By Maureen Walsh

I have a deep love and respect for both Ayahuasca and Huachuma. In my experience, both of these sacred medicines have very different yet equally powerful characteristics. As individual medicines, they each hold their own strong vibration and unique healing capacities and the beautiful thing about these two medicines is that they can work in union and flow in sacred harmony with one another. Working with these plants ceremonially in a consecutive flow is a very deep experience. I have found a lot of peace and inner balance as well as a deeper integration when I’ve worked with Ayahuasca and Huachuma individually and then in unison over the course of a retreat.

Embracing Ayahuasca’s Divine Femininity

Ayahuasca which is a brew made from the Psychotria Viridis shrub and the Banisteriopsis Caapi vine is often referred to as the Grandmother. She is the all-encompassing, Divine Feminine energy. Ayahuasca ceremonies are traditionally held at night, in total darkness.

To me, she resonates with the shadowy and feminine aspects of the moon. She can take us very deep down into the depths of our psyches and stretch us way out into the fractals of the multiverse. Through her Divine Feminine presence and fierce guidance, I’ve been able to heal from some very dark trauma, some of which was so buried that I didn’t even know it was there.

Beyond Shadows: Ayahuasca's Journey to Inner Healing and Cosmic Beauty

Ayahuasca has shown me some very dark corners of my mind and some extremely wounded parts of myself that needed to be healed and often in the same night she has also shown me some of the most breathtaking, expansive beauty that is impossible to put into words. She is dynamic and all-encompassing. I’ve met all kinds of versions and archetypes of the Divine Feminine and within myself through sitting with Ayahuasca. She has awakened and helped me to heal the deepest parts of myself.

It has been scary and challenging on many levels but I have always been able to find the gold, even if it takes a while! She has taught me so much about myself as an energetic being and how to work with my field of light as well as my shadows. She is wild and embodies the energies of the jungle, the cosmos, and the earth. She holds all aspects of creation and I always have a slight sense of apprehension and a feeling of alright, let's take a deep breath and buckle up before I begin my journey with her.

Embracing Grandfather Cactus, Huachuma

Huachuma on the other hand embodies the loving presence of the Divine Masculine. He is the Grandfather Cactus also known as San Pedro and contains the psychoactive compound mescaline. In my experience he is the Gatekeeper of the Heart and holds the magical secrets of beauty and embodied light. I’ve always worked with Huachuma during the day and almost always outside in nature. He is the light of the Sun and holds a powerful space of connection and remembrance. He helps to remove blockages around the heart and is like a soothing golden balm to my old wounds that he brought up to show me needed healing. He brings me to a place of gratitude for all that is and helps me to remember my connection with the Earth and to my ancestors.

Huachuma’s Path to Joyful Surrender and Grounded Clarity

Through the eyes of Huachuma, I am able to see the pathways of energy that are moving and flowing through all of the plants, the mountains, the ocean, the rivers and flowers and trees. Even if I’m facing more challenging and darker aspects of my life, I always feel very held and guarded in the arms of Grandfather Cactus. He brings the grounded energy of the fire and guides the contemplation to a place of expansive oneness.

I’ve had many solo journeys wandering different ruins in the Andes or frolicking in the foothills of California and every time I have been brought to a place of joyful, playful surrender and clarity. I always feel more connected to the earth and grounded in my body after some time with Grandfather. He has the ability to bring me out of the old repetitive stories of my mind and into a place of clarity, peace and unconditional love.

Ayahuasca and Huachuma’s Sacred Union

The union of these two sacred medicines brings the harmonious balance of the Divine Masculine and Feminine within. I have found that working with Huachuma after Ayahuasca is extremely grounding and brings me back into my body in a deeper way. I find that it also helps me integrate the expansion in a gentler way as well.

A Harmonious Interplay of Medicines

It’s so beautiful to tune into the frequency of each medicine and to see and feel the energetic interplay. Understanding and working with these frequencies (in ceremony and also outside of the normal context) both individually and then together has helped me to bring my own inner Divine Masculine and Feminine into a greater alignment and harmony. My trips to Peru have helped me to understand this energy on a very deep level. Peru holds the energy of the Divine Masculine and Feminine so clearly. Both of these sacred medicines grow in Peru so even if you don’t work with the medicines directly you can receive transmissions from the energy of the earth.

Our upcoming retreat next March in the Sacred Valley is one not to be missed!

Gratitude for My Sacred Plant Allies: Ayahuasca and Huachuma

It’s so important that both of the Divine Masculine and Feminine aspects within ourselves come into alignment with each other. We are so blessed to have these incredible teachers showing and guiding us into a greater alignment and expansion. These counterparts can lead us to a deeper understanding and connection within ourselves and then with the world at large and also with all of nature.

We don’t have that many solid examples of the Divine Masculine and Feminine Union from humans so I feel incredibly grateful to these plant allies for lighting up the path and showing us the way. A deep bow to these teachers for all the beauty and reverence they have evoked from me.

About the Author

Maureen Walsh is an international artist, healer, teacher, and profound friend of Plant Medicines. She has been professionally practicing the healing arts for the last eight years and has been studying yoga and meditation for the last two decades. She is trained in visionary and biodynamic craniosacral therapy and has spent many years studying with master plants around the world. Her connection to the astral realms and her background as an artist are deeply woven into her sessions. She has many years of experience with ceremonial medicines too, and she loves working as a guide before and after ceremony to help her clients prepare and integrate this incredible work.

Ayahuasca and Huachuma: The Divine Feminine and Masculine Union