The High Priestess: Healing With Cannabis and Community This Sagittarius Season

Happy Sagittarius season, stoners and witches, and welcome back to the High Priestess! We are officially in the throes of possibly my favorite zodiacal season, that of Sagittarius, the archer whose bow and arrow stretches our perceptions of what’s possible. This fire sign season is the perfect one to expand your perspective and allow your mind to soar. And it’s also the perfect time to find inspiration in cannabis as a modality for healing and connection for your heart, body and soul.

As a fire sign, Sagittarius asks us to ignore the limits of what’s acceptable and what’s not. This boundary-pushing sign burns away all perceived notions of what’s expected of us and asks us to rise to the occasion at hand. While cannabis use has become a lot more mainstream—and a lot more legal—recently, there’s of course still stigma to fight. But by honoring cannabis as a healing modality, we can showcase the power of this plant to help transform things for the better.

My special guest for this column today is a weed witch doing just that! Jessie Macpherson is a full time tarot reader and cannabis queen who’s a vocal advocate for plant medicine as an avenue to holistic healing. Incredibly involved in the local cannabis scene in Vancouver, Jessie is always highlighting women, dispensaries, and groups who are changing the way we think of cannabis.

As someone who is fighting stage 2 breast cancer, Jessie’s wisdom on cannabis is especially potent. Besides being a radiant embodiment of Goddess, Jessie is also a high functioning woman who weeds, and I caught up with her to share some of her most juicy morsels of wisdom when it comes to working with weed as a facilitator for healing and as a tool for fostering community.

Cannabis To Ground Into Healing And Beauty

Jessie’s journey with cannabis began to treat her CPTSD and fibromyalgia when she moved to Vancouver, Canada in 2017. Jessie suddenly found herself with access to cannabis, which worked for her in a way traditional medicine didn’t. The ability to easily access cannabis also helped her connect with the spirit of the land she was on and ground into her new home as well.

“One of the things that my counselor told me was that in fact some of the cancer drugs (pacilataxel) is made with trees that grow in British Columbia, so it’s about getting rooted into the earth. And since all the weed I had was BC bud it felt like tying me to the earth, and making it more beautiful and tying me to my home. And it was really lovely how it’s been able to lift my mood and heal my pain and make my life better,” Jessie explains. Cannabis can help mitigate the nausea and vomiting that can come with cancer treatments, and the fact it can also help patients find a sense or relief and grounding shouldn’t be dismissed. 

Jessie explains her relationship to cannabis as a supportive, nurturing and healing one, exemplified by the way she prays as she cleans her bong and blesses her weed and flower as she smokes it. Something Jessie reminds us is that to have an intentional relationship with weed can take as much or as little work as you want. A quick “bless this weed” as you’re inhaling or eating an edible can work wonders, as can charging some oil or flower on your altar (Jessie says she charges her Rick Simpson oil on her altar.) Jessie also suggests working with some hash or kief to incorporate all the cannabis plant’s medicine in your next toke session. Having tools that make you feel fabulous as you smoke or vape is also a plus. “I always made sure I had pretty cones and a nice bong, and stuff like that to make things feel a little be,” Jessie says. There’s magick in beauty, and whether you’re looking for a iridescent blue mermaid tale bong like Jessie has from My Bud Vase, or a vintage vase bong from Star Hustler, sometimes it’s just worth it to have something a little extra! 

There’s also importance in taking the pressure off yourself to do things “right” when it comes to working with cannabis to help you heal. “I would say for anyone getting into healing modalities, just start trying it and don’t be afraid to jump in,” Jessie shares. “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, and don’t be afraid you’re using the wrong rolling papers or you’re not cool enough. Have fun!” Start small, or perhaps with some CBD instead of THC if you’re new to weed and worried about the dosage. Remember, you can always start with a small dose and layer, and it’s much easier than dealing with being too high. Allow yourself to enjoy the process as much as you can, whether you’re hitting the vape, taking a weed bubble bath, or indulging in an edible or cannabis drink. 

Cannabis For Connection And Community

 
One of the reasons I love Jessie so much is because she shares so much of her knowledge and cannabis insight with the world. Recently, she has partnered up with Cindy of Mary Jane brunch for a series on Instagram called “W3” which highlights “Women Who Weed” every Wednesday. Think artists, occultists and pop culture figures (like Dion Fortune and Isadora Duncan) who have been influenced by weed in their work and lots of great research to remind the world why cannabis is vital. Jessie’s own cannabis spirit guides are often interlinked with those she shares on her Instagram. “I have Oscar Wilde, who I don’t know if he’s specifically cannabis-related but I don’t think he’d turn it down,” explains Jessie of her guides. “I love Marjorie Cameron, and while she’s more in the psychedelic area, Rosaleen Norton who is an Australian visionary artist who was called ‘the witch of King’s Cross’ and spoiler alert, is going to be one of the W3s later.” Jessie also says San Francisco AIDS activist Mary Jane Rathburn aka “Brownie Mary” as an inspiration, as it was Mary who made cannabis brownies for AIDS patients in the ‘80s and ‘90s and was instrumental in starting the medical cannabis movement. 

Finding a spiritual community—with the living or deceased—is an important part of a cannabis journey, as finding link minded hearts and souls can help release shame and embrace healing with more ease. While you can turn to those you admire who also are stoners, you can also actively reach out to your own cannabis community wherever you live (though this is much easier if you live somewhere where this is legal.) Jessie cites Louder Together, a Facebook community that supports and amplifies BIPOC in Canada’s cannabis industry, and the Tokin Woman blog as some great venues for inspiration and connection. Using the Internet to expand your coven of weed witches is a good first step, as is reaching out to your community at large when you need to. Jessie suggests reaching out to your community if you’re going through something like radiation or chemo, because people want to be of service. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to your cannabis community, because people will want to help you,” Jessie explains. 

Cannabis is a powerful tool in healing, and it’s important to give yourself compassion on the journey. Creating healing rituals with cannabis, connecting with the elements, and allowing yourself to get creative with plant medicine are all valuable ways to approach this journey. No matter what this relationship looks like, Jessie and I are sending you all the love and perfect highs your heart desires.

If you want to connect with Jessie, read her work, or book her for a tarot reading, find her website here and her Instagram here.