Briefly, why was the game created?
In a time of profound change and upheaval, cannabis has an important role to play in helping people connect with their deepest sense of purpose and meaning, as well as with each other. We felt that this deliberate, shared soul-searching activity was worth celebrating within marijuana culture.
How does the Higher Thought game facilitate intimacy and connection?
The game enables us to see layers of nuance in our friends and loved ones that they don’t normally show.
We get glimpses of: Wow, that’s how she REALLY thinks!
Our thoughts deliciously ping and collide.
Setting aside our social masks, we’re rewarded with golden moments of intimacy.
How does the Higher Thought game spark thoughts and ideas?
Like cannabis itself, the Higher Thought game reveals things we didn’t know we were thinking. It leads us out of the well-trafficked rooms of our minds, into a more profound place.
The questions aim at the assumptions that underlie many of the ways we feel and the choices we make. They cast light into corners of our minds that are normally deemed “irrelevant” – though they really aren’t irrelevant at all. They often contain our hidden treasures.
There are so many “deep question” books and games out there. Isn’t connecting the idea of these with cannabis a gimmick?
Well, cannabis helps us access unexpected corners of our minds and that is what makes our carefully honed questions so fascinating.
Besides, we found many of the “deep questions” out there are trite. “What would you do if you won the lottery?” “Would you prefer to have x-ray vision, or be able to fly?” We only kept questions that sparked our minds and hearts and made us keen to answer.
Our questions have all been tested in our conversation laboratory. They are infused with spirit.
How do you win the game?
You don’t. Or, everyone does. It’s more of an experience than a game, and yet it creates a tantalizing sense of anticipation and excitement.
However, anyone might invent a way to play that creates competition and a single winner. Feel free to experiment. And please let us know how it goes!
Are any of the questions very personal?
None of the questions is designed to make people uncomfortable. There are other parlor games based on that sort of thing: What is something you don’t like about person X but never told them? What is your most embarrassing sexual secret?
Probing people’s vulnerabilities just to get a rise isn’t what we want to share with the world. There’s enough in society that assaults a person’s dignity, and we can get to something vital and fascinating without gunning for the red zone of privacy.
The Higher Thought game does demand imagination and honesty and the ability to introspect. None of these skills is sufficiently recognized, valued, or promoted in our culture.
Each player always has the power to decide how much of themselves to reveal.
Do you have to be high to play?
Honestly? Yeah. We think altering your consciousness with cannabis is a factor in making the game fun. The plant catalyzes fresh perceptions.
Of course, it is possible to get into a lighthearted, expansive state of mind without cannabis or any other substance. So you don’t have to be high every time you play. But … see how it goes. We have a certain bias.
I get paranoid when I smoke pot. Can I still play the game?
Yes.
For the record, here is our view of cannabis-induced paranoia:
Some paranoia can be avoided by not getting overly high. We recommend small amounts of herb when playing the game, since the point is to gain fresh perception, not to get totally baked.
Also, when we use cannabis, parts of us that are normally repressed or hidden in the shadows come to light. This can be a great gift, because marijuana allows us the detachment to notice what is in our blind spots. And once seen, habitual reactions are more easily transformed.
We are not saying that everyone should smoke pot and deal with their anxieties this way. We’re just saying it works like that for us sometimes.
But if you feel scared and uncomfortable whenever you smoke pot, there are probably healthier ways for you to heal what is hurting you inside. And you’re welcome to play our game without getting high.
What does it feel like to play Higher Thought: The Cannabis Game?
It feels compelling. You’ll probably laugh easily and unexpectedly. Get ready for some of the most enjoyable and meaningful conversations of your life.
The conversation may weave between hilarity and profundity. You may gain renewed appreciation for how special and unique your friends are. This experience will carry through even after the buzz wears off.
