A lot of people think kava is just a sedative herb and if you are not a very spiritual person, that might be all it is to you. But that's not all it is to the pacific islanders who claim that they use it to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors and for meditation and religious purposes.
I was inspired to write this post because I would like to bring more awareness to this amazing plant, into the modern psychedelic culture which in my opinion is currently overly occupied with substances like LSD, mushrooms, RCs, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with those, mushrooms to me are the most divine substance on earth. But I just want to point out that there are other things out there, over things which can be very powerful also. Kava is one such thing.
The kava is very different from your typical acid/mushroom trip. It is extremely gentle, the most gentle of all teacher plants. It doesn't break open the walls in your mind or slay your ego the way mushrooms can. It mainly relaxes you, but while leaving your mind very clear. Because of this, people who are not spiritual already, probably won't find kava particularly spiritual. The same mental blocks they have in place while sober, will remain in place on kava and kava is not forceful enough to break through them, at least not with a lot of co-operation on your part.
But for people who have already broken down those walls, perhaps through other psychedelics, are and a result are willing to listen to lessons a plant wants to teach them, even if it means going through some discomfort, then kava has the potential be so much more.
What it does:
Kava is quite aptly known as the plant of peace. It relaxes the body and mind similarly to alcohol but unlike alcohol or opium, clarity of mind is not lost. This actually leaves you in a very introspective state. Kava points the way toward mental and emotional peace, while allowing you to look at all the aspects of your psychology that block you from feeling peaceful normally. In addition, it greatly numbs emotional and physical pain while providing a feeling of positive energy/mood lift. This creates a feeling of safety or security (it's the liquid courage effect observed with alcohol basically) which gives you the incentive to actually look at the parts of yourself that you are normally afraid to look at. If you are willing to pay attention, this plant actually teaches your body and mind how to relax and attain peace.
Why is this so valuable? Because it points the way to the goal. THe attainment of peace is the goal of spiritual practice. While mushrooms and LSD are far superior when it comes to breaking down blocks and revealing vast amounts of information about how life works, they don't necessarily point the way to the goal. They are more like amusement park rides that show you endless possibilities, but you must choose which possibilities to pursue. Kava on the other hand says, why worry about all those possibilities that do not lead to peace of mind? What if instead, you just focus in on what it means to be peaceful and let everything else take care of itself?
For me kava has been an invaluable addition to my entheogenic arsenal, because it works as a sort of rudder pointing me towards land while I swim through the sees of my psychedelic revelations.
It is a wonderful and far healthier replacement for alcohol ( I rarely ever desire alcohol anymore because I prefer kava) and a good all around recreational and pain killing substance also. You can take it after work simply to relieve sore muscles. It doesn't have to be a big religious experience. But it can be. and that makes it versatile in a way that mushrooms and LSD are not. Whenever I take a strong dose of mushrooms, I have to be prepared for the fact that I might meet God. I might not, but I wouldn't just casually munch on mushrooms to relieve sore muscles, that's for sure.
Kava is also a great social drink, because it relaxes you and lowers inhibitions like alcohol but it doesn't make you say or do stupid things you might regret the following day. Great for recovering alcoholics.
Anyway, like most herbs kava can take some time and effort to get to know. I am not saying if you get some kava and drink it you will instantly start communicating with Archangels. But the pacific islanders say that kava connects them to the realm of the gods and if you are willing to put in the time and effort to get to know the spirit of this plant, I can affirm that this is true. Smoking cannabis on kava can also greatly enhance the spiritual effects.
So there is my advertisement for kava, the forgotten entheogen.
I was inspired to write this post because I would like to bring more awareness to this amazing plant, into the modern psychedelic culture which in my opinion is currently overly occupied with substances like LSD, mushrooms, RCs, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with those, mushrooms to me are the most divine substance on earth. But I just want to point out that there are other things out there, over things which can be very powerful also. Kava is one such thing.
The kava is very different from your typical acid/mushroom trip. It is extremely gentle, the most gentle of all teacher plants. It doesn't break open the walls in your mind or slay your ego the way mushrooms can. It mainly relaxes you, but while leaving your mind very clear. Because of this, people who are not spiritual already, probably won't find kava particularly spiritual. The same mental blocks they have in place while sober, will remain in place on kava and kava is not forceful enough to break through them, at least not with a lot of co-operation on your part.
But for people who have already broken down those walls, perhaps through other psychedelics, are and a result are willing to listen to lessons a plant wants to teach them, even if it means going through some discomfort, then kava has the potential be so much more.
What it does:
Kava is quite aptly known as the plant of peace. It relaxes the body and mind similarly to alcohol but unlike alcohol or opium, clarity of mind is not lost. This actually leaves you in a very introspective state. Kava points the way toward mental and emotional peace, while allowing you to look at all the aspects of your psychology that block you from feeling peaceful normally. In addition, it greatly numbs emotional and physical pain while providing a feeling of positive energy/mood lift. This creates a feeling of safety or security (it's the liquid courage effect observed with alcohol basically) which gives you the incentive to actually look at the parts of yourself that you are normally afraid to look at. If you are willing to pay attention, this plant actually teaches your body and mind how to relax and attain peace.
Why is this so valuable? Because it points the way to the goal. THe attainment of peace is the goal of spiritual practice. While mushrooms and LSD are far superior when it comes to breaking down blocks and revealing vast amounts of information about how life works, they don't necessarily point the way to the goal. They are more like amusement park rides that show you endless possibilities, but you must choose which possibilities to pursue. Kava on the other hand says, why worry about all those possibilities that do not lead to peace of mind? What if instead, you just focus in on what it means to be peaceful and let everything else take care of itself?
For me kava has been an invaluable addition to my entheogenic arsenal, because it works as a sort of rudder pointing me towards land while I swim through the sees of my psychedelic revelations.
It is a wonderful and far healthier replacement for alcohol ( I rarely ever desire alcohol anymore because I prefer kava) and a good all around recreational and pain killing substance also. You can take it after work simply to relieve sore muscles. It doesn't have to be a big religious experience. But it can be. and that makes it versatile in a way that mushrooms and LSD are not. Whenever I take a strong dose of mushrooms, I have to be prepared for the fact that I might meet God. I might not, but I wouldn't just casually munch on mushrooms to relieve sore muscles, that's for sure.
Kava is also a great social drink, because it relaxes you and lowers inhibitions like alcohol but it doesn't make you say or do stupid things you might regret the following day. Great for recovering alcoholics.
Anyway, like most herbs kava can take some time and effort to get to know. I am not saying if you get some kava and drink it you will instantly start communicating with Archangels. But the pacific islanders say that kava connects them to the realm of the gods and if you are willing to put in the time and effort to get to know the spirit of this plant, I can affirm that this is true. Smoking cannabis on kava can also greatly enhance the spiritual effects.
So there is my advertisement for kava, the forgotten entheogen.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
) which prepares fresh kava in the traditional way, and I had 3 little cups over the course of an hour. The effects almost every time I've done it have been so faint I was unable to definitively discern them from placebo. The time I got definitely effects, they were quite mild, but enjoyable. Granted, I was in a social setting with a bunch of people I didn't know, sitting on a bar stool, so it wasn't exactly conducive of an entheogenic experience, and I wasn't expecting one either so no effort was made on my part.