Medicina

Why Plant Medicine Ceremony?

Among the various transformational modalities and practices I have experienced, sacred plant medicine teacher ceremonies have unquestionably been the most powerful catalyst for spiritual awakening and unlocking the most significant doors and pathways to presence and greatness. The alchemical union of sacred sound and plant medicine has profoundly transformed my life. Story-healing is my core practice, and it is through my interactions with plant medicine teachers that I have essentially been able to reclaim and rewrite my entire life story.

There is certainly truth in the notion that you can accomplish the work of months of therapy in a single night of a well-guided plant medicine ceremony. Each one of us in our lives walks through a maze filled with distraction, misdirection, and attachment—a labyrinth where there comes a point when we feel called to find our way back home to truth, connection, healing, remembrance, and oneness. With these medicines, we step completely out of that maze for a few hours or minutes to stand on the top of the proverbial mountain and glimpse the grand picture of our existence, perceiving through the eyes of the Universe itself. They take us swiftly to the heart of the matter by bringing us into direct awareness of our deeper emotions, shadows, blind spots, and direct communion with spirit, Mother Nature, ancestors, and God. This can be profound, life-changing, and transformative.

As with anything, great power comes with great responsibility. These plant medicine teachers, with their extraordinary access to our inner being, can be misused and distorted if not approached with absolute reverence, humility, understanding, and distinction. The space of firm boundaries, authenticity, high vibration, wisdom, and grace that any such medicine facilitator must be able to hold is as significant as the medicine itself. Likewise, the integration process after one’s journey is most important, as these medicines do not miraculously fix you; they merely open the door to the potential of who you are, both light and dark. The teachings of the medicines need to be honored with the rigorous work and mindful action that follows. Without question, the participants who get the most value and life-changing shifts from their plant medicine experience are the ones who follow up with proactive interventions such as integration coaching, transformational workshops, talking circles, and practices like meditation, journaling, yoga, prayer, and creativity therapies.

My facilitation process has evolved over a decade of holding ceremonies with individuals and large, diverse groups. It also brings together a lifetime of experience working with people’s emotional journeys and personal stories. The ceremonies I facilitate are a blend of ancient shamanic practices, channeled lyrics, and medicine music, which I combine with contemporary transformational and spiritual teachings. My medicine lies in the distinction of holding profoundly safe and authentic spaces—hence, we say in our work, ‘the safer the space, the deeper the work.’ This medicine of holding a safe space is the foundation upon which Wake Circle, our medicine community, has been founded and continues to grow and thrive. In this community, there is a level of radical authenticity and responsibility that goes hand in hand with a vastly expanded paradigm for perceiving our reality.