Plant Medicine

Jeffrey and Cielle respect and honor the power of Sacred Plant Medicines, especially enthoegens. Entheogen is a term to designate psychoactive substances employed in culturally sanctioned visionary experiences in ritual or religious contexts. We have had the privilege of sitting with respected ceremonialists in the Andes and jungles of Peru who have guided us in their rituals that include plant medicines native to their land.

Working in Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness

Jeffrey Backstrom shares helpful insight for being present during non-ordinary states that arise when working with sacred plant medicines.

Who is the "I" in non-ordinary states? And who is the part of me that is having the thought?

What happens?

Body connects with and reveals some energy; mind adds its content, meaning, color to that energy that's on the move. But what's primarily happening is the energy is stirring, it's coming into motion. That precedes the thought; first comes the movement of energy within the body - where it has long-resided. Only as a secondary process are meanings attached.

Among our teachers is an old ayahuascero who often advised that we must learn to "master" the medicine. He used the Spanish verb "dominar", which is often translated as "dominate", which means to master, to be proficient. He wanted us to stay "present", not be overwhelmed by either the experience or our inner reactions to it.

So ... "Trust!" Trust the medicine, trust the inner healer, trust the Wholeness that knows what is ready to move, what needs to begin to dislodge. Trusting is staying open and allowing the energy to move, whatever thought or feeling arises with it. Trusting that release and integration are happening; not needing to understand.

Not resisting ... that is, not trying to take action against whatever expression comes along.

What is my role in this? My subjective ego-sense? Primarily it is to allow. In action, it is to actively hold ...  primarily hold my role as affirming,  welcoming the larger process; and holding space for whatever reactions come up. Secondarily there could be said to be  a kind of "resisting" (an opposite value) -- a not caving in to the parts of me that want to object, that have a view of their own about what should be happening. They may say, no, I don't want to feel this, this is the same old stuff I'm here to get rid of. Or no, I want to be one with God; I want to have a vision; I want love. We are gentle with them, we don't have to condemn them. We can just say I hear you, my little one, only now, just in this time, now we are allowing the Healer to work, even though it may hurt.

The "I" , at the center of the circle, my normal, active self, can take a rest. (It learns to "master".) I can see that a part of me is small and perhaps afraid and perhaps has an agenda.  And I can see that there is also a far bigger "I", and because that Self or Healer is now doing the work, all I need to do is sit here and notice. I can watch what's coming up, watch the little parts reacting, learn from what I'm seeing. And become more infused with Trust. 

When this realization is established, when it begins to be felt more and more, then we correspondingly are less governed by that limited self, and by the limited story of the ego-”I”, which extends to lessening the grip of those limits on our actions in the world and with others.

Identify as whatever is the larger picture, larger in the direction of “cosmic” consciousness, i.e., embracing-including everything. From that perspective we’re free to see what part our individuality has to play in the theatre.