Most of the people I work with have no experience with Plant Medicine or Psychedelics in general. Even when they do have experience, their expectations tend to be pretty colored by those past experiences. Typically it's not even colored in a positive way! With that in mind, I want to share with you what a Mushroom Ceremony is and what it is not.
What Mushroom Ceremony is not:
A party. We are not here to dance to music (usually), look at lights, watch tv, mix with alcohol or Cannabis, marvel at the beauty of nature or otherwise keep ourselves in a social setting that involves more interaction outward than inward. The goal with Ceremony is to go within and connect to the Divine (God, you, etc.)
Scary. When it comes down to it, you will likely not have a ton of fear during your ceremony. With private work, you are completely held in a safe space, allowing you to go in without the intense fear that surrounds many Medicine Ceremonies or psychedelic experiences.
A purge fest. This is a common misconception. You don't need to purge endlessly. This would mean that there is much within you that doesn't belong there, much that is "bad" or that you need to "get rid of". The Feminine path to healing means accepting you as you are in your entirety and restoring your perfection. There is no part of you that needs to be changed, altered or otherwise purged. When you restore all the perfection that is there, nothing vibrating below that can survive.
Dangerous. Psilocybin is considered to have extremely low toxicity, and cases of death have been extremely rare. Recent results from epidemiological studies have actually shown lower rates of mental health disorders and suicide among people who have used psychedelics like psilocybin (Taken from the Drug Policy Alliance). Factors such as illicit drug use or prescription medication may or may not impact the experience on a chemical level, and that would be assessed by your Shaman or medical doctor, but with true danger is far from likely. Most danger is psychological in nature and easy to mitigate. This is where it is important to choose a good Facilitator or Shaman to ensure that you are in a healthy mental space to go into Medicine work.
A total out-of-body experience. This Medicine work is more grounding than most would expect. You never lose full connection to your body or to the space and in 99% of the cases can even walk yourself to the bathroom unassisted. When I am performing the ceremony, participants often tell me I am there in that space with them the entire time, supporting them on multidimensional levels. Above and beyond that, the dose that is worked with in is not meant to shoot you off into the universe. We are here to have a human experience and therefor, our work is on this plane. The amount given depends upon the person and the plant spirit decides how much the person receives, not the facilitator alone.
What Mushroom Ceremony is:
Loving.
Supported.
Safe.
Enjoyable.
Eye-opening.
Perspective shifting.
Short, with the average Ceremony only lasting about 6 hours. It is profound, deep and quick.
Similar to working in Ceremony with Ayahuasca. The difference is that mushrooms are more smooth, less jarring and assimilate to your body in an easier way.
Most importantly, a Mushroom Ceremony is absolutely life-changing.
Do you have any specific questions? Leave them in the comments!
