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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sane, sweet, witty look at assisted spirituality, October 15, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Cannabis Spirituality (Paperback)
Stephen Gaskin is one of the more interesting old hippies who thinks original thoughts about our perplexing world. Cannabis Spirituality is much more about spirituality than it is about cannabis and it is too bad that the book's title and psychedelic artwork will cause some readers to avoid it altogether. Gaskin is a natural teacher who combines serious messages with a playful approach to right living. From the Marine Corps to Haight Ashbury to rural Tennessee is quite a journey. Stephen's life-long study of world spiritual traditions and his comfort with ambiguity and wonder are refreshing antidotes to those who advocate closed systems of thinking. His moderating advice to those millions who use marijuana will also be helpful to many.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stephen may drive you sane, January 9, 2003
This review is from: Cannabis Spirituality (Paperback)
Let's get one thing clear here: this book is _much_ more about spirituality than it is about cannabis. Smoke dope, don't smoke dope; that's not the point. It helps some people and doesn't help others. I haven't touched it in years (and that wasn't me, and it wasn't ganja, and I was just keeping it for a friend of mine, and anyway I didn't inhale). If it helps you, go ahead and make it a sacrament as Stephen describes here, and follow his excellent advice. (And do let's drop this nonsensical "War on Drugs," shall we?) But that's not what this book is really about. What it's about is realizing that you are God -- not in the sense that your personal, local ego is the divine, omnipotent, omniscient creator of the cosmos, but in the sense that God is _being_ you, if you know what I mean. If you _don't_ know what I mean, you stand a pretty good chance of picking it up from Stephen, whether you ever toke up (again) or not. As with all his writings, if you're receiving on the frequency where he's broadcasting, you'll pick up one helluva spiritual contact high. Me, I find that if I go too long without reading him, I start to get cranky -- yell at the dog and kick the kids, or vice versa, or something -- but cracking open any one of his books mellows me out right away. My own receiver, at least, is definitely tuned to his channel. Yours may be too. Oh, maybe not -- not every "spiritual teacher" (ugh) is suitable for everyone, and you may be better off with somebody else or with nobody at all. That's okay; Stephen isn't looking for followers (and you should beware of anyone who is, both for your sake and for theirs). But it's worth the trouble of finding out. It's entirely possible that you found this page precisely because Stephen is just exactly what you're looking for. It's really just a question of picking up his vibe. (And if you know what I mean by _that_, you will almost definitely find him worth reading.) It's not so much that he's going to _teach_ you anything in particular; he'll just knock your mind loose from your brain, maybe only a little at first. And then a little bit more . . . Mainly you'll just grin and be happy that Stephen is possible. And you'll start to be possible too.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's High Time, August 12, 2008
This review is from: Cannabis Spirituality (Paperback)
I wrote a review for this book about a week ago and I quickly yanked it. I thought it might be just a little too controversial. Not that I'm a "boy scout" by any means...and if you are a boy scout, there's certainly nothing wrong with that, but I just thought...felt...sensed...
that maybe I was going over the edge with this particular review but the more I thought about it, the more it became clear to me that this is precisely why people need to read this book, to push them over the edge because what happens when we're pushed over the edge?
We discover that we have wings and that we can fly.
This book will help you to fly as well as "ground" you in deeper Truths. A lot of spiritual people are very...well...uh, how should I say this...a little flighty? There's like nothing really grounding them, centering them, keeping them focused. They are like nervous little humming birds flitting from flower to flower, never staying in one place too long because thy don't like regimine.
This books cover a lot of ground on why one needs to approach their spirituality in a safe and sane way. Now you may think that the subject matter alone is for miscreants and stoners...hey, I resemble that remark...but it's not. It's for people who are on the edge and don't know whether to step forward or step back into the world of the mundane.
No, you don't need to make cannabis a part of your life...but it's not the evil that certain groups make it out to be. Even when I was a "boy scout" I got a merit badge in joint rolling.
I believe, with Emerson, no less, that the only evil is limitation. When we limit ourselves, we limit God. Didja ever stop to think about that one? I mean, God created us out of Unlimited Life...out of Unlimited Love, out of Unlimited Light and we're sitting on the sidelines trembling with fear. God put us in the game to win because God loaded the dice on our behalf. And I'm not talking about the "Christian" God...God is too huge to belong to one particular group.
God is the Unlimited Substance of Creation and this book by this crazy 'ol hippie is gonna help you realize with real eyes that you the Living Spirit is living Itself out as every strand, every fiber, every atom of your being. It's time to WAKE the F up...uh, by F, I mean, Fullness...sorry Mr. Amazon censor, it won't happen again...
I believe that Life is eternal...there is always more than enough time...but listen to your soul...listen to that deeper part of you...there's something within you that knows there is more to life than watching reruns of Everyone Loves Raymond and eating cold spaghetti...there is a part of you that knows it is meant to fly and fly high...come join the few of us who are willing to let the sins of the past go and be who God created us to be....F'n great...F as in "fantastically"...sorry...I just had to do it...
Peace & Blessings,
john, 'the Light Coach'
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