Statement of Belief

 

We believe that the word entheogen refers to the full range of benefits that accompany the ingestion of entheogenic substances. Religion or spirituality is but one of these benefits.

 

We believe that nature and science provide us with knowledge of a wider range of entheogenic substances than at any point in human history. Without delegitimizing other entheogens, we are a community that recognizes ayahuasca as our primary sacrament. Ayahuasca is unique in its ability to induce religious or spiritual experience, to facilitate healing, to encourage psychological development, to facilitate encounters with supernatural beings, and to provide answers to metaphysical and ultimate questions concerning life and the nature of being. 

  

We believe that while most entheogens occur naturally and can be ingested in their natural form, others must be combined or isolated to occasion their entheogenic abilities.

 

We believe that entheogenic experiences are transcendent, mystical, healing, ineffable, and noetic.

 

We believe that guided entheogenic experiences can combine with modern psychological insights to facilitate healing and recovery. They can also encourage our pursuits for social justice. 

 

We believe that ayahuasca reveals the divine and sacred Light that embodies the universal principles of warmth, respect, love, and compassion. 

 

We believe that ancestral trauma resides in us and is compounded by trauma we experience in our lives. Ayahuasca helps identify and relieve this trauma. 

 

We believe that ayahuasca is noetic and pedagogical. We also believe that knowledge and education can be difficult. While ayahuasca always provides answers and motivations, it often provides this information in ways that may be physically, psychologically, mentally, and emotionally disturbing in the short term.

 

We believe that ayahuasca facilitates liberation from physical, mental, multi-generational, religious, spiritual, and emotional forms of oppression and trauma.

 

We believe that people are connected to one another, to earth, to animals, and to the universe.

 

We believe in the wisdom of native societies, in native philosophies, and in native metaphysics.

  

We believe that divine Light reveals itself to people in different ways. We embrace this diversity, provided it similarly respects the message of inclusivity, love, and compassion.

 

We hold regular services for members in addition to religious or spiritual retreats and workshops. We also offer religious or spiritual counseling and integration sessions.

 

We believe that supernatural figures appear to members of our community in various forms. Some of the more common manifestations include spirits, guides, divine beings, creators, gods, and other entities.

 

We believe that the sacramental use of natural entheogens teaches us and empowers us to become more attuned in and in a deeper relationship with mother nature.  More specifically, we believe that the sacramental use of natural entheogens restores us to a more symbiotic relationship with nature.  As such, we believe that, to the best of our ability and as practicable, we are to conduct ourselves in such a way as to respect and preserve mother nature and encourage others to do the same when feasible.

 

We believe that, at all times, our members have a moral and ethical obligation to approach every life situation from a place of compassion, peace, love, and understanding and in a manner consistent with the general and individual messages revealed by divine Light. 

 

We believe that sacraments are sacred and that they should be stored in secure and safe places, accessible only to those trained to administer sacraments. 

 

We believe that while the Divine is interested in this world and occasionally guides and helps us, we also believe in freewill. We also believe that everyone is called to use their freewill to fight injustice and to work toward progressive social justice goals. 

 

We believe in protecting the lineage we inherit and in educating ourselves on issues related to cultural appropriation, Indigenous rights, and the unique experiences of minorities and oppressed populations. 

 

We believe in and practice Indigenous reciprocity as we work to support our spiritual ancestors and family.