Last year, I chatted with someone who said, “I wish I could always feel like I feel when I meditate with cannabis.” Truth is, meditation seeps into your conscious mind without you even realizing it.

It takes time, but if you continue to chase your subconscious mind, no matter if you feel like you’re “doing it right,” the good meditations will keep you coming back for more…like the idiomatic “chasing the dragon.” Those “good” meditations will yield perspective which does trickle into your non-meditative moments.

As time goes on, your conscious life does in fact, change. You’re calmer, more rational, and you start to understand what makes you, well, you, and making changes to yourself (to better reflect the version of yourself, which you desire) happens quicker and easier.

I can’t stress enough just how much cannabis helps with the exploration of your consciousness. There’s an element of surrender in meditation which is facilitated by cannabis. It’s almost two fold. Cannabis is a plant that forces you to take control of you mind, but simultaneously let go of your need to cling to your conscious state. Letting go can be frightening, maybe even terrifying for some, but I assure you, you’re afraid of something deep within you. A feeling, an emotion, your external reality created in you, not something you created for you.

Meditation helps you realize how you want to feel, which is a reflection of who you want to be. Here are some of the things that I had to fix deep within, in order to emerge each day with a new and improved version of myself.

1. Forgiveness. I had to forgive myself for all of my awkward and hasty reactions, bad behaviors, frustrations, the list goes on and on. It wasn’t until I found that all of these things I didn’t even know I perceived as “negative” about myself were simply times in my life when I was learning how to “be” in this world. I forgave myself, my parents, my friends, even my enemies. That said, when I least expect it, something new comes along which I must reconcile, but lingering in those negative elements is shortened, and reconciliation comes quickly now.

2. Awareness. Each time you forgive yourself, and believe me, forgiveness can take awhile…it’s even ongoing…you start to gain awareness for the desirable vision of yourself. Who you want to be, how you want to feel. Those are the moments I chase in each meditation, that’s why I keep coming back for more. Self awareness is a gift, and even though we think we know ourselves best, the truth is, many (if not most) people know who they are on the outside, and know very little about what lies beneath those many many layers of consciousness.

3. Imagination. I didn’t realize this for years after I started meditating, I suppose I was lost in the searching to really assess how it all fit together. Then one day I realized what I had lost, and subsequently found – imagination. Somewhere in my late teens and early twenties, I had become so wrapped up in my daily life – the fretting, the interactions, college, jobs, etc. – that I stopped day dreaming, I stopped imagining. I have realized that my imagination has been laying beneath all of those layers of craptastic life events, waiting for me to return to make myself feel more like I desired. It was so simple as a child, to lay in bed and imagine the awesomeness that the next day could bring, only now to lay in bed and wonder how I’ll make it through the next workday.

Tips and Tricks

1. Let Go. I know it’s cliche, but you must let go of the massive grip you have on your conscious life. It’ll be waiting for you in the morning. The goal is to gain perspective so you can approach your conscious life effectively, not repetitively. A mild dose of cannabis can assist with letting go. I’m not a fan of getting completely wasted with cannabis. Low and slow is a good motto.

2. Easy does it. Cannabis can create paranoia. The goal here is to not overdo your use so much that you can’t keep hold of what is a logical thought and your imagination. We’ve all done it, gotten paranoid, gone to “the dark side,” and fought off demons. Yet many fail to see that you survived the onslaught and you now know that it’s all about where you allow your head to go. Because of this, I would recommend microdosing with cannabis. Use just enough to take the edge off of your mind, relax, and stay present.

3. Use guides. I have found my greatest success with meditation by using a guide, which is why I created the Cannabis Meditation Network on YouTube. Guided meditations are meant to lead you and keep you on track. You don’t have to attentively listen every second. You need these to help you relax as the cannabis begins to take your mind away from your external reality. In time, you will find yourself deep in your mind, not even hearing the guide. When you arrive at this place, you’ll find that these are the moments that trickle into your daily life.

4. No Time Limits. Never gauge the success of your meditation by how long you stay “mesmerized” by your thoughts. Avoid getting frustrated if you fall asleep at the beginning of your meditation. Finding rest is a successful meditation. One minute in meditative thought is worth hours in your external reality. You will eventually start to realize that your conscious mind is a sneaky little shit, and likes to shake things up when you ignore it. You will learn how to go deeper and control your consciousness so you can stay in your subconscious longer, but it takes time.

5. Take note. You can always write things down after, or even during, your meditation. If you choose to do this, I’d recommend you do it immediately after you have a profound thought or after you’re done, and before you fall asleep. Time is of the essence when it comes to your subconscious, much of your experience will be lost until you go deep again, or is potentially lost forever. There are some things that stay with you. Most significantly for me, I remember moudras that have made their way into my meditative thoughts, and sure enough, when I use them during the day, they bring me back to those moments in my mind. The sensation isn’t quite as intense as it was during my meditation, but rather act as a gentle reminder that there is more to me than the situation at hand.

One last thing, before I go…

6. Surrender. Many people get frustrated with meditation, as they feel it takes so long to “master,” (I honestly hope I never master this, the journey is entirely too great). The reason so many people, myself included, struggle with meditation is their willingness to let go, their willingness to surrender to themselves. If only I would’ve been able to take this piece of advice from all the gurus and masters, I would’ve been much further much faster. Now I see, all of this happened in its proper time, I did take their advice, but I had to experience all of this on my own unique timeline.

Meditation is a personal journey of self awareness, treat it and yourself with the utmost respect.

I hope that this short list helps you along your journey, and rest assured, I’ll be posting more about cannabis meditations, as they have most certainly changed my life.