Why do we sit in plant Medicine ceremonies?
Is it for the visions? Is it for the stories to tell our friends? Is it for the insights and downloads?
Is it to feel a part of a community and experience a rite of passage?
All of these reasons are valid. Absolutely, without question… I mean hey, I’d be lying if I denied any of these things. However, sometimes we need to get back to our roots. We need to get back to how we “answered the call” to begin with.
For me, it started in the Spring of 2019 after feeling numb for so long. After not feeling to be honest. I had a void within me. Everything on the outside was near perfection. I was living a dream life, but I knew deep down that I wasn’t fulfilled.
Those first 2 ceremonies with Ayahuasca coupled with a psilocybin ceremony weeks later catapulted me to where I am today. I am beyond grateful for these medicines, however, now I’m at a point where I do find myself from time to time chasing the medicine experience.
In fact, I’m just beginning to integrate my 6th and 7th Ayahuasca sits which brings me to the intention behind this share …
We all sometimes need a reminder that “taking the medicine” is just 10% of the ceremony. The ceremony continues in the days, weeks and even months prior as we integrate while the medicine is still working with us.
For me, this reminder has been the theme of my most recent visits with Mother Ayahuasca.
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in myself after my two most recent visits and that’s because I felt I didn’t fully surrender. I didn’t meet Mother Aya in my journeys like I did in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I had truly profound realizations that are going to change my life and hopefully many other lives as well! And that’s the lesson I needed to learn …
I needed to remember that it’s not really about the visions and the experience in the medicine space … it’s about what I (you/we) can bring back into the 3D human experience.
In all the Medicine ceremonies I’ve been a part of in the past 2 and a half years (and trust me it has been a lot) this one feels like the greatest lessons are just beginning to reveal themself now … after taking the medicine.
So with all of this in mind, I wanted to take some time and talk about Integration. Here’s my list of what has (and hasn’t) worked for me as I’ve been down this path now for a couple of years.
Let me know your thoughts as I’m a student of life and looking to receive just as much as I can contribute 🙂
What does it even mean to integrate anyway?
Integration to me is the practice of SOUL / Life Balance as I call it. It’s a practice of making space in your daily life to connect with your higher self. We all feel the pressures of the daily to-do’s and it’s so easy to find an excuse to not connect spiritually.
What I’ve found to be most useful is following what feels true in the moment. Sure, I know my best mornings start with a breath work practice, however sometimes I wake up and I’m just not feeling it.
Spirituality is not a job.
It’s not a list of things to complete.
In fact, it’s the opposite … it’s a practice of following your intuition. And if your inner compass is telling you to skip a morning meditation / journaling sesh / breath work etc. I say do it!
I’ve been the guy that does all the spiritual things only to realize weeks after approaching my spiritual practice as a to-do list that it doesn’t work that way!
Let it be fun. Let it be an exploration. Let your inner artist out by following your curiosity and listening to your intuition.
As the medicine communities continue to grow, one of the things I’m fearful of is a lack of emphasis around integration. I feel like everyone says integration is the most important part, yet I look around and all I see is talk. I wonder to myself why don’t people put on “Integration Retreats”? Is it because they tried and it didn’t work? Is it because they think no one would show? Or am I the first to have thought that just maybe we might be able to come together without medicine to practice what we talk about?
What are your thoughts on this? Is this a hot take? Am I on to something? Am I missing something?
Let me know, I wanna hear from you 🙂
Thank you for listening and if you take one thing away from this, please let it be to take a deep breath and follow your curiosity. This human experience doesn’t have to be so overwhelming, all it takes is more conscious deep breaths and connection back to ourselves…