I wrote a poem inspired by the recent ceremony with a mushroom shamaness from the Mazatec people. Her mastery never ceases to amaze!
There is no special intention
I go in without expectation
To the mushroom ceremony with Julieta
For ten years I have come to see her
But each time I do not know what I will encounter
I only see so much light in her,
With which she heals all ailments
And answers my questions
Those answers come non-verbally
But with full clarity and awareness
And for me, this is long familiar
But this time I go like a sacrificial lamb
I don’t feel much desire
To enter a deep trance and work there
Is it fatigue or bad expectations?
But I’ve already stepped in irrevocably
Suddenly, a great despair approaches
And darkness without end clouds my soul
I try to figure out what it is
And with difficulty, I understand
A memory from the past has resurfaced,
Which I remembered, but only formally
When the soul was leaving the body
And death was so close and real
Then I was not ready for this encounter,
I was frightened, flew out of the body
But a person’s body is not eternal
And this fact we must bravely accept
But suddenly, as darkness fills my soul,
Settling in from an old wound,
When I engaged in an unequal fight
Light and grace arrive unexpectedly
Everything changes in an instant and forever
The darkness evaporates as if it never was
I move toward the stream of light
I accepted much love and light
I saw the gentle embrace of death
As fear gave way to joy
The trace of an ancient curse faded
And not even regret remained
And the ceremony continued on
I saw and learned so much
As the room filled entirely with light
I attuned myself to this power,
To channel its flow more fully,
To help myself and my loved ones
To calmly overcome my flaws
And to Julieta, I bow low.
