Working with sacred plant medicines is such a different experience for most of us, it can be useful to prepare oneself before encountering the medicine. This path can be hard work, but the healing, learning and growth can also be enormous. The medicine often shows us things about ourselves that we do not want to know or accept; but in the end we are the lucky ones, we have the opportunity to explore the last frontier – who we really are.
- FOOD – San Pedro, unlike Ahayuasca does not have so many restrictions regarding food; eating lots of fatty food, animal protein, alcohol the day before will not support you during the ceremony. Foods that are light, organic and clean for the body are the way to go. It can be helpful to go through a program of clearing out the body before meeting the medicine.
- STUFF – Letting go of the things that no longer work in your life. You know inside what these things are. It may be that you collect ‘stuff’, or a job that is way past it’s use-by date, or a myriad of other things. This accumulated material all helps to weigh you down and make it difficult to move forward and live your life.
- FEAR – Acknowledge your fears. We all hold fears inside of us, it is part of being human and, if worked with, can be a path to growth and freedom. It takes courage to come to the medicine with our fears and to trust a plant to assist us to heal them. This medicine is a master at healing emotions and pain on the emotional levels.
- RESPECT – Come to the medicine with an attitude of respect; respecting the medicine, the other people with you, and yourself.
- TRUST – Work on your relationship with trust. If you trust the medicine and yourself your journey will be much easier. Know that you do not know what is going to happen, but that it has the potential to change your life.
- LET GO – Your job is to let go and be open; the medicine will do the work. So practice in your daily life and it will not be so difficult.
Lastly honor yourself and the fact that you have the courage to meet yourself in this way and have a wonder-filled experience.
