself with the Ultimate Source, and therefore sees Creation as “One”, in the Sophia of Jesus Christ Jesus explains to his apostles that when one attains knowledge of the unbegotten Father they ascend to His level, and become that which “looks to every side and sees itself from itself.” It was only with this view in mind that Jesus could have said to his disciples ³As you see yourselves in water or mirror, so see ye Me in yourselves.²

In Gnostic scriptures, the initiates who had attained to this undivided state of consciousness, were seen as those who had entered “the kingdom of heaven”, a frame of mind identical to that of the Yogic “Samadhi”. As with the similar goal of yoga, the “kingdom of heaven” state, although attained instantaneously, required years of vigorous training and preparation. The secret teachings used to accomplish this task were “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” that Jesus promised to his disciples. It is interesting to note that certain yogis in the East, much like the early Gnostics, used cannabis to attain this enlightened state.

THE REDISCOVERY OF GNOSTIC TEXTS

The Gnostic scriptures themselves give clear indications that the ancient initiates who hid them believed that their rediscovery would aid those who understood their meaning in eventually overcoming tyranny. "Do you think these rulers have any power over you?” wrote the great Seth, author of the Gospel of the Egyptians. ³None can prevail against the root of truth the authorities cannot approach them because of the spirit of the truth present within them; and all who have become acquainted with this way will exist deathless in the midst of dying mankind. Still this sown element will not become known now''(The Hypostasis of the Archons).

Seth then committed the texts to their hiding spot for long over a millennium. Seth indicated that he had foreknowledge that he should do so after inhaling certain fumes: "Therefore the incense of life is in me in order that I may live with thee in the peace of the saints, thou who existeth really truly for ever." The reference to "the incense of life" and "the peace of the saints" is most interesting when compared to this quote, taken from the prophecies of Revelation: “[An] angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand” (Revelation 8:3-4). The connection between Seth¹s statement and Revelations becomes relevant later in this discussion.

Seth comments that tyranny will prevail “until the moment when the true man, within a modeled form, reveals the existence of truth, which the father has sent: Then he will teach them about everything: And he will anoint them with the unction of life eternal, given him from the undominated generation. Then they will be freed of blind thought: And they will trample underfoot death, which is of the authorities: And they will ascend into the limitless light.”

Like the book of Revelation, Gnostic scriptures give prophecies of the Tree's eventual reappearance, only they take this a step further, stating the location where the Tree of Life will one day be found; "And the tree of eternal life is as it appeared by God's will, to the North of Paradise, so that it might make eternal the souls of the pure, who shall come forth from the modeled forms of poverty at the consummation of the age"(On the Origins of the World).

Curiously, the rediscovery of the ancient Gnostic teachings in our own century has also coincided with the widespread reintroduction into the typically Christian West of the ancient entheogenic sacraments the Gnostics used, particularly cannabis.

ONENESS AND RITUAL

In 1968, Ballante wrote a timely and applicable description of the ritual of marijuana use:

”It must be realized that simply carrying out a series of common actions does not establish a state of ritual. Ritual cannot be detached from its ends. It is only when the series of actions yields a derived sense of personal inter relatedness and a sense of moral connectedness that the pattern of action can be designated as a ritual. Should these effects cease, there is no longer ritual, there is no longer meaning.”

The highly social nature of marijuana is unmistakable; one of the most striking features of the [plant] is that marijuana is rarely consumed alone. For a variety of reasons, but particularly because of its adaptability to a social ritual, marijuana is almost always consumed in the form of smoking. It is passed from hand to hand, making the elements of sharing and giving central and crucial to the experience.

The setting of the situation also tends to promote a feeling of being relaxed and comfortable. A typical setting will find the people sitting on the floor in circular fashion. A refreshing gentleness tends to pervade the atmosphere. Flickering candles, the mellow and often child-like facial expressions, music ­ all tend to contribute to the sensation of peace. The social component of ritual is more than amply satisfied by the circumstances surrounding and encompassing marijuana smoking. One direct goal of the marijuana ritual ­ in distinction to traditional ritual ­ seems to be the strengthening and creation of personal ties the bringing of people together.

”Another way in which the total marijuana smoking environment seems to prompt a transcendental experience is by seemingly generating a state of increased aesthetic awareness. It is not unusual to seek out a natural environment in which to "turn on". The beaches, parks, and woods are frequent choices. No matter what the choice of setting, the intent and preference is to seek out a place of relative peace and beauty. This choice of setting has much to do with the derived effects. Sometimes it appears to be more than a simple kindling of increased awareness of nature and beauty. At these moments the intensity seems to become so great that one no longer senses a distinction between one self and nature. A certain continuity of experience is effected which can be experienced alone or in groups” (Ballante 1968).

Members of the Church of the Universe are required to seek social communion and personal transcendence through solitary or group sacramental cannabis use whenever they personally feel it is appropriate to their spiritual development and connection with higher spirit. It is prudent to note here that ministers of the Church of the Universe also provide more complex and organized prayers, rituals and ceremonies to facilitate the needs of their members, including marriages, baptisms and funerals. Basic to these events, however, is the experience provided by sacramental cannabis use.

So far we have pointed out the social and ceremonial aspects of marijuana smoking. Earlier we designated one additional factor that is crucial to defining a state of ritual. We mentioned that the activity must serve as a basis for linking the individual up with a higher moral order. Another way of stating the same thing is that the ceremony must serve to kindle positive and optimistic forces in the individual.

THE INCENSE OF THE SAINTS

Both the Gnostic and Book of Revelation references to the incense mention it being related to the Saints, possibly indicating those who used the holy incense felt it provided them with some sort of kinship with those members of their faith who had used it before them in a similar spirit. In some mysterious and subtle way, when we burn cannabis with a certain spiritual focus and specific symbols in mind, we are able to tap into a memory that goes far beyond our personal experience.

In relation to this it is interesting to note the words of Dr Robert de Ropp, who wrote of an initiate¹s experience with cannabis that "unlocked the doors of memory, a memory that can be as impersonal as the memory of the race, linking him to the great patterns of living forms, green plants and fungi, invertebrates and vertebrates. Against so expansive a back ground personal memories appeared trivial"(de Ropp 1968). De Ropp considered cannabis sacred (de Ropp, 1974), and had a keen interest in Gnostic scriptures (de Ropp, 1988). Similarly, Shaivite scholar Alain Danielou wrote that “Some plants are, by their very nature, connected with what are called spirits or gods. They embody certain aspects of the divine [and] serve as a means of contact [with it]” (Danielou, 1984/92). The same sensibility is reflected Dr Rupert Sheldrake’s profound new scientific model, “Morphic Resonance,” which describes the human DNA molecule as being a receiver for the “human being signal,” which contains not only the necessary genetic information needed for the creation and maintenance of the material body but also contains a record of all accumulated human knowledge and experience (Sheldrake 1984).

Sheldrake goes onto suggest, using the psilocybin mushroom as an example, that the previous users of such a substance may have left a resonance in the morphic field surrounding its vibration that could be tuned into by later users. When one considers the extensive religious use of cannabis throughout the ages by a variety of cultures, and the modern Renaissance surrounding the plant, Sheldrake¹s theory becomes more than plausible.

CANNABIS AS TRUE RELIGION

Cannabis is a true religion, springing from the instinctual recognition of cannabis as sacrament, as the Tree of Life. Consider the case of the African Bashilenge, who after becoming acquainted with cannabis sometime during the nineteenth century, began using it sacramentally, and convinced other tribes to join them in their sacred smoke. This Holy communion lead them to put away their weapons, and rename their land ³Lubuku², meaning “Friendship”, greeting "each other with the expression 'Moio', meaning both 'hemp' and 'life'"(Benet 1975). Consider the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica, where independently, black descendants of slaves who had began using marijuana likely from an influence of Indian migrant workers, intuitively began to apply its use to a Biblical tradition, long acknowledging the sacred plant as the Tree of Life, and 'burning bush', sharing it as a Eucharist in a chillum-Chalice in order to awaken the "I" spirit that is common in us all.

Likewise, Canada's Church of the Universe, which formed in 1969, upon finding how well cannabis facilitated the religious mood of their gatherings and discussions, intuitively dubbed it as the Tree of Life, and began taking it as their key sacrament. In Hawaii , the Religion of Jesus Church, founded by Jim Kimmel in the 70’s, also took cannabis as their sacrament, identifying it as the Tree of Life. An important holy text for Religion of Jesus members is the Urantia book (appearing around 1955), which mentions hemp as an historical fibre crop of ancient peoples. In Texas , Phil Tarver founded the religious Children of the World Foundation in 1988, which also took cannabis as a holy initiatory sacrament, to be used in their “Peace pipe” ceremony. An important holy text for the Children of the World Foundation is OAHSPE, channelled in 1881 by John Newbrough. Like the Urantia text, OAHSPE repeatedly mentions hemp as an historical fibre crop. Such profound examples could fill a book, and have (See Bennett, et al 1995). Like the connections which lead to the sacred circle that inevitably forms whenever a "joint" is lit and passed, again and again we find this herb instinctually recognized for its entheogenic potential in awakening something that is common in us all.

We of the Church of the Universe feel that now ­ in the bi-millennial birthday of Jesus Christ ­ it is the time to bring forth his holy message of the Tree of the Tree of Life

"On either side of the river of life stood the Tree of Life, with twelve manners of fruit, yielding its fruit each month and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations". (Revelation, Chapter 22).

We look at the long history of cannabis through the ages and in different cultures, at the holy plant’s journey down the river of life, and we see its variety of fruits: hemp¹s many uses as paper, as food, as fiber, as fuel, as medicine, and for so many other uses. We know it is the only annual plant that is harvested every month of the year by faithful growers, and we know that it is the only plant that can truly offer the healing of the Nations which the world so needs those same nations that, throughout history, cannabis has played such an important role in shaping.

JESUS¹ HEALING MINISTRY REAWAKENS

Like Jesus who healed on a Saturday, despite the ancient Pharisees’ prohibition against work on the Sabbath, ministers of sacramental cannabis religions are providing the healing herb to combat illnesses suffered by both themselves and others. Like Jesus, they have suffered as a result.

Reverend Lynnete Shaw of the Religion of Jesus used cannabis from the age of 16 to deal with severe depression, nausea and rashes caused by environmental poisoning in Antioch , California , the home of several heavily-polluting factories including a DDT manufacturer. “I gained my spiritual health when I gained my physical health,” enthused Shaw. “I have lost 80 percent of my symptoms, and that is a miracle, an absolute miracle. People who knew me ten or fifteen years ago don¹t recognize me now.” Her experience with cannabis moved her to the core of her spirit, and during a visit to Hawaii where she met Religion of Jesus founder Jim Kimmel, she joined the church. Later she founded a cannabis compassion club in California , and began a mission to provide cannabis medicine to the sick that still operates today with local government approval. Religion of Jesus ministers also operate successful medical cannabis ministries in several places throughout Hawaii, despite the initial setback of occasional police raids, which have since come to a halt.

Reverend David Jack of the Universal Life religion uses cannabis to treat a terminal brain-stem cancer. He also used it to treat his brother, who died of AIDS. Along with Reverend Rick and Sue Garner, he opened Northern Lights Church in Stockton , California to provide cannabis medicine to the sick and dying. Northern Lights Church was raided by police in August of 2000, who dragged Reverend Sue onto the front step in her panties and held M-16¹s to the back of her, her husband¹s and her 15-year-old son¹s heads. Still, the inspiration of their healing ministry continues as the raid prompted others to open five affiliate churches which will provide a ministry of sacramental and medical cannabis use across California . It is unclear whether charges were ever laid against Northern Lights Church ministers.

The recognition of the healing powers of cannabis is a fundamental aspect of knowing cannabis as the Tree of Life. It springs from the fertile ground of sacramental experience again and again. Writer Chris Conrad, whose book “Hemp, Lifeline to the Future” made international headlines in the mid-90¹s, also started a religion known as “Cantheism”. A part of the Canthiest creed reads: “I believe that the Cannabis plant is endowed with important healing powers, some of which cannot yet be explained. Therefore I shall offer it to ease the suffering of others.”

Jim Kimmel, Religion of Jesus founder, explains it thusly: ³Distributing medical marijuana is a natural consequence of our spiritual inheritance. You become responsible for what you know. Just because someone says it¹s not medicine doesn¹t mean people don¹t need someone to deliver this plant and heal them.²

We of the Church of the Universe have also faced strong opposition from authorities in the course of our healing ministry, which is central to our mandate, given to us by God. Perhaps it is our truthful and earnest desire to heal and care for our fellow human beings ­ despite mounting religious oppression ­ that draws ever more people to the church.

Church of the Universe, founded in 1969, at Clearwater Abbey, by Reverend Brother Walter A. Tucker and eight others, explains that from the beginning of time, Shamans, Witch Doctors, Priests, Rabbi and Ministers were given the responsibility, by God, to tend to the physical and spiritual well being of their flocks and other needy creatures. Just as the Shepherd overlooks the physical care and well being of his flock, God’s Ministers have a right and responsibility to use the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations. 

Cannabis churches today are growing stronger and more numerous in membership every day. People are discovering that the healing power of cannabis goes much deeper than flesh and bone. Now human society is at a junction. Will freedom of religion guarantees ­ as enshrined in the constitutions of most western countries ­ be enough to protect sacramental cannabis users from unjust laws? Or will we continue to be fed to the lions?

THREE PRONGED JAIL TEST

Obscure case law has set precedents for legal sacramental marijuana use in the United States . In particular, the “three pronged test” was developed by a 9th Circuit court in Hawaii to determine whether prisoners should be allowed to use cannabis as a sacrament.

In April of 1997, a 9th Circuit court in Hawaii ruled, in The State vs. Blake, that churches must comply with a three-pronged test in order for their members to be legally entitled to use cannabis while in jail. A 1997 case in California , the People vs. Trippit, reconfirmed the courts¹ willingness to rely on the three-pronged test.

The test is as follows:
    1) The religion must be genuine,
    2) The use and practices must be sincere, and
    3) The use of cannabis must not be optional for church members.

Although these three criteria were developed and implemented in American States, it is perhaps pertinent to note that precedents have been set by which Church of the Universe members are entitled to use cannabis in Hawaii and California prisons.

DESIDERATA 

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quitetly and clearly, and listen to others – even to the dull and ignorant , they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; 

They are vexations to the spirit. 

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter for always will there be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep Interested in your own career, however humble. It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.. 

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue ther is. Many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially Do not feign affections. 

Neither be cynical about love for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment – it is as perennial as grass.. 

TAKE KINDLY THE COUNSEL OF THE YEARS, GRACEFULLY SURRENDERING THE THINGS OF YOUTH. 

NURTURE STRENGTH OF SPIRIT TO SHIELD YOU IN SUDDEN MISFORTUNE. BUT DO NOT DISTRESS YOURSELF WITH DARK IMAGININGS. MANY FEARS ARE BORN OF FATIGUE AND LONELINESS. 

BEYOND A WHOLESOME DISCIPLINE, BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. 

YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE NO LESS THAN THE TREES AND THE STARS; YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE. 

AND WHETHER OR NOT IT IS CLEAR TO YOU, NO DOUBT THE UNIVERSE IS UNFOLDING AS IT SHOULD. 

THEREFORE, BE A PEACE WITH GOD, WHATEVER YOU CONCEIVE HIM OR HER TO BE. 

AND WHATEVER YOUR LABORS AND ASPIRATIONS, IN THE NOISY CONFUSION OF LIFE, KEEP PEACE IN YOUR SOUL. 

WITH ALL ITS SHAM, DRUDGERY AND BROKEN DREAMS, IT IS STILL A BEAUTIFUL WORLD. BE CHEERFUL. 

STRIVE TO BE HAPPY. 

MAX EHRMANN