My story with the Plant Spirit : Tobacito (Tobacco), the Grand father of the Vegetal Kingdom
I would like to share what I learnt along the years about tobacco. As it was for me a really meaningful journey of discovery and understanding.
Tobacco is one of the main addiction in this planet, and in many places today, it is seen as a plague or something evil. But we all remember that for so many decades, it was seen as a cool thing… A Fashion, a way to integrate socially, to relax, to be someone.
I was a tobacco smoker for 13 years. I started at high school, when my math teacher gave me my first cigarette. And I went full into it, as my personality is pretty addictive. I love to abuse substances, what to do…
One day, after more than 13 years smoking, as I was in a purification process, studying herbalism and ayurveda, I decided to quit. And it was not easy. It was actually hell. It took me 3 weeks of intense suffering and willpower to go over the cravings.
Somehow, one of the way for me to quit for real was not to allow myself any puff, even on a spliff.
And I started to look at tobacco as a nasty demon, as something bad. It helped me at that time to choose my side. Because it was a fight. A deep fight against my tendencies, and addictions, patterns.
Although I had been a smoker for so many years, I was reacting so strongly if people would smoke next to my baby for instance. I would get crazy.
I became judgmental. Putting tobacco in a box of negativity, something to avoid, something that makes you weak.
10 years passed by… And during this time, I didn’t change my view on tobacco.
Until I went travelling in Brazil, and Peru again.
In these wild places, where shaman rule the invisible world, I met a Colombian kogi. A really powerful and open minded shaman. I drunk the Amazonian tea with him, the Ayahuasca.
When we were sharing after this session, he looked at me and told me :
‘I see you are in anger with Tobacito’. And I asked him what he meant by that.
He told me that as an herbalist,as a healer loving plants, I was sabotaging myself by judging the grand father.
He reminded me that Tobacito, the spirit of Tobacco is the most powerful plant spirit of the forest. This is why they call it Grand Father.
It holds more power than any other plants, even the strong psychotropic one. It is full of Shakti, and if we respect it and know how to use it, we can heal anything with its help.
This Kogi Shaman told me that Tobacito is the most sacred plant in all the Americas. But that people are not respecting the rules that come with it.
That’s why we all got addicted.
I asked about the rules, and he told me : ‘Tobacito has so much power of purification that you are not allowed to inhale it, you have to puff it, to keep it above the throat chakra.’
After another ayahuasca session where I asked to know more about tobacco Spirit, I discovered that when we offer this spirit to our lungs, or digestive fire ( this is what we do when we inhale it), we create a conflict in our spiritual reality. Inhaling or eating a plant spirit is an act of power on it. It’s assimilating, and integrating the plant shakti or energy within our consciousness. It’s like a sacrifice, as our digestive fire is a sacrificial fire, where we offer food.
Some plants like it, some don’t.
Tobacito, when inhaled will fight back. And its way to fight back is to make us addicted, and weak with our will power.
That’s why all the shamanic traditions, from the Lakota (Red Path) to central American mayas, incas, Brazilian jungle tribes puff the tobacco in the peace pipe. Or they snort it , as rapé, or they drink the juice to puck it with our toxins. They don’t inhale it.
You pray with it, to carry your intentions and prayers to Great Spirit. You offer your gratitude, you speak to it, you broadcast your love with it. But you don’t take over its power. You use it, but you don’t make it yours.
Tobacco is the most common offering of a shaman to the Earth, Pachamama. As it holds the most beautiful shakti.
When Philip Morris started to manufacture cigarettes, blending the tobacco with so many nasty ingredients (few hundreds including arsenic, formaldehyde and other poisons), it corrupted the morphing field of Tobacco.
Like someone told me in a comment in a recent post, the original field is still pure, like a blueprint that cannot be alterated. But the global field of tobacco was changed. It connected with addiction, and weak will power.
If we observe our elders, they were smoking the pipe, or the cigars, which is puffing, not inhaling, and they were getting clarity of thought with it, inspiration, they were meditating, manifesting their visions into reality.
In a sweat lodge, the peace pipe is to bring peace of mind, and we puff it.
The tobacco snuff grounds and clears the thoughts as well.
Because these practices respect the rules, not below the throat.
Tobacco is a great medicine, it clears the mind, it grounds you to the Earth, it helps you to be in your body when you feel too multidimensional. But it can take over your power of freedom. Many of us know it.
In this story, the shaman asked me to use again tobacito, In a sacred and respectful way, and I did it.
My first peace pipe, the chanupa, was so strong… It stopped my mind’s chatter and thoughts in a second. Better than any meditation I know.
Of course, I used the wild mapacho, the wild tobacco from the forest. Not Philip morris stuff.
And I puffed it, releasing the smoke to all the directions. And it felt amazing.
In this way, I made peace with Tobacito. So I made peace with the Forest. With a part of me that I was at war with.
I don’t use it much but when I feel I need extra grounding, when I need to clear my thoughts quickly, when I want to pray to the elemental forces, I use it. And I never felt any craving for it.
I wanted to share this, as for me I learnt a lot with this process.
I learnt that there is no need to judge, but a real need to understand the rules that sustain morphing fields.
For example, if I want to play football with friends, I don’t take the ball with my hands, if I’m not the goal keeper. Otherwise, nobody will want to play with me. When I use tobacco, I better puff it, with love and respect, otherwise I’ll get addicted.
I learnt that we need to make peace with all creation. By interacting with it wisely, by respecting it, by serving it, and serving our purpose.
The way to reach True Peace is in the Middle. The Middle Path of the Heart. It’s beyond abuse, and abstinence. But it always comes with discernment, and the right action.
Now, when I observe someone smoking a cigarette, I don’t judge. I say Hello to Tobacito, and I offer my gratitude to it, for being the greatest Grand Father of the Forest.
The truth is that when I do this, I feel Love. I feel loved. And I want to be Love.
This is my story with tobacito. We are at peace now. And I feel more at peace with myself.
And because I have an addictive personality, it’s really important for me to feel free. And still to allow myself to dance with Plant Spirits.
My last piece of advice, if you are a smoker and want to quit, speak and pray to Tobacito. Ask him forgiveness and explain you want to create a more harmonious relationship with him. Offer tobacco to the Earth and release the spirit from your field. Interact with him with Respect and Love. It will help, believe me..
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