Chris Bennett: Cannabis, Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World
Aug 30, 2023
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Chris Bennett, an expert in the history and cultural significance of cannabis in ancient times, discusses the historical use of cannabis in ancient civilizations, including its role in temple rituals and medical purposes. He explores the linguistic suggestion that cannabis was mistranslated in the Bible. The podcast also explores the benefits of cannabis for health and wellness, its association with the divine feminine, and the current legalization issues surrounding cannabis.
Cannabis was widely used in ancient civilizations for ritual ceremonies and as medicine.
There was a trade and sharing of cannabis knowledge between different ancient cultures.
Cannabis played a significant role in female-centric cults and was associated with the worship of love goddesses.
Deep dives
Cannabis use in ancient civilizations
The use of cannabis in ancient civilizations, particularly in the Middle East, dates back thousands of years. Evidence suggests that cannabis was used in ritual ceremonies, particularly in polytheistic cults that worshipped goddesses such as Ishtar, Asherah, and Nana. The precious plant was often burned as incense in temples, with the smoke believed to help individuals connect with the divine and induce altered states of consciousness. Cannabis also had medical applications, with references to its use in treating epilepsy, menstrual problems, skin diseases, and general aches and pains. The use of cannabis in the Middle East predates the establishment of monotheistic religions and was likely more prevalent in the worship of multiple gods. However, as monotheism took hold, the use of cannabis became more restricted and eventually fell out of favor.
The spread of cannabis knowledge and cultivation
While the specific transmission of cannabis knowledge from China to the Middle East is unclear, the evidence suggests that various cultures had awareness of cannabis and its medical uses. Chinese pharmacopeias from 200 BCE backdate older knowledge, indicating that the use of cannabis as medicine dates back even further. The archaeological discovery of hemp clothing in ancient Egypt provides evidence of the cultivation and usage of hemp fibers. Other references to cannabis ointments and poltuses indicate that cannabis was also used topically for various ailments. There appears to have been a trade and sharing of knowledge regarding cannabis between different ancient cultures, as evidenced by the Silk Road and the diverse genetic backgrounds found among ancient peoples.
The role of cannabis in female-centric cults
Cannabis played a significant role in female-centric cults in ancient civilizations. Many goddess worshippers, such as the followers of Asherah, Ishtar, and Nana, used cannabis in their rituals and ceremonies. The connection between cannabis and the divine feminine may be attributed to the cultivation of cannabis for its feminine qualities. Cannabis cultivation involves nurturing female plants, resulting in the development of flowers with psychoactive properties. Additionally, cannabis has estrogen-like qualities, although claims that it can cause men to develop breasts are unfounded. The association between cannabis and the divine feminine goes back to older worship practices and highlights the reverence for the plant's unique characteristics.
Origins of Cannabis in the Middle East
Cannabis likely originated in China and was later introduced to the Middle East. Archaeological evidence of cannabis use by the Indo-European Gucci culture in central China from 2000 BC to 400 BCE suggests its early presence. Cannabis was found in burial sites, and instances of burning cannabis in funerary rituals were discovered. Similar practices were observed among the Scythians in Ukraine. References to cannabis as an item of trade in Hebrew texts further support the notion that cannabis was imported to the Middle East.
The Role of Cannabis in Ancient Religious Practices
The use of cannabis in ancient religious rituals and worship was prevalent. It was associated with the worship of various love goddesses in different cultures, such as Ishtar, Isha, Inanna, and Asha. Cannabis was used as incense and was burned in enclosed spaces, often small tents or rooms, for suffumigation. Ritual ingestion of cannabis-infused wines and foods was also common. The effects of cannabis were believed to open communication with the divine, promoting spiritual experiences and connecting with the gods. However, with the rise of monotheistic religions, including Judaism, the use of cannabis in religious practices was rejected and banned, likely due to the desire for stricter control and the suppression of goddess worship.
Although prohibited in most of the today’s world, cannabis and humanity have a shared history that extends far back into ancient times. Evidence of its role in the production of cloth and rope goes back more than ten thousand years. Its psychoactive properties have also long been known by humanity, and ancient man attributed a supernatural force behind such effects. Archaeological evidence of cannabis ritual use of cannabis dates back to 3500 BCE, and it became considerably widespread. Egyptians, Assyrian, Babylonian and Persians used cannabis in Temple rituals, and for medical purposes, as has long been acknowledged, . Although, it has generally been seen that the neighbours of these cultures, the ancient Hebrews, whose religious history was recorded in the Bible’s Old Testament and the Hebrew Tanakh, rejected these practices. However, in 1936, a little known Polish anthropologist and etymologist put forth the controversial hypothesis that the Hebrew words, kaneh and kaneh bosm, identified cannabis, and had been mistranslated as calamus. This linguistic suggestion drastically changes the story of the Bible in a number of ways, but it seemed destined to be an obscure linguistic hypothesis, until 2020, when evidence from a 2,800 year old temple site in tel Arad, Jerusalem confirmed the ritual use of cannabis Among the ancient Hebrews.
Chris Bennett has been researching the historical role of cannabis in the spiritual life of humanity for more than a 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 (2023) . He has also contributed chapters on 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.
