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Interviews Reviews Skunk Magazine

Intentional Horticulture with John Bayes and Mike Abramson Dig Deep

Warren Bobrow: Please tell me who you are. What you’re working on right now?

John Bayes/Mike Abramson: We are the Dharma Police. However, on an average day, we are known as John Bayes of Green Bodhi and Mike Abramson Of Brothers Grimm Seeds. We are working on bringing awareness and intention back to the industry. Intentional Horticulture, coined by John, is a way of life cultivating Dharma from within to apply to the plant, but more importantly, to apply to every aspect of what you do. Another one of our focuses is bringing back the Brotherhood/Sisterhood atmosphere to the culture. Pre 2005, there wasn’t the amount of hate and shade thrown towards any cultivator or breeder. We have decided to team up on a number of projects and invite those with true Dharma into what we are doing. With our current obsession with social media, there have been plenty of keyboard warrior trolls harassing people for literally anything and everything. We are here to stick up for those being bullied.


Photo: Gorilla Boost

WB: As far as philanthropy goes, what are your six and twelve-month plans? What are you working on right now?

JB/MA: This is our favorite thing outside of our families that we prioritize heavily. Currently, we have two main philanthropic endeavors, the first being the #WaterForLife. This is a purely intentional project, no 501c3, no tax-deductible letters. India has some of the worst living conditions with a lack of access to clean water. Most villages are drinking and bathing in the same water animals frequently relieve themselves in. Bodhgaya, which is in the state of Bihar, is the holiest of cities for Buddhists and where the Buddha attained His enlightenment. This area is one of the poorest regions in India, “3rd world” would be a compliment here. So, John decided to work with two friends over there and challenged them to come up with an idea that could help the locals and feed their families. In short, when telling Mike about it, he had to be in. We are currently at monies raised for over 50 wells, with an average of 3-5 a week being donated and the 29th being installed soon. For $700, a village gets access to clean water, thousands of lives are changed instantly.

Another big project we are working on is raising funds for “His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Library and Learning Center,” which will be located at Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, NY. This is the only seat of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the western world, and currently His only seat outside of India. John has been a student of Namgyal monastery for 10years now and has been appointed as the “Outreach Coordinator” for the project. We both hold the highest regard and reverence for His Holiness and His compassionate commitment towards all beings of the world. Beyond just raising funds, we have ventured into a collaborative philanthropic breeding project where all proceeds will go to the center. We are currently working on a 3-way breeder collaboration, Brothers Grimm, Green Bodhi, and Bodhi Seeds. This will officially drop at the Harvest Cup in Worcester in November.

WB: Favorite cannabis strain right now? Developed by whom? What is it, sativa? Indica? Who developed the genetics?

JB: Purple Hindu Kush. I got the cut from @MrBobHemphill, a legendary strain collector and legacy breeder, the other half to the genetics company “Crickets and Cicada Seeds.”

MA: The Dumpster Diver a Cali Super Skunk x Hazmat OG bred by Covert Genetics. Which is a sativa leaning hybrid.

WB: Favorite food when on the road spreading the word?

JB/MA: Noodles. Spending a lot of time on the road and at the monastery, we have discovered that any composed noodle dish is the fuel we need. Ramen, Pho, Pad Thai, it’s literally a whole meal. Spice is a requirement; the hotter, the better.

WB: What is your passion?

JB/MA: Our families, friends, living a life of intention and compassion. We also love to “Send It” with everything we do, from surfing to hitting the mountains in the winter.


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Reviews Skunk Magazine

My Special Smoke of the Day: Green Bodhi

Today I had the great fortune of finding something that I thought was lost in the shuffle. It was a little vacuum jar from Canlock. Inside the still vacuum sealed glass container was a very special nug. Something that came from a friend, not yet met. The man who calls himself Green Bodhi.

John Bayes is Green Bodhi. He practices a very personal cannabis growth methodology known as Intentional Horticulture.

Quite simply, this is his own, very personal methodology. I believe he is deeply influenced by Rudolph Steiner, the father of Biodynamics.  I don’t think that Green Bodhi is Biodynamic, but I do believe that the flowers are nurtured using the highest respect for the earth and the individual ability to find them in the realm of healing. Whatever the true inspiration for John, I can assure you that the experience of smoking his cannabis transcends the usual, into the deeply personal. That of course is my experience. His cannabis unlocks my brain and allows me the benefit of the cultivars as not anticipated by my pen. Or in this case, my keyboard.

It’s cannabis that helps my creativity and takes the path of inquisitiveness. Cannabis like this makes the art of the word a thing of rare beauty. You do get thirsty for just one more hit when you are in Oregon. Lucky is the person to smoke the herbs that John Bayes nurtures. It truly does magical things to my brain.

Back to that nug. The nose is spicy, Pacific Rim-style spices like cardamom, garlic oil and lemongrass intertwine with dark, bittersweet chocolate and gobs of pine sap. There is an element of crushed rose petals each whiff is woven deeply into treacle based pudding. Further whiffs remind me of late-summer peach jam smeared on brioche toast.

The smoke is pure milk chocolate that leaves a thick veneer of pine sap on the inside of my teeth and under my tongue. This is cerebral cannabis that rivals the finest herbs that I’ve smoked in my pursuit of excellence.

The stone is not an afterthought, it is the reason why you arrived here in the first place. The high is Excalibur. You’ve searched a lifetime to discover something that was always here, yet undiscovered. The experience is clarity, wit, and wisdom. You may take up glass-blowing or some other creative pursuit. I mentioned that smoking Green Bodhi is akin to unlocking the brain. Cannabis smoking is a deeply personal experience. The art of cannabis is similar to wine in this regard. What I taste may be only my reflection on the integrity of the plant, or glass of wine. The terpenes, or flavors and aromas are the paints inside the paintbox.

In the wine world, especially the garage-wines that I crave, a very similar process takes place. This hands-off elegance commands the attention of the cognoscente. Not normal is this style, therefore I want to drink it. Think Abe Schoener and get back to me.

And what about this cannabis that is in the little jar, the Green Bodhi?  I have to smoke it.  It compels me. This cannabis exposes my creativity and gives the act of smoking cannabis of this quality a certain level of authenticity.  At least that’s what it does for me.

I hope if you are fortunate to taste Green Bodhi, your experience will also be deeply introspective and kind. It’s the way of the plant. Intentional Horticulture.

What John has achieved is unforced, yet vividly imaginative.

Thank you.

WB

https://www.skunkmagazine.com/my-special-smoke-of-the-day-green-bodhi/

WARREN BOBROW

Warren Bobrow has been a dishwasher, the owner of the first company to make fresh pasta in South Carolina , a television engineer and he even worked at Danceteria in NYC, then a trained chef which led to a twenty year career in private banking. A cannabis, wine and travel aficionado, Warren is a former rum judge and craft spirits national brand ambassador. He works full time in the cannabis business as an alchemist/journalist. Cocktailwhisperer.com Drinkklaus.com Instagram: warrenbobrow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Bobrow

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Articles Interviews

John Bayes’ Green Bodhi: Esoteric Oregon Cannabis That Illuminates The Inner Self

John out in his greenhouse
John Bayes Photo by Curtis Taylor

WB: Please tell me about yourself?

John Bayes=JB: I’ll start with genetics, a bit of youth, then make a go from there. I’m a 1/2 Korean 1/2 white(Irish/Scottish/German) military brat, that moved every couple years or so. Which, was a little rough, but “it’s character building” they said. Generally teetering between being a scrappy inquisitive loner or having a really close friend or two when things were good. From an early age I was always intrigued spiritually, at the same time extremely mischievous and hard to contain. I’ve wanted to be a youth pastor, as well as wanting to go into the special forces. At around 18, I started regularly smoking herb, and soon to follow, randomly experimenting with psychedelics, then less randomly and more frequently. Getting more comfortable, bad trip here and there, ultimately helping me realize the military might not be the best future for my karma. At around the same time, think it was 97-98’ I moved back to Eugene from Georgia. Luckily my love of cannabis and Eugene seemed to go hand in hand. The culture here held good herb higher than most anything, quality genetics and entheogens were embedding in the community, almost as a way of life.

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