The Green fairy aka absinthe drink and it’s ritual
The Green Fairy, or otherwise known as the alcoholic drink absinthe, is more then just a drink, it’s a movement. Its followers believe that by drinking absinthe your mind is opened up to new ideas, a clearer perception and an altered state of being that surpasses normalcy, due to these reasons it ahs been outlawed in more then one country.
What makes absinthe so different then other beverages is the compound thujone. Thujone is found in a variety of plants, but it is the densest in the herbal plant wormwood. Thujone is said to have mind altering effects that trigger creative abilities and a shift in sensory perception. Science has yet to find out the reason behind thujone’s mind bending effects.
In the nineteenth century the French gave absinthe’s it’s nickname, the Green Fairy, which means La Fee Verte in English. During that time famous poets like Arthur Rimbaud, and artists like Van Gough, and Pablo Picasso drank absinthe in a ritualistic manner, this drinking ritual was named La Louche. It was believed that during this ritual the true power of the Green Fairy, was released.
Arthur Rimbaud was known as the Green Fairy’s wild child, due to his rebellious lifestyle. He was a genius before his time, and used absinthe to liberate himself. Here is a portion of one of his poems regarding absinthe:
“When the poet’s pain is soothed by a liquid jewel held in the sacred chalice, upon which rests the pierced spoon, the crystal sweetness, icy streams trickle down. The darkest forest melts into an open meadow. Waves of green seduce. Sanity surrendered, the soul spirals toward the murky depths, wherein lies the beautiful madness – absinthe.”
The ritual begins with a bottle of absinthe, stilled ice water, sugar cube, glass and an absinthe spoon; the absinthe spoon is a slotted spoon that rests across the rim of the glass.
The first step in the ritual is to pour a shot of absinthe into a glass, for added effect try using something that looks antique. Take your absinthe spoon and lay it across the glass, then place a single sugar cube on it. Once your set up is ready slowly pour the iced water over the sugar cube. You will notice that the emerald green color of the absinthe will begin to transform into a milky light green shade. Absinthe drinkers believe that the transformation of the color of the absinthe is a preface to the transformation that will take place in your mind once you drink absinthe.
Make sure that the bottle of absinthe your using is in fact genuine. If you perform La Louche and your liquor doesn’t change color, you have a plain old bottle of alcohol with some herbs and food coloring. The true Green Fairy is illegal in some parts of the world, and used for enhancement in others, if you intend of diving into it’s depths you might have to travel a bit.