How to Prepare for your Upcoming Session
“The mushroom is a gift from Mother Earth, to be
respected and used with reverence. The mushroom
ceremony is a profound spiritual experience,
connecting us with the divine.”
- Maria Sabina
If you haven't done so already, you need to complete the safety profile questionnaire if you are considering to take any psychedelic substance. During the preparation phase, one is encourage to to cultivate a balanced attitude. Be gentle with yourself. Try striking a balance between not being too rigid - striving too hard to prepare yourself to perfection, nor allow yourself to be too lazy either. This gentle approach acknowledges that the journey with the mushrooms is not about rigid rules or striving for an unattainable ideal; rather, it's about bringing a balanced attitude and mindfulness into our everyday day life.
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Although we have a balanced attitude during preparation, is is very clear that the more "right" effort one one puts into this process of preparation, the more one is going to get out of your actual experience itself. But like I said before; try to be balanced. Don't strive too hard and also don't be too lazy either. Pay attention to your needs and honor them appropriately. If you need to rest, then rest. If you are hungry, then eat. If you need to get up earlier but you feel lazy, encourage yourself in a loving way to make the effort to show up for yourself. Only good will come of this kind of attitude.
During the days of preparation, three fundamental components play their part, namely - Abstinences, Empowerments and Intention Setting.
Abstinences: Avoid eating certain foods and observing certain ethical standards of conduct.
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Empowerments: Devoting more time and energy to things that empower and
nurture our well-being. Anything that promotes a sense of inner tranquility and vitality like:
Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, or spending time in nature, Sauna, icebath.
Intention Setting: In this practice we take an honest account of why we find ourselves curious about exploring psychedelics in this way, we can also consider the current chapter of our lives. What do we hope to get from this experience with the medicine and how is it relavant to the broader picture of our life?
We can also prepare specific questions, or topics that we wish to bring into our session. Rather that fabricating an artificial "intention" we try to be honest and investigate our motivations and what might be wothwhile exploring for ourselves. We can ask ourselves honestly, what we would like to resolve and occomplish within and for ourselves through this process.
Abstain from the following for at least three days before and after you session
-No idle speech (gossiping or even talking in depth about other peoples personal affairs.)
-Never tell a Lie.
-Always speak the truth.
-Don’t use words harshly or divisively.
-Don’t steel
-Practice generosity.
-Don’t kill or harm any living thing.
-Take care of and support life to flourish.
-Refrain completely from sexual activity with another and with oneself.
-Refrain from mindless consumption of any kind - social media is a big one to consider for this.
-Refrain from consuming Cannabis whatsoever.
-Refrain from intoxication by alcohol or drugs.
-Refrain from taking anything containing Psilocybin, even micro-dosing because it will affect your tolerance.​​
Diet
Only eat plant based (No meat)
Slowing down or quitting sugar entirely.
Only Eat simple, healthy and nutritious meals. No spicy food.
Consume caffeine in moderation. (Max one coffee in a day)
Having a beer is fine but not getting tipsy or intoxicated.
Spend your time wisely -
Empowerments
Priorities good nights sleep in the days leading up to the session.
Going to sauna and doing restorative and balancing yoga to really sweat it all out is especially beneficial in the days before and after a session.
Journaling to explore your Intentions
Here are a few prompts that you can use to investigate your personal intentions in the days before your session. Remember, in this stage we are not so much "crafting" an intention as we are sincerely and compassionately inquiring and investigating authentically. I would like to ressaure you that the medicine is going to give you exactly what you need in your session but if we begin to do the work for ourselves, we become far more open to receiving the teaching of the medicine in a way that is going to be all the more beneficial to us going forward. ​
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Why did you feel initially interested to take psychedelics? How is it that you intuitively feel that it is a worthwile thing to explore for yourself?
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Is there any past experiences that you had in your life that you feel have not completely been able to come to terms with and that may still be playing a role in your actions in daily life perhaps?
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What habits do you need to start letting go of these days. What are the habits of thinking, speaking and acting that are no longer serving you?
What kind of habits of thinking, speaking and doing can you begin to bring into your daily life that are going to serve you for the coming weeks and months?
What kind of topics do you actually feel curious to explore in your session with the mushrooms?
Do you have fears about the upcoming experience with mushrooms? If so, what are they?
On the day of your session
It is very important that your last meal of the day is around lunchtime on the day of the session so that you have been fasting for about 6 hours before you take the medicine. Remember to stay hydrated and if you get really hungry, they eat a little bit of fruit, like a bite of mango, but thats it.