“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” – Alexander Pope
Participating in an ayahuasca ceremony or an ayahuasca retreat is an opportunity for deep healing and personal transformation. There is great potential for healing of the body, mind, and spirit, for revelatory spiritual experiences, and much more.
Ayahuasca is a powerful medicine. Working with her – since it’s in no way a ‘typical medicine’- benefits from preparation – whether we’re preparing our physical body through a dieta or preparing our mental, emotional and spiritual selves for the journey ahead.
Setting intentions can be a really important and valuable part of that preparation. What follows here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of working with the sacred plant.
Why set intentions when working with Ayahuasca?
1. The anchor
When taking part in a plant medicine ceremony and when we work with a plant teacher such as ayahuasca, the experience can be breath-taking and overwhelming (and everything in between or in parallel). This is why it can be really helpful to set an intention that will serve as an anchor during the experience.
During ayahuasca ceremonies, many of us are confronted with parts of our own subconscious and can end up in some unknown and dark places. If you can put the effort in to remember your intention, to remember what brought you to explore or heal in the first place, that rememberance can recenter you.
2. The reference point
Although interpreting an ayahuasca ceremony is a ‘tricky’ ordeal, suggested by some and discouraged by some, if you do want to try and understand what your ceremony signified – having an intention can help you make sense of it the next day.
3. The grounding
Setting intentions can be powerfully grounding, especially when working with a plant teacher like ayahuasca. Some individuals set an intention to get clear what they seek to learn or resolve through the experience.
How to set an intention before your ayahuasca ceremony:
In the days or weeks leading up to your ayahuasca ceremony, carve out the time to reflect on why you feel called to drink ayahuasca.
What do you seek to learn, to understand? What’s ‘calling out to you’? How do you feel at the moment? How do you feel about your life? What’s difficult for you at the moment?
The answers to these questions can be used to create intentions most relevant to you.
Ultimately, your intention is the answer to the question: “Why have I decided to work with ayahuasca?”
It may seem like a simple enough question, but upon reflection you might find that it calls for some serious inquiry into your life, your personality, your past, your dreams, your fears, and more. Like with many other things, opinions vary when it comes to how specific the intention ‘should’ be. Some suggest to be specific and communicate why you are seeking guidance and healing from this plant spirit, and some suggest to keep the intention broad (e.g. “Teach me about love”).
There’s no right and wrong here, it is only your intuition and experience that will show you the way.
If you are feeling unsure on how to set an intention or what you may specifically wish to focus on in ceremony, you may simply set an intention that Ayahuasca and your Higher Self guide you into an experience that will be for your highest and greatest good at that time. Let whatever comes to you flow in accordance for what your spirit needs during that ceremonial experience. Trusting you are being shown, taught and healed in ways that are best for you to further your own expansion.
Note: Your ceremony may or may not reflect your intention. There’s no guarantee for anything when working with ayahuasca. Every experience and every ceremony are different. The spirit of Ayahuasca knows exactly what you need so you may take comfort in surrendering to the process and know how she is guiding you is best for you at that time.
Intentions vs. expectations
If you’re seeking out information about ayahuasca, chances are you’ve heard others speak about their life-changing experiences (either online or in person). This makes it hard not to form specific ideas about how an experience looks like and could look like for you. It’s very hard, if not impossible, for our brains not to create and attach to stories and ideas – even when we think we’re not and even when we’re doing our best not to.
Embrace this with self-compassion and just do your best to release your expectations of what you think will happen and want to have happen. Many who worked with the medicine say: “Ayahuasca will give you what you need, not what you want.” The process of releasing expectations, or doing our best to, is a powerful exercise in letting go of control and the need for ‘knowing’ and certainty – which also paves the way to deeper healing with the medicine.
No two people’s experiences will be the same. Every experience is unique. Even if you participate in a hundred ceremonies, each ceremony will be unique. Some ceremonies will feel life-changing, some will take your breath away with colorful geometric patterns, and some will be deeply emotional or will feel very bodily. It can also happen that you feel like ‘nothing’ is happening. You may even feel disappointed during and following these ceremonies.
Those working with ayahuasca constantly remind that trust and surrender are essential when embarking on a healing journey. Surrendering to the experience, whatever it is, and trusting that the experience is not a mistake. In fact, feelings that surface after a ceremony (not just during) can be very indicative of what’s happening within you and your life. Do you feel jealous or resentful about your ceremony? Left out? Angry? Disappointed? How does this reflect in your life?
A powerful medicine like ayahuasca should be approached with humility and respect. Before you embark on a healing journey, be it your first time or your hundredth time, give your upcoming experience some attention. Reflect, walk, sit with yourself, meditate, ask questions.
Working with ayahuasca is not for the faint of heart. If you’ve decided to sit with the medicine and plunge deep into the vast ocean of the unknown, we at Nimea Kaya encourage you to take time to come up with an intention – if this feels right to you – in order to make the most out of your ceremonies.
There’s no right and wrong, and no one of us really knows the mysterious ways in which the medicine works. This blog post is intended to serve as a tool, and is not meant to direct or overwhelm. There are many paths to healing. Have trust in yourself and the medicine.
Learn More Here About our 9-Day Transformational Ayahuasca Retreats
We offer transformational 9-day Ayahuasca Retreats in Pucallpa, Peru. Our ceremonies our led by traditional indigenous Shipibo shamans along with experienced and compassionate facilitators in a grounded space for healing and growth. We take care of everything for you so you can focus fully on yourself and go deeper with your journey with Ayahuasca.
Reach out to us at nimeakaya@startmail.com with any questions you have about the retreat process.
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