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I think people meditate for different reasons and if its for spiritual enlightment or self realization my thoughts are that it would get in the way because you're starting out in an altered state. I like to be open minded .. Knowing everyone is different so this is just my experience. But I have definitely found it puts me in a calm state. I just began taking kava and have read there are some kavas that produce a meditate state of mind. Can someone list some here?
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
I don't think it's wasting the spirit to drink kava and play Trials Fusion or Trials HD. It's more like divine flying to me.
I dunno, maybe I'm weird or deceived by false gods but even just drinking kava and watching this stuff feels spiritual to me....
BaySailor
Kava Curious
Would that be on the water, or on the erg?
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
Cheap old lousy rowboat + ratty old lousy pond = nirvana
kastom_lif
Kava Lover
Random kava thought: whitewater rafting is sort of like rowboat trials.
John Sanday
Kava Curious
@Melanin...whilst not much is written on the spirituality of Kava and how it is used in rituals in the old days in Fiji....(before the Missionaries came and destroyed everything they thought as paganistic) Kava was used to help them find great powers within. The essence of Fijian spirituality (at least based on my understanding and knowledge ) was to be someone who had supernatural powers. When I was a young boy I was taught many rules around the Kava bowl and I used to ask myself the reasons for all that. With the benefit of my life journey and experiences in the various kava drinking cultures particularly of Melanesia I have come to understand a lot more of those reasons.
As an example, it was most common about 30 years ago to start to be suspicious of a group of men who congregate regularly to drink Kava. In today's world, we would call this a Kava Club , to try and keep it simple. In those days, those suspicions would be fed by the view that, "qori na ilala ni vakacuru". Let me explain. "Vakacuru" (pronounced Va ka thoo roo") is an indigenous term that describes one of many forms of traditional sorcery. One must put things in perspective here. In the old days, this was part of the indigenous religion whereas Missionaries have come and turned all that around to say it is sorcery...in the white mans language.
In the indigenous religion, this ritual of "vakacuru" was used to build certain supernatural powers within the individual or the group. It was used for both good and bad. For instance you could seek the powers to give an abundant harvest, to influence the weather, to be better engineers, to be more cunning warriors etc, etc. At this stage let me say I am no academic these are just what I have come to know through my own learnings.
The word vakacuru is always associated with sorcery these days thanks to the influence of Missionaries, however we would be missing a very important point about it if we didn't open our minds to truly understand it better. A simple English translation of the word "Vakacuru" means "the entry' or "to enter". When you understand what this "entry" or "enter" word means in the context of a kava ceremony you will then understand the whole impact or the whole story around Kava and why it was used as a means to speak to the Gods or a form of communication with ancestors to give and bring powers, strength, knowledge and abundance in those days.
Further, you can also understand how the Indigenous Fijians had an advanced society with a highly specialized division of labour, how they designed the best "drua's" double hulled giant canoes that were the envy of other Pacific Islanders, how they could walk on white hot rocks, how they can chant a mantra and a whole bay would fill up with turtles,. You can also explain how we have a family that is called the "iTaukei ni Waluvu" or the "controller of the floods (and weather that produces the floods)". The iTaukei ni Waluvu had ways and means to control the weather and etc. There are families that have specialised gifts of healing certain ailments. We can all recall how Waisake Naholo, the great winger for the famous All Blacks rugby team of New Zealand suffered a fracture in his lower leg and was on the verge of being ruled out of the All Blacks team to the 2015 Rugby World Cup to be held a couple of months later. Instead of going to the medical doctors Waisake flew straight back to his village in Nadroumai in the province of Nadroga to seek the specialist healing powers of an Uncle in his village whose family ancestral line had the specialised healing powers for any bone fracture and ailments. Long story short, after a week or two of treatment in the Village,. Waisake was back playing and training with the All Blacks squad and he made it to play in the Rugby World Cup that year. Had he followed normal advice he would have been ruled out for six weeks meaning he would have lost his place in the team. To this day they still talk about it.
So, back to my point about the spirituality of Yaqona (Kava) and by understanding the notion of "the entry" or the entrance' you will be on your way to a fuller life. I live that life.
kastom_lif
Kava Lover
I don't know a whole lot of detail about how kava is used for customary purposes in Vanuatu. Despite being mostly Christian nowadays, belief in sorcery is very strong. It's become integrated with newer beliefs introduced from overseas.
Some people say special kava is used to contact the spirts of people before they are born. Other rumors talk about special kava for reaching one's ancestors. This kind of knowledge is kept rather secret, either in exclusive graded societies or even restricted to one special person every generation who passes the secrets on down. There is a lot of variety, yet also some common themes. Alex François has some stories from northern Vanuatu here: http://alex.francois.free.fr/AFtxt_select_e.htm
Remember, every tok ples is different. Vanuatu has over 100 active local languages spread over 87 islands. When people get together for regional festivals in town, kastom dances tend to generate lots of interest. Lots of people are curious to see how other cultures do things differently. The ability to posen or place curses across culture group boundaries is universally accepted. Just because that village over there, on that distant island does things differently, doesn't mean their magic is fake. This has led to some friction in town when one group accuses another group of causing bad things to happen.
Hmm.. other than that...
* If you are worried about weak or broken bones, you can have double bones installed in your body, according to a PCV who related the time someone generously offered double bones to her.
* Don't swim under any canoe that has a woman in it.
* Never leave your clothes drying outside overnight or you will become very ill.
* Never throw peanut shells in your yard. Dispose of them carefully.
* If you fall ill and don't know why, you may have been posen. Seek the help of a kleva, who may divine the location of small nakaemas stones buried around the outside of your home. Nakaemas is a type of harmful sorcery--nakaemas stones are only one specific kind.
Some people say special kava is used to contact the spirts of people before they are born. Other rumors talk about special kava for reaching one's ancestors. This kind of knowledge is kept rather secret, either in exclusive graded societies or even restricted to one special person every generation who passes the secrets on down. There is a lot of variety, yet also some common themes. Alex François has some stories from northern Vanuatu here: http://alex.francois.free.fr/AFtxt_select_e.htm
Remember, every tok ples is different. Vanuatu has over 100 active local languages spread over 87 islands. When people get together for regional festivals in town, kastom dances tend to generate lots of interest. Lots of people are curious to see how other cultures do things differently. The ability to posen or place curses across culture group boundaries is universally accepted. Just because that village over there, on that distant island does things differently, doesn't mean their magic is fake. This has led to some friction in town when one group accuses another group of causing bad things to happen.
Hmm.. other than that...
* If you are worried about weak or broken bones, you can have double bones installed in your body, according to a PCV who related the time someone generously offered double bones to her.
* Don't swim under any canoe that has a woman in it.
* Never leave your clothes drying outside overnight or you will become very ill.
* Never throw peanut shells in your yard. Dispose of them carefully.
* If you fall ill and don't know why, you may have been posen. Seek the help of a kleva, who may divine the location of small nakaemas stones buried around the outside of your home. Nakaemas is a type of harmful sorcery--nakaemas stones are only one specific kind.
John Sanday
Kava Curious
there definitely variations. in WesT Papua after our recent visit you can understand fully why they grow their Wati plants in places that are hard to locate and get access to. The Wati plants are tended to as the care tone would give to babies. They have ways to use the Wati for what is now called sorcery in the way the english language refers it to be.
In the Fijian context, if you extend the thinking process around the "vakacuru" (the entry) a bit more you can say that the connotation around the word vakacuru to is allow entry. The question then follows as to to allow entry to who, and where to enter? In a nutshell though, it refers an entry into one's own spiritual being , i.e. to transform into your spiritual self or a kind of deep meditation so you can enter into your spiritual world where you can communicate with ancestors etc.
In the Fijian context, if you extend the thinking process around the "vakacuru" (the entry) a bit more you can say that the connotation around the word vakacuru to is allow entry. The question then follows as to to allow entry to who, and where to enter? In a nutshell though, it refers an entry into one's own spiritual being , i.e. to transform into your spiritual self or a kind of deep meditation so you can enter into your spiritual world where you can communicate with ancestors etc.
John Sanday
Kava Curious
for example, in West Papua customs, the Wati when used in sorcery to get an outcome (good or bad) a woman is to be present in the ritual. Out of respect for the people I'll just say that the rituals are sacred and interesting in the steps involved.
muddywaters
Kava Enthusiast
Never anything extreme besides a removal of a lot of walls I have mentally holding me back. I am far less judgemental of people than I previously was also. My vision is a lot clearer on what I'm feeling at any given time and what is important to me, it gently pushes honesty with myself.
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