One of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 lessons I received from my Shaman last year, when I spent several days sitting in ceremony deep within the Amazon Jungle..

Is that 𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐄.

It was not the celestial visions and cathartic releases or “downloads”.

NO.

You’d imagine that the biggest lesson is the one that blows you out of your body and melts you into one with nature and God.

But for me, the biggest insight was just one morning, before ceremony, watching the shaman walking around with his son and wife, brushing his teeth.

A big smile across his whole face.

A powerful, loving and kind presence.

A gentle touch and word towards his family.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Someone truly, deeply FULL.

Yet his living conditions could be considered poverty by many standards (no electricity or hot water, no phone signal, etc…)

However, you could feel the abundance irradiating from his being.

The energy of someone who has made peace with himself, and does not need much from the world.

In fact, in-between our ceremonies I realized that he had collected gifts and donations to bring (late) Christmas gifts to the indigenous children of the nearby farms.

Someone who “didn’t have much” was using his influence and network of friends and ‘patients’ to give away to others.

It was beautiful to witness and it brought tears to my eyes.

I cried because I realized that I have so much already and I had chosen not to appreciate it.

I cried because I remembered that I do not need much to be happy, and I had forgotten it.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨

His heart, his smile, his generosity touched me deeper than any amount of ayahuasca could have done.

I had witnessed his humanity (not his role as a ceremonial guide) and I saw the beauty of simplicity.

The beauty of appreciation.

The beauty of loving generosity.

And I understood that his medicine, is not the plant.

It is who he is.

And the plant is just an extension of that 💛