Building a Relationship with the Medicine

When people first step onto the medicine path, it’s easy to approach this experience through the lens of our Western conditioning. We often treat it like a “medication” or a”this for that” approach. Take this pill and you’ll be cured! hmmmm, try again. There are no quick fixes. This myopic approach is what we’ve been engrained with as a western culture and it has to stop! We are missing the deeper truth and especially the possibility of taking ownership for our own health, not to mention nature has every medicine that we need.

I encourage a deeply holistic approach of truly getting behind how we live - diet, exercise, sleep, meditation, time in nature, lifestyle habits, our thoughts /repetitive thinking and especially addressing stress and underlying traumas that keep us locked into a particular pattern.

Oak flower essence for strength or those who overwork, Aspen for those with anxiety, the flower Mimulus for those with fear, the mighty mushroom to compost what’s no longer needed in your body / mind /spirit… on and on! The healing medicines on this earth are innumerable and amazing.

Sacred medicines, not medications! are not substances to be consumed to “fix” a problem, but actual living teachers with wisdom to impart that support healing the root cause or pattern of imbalance within us, be that - physical, emotional and / or spiritual. They are intelligent, sacred beings that have been communed with for millennia to help humans remember their connection to the divine, to one another, and to the Earth herself.

Across indigenous traditions, the plants and compounds we call “medicines” are actually considered sacraments, which are doorways to the unseen world and bridges between the physical and the spiritual, heaven and earlth. They are treated with reverence, not as commodities, but as kin.

Across indigenous traditions, the plants and compounds we call “medicines” are actually considered sacraments, which are doorways to the unseen world and bridges between the physical and the spiritual. They are treated with reverence, not as commodities, but as kin.

For thousands of years, elders, shamans, and healers have built relationships with these beings through prayer, song, dietas, and service. They approach the medicine as you might approach a wise elder—with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to listen more than speak.

Each medicine carries a distinct spirit and a particular way of teaching. Ayahuasca, often known as “the Grandmother,” is a feminine intelligence that reveals truth through vision and feeling. She is known for showing us the depths of our psyche along with the wounds, patterns, and forgotten memories, so that they may be more understood and integrated.

Psilocybin, “the Spirit of the Mushroom,” has a different frequency, which can be earthy, often playful, but also optimal to bring our shadow into the light. The mushrooms remind us of the interconnection of all life and the cycles of decay and rebirth.

Huachuma, or San Pedro, is the cactus of the Andes, often called the “Grandfather.” He is solar, heart-centered, and expansive, helping us feel our place within the vast web of life. He teaches presence, compassion, and vision through the lens of love.

5-MeO-DMT, sometimes referred to as “The God Molecule,” is unlike any other. This medicine dissolves all boundaries of the self, returning us to the infinite Source from which everything arises. It is the great unifier and the reminder that we were never separate to begin with.

There are others as well—Iboga, the teacher of discipline and truth; Peyote, the sacred cactus of the desert who teaches community, devotion, and prayer; and Kambo, the frog medicine that purifies the body and prepares the vessel for deeper spiritual work. Each has its own vibration, its own intelligence, and its own way of working with those who come with an open heart.

To begin building a relationship with any of these medicines, we must start with reverence. Preparation is not simply about what you eat or avoid before a ceremony, but it is about cultivating the right relationship. This means slowing down and creating space in your life to listen. It means approaching the journey not as a consumer, but as a participant in a sacred dialogue.

I invite people new to a medicine to greet the medicine like a new friend. “HI! Tell me, show me more about you! How can you help me heal? How do I work with you intelligent being?! (How I work with heart medicine is very different than how I work with Jaguar for instance

Also - What am I truly seeking? Am I ready to be changed? What am I willing to offer in return?

You can begin connecting to the spirit of a medicine long before you sit in ceremony. Spend time in nature, observing how the world communicates through wind, water, trees, and animals. You might meditate or pray with an image of the plant, light a candle, or place a small token on an altar to symbolize your intention to build a relationship. When this invitation is extended with sincerity, the spirit begins to weave into your life, often in dreams, synchronicities, and subtle inner shifts.

Building a relationship also means understanding lineage. Learn where the medicine comes from and also learn about the people and traditions who have tended it for generations. Each of these medicines are part of a web of reciprocity between human and plant, and between the visible and the invisible. When we educate ourselves and give thanks to the cultures that have preserved these sacred ways, we strengthen that web.

After the ceremony, the relationship continues. Integration is not a separate process, but is the ongoing conversation with the medicine as it continues to teach through daily life. Notice how the teachings unfold through relationships, through nature, through challenges and blessings alike.

Keep a journal, create art, move your body, sing or dance—these are all ways the medicine speaks through you. The ceremony is not a single night of revelation but the beginning of a lifelong dialogue.

When we approach this work with humility, devotion, and curiosity, the medicine meets us halfway. The more respect and presence we bring, the more the spirit reveals. These are not quick fixes or magic pills; they are sacred mirrors reflecting our wholeness, inviting us to remember what we already are.

If you are new to this path, take your time and deeply listen. Prepare and let the relationship grow organically. When you finally meet the medicine in ceremony, it will not be as a stranger, but as an old friend, one who has been waiting for you to remember.