Hi Plant Fam,
This week’s episode is a really special one. I had the pleasure of speaking with Stephen Gray — author of Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer’s Guide to an Ancient Plant Spirit Ally — a book that completely shifted my perspective on cannabis and helped me begin my journey of studying this plant as a true ally.
I first found Stephen’s book after sitting with ayahuasca for the first time in 2019 where I started to understand what a plant spirit really is and received the clear message to understand cannabis on a deeper level. I expected Grandmother Aya to tell me to stop using cannabis, but instead, I was told to study her. Not necessarily to consume more but to commune with her spirit. To listen. If you know me, you know I am a researcher by nature, so I found a bunch of books and dove in. Stephen’s book was the first one I read and is what set me on the path that eventually led to creating this podcast.
So yes, you could say this is a full-circle moment.
In this episode, Stephen and I explore some powerful ideas that I think more people — especially those in the psychedelic and wellness world — need to consider:
🌈 Cannabis is misunderstood by the psychedelic world
Despite its rich, 10,000-year history as a spiritual ally, cannabis is often left out of the psychedelic conversation. Too common, too accessible, too abused. But that accessibility is part of what makes her so powerful. She meets you exactly where you are, and when used with reverence, can guide you just as deeply inward as any “classic” psychedelic. Stephen calls her a “reality medicine,” and I couldn’t agree more.
Cannabis is so powerful because it is a gateway to altered states of consciousness. I worry about people jumping into powerful psychedelics, which are growing in popularity, without experience managing altered states. Cannabis provides a gentle and accessible place to explore and manage the mind before deeper journeys. This is one beautiful way this plant can help shift consciousness.
🌀 The spiritual ego is sneaky
We also talk about the concept of the spiritual ego, something I first learned about through Eckhart Tolle. In his words, the ego is the false self, the part of us that defines our identity through thought, comparison, and separation. And the spiritual ego is just the same old ego, dressed up in a new identity, one that believes it's more enlightened, more awakened, more evolved than others.
Tolle warns that this version of the ego is especially dangerous because it hides behind “spiritual” language, practices, and beliefs. It says all the right things — but it’s still rooted in judgment, superiority, and fear. Cannabis, when used intentionally, has a way of exposing that. It asks us to strip away the masks, drop back into presence, and face the parts of ourselves that still need softening. It’s humbling, and that’s what makes it medicine.
📡 Cannabis is a “non-specific amplifier”
This is one of my favorite takeaways from Stephen’s book. Cannabis doesn’t make you feel anything that isn’t already within you — it amplifies what’s present. Joy, clarity, fear, anxiety… all of it gets louder. That’s why intention is everything. If you set a clear intention, the plant will amplify that. But if there’s something unresolved under the surface, it’ll bring that forward, too, which can actually be a gift.
So many people blame cannabis for making them feel anxious or paranoid, but that’s a victim mindset. Cannabis doesn’t create those feelings, it simply reveals what’s already there. When we stop blaming the plant and start taking responsibility for what it's reflecting, that's when real healing can begin.
As Stephen says: “You have to quiet your mind.” Silence and stillness allow the plant to work on deeper levels. Without that space, we miss what she’s trying to show us.
We also get into the state of cannabis today, and how the ultra-high potency, diamond-dusted, hash-infused products we see in dispensaries are not supportive of intentional use. One puff is often enough. It’s not about more, it’s about presence.
🎧 Listen to Episode 7: Cannabis as a Non-Specific Amplifier with Stephen Gray
Spotify
YouTube
This episode is full of thoughtful reflections on cannabis, consciousness, and the healing power of intention. We even manage to name-drop Rumi, Terence McKenna, and Eckhart Tolle, so you know it’s a good one.
Let me know what it stirs up for you.
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