Plant Medicine + Sacred Ceremony
My journey with altered states of consciousness, psychedelics, hallucinogens —drugs— began as a rebellious, headstrong and horribly codependent teenager. Incredibly sensitive, both empathically and telepathically, with no conscious awareness of those sensitivities, I used cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, MDMA, ketamine recreationally to fit in, shed inhibitions and self-consciousness; to let go and dance with reckless abandon, and also cope with the destructive nature of my first real, and very toxic relationship.
By the time I was 22, I had stopped taking psychedelics, as the mind-bending had become increasingly intense and confusing, more like work than fun. At 25, I was drinking heavily, putting a lot of powdery substances up my nose, making myriad questionable choices: a functional, burgeoning alcoholic with a relatively serious cocaine habit, addicted to the toxicity of my relationship.
Unraveling the Meaning of Entheogen
The term “entheogen” is a relatively recent addition to our lexicon, coined in the 1970s by a group of ethnobotanists and scholars of mythology. It derives from Greek roots: “en-” meaning “within,” “theo-” meaning “god,” and “-gen” implying “to create.” Therefore, “entheogen” translates to “creating the divine within.” This term was introduced to describe substances that induce spiritual or mystical experiences, offering a window to the divine or a deeper understanding of the self.
Entheogens are primarily associated with natural substances used in religious, shamanic, or spiritual contexts. Examples include the peyote cactus, known for its mescaline content, and ayahuasca, a brew traditionally used in South American shamanic practices.
Deciphering the Psychedelic Experience
The term “psychedelic,” on the other hand, has its roots in the mid-20th century. Coined by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond in 1957, it combines the Greek words “psyche” (mind) and “delos” (manifest), translating to “mind-manifesting.” Psychedelics are substances that significantly alter perception, mood, and a host of cognitive processes. They are known for their ability to produce vivid hallucinations, alter thought processes, and evoke profound emotional states.
Classic examples of psychedelics include LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), psilocybin (found in certain mushrooms), and DMT (dimethyltryptamine, found in ayahuasca). source
Psychoactive substances used to induce spiritual experiences and altered states of consciousness have a long history of use among Indigenous peoples of the Americas, including the pre-Columbian Maya, Olmec and Aztec societies. These long-standing Indigenous health technologies have been subject to centuries of aggressive suppression, first through colonization and the Inquisition of the Americas, then later by the US-led “war on drugs.” Nonetheless, psychedelics have reemerged over the past several decades as medicines served as sacrament, entheogens, with the potential to address mental illness and enhance well-being among largely non-Indigenous communities.¹
Entheogenic supported exploration of consciousness has been shown to have several potential healing benefits, including:
Plants serve as medicine, divine escorts on the journey into the heart of the moment.
Effectiveness for treating a variety of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Lasting positive changes in mood, outlook, and behavior, to include a decrease in symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, as well as an increase in self-esteem, optimism and motivation.
Increased connectivity between brain regions: These connections may help to improve mood, outlook, and behavior.
Reduced activity in the default mode network: The default mode network is a network of brain regions that are active when we are not focused on anything in particular. Psychedelics have been shown to reduce activity in this network, which may help to increase focus and attention.
Increased neuroplasticity: Psychedelics have been shown to increase neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to change and adapt. This may help to create new neural pathways and connections, which can lead to lasting positive changes in mental health.
Reduced negative thinking patterns: Psychedelics can help to reduce negative thinking patterns, such as rumination and catastrophizing. This can lead to a more positive outlook and a decrease in symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Increased self-awareness: Psychedelics can help to increase self-awareness, which can lead to a better understanding of oneself and one’s problems. This can be helpful in making positive changes in one’s life.²
The use of smaller microdoses of entheogenic substances may support the healing of physical conditions and emotional states such as sadness, anger, envy, isolation, agitation; reduce anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD, OCD, addiction; improve physical health, overall well-being, mood; enhance cognitive performance, empathy, spirituality, curiosity; enhance mindfulness, creativity, learning; decrease substance dependence, increase sociability.
MICRODOSE BOOSTED QUANTUM HEALING
Dissolve outmoded ego structures, explore the deepest layers of consciousness, collapse quantum timelines with the support of Shamanic Plant Allies, a chorus of crystal singing bowls and deeply held, sacred space. Microdose boosted sessions weave focused intention, plant medicine, and sacred ceremony into Quantum Healing Hypnosis sessions. Your micro-retreat into Self incorporates principles of hypnosis, Reiki energy, alchemy, meditation, sound healing, astrology and active imagination to release all that no longer serves: patterns, habits, trauma, PTSD, toxicity, addiction, chronic emotional/physical pain.
Each 2.5-hour in-person session includes quantum healing, education about mind, consciousness and energy, live-recorded alchemical sound healing meditation orchestrated with Crystal Tones, 20-minute hypnotic with crystal singing bowl accompaniment. $450
CACAO + MUSHIES
“In addition to microdosing psychedelics alone, growing interest has focused on a practice referred to colloquially as stacking which involves combining microdoses of psychedelics—primarily psilocybin-containing mushrooms—with other substances that are proposed to accentuate salutary effects. The use of such admixtures appear to have a long history; Aztecs combined cacao with psilocybin mushrooms in a practice referred to as "cacahua-xochitl," which literally means "chocolate-mushrooms," and psilocybin admixtures composed of honey, flowers and herbs have been noted in historical records among both Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. (Source 1)
DEEP DIVE DAY RETREAT
Each bespoken, transformative day-long retreat has the potential to clear birth trauma and generational wounding, break lifelong patterns of codependency and addiction, awaken pathways to healing within the body.
Includes heroic dose
Intention setting, guided meditation into inner sanctum, temple, sanctuary, cave
Held space with crystal singing bowls, sacred song
Conversational hypnotherapy, somatic clearing
__________Discussion of natal chart transits, outer planet/BPM activations, Gene Keys — add-on
Anchor + integrate with movement? ritual bath? vibrational medicine, nutrition, conversational debrief/experiential share
1-hour follow-up integration session/tune up/harmonize via Zoom