Sharing the Good Seed: Brother Petty’s Sacrament Sermon

If I wanted to—if I wanted to—I could quote from scriptures and present biblical proof as to the use of cannabis as sacrament. I could tell you that the final passages of the bible refers to a tree of life (REV22:2) and that in the very first passages of the bible it is written that mankind should sow every seed and make use of every living thing as is his right upon this planet (GEN1:26).

But I try not to limit myself to the bible because I’m a non-denominational minister—I pull from a variety of sources in order to defend the 1^st Amendment Right of those that wish to smoke pot. So the story that I like to tell is that of Johnny Appleseed. Because Christianity, no matter how you use it, is going to bring up some controversy through interpretation or association of various abuses. But who’s going to have a hard time with Johnny Appleseed, right? He’s all American, he walked the nation scattering seeds to prepare the earth for farmland and basically clearing the way for American Industry and Civilization as we know it.

Not very many people know this, but Johnny Appleseed is actually a re-telling of the Greek tale of Hermes and Hermes was known as a Psychopomp—which is a shaman that is also a traveler. Unlike a regular Shaman, who stays pretty much with his tribe providing them with wisdom and guidance, a Psychopomp traveled from tribe to tribe, land to land, carrying with him the knowledge and ways of other cultures. Both the Shaman and the Psychopomp were essential to the functioning of a tribe as they provided a variety of learning experiences for tribe members and many tribes had access to one or the other or both.

Hermes was a half brother to Dionysus, who most of us know as the inventor of wine and who was also one of your first Shamans as it was his job to stay with his entourage and assist them in their needs for guidance. It was the job of the Shaman of the tribe to read the seasons and keep track of what nature is telling him about the health of the tribe. This means that if the Entourage operated like a tribe, it was likely that they followed the seasons and presence of the vine in order to continue brewing the wine that would later on lure people into his performances.

What makes Hermes so interesting is that as a Psychopomp he was known as a Conductor of the Soul—it was his responsibility to bring people together peacefully to reach new realms of understanding and sometimes even guide them comfortably into the afterlife. In some Asian Cultures, the Psychopomp is known as a Border Spirit or Border God, in some parts of the Ukraine the Psychopomp shows up as shape shifters, half-humans and Pied Pipers—much the same way that Shamans show up in local lore as Wizards, Prophets and Strange Old Hermits.

Though the role of the Psychopomp and the Shaman are very much the same—to awaken minds by presenting people with new, interesting and challenging experiences. They do their jobs in two very different ways. The Shaman stays with one tribe, in one place whereas the Psychopomp moves around visiting many villages and kingdoms within his lifetime.

In order to be so well-traveled and self-sufficient in the way that Dionysus was, Hermes had to have been following some other crop that is present everywhere.

Hermes wrote a series of books called the Divine Pymander and in the thirteenth book of this series he says “the Mind brings forth all Intellections or Understandings when it receiveth the good seed.”

Dionysus and Hermes did something that made them very different from all the other gods—they shared their sacraments with everyone. They said, literally, share the joy and scatter those seeds. 5 times a day, in the name of good health and wellness—whether you believed in them or not…all they really wanted was for people to get together and have a good time.

We know that a glass of beer or wine a day assists in the digestion and circulation. We also know that brews such as beer and wine have the tendency to bring people together socially and to get along as friends. Could it be that Dionysus was the first to use wine to bring people to his performances and therefore became the god of both wine and theatre? And perhaps motivated the organized church to acquire it as a part of their custom, much like they did by canonizing the Pagan Gods, by sanctifying it?

We know that Cannabis is a voracious herb that is useful for a great many things, not the least of which is oil for fires and cooking, relaxation, and positive social gatherings. Could Hermes’ reference to the Good Seed be another reference to an early form of Pharmakaia?

Sharing the Good Seed. This is what it means to be a Minister. We bring people together, we get people talking to each other and we understand each other a little more as a result—in the meantime we also try to learn about art and music and assist in the mutual appreciation of life. And Dionysus and Hermes were all about appreciating life.

These myths were left behind for a reason. For generations, families used to encourage their children to model themselves after them. It was like having a role model or a blueprint for how to live your life. If you wanted to be a successful shaman you would read up on Dionysus and strive to be like him. If you wanted to be a Psychopomp you would read up on Hermes and strive to be like him. By leading lives that inspired people enough to be written down and shared, these beings achieved immortality.

When we allow the stories of gods to inspire us—when we pattern ourselves and our traditions around them, we give them back their life and our lives a sense of importance. This is why the telling of stories and the sharing of our lives together is so important.

So, to your health and your wellness, I invite you to enjoy my sacraments.