The Church of Cognitive Therapy is a Multi-Denominational church of like minded individuals. Church is synonymous for community.  We are a spiritual network of many religions.  We believe in the Sacred Unity of all human beings. The Church of Cognitive Therapy recognizes all types of fellowships, religious or spiritual, that use cannabis and entheogenic sacrament to connect with the Divine for the purpose of enlightenment .  The church is not here to take away from our religious beliefs.  The church is simply here to add to our spiritual quest for enlightenment through spiritual cognitive therapy, holistic healing, shamanism, entheogenic sacrament, and social practices. 

Church of Cognitive Therapy is a spiritually oriented church.  We are not here to pervert or commit blasphemies to any sort of doctrines or dogmas, but to use all available documented resources to help us establish a spiritual connection to  the Divine, ourselves, and the universe we live in.  Establishing a spiritual connection to the Divine is our first step towards enlightenment.

Nature of Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy is a treatment process that helps patients correct false self-beliefs that lead to certain moods and behaviors. The fundamental principle behind cognitive therapy is that a thought precedes a mood, and that both are interrelated with a person's environment, physical reaction, and subsequent behavior.6 Therefore, changing a thought that arises in a given situation will change mood, behavior, and physical reaction. Although it is unclear who benefits most from cognitive therapy, motivated patients who have an internal focus of control and the capacity for introspection likely would benefit most.

During cognitive therapy, the therapist helps the patient work through several steps. First, the patient accepts that some of his or her perceptions and interpretations of reality may be false (because of past experience or hereditary or biological reasons) and that these interpretations lead to negative thoughts.5 Next, the patient learns to recognize the negative (surface or "automatic") thoughts and discovers alternative thoughts that reflect reality more closely.5 The patient then decides internally whether the evidence supports the negative thought or the alternative thought. Ideally, the patient will recognize distorted thinking and "reframe" the situation.6 As cognitive therapy progresses, it focuses more on reframing deeply held or "core" beliefs about self and the world.

The Church of Cognitive Therapy is a Spiritual Avenue through which the sick (mentally, physically, and spiritually), the addicted, and the afflicted can find refuge.  Holistic healing methods and cannabis as a positive spiritual enhancer work symbiotically together to produce a spiritual foundation.  Before we can begin to break down the walls of cognitive distortion  (lies, misguided information) and the fears associated with it, we must back ourselves through our afflictions and establish a spiritually firm foundation in our core beliefs.

Entheogenic plants have been spiritual teachers throughout mankind’s existence on this planet.  Many religions and forms of spirituality were and are directly related to the spiritual use of entheogenic plants.

Entheogen, noun

En = Within, Inner

Theo = Divine, God

Gen = Becoming, Creating

Entheogenic “The term means literally 'becoming divine within', and can be seen as the user realizing that the divine infuses all of the creation, or specifically that the entheogenic plant is itself infused with the divine. It is not a theological term, makes no reference to any deity,”   This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Cannabis is a spiritual comforter that, when used in a positive way, will yield positive results.

 

Cannabis

Cannabis is leading the way for a more holistic type of medical care, a general revolt against corporate rationed care and traditional pharmaceutical company approaches to medicine. Patients use marijuana to get off toxic drugs. They find fellowship in compassion clubs. They find empowerment in fighting against prohibition, standing up to police and demagogues. Our opponents can threaten our freedom, but they can't kill our spirit.

Tod Mikuriya, 2001 --as quoted by Pete Brady

All religions must be tolerated... for every man must get to heaven in his own way.

Epictetus 

No man is free who is not master of himself.

 Epictetus

 

 

 

"God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth.To you it will be for meat.' And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:29-31)

 

The Lord said unto me, "I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches. (Is. 18:4-5)

And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. (Ezekiel 34:29)

 

 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelations 22:2)

 

Spiritual use of cannabis

:"This article is about cannabis used as an entheogenic drug in a spiritual or religious context."

The cannabis plant has an ancient history of ritual usage as an aid to trance and has been traditionally used in a religious context throughout the old world. Herodotus wrote about early ceremonial practices by the Scythians, [Herodutus The Histories, 4.75] which are thought to have occurred from the 5th to 2nd century BC. In India, it has been engaged by sadhus for centuries, and in modern times the Rastafari movement has embraced it. Etymologist Sula Benet hypothesizes that holy anointing oil used by the Jews might have contained cannabis extracts. Christians may have also used cannabis oil for medicinal use. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/jan/06/science.religion] Some Muslims of the Sufi order have used cannabis as a tool for spiritual exploration.

Ancient Pagan use

In ancient Germanic culture, cannabis was associated with the Norse love goddess, Freya. The harvesting of the plant was connected with an erotic high festival. It was believed that Freya lived as a fertile force in the plant's feminine flowers and by ingesting them one became influenced by this divine force (Rätsch 2003). The Celts may have also used cannabis, as evidence of hashish traces were found in Hallstatt, birthplace of Celtic culture.

Hindu use

Cannabis was used in Hindu culture as early as 1500 B.C., and its ancient use is confirmed within the Vedas (Sama Veda Rig Veda and Atharva Veda). [ [http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/history/first12000/1.htm Marijuana - The First Twelve Thousand Years. Ch. 1. Cannabis in the Ancient World - India: The First Marijuana-Oriented Culture] ]

During the Hindu festival of Holi, people consume a drink called bhang which contains cannabis flowers. [ [http://www.skunked.co.uk/articles/history-intoxicant.htm The History of the Intoxicant Use of Marijuana ] ] [ [http://www.ukcia.org/research/indian/chapt9.htm Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report - Social and Religious Customs ] ]

Charas, is smoked by some Shaivite devotees and cannabis itself is seen as a gift ("prasad" or offering, not a poison like ethyl-alcohol) of Shiva to aid in sadhana [ [http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07.n1277.a01.html Starting The Day With The Cup That Kicks, Hindustan Times; 4 Nov 2007] ] . Some of the wandering ascetics in India known as sadhus smoke charas out of a clay chillum.

The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report"Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1893-94. Simla, India: Government Central Printing House, 1894, 7 vols., [http://www.druglibrary.net/schaffer/Library/studies/inhemp/4chapt9.htm CHAPTER IX, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS] "] describes some traditional Hindu spiritual uses of cannabis.

Connection of ganja with the worship of Shiva. Worship of the hemp plant

Ancient Hebraic use

According to Aryeh Kaplan, [Kaplan, Aryeh. "The Living Torah" New York 1981. p. 442. ] cannabis was an ingredient of holy anointing oil mentioned in various sacred Hebrew texts. The herb of interest is most commonly known as "kanah-bosem" (קְנֵה-בֹשֶׂם; the singular form of which would be "kanah-bos" [ [http://www.cannabisculture.com/backissues/cc11/christ.html CC11: Cannabis and the Christ: Jesus used Marijuana ] ] ) which is mentioned several times in the Old Testament as a bartering material, incense, and an ingredient in holy anointing oil used by the high priest of the temple.

The Septuagint (300AD) translates "kanah-bosem" as calamus, and this translation has been propagated unchanged to most later translations of the Torah (1500BC+). However, Polish anthropologist Sula Benet published etymological arguments that the Aramaic word for hemp can be read as "kannabos" and appears to be a cognate to the modern word 'cannabis', [ [http://www.njweedman.com/kanehbosm.html kanehbosm ] ] with the root "kan" meaning reed or hemp and "bosm" meaning fragrant. Both cannabis and calamus are fragrant, reedlike plants containing psychotropic compounds. While Benet's conclusion regarding the psychoactive use of cannabis is not universally accepted among Jewish scholars, there is general agreement that cannabis is used in talmudic sources to refer to hemp fibers, as hemp was a vital commodity before linen replaced it. ["Encyclopedia Judaica". Volume 8. p. 323.]

Muslim use

Generally in orthodox Islam, the use of cannabis is deemed to be "khamr" (intoxicant), and therefore "haraam" (forbidden). As with most orthodoxies, early practices differ in this.Fact|date=February 2007 Some say that, as hashish was introduced in post-Koranic times, the prohibition of khamr (literally, "fermented grape" but generally understood to mean anything that clouds consciousness) did not apply to it.Fact|date=February 2007 Others point to various "hadith", which equate all intoxicants with "khamr", and declare them all "haraam", "if much intoxicates, then even a little is haraam".Fact|date=February 2007 Because some Muslims have attributed the cannabis state of consciousness with higher states of awareness, whether its effects are even considered intoxicating is controversial. Before the demonization in the West (e.g. United States) cannabis was generally never looked down upon.

Although cannabis use in Islamic society has been consistently present, often but not exclusively in the lower classes,Fact|date=February 2007 its use explicitly for spiritual purposes is most noted among the Sufi. An account of the origin of this:

According to one Arab legend, Haydar, the Persian founder of the religious order of Sufi, came across the cannabis plant while wandering in the Persian mountains. Usually a reserved and silent man, when he returned to his monastery after eating some cannabis leaves, his disciples were amazed at how talkative and animated (full of spirit) he seemed. After cajoling Haydar into telling them what he had done to make him feel so happy, his disciples went out into the mountains and tried the cannabis for themselves. So it was, according to the legend, the Sufis came to know the pleasures of hashish. (Taken from the Introduction to "A Comprehensive Guide to Cannabis Literature" by Ernest Abel.)

ikh use

The Sikh religion developed in the Punjab in Mughal times. The common use of bhang in religious festivals by Hindus carried over into Sikh practice as well. Sikhs were required to observe Dasehra with bhang, in commemoration of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak. [ [http://www.ukcia.org/research/abel/6.htm Marijuana - The First Twelve Thousand Years - 6 ] ]

The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report describes the traditional use of cannabis in the Sikh religion.

Rastafari use

Members of the Rastafari movement use cannabis as a part of their worshiping of God, Bible study and Meditation. The movement was founded in the 1930s and while it is not known when Rastafarians first made cannabis into something sacred it is clear that by the late 1940s Rastafari was associated with cannabis smoking at the Pinnacle community of Leonard Howell. Rastafari see cannabis as a sacramental and deeply beneficial plant that is the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible. Bob Marley, amongst many others, said, "the herb ganja is the healing of the nations." The use of cannabis, and particularly of large pipes called chalices, is an integral part of what Rastafari call "reasoning sessions" where members join together to discuss life according to the Rasta perspective. They see cannabis as having the capacity to allow the user to penetrate the truth of how things are much more clearly, as if the wool had been pulled from one's eyes. Thus the Rastafari come together to smoke cannabis in order to discuss the truth with each other, reasoning it all out little by little through many sessions. They see the use of this plant as bringing them closer to nature. In these ways Rastafari believe that cannabis brings the user closer to Jah, Haile Selassie I, and pipes of cannabis are always dedicated to His Imperial Majesty before being smoked. While it is not necessary to use cannabis to be a Rastafari, some feel that they must use it regularly as a part of their faith. "The herb is the key to new understanding of the self, the universe, and God. It is the vehicle to cosmic consciousness" according to Rastafari philosophy, [ [http://www.watchman.org/profile/rastapro.htm The Watchman Expositor: Rastafarianism Profile ] ] and is considered to burn the corruption out of the human heart. Rubbing the ashes from smoked cannabis is also considered a healthy practice [Joseph Owens "Dread, The Rastafarians of Jamaica"] .