Do You Associate Pipe Smoking with a Sense of Spirituality?

[MisterBadger]

There are a lot of songs like that probably. Take for instance Tachanka. It's a song about the Russian Civil War but actually written in the 1930's.

The US has a niche genre of classic American folk song bands still, and some of them can put together songs that are in the same vein as American songs from centuries ago.

The UK also has a similar genre of 'folk song', and even a folk singer like me, who writes in that genre, can occasionally be surprised that an old-sounding song is in fact, new. For instance, in this part of the country we 'wassail' the apple-orchards on Twelfth Night (the last day of Christmas), singing to them and pouring libations of cider and offerings of toasted bread and making a lot of noise to wake them for the coming year. A popular 'traditional' apple tree wassailing-song is known as 'The Hackney Wassail': I've been using it myself when singing to my own trees, and was surprised to learn not long ago that it was written as recently as 2016.

 

[BriarBrook]

Love this article from many years ago. Breaks down the 4 main types of tobacco consumption from a Catholic perspective and basically calls dip users savages...
Tobacco and the Soul | Michael P. Foley - https://www.firstthings.com/article/1997/04/tobacco-and-the-soul

 

[ziv]

When the song talks about "Turkish" tobacco, what do you guess that the song is referring to? Just generic tobacco grown in Turkey? Some kind of generic "Turkish-style" blend, like a Izmir plus Latakia mix?

I've no insight into what kinds of tobacco were smoked in Russia, but my guess about "Turkish" tobacco would be that it comes from Turkey - not necessarily any specific blend type.

 

[seabee1999]

In my own personal experience, I’d say yes. When I first started smoking a pipe, it was to enjoy time alone and contemplate things of life. When I retired from the Navy and moved to Oklahoma in 2019, I began spending more time on my front porch listening to worship and praise music. I used this time to really reflect on God, the Bible and where my heart was in relation to what is spiritual and physical.

This time alone really helped me in a time of great trauma and tribulation for my family when my wife was falsely accused of an incident at my home and my children taken for a few weeks by CPS until all the investigations were completed. Nearly everyday, I’d sit on my porch just really wrestling with all that God had in His plan for my family.

After everything was fully investigated, any and all charges were dismissed and deemed unfounded and our family was restored. To this day, I still sit with a pipe either in my shop, front porch or back patio listening to worship music and talking with God about my day, life in the moment or what He has for me in the future. And now, from time to time, my wife and family will join me so we can talk about the things of God and life. It’s come full circle for me in a way

 

[K.E. Powell]

Love this article from many years ago. Breaks down the 4 main types of tobacco consumption from a Catholic perspective and basically calls dip users savages...
Tobacco and the Soul | Michael P. Foley - https://www.firstthings.com/article/1997/04/tobacco-and-the-soul

This article is deeply entertaining. I do not know if I agree with it, and it is pretentious and flirts with a variety of ugly prejudices, but in a very delightful way. I found the author's pontificating about inner-city "gangs" and "blunting" to be, well, something. But seriously, thanks for sharing! It certainly gave me food for thought.

 

[Gerald Boone]

I don't know if is the tobacco or if it is us. Perhaps we are, ourselves, more contemplative than say those who smoke cigarettes or vape. It is hard to smoke quickly; it's possible but kind of uncommon. So maybe we that smoke slowly and enjoy the slow ember working it's magic are of a more contemplative temperament. We may contemplate Spirituality or something else but the act of slowing our lives down to enjoy a good bowl of tobacco leads towards contemplation; in my opinion.