spirituality 13.pdf

7/29/2019 spirituality 13.pdf

1/7

spirituality - lesson 13: smoking

fire is pure energy, and its manipulation is a turning point in the development ofcivilization. the ability to create fire is probably the most significant discovery inhuman history. without it, it is hard conceive that primitive man would have evermade it through the stone ages.

this newly found source of energy had a sudden effect on man's socialenvironment. not only could food be cooked and warmth taken from fire, but italso brought communities together. it is easy to believe that people sitting aroundfires in awe of the flames, watching smoke rise to places that man could not.ancient mythology speaks a lot of fire worship and to the primitive mind of earlyman, it seemed like a gift from the gods. but whilst fire seems mystical and lifegiving, smoke was the apotheosis of this powerful element.

smoke is all consuming, pungent, evocative, stimulating and yet hypnotic. forthese reasons, smoke has since become an important part of many spiritual

experiences across practically every culture in the world.

friends in a damaskan coffeehouse


2/7

a shaman gets ready to puff smoke over the male members of the community

'gentlemen smoking and playing backgammon in an interior' by dirck hals, 1627


3/7

native americans with a medicine pipe

a woman praying before incense smoke at a buddhist-shinto temple


4/7

a chinese opium den in london, 1875

fortunate eagle mordwall and mohawks with a calumet pipe, 1969


5/7

albert einstein, with his pipe, was passionate about his pipesaying-pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm andobjective judgment of human affairs

unidentified print possibly french, 2nd half 17th century -a woman smoking a pipe in an inn


6/7

smoke as a cleanserfor many spiritual cultures smoke has been a means for communicating with thesupernatural world. using things of the earth and burning them is seen as way ofhonoring creators and sign of prayers rising up to gods. the use of incense,grasses, tobacco and spices creates an atmosphere that lends itself to spiritualcontemplation. from buddhism to christianity to native american tribes, smoke

has signified a constant reach for spiritual access.

one of the most usual executions of this is the use of smoke in purifying thehuman body and soul. for example, shamen of the trinidad caribs burn incenseand blow it over the men of the community to cleanse and strengthen them. thepower of the spirit is carried by the smoke and so the men take in than spiritthrough the orifices of their bodies. likewise the native americans have a similartradition called 'smudging' in which sweet grasses are burnt to purify negativethoughts or energy, bad spirits or feelings. the herbs are cut and burnt, thesmoke is then rubbed on the body (sometimes with a feather) of inhaled, whilstappropriate prayers are said.

incense, both cloying and calming, is one of the most traditional ways of creatinga mediative atmosphere. it's use has a sedative effect, bringing people into astate of mind that is ready for contemplation. incense is often used in temples orpersonal meditations so that the sense of smell connects you back to yourcentre, soul and collective beliefs. in this case, smoke is used like calling bells aswell as a sacramental.

preparing for the afterlifefor some the cremation of dead bodies sees the material manifestation of thesoul's journey onward. for many this is a tradition that runs deep in their culture.we know that smoke was used in the ancient egyptian mummification processesand the vikings were known for their funerals where the dead were pushed out tosea on wooden rafts and set alight. another example of this is the navajo, whonot only burn the bodies of the deceased but also their houses. whilst the homeis burnt, the mourners would then stand in the smoke to cleanse themselves ofthe energy of death.

the thinking man's aid whilst native american tribes used tobacco and calumets(peace pipes) for their medicinal values and connection with the 'great spirit', ineurope it was a different matter. the 'sublime' was an 18th and 19th centuryromantic idea of the experience of beholding something so immense and

powerful that it could cause your death. this experience, philosopher immanuelkant describes as 'negative pleasure' - the result of the simultaneous perceptionof the bounded and the boundless. this was reflected in social habits during theage of enlightenment. smoking rooms and opium dens opened up in cities,offering intellectual thinkers, writer and artists the change to debate and discuss.whilst the effects of opium many have been individual experiences the use ofsmoke was one associated with social interaction - much like the hookahs andsheeshas from the middle east.

mass production - mass spirituality? cigarettes during the nineteenth centurywere usually and elite affair, only the upper classes could afford pre-rolled

products. they were an european phenomenon, influenced by a chinese traditionof smoking. it wasn't until the early 20th century that cigarettes for the massestook off, thanks to the invention of various rolling machines. the americantobacco industry wanted to break the secular market of european intellectualismand produce for the working classes. it was at this point that the cigarette


7/7

became a uniform product, like paper clips or processed cheese. the massproduction of tobacco products marked a radical change in the meanings behindsmoking, not just the way it was used. in order to sell them, producers neededpeople to become mass consumers - not connoisseurs.

the 'marlboro man' was created in the 1950's phillip morris (cigarettemanufacturers) in an effort to produce a reason for smoking. he represented astrong, silent man, taking on his own path through 'marlboro country' - a place

that offered escapism and reassurance. the aim was to offer a form ofindividualism, letting the smoker believe it is his own choice, gi.ing him controlover his destiny in a world where there are many forces out of our control. in thisway, smoking became a way of easing anxiety in uncertain times.

50 years on... and smoking in contemporary society has become thecircumvention of reality rather than the exploration of actuality.

spirituality 13.pdf

Documents

Transcript of spirituality 13.pdf