Although not widely recognised,cannabis and other pysychoactive plants have played a role in magic since ancient
times; for who is the primitive shaman but the ancient counterpart of the medieval and renaissance era magician?
In the case of cannabis, we know from archeological records that it's ritual relationship with humanity goes back
at least 5,500 years when remnants of evidence in a forgotten cave in Ukranie revealed its
use for ritual fumigation in the Stone Age.
Although suc ancient archeological finds are covered in the first two chapters of 'Liber 420', by Chris Bennett, the
book is focused on 10th-19th century Eurooe and the occult Hermetic trad ions.
Few books on the history of magic detail the role of psychoactive substances, and the editors of and commentors
on modern translations of medieval and renaissance era grimoires seldom discuss the relevance of entries that
contain recipes containing cannabis, opium, various nightshade and other psychoactive preparations. Notable in
this category are grimoires like the 13th century 'Picatrix', along with the 16th century works, Sepher Raziel: Liber Salomonis (1564) and the Book of Magic, With
Instructions for Invoking Spirits, etc.(ca. 1577-1583).
Picatrix is considered one of the founding documents of the Western magical tradition. Originally translated into
Latin in the 13th century from the 10th century Arabic magical grimoire The Ghayat al
Hakim, on the bequest of the Spanish King Alfonsi X, Picatrix is a testament to the privotal role of drugs in magic.
The astrological magic of Picatix is loaded with references to Opium, henbane, mandrake, datura and other
potent psychoactive plants. It also contains a recipe for incense to invoke a "servant of the moon" that included
stag blood, Amber, camphor and over a pound of cannabis resin!
Such rituals suffumigations often culminated in the magician seeing the invoked deity within the smoke of the
offering itself. Blood and other ingredients that helped to create a thick smoke were considered food and material
for the invoked partied to take a temporary, more material form in. The addition of cannabis resin and/or other
potent plants undoubtedly served as a source of inspiration for both parties; at least the magicians, who may well
have been accessing the deeper regions of their subconscious, and seeing the demons or angels in the smoke
through 'Pareidolia, a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus by perceiving where
nine exists ( i.e. seeing an angel or demon in the smoke, or a face in tree bark).
Lots of more info on this link...
https://grahamhancock.com/bennettc1/