My 20th Anniversary Cannabis Cup Story #2

The 20th Cannabis Cup was my eighth Cup and my tenth visit to the Netherlands. My experience has taught me that each Cup is different. Each year this world magically materializes. Because of the magic factor you never know what to expect, who will win and what truths will be revealed. Each Cup has energy of its own because the magic is created by you, the Cup attendees and the people entering strains and products to be judged.

It's been my honor to be part of the crew the last few years and to dance with the energies. I've had the privilege of hosting the Wake and Bake Show each morning at the Cannabis Cup Expo. My first day, my first year hosting the Wake and Bake Show, I quickly realized my job was not to put on a Jet Baker concert with a track and do interviews with pot celebrities but to be a conduit for the energy present. I did the Jet Baker concert with a track, about seven songs. Nobody noticed. Seriously. The expo was at full capacity and buzzing with free bong hits of the best weed in the world and the latest pot products. Even though I was on the stage with the microphone over the loud speakers the energy and focus was with the Cup attendees and the expo booths and the marijuana.

Ok. I got it. I'm a smart stoner. I got it the first day. Day two of my show that year I was out in the crowd interacting with the attendees and the entries. The show was a success. There was magic. It happened when I was improvising with the people in the room. I was a conduit for the energies in the room. That was my lesson that year.

This year my personal lesson was revealed to me the last day of the expo. Just seconds before I was to begin the Wake and Bake Show Steve Hager pulled me aside and told me to make an announcement that the show would be canceled today because we were going to have the first ever Temple Dragon Court…in 5 minutes. I was aware of the two issues to be addressed, Anthony was to lead the court, I would be there as a member of the court. We would listen to the cases, interrogate the persons involved and then peacefully resolve the issue. I could feel that something big was happening. As I tried to dance with this very strong energy, I started to spin. We call this a stoner spin out. I could not find Anthony (the senior wise Dragon) to run this new ceremony. I was literally running laps around the expo looking for Anthony to brief him. As the time grew closer and I couldn't find him I started to prepare myself to interrogate the parties in minutes. I wrote down some notes of points I wanted to make. I flashed to episodes of Judge Judy who, in my opinion, was the ultimate interrogator.

It was time. I made the announcement. The Temple Dragon Court began. Magically Anthony appeared on stage. All was well and back on track…until I grabbed the microphone. I had prepared this list of interrogation questions, a script if you will. I rolled with my little script inspired line of questioning instead of flowing with the ceremony. Anthony was there. All was in balance. I didn't need to step in and run the Temple Dragon Court. It certainly wasn't my role. I didn't improvise and as a result I watched the energy bounce around out of control, influenced by my personal stoner spin out. Eventually we resolved both issues but it took Steve Hager to jump up on stage to right the situation. He saw the energy spinning and communicated with the crowd and parties on stage from a place of love. All was right and peaceful again. The first Dragon Court concluded.

Steve immediately pulled me aside afterward along with some concerned Dragons. Instantly the tables were turned and I was defending myself to the Dragon Court. Still spinning I could only answer my friends honestly from the heart. I had focused on the word interrogate. Steve even called me on it. I had written a little script, temporarily forgetting my lesson about improv. Then when Anthony appeared I didn't step aside and let the wisdom of a Dragon with much more life experience take charge of the situation as Steve had intended. I pointed out to them that they all knew me and that I would never intentionally cause disharmony or conflict. This is true. Instead of being in the moment I was scripted and not improvising with the energy. Instead of just being a conduit of energy guided by the peace, love, and equality principles of the counter culture I added some kind of intense old school disciplinarian ideas and there was a strong reaction. Instead of starting will the intention of resolution I started with the intention of confrontation.

This is my highlight of the 20th Cannabis Cup and it's my lesson. I learned that in holding a ceremony one needs to start with the right intention otherwise you will not end with the right result.

- Jet Baker