Folks, with a name like The Higherside Chats, it's pretty obvious that the glorious Green Goddess that is sweet lady Cannabis is always ever-so-subtly present in this shows DNA. Because in a backwards age of prohibition, to form a personal relationship with the herb is in-and-of-itself an act of rebellion, and a declaration of sovereignty over ones own consciousness -which is often times a dangerous thing to do. And it's endlessly frustrating that there is such a long and violent history of death and imprisonment affecting untold numbers of people over centuries, in the Empire's persistent quest to control all aspects of the human experience. Anyone with the eyes to see, can clearly recognize it's ability to facilitate creative and independent modes of consciousness – but across the board, it's vast catalog of uses is so universally positive that one has to wonder if it really is one of the greatest gifts of the gods and enemy #1 of Empire's of all ages. It facilitated spiritual enlightenment in the age of centralized religious authority, provided a potency boost to the magical rituals of many sects and secret orders forced to hide in the shadows of history, inspired countless artists to create their masterworks, and in more recent times, coincidentally threatens the pocketbook in all three major areas of control and wealth building that the American Elite are built on: fuel, medicine and textile applications. So we're left with an inefficient, polluted, and hazardous world of oils, plastics, pharmaceutical chemicals, incarceration, and forest destroying practices – all the result of systematically removing this one magical plant from the people. But the tide is thankfully turning as we twist the Empire's arm, and today's guest Chris Bennett knows this all too well, as he's been researching the historic role of Cannabis in the spiritual life of humanity for more than a quarter century. He's written about this in several books with titles like: Green Gold the Tree of Life: Marijuanna in Magic & Relgion - Sex, Drugs, and Violence in the Bible - Cannabis and the Soma Solution -and most recently, a huge 700+ page masterwork entitled Liber 420: Canniabis, Magical Herbs, and the Occult An impressive and prolific cannabis chronicler, bonafide marijuana mage of the modern age, and Fellow Dancer with the Devils Weed: Chris Bennett