Is it Better to Work with Ayahuasca in the Jungle? Does She Really Like Being Carried All Around the World?
There is a growing, increasingly loud debate around the ethics of transporting Ayahuasca out of her home in the Amazon jungle. This question is valid from two perspectives:
1) As a participant, is it better to work with Ayahuasca in the jungle? Does it matter if it’s in a warehouse in Brooklyn, a retreat in Costa Rica, or a home in Amsterdam? Is it more powerful to go to where she naturally grows? And if so, what about all the people that are called to work with her but cannot drop everything and head to the Amazon?
2) What does Ayahuasca herself prefer? Does she want to be carted all around the world, or is she a homebody that would prefer to be left in her native environment?
These questions speak to the heart of a growing controversy about how the psychedelic revolution is treating plants like Ayahuasca; viewing them as chemical compounds that can simply be duplicated in a lab and used in clinical settings instead of shamanic ritual. It’s rare that people actually consider what the consciousness of Ayahuasca really wants, and to make things more complex, those that do ask her often have completely contradicting responses (which is classic Ayahuasca if you know here well.)
Full disclosure: I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’ve worked with this sacred medicine in partnership for almost 20 years, and I know full well that what is true for me regarding my experiences and communications with her is not the final truth. But because I find it immensely valuable to ponder this on the regular, I’m sharing what I know to be true so we can all be discerning and thoughtful going forward.
In that spirit, let’s start with question #1.
Does it Matter if We Drink Ayahuasca in the Amazon? Is She Just as Powerful Anywhere in the World?
When someone asks me if they should drink Ayahuasca in the Amazon or any other destination, I always respond with this awareness: If it’s an intimate connection with this magical medicine one is seeking, nothing beats meeting Ayahuasca in her jungle home.
But the Amazon is not accessible to all people at all phases of our lives. So should someone forego the opportunity to experience her healing magic because they don’t have the time, resources, or calling to head to South America? I recognize this is only my opinion, but I vote for healing every time.
I like to tell people the only thing missing in an Ayahuasca ceremony in another part of the world is the jungle itself (which is obviously no small thing). The potency, consciousness, and magic of the medicine is still exactly what she always is. Meeting her in the heart of her home is irreplaceable, but it’s not required to experience her capacity to change our lives.
I do feel strongly that anyone who aspires to be a carrier of Ayahuasca absolutely must spend ample time in the jungle, as intimacy can never be fully created when you haven’t visited the place of her origins. But for those seeking the incredible gift of insight, expansion, awareness, and healing that MamaAya offers, she gives that to us whether we visit her home or if she comes closer to ours. As someone who has sat in hundreds and hundreds of ceremonies in and out of the jungle, the very obvious reality of her generous love is abundantly apparent every time I sit with her. She brings the love and magic wherever she goes.
Is it Sacrilegious to Take Ayahuasca Out of the Amazon?
Now let’s talk about the ethics of extracting a sublimely sacred jungle medicine from her home in the Amazon and carting her around the world.
Many of the indigenous leaders are rightly vocal that this is a dangerous exploitation. There are strong and justified opinions that if we want to convene with her beauty and majesty, we should only do so where she is indigenous herself. This is a valid and deeply respectful view, and for those that hold it passionately, it is a deeply felt truth, and one that allows them to honor the personal relationship they have with her.
But there are just as many indigenous leaders who fully support and participate in the global expansion of Ayahuasca. Many of these brave carriers take this sacrament all around the world to sincere seekers. These beings wholly believe in the potency and sacredness of Ayahuasca’s powers, and that the world deserves to have access to her magic. So if people can’t come to her, some carriers will bring her to those that are called to know her.
Whose perspective is the right one then?
Both of them are valid, and extremely personal. The only issue is when we want to insist one truth is more valid than another.
For further evidence, let’s think about it from the lens of what Ayahuasca wants.
Ayahuasca is inarguably one of the most ancient, wise, and powerful consciousnesses we humans could ever conceive of encountering. The idea that humans could victimize her by forcing her to expand in a way she doesn’t align with is pretty darn laughable to me, given her capacity to humble us to pieces and school us like the loving and omnipotent Mother she is. So if Ayahuasca doesn’t want us to carry her far and wide, she will put the kibosh on the global expansion in a heartbeat.
People have a way of assuming we are the all-powerful beings, but one deep dive with Mother Ayahuasca is just about the most humbling experience imaginable. It’s the plants that are running the show on this planet after all; we need them for food, for healing, and for the expansion of consciousness; the reverse is unequivocally not true. So let’s keep our giant egos in check and realize that we just don’t have the power to override the wishes and divine wisdom of a Master Plant teacher like Ayahuasca.That said, if we are out of alignment for what she requires in our relationships with her, she will most certainly let us know.
Our Individual Relationships with Ayahuasca are All Unique
If you know in your heart it’s important for you to honor Ayahuasca by meeting her in her home, then that is your truth, and it is sacred.
But if you also know, like I have, that she is asking you to bring her to places that might seem sacrilegious; like a home in Las Vegas or a yurt in Finland, trust that. Ayahuasca teaches us to embrace the entire spectrum of consciousness. It makes sense she would feel the same way about the Earth.
Yet allow for this relationship to be the dynamic and ever-changing experience that it always is. What was true for us last week might have shifted today. She is the queen of fluidity, this masterful medicine, so follow her lead and let yourself flow.
And can we please stop shaming each other for receiving different messages from Mama Aya? When I shared my story of being arrested for Ayahuasca, some prominent influencers in this space actually told me I deserved it for taking her out of the jungle. That was pure projection; if you’re going to speak on her behalf, speak from love, or own your shadow. Ayahuasca supported me through every step of my journey through the legal system. I own my decisions and blame no one (myself included), but I refuse to receive shame from unconscious beings, just as much as I refuse to project it.
Consciousness is complicated. Ayahuasca is equally so. Let’s treat each other kindly as we walk the challenging and magical path of awakening. And let’s allow each unique relationship with the Mother Ayahuasca to be perfect. She will let us know if we’re out of alignment; everyone else’s relationship with her is none of our business.
All love to each of you walking this path with compassion and integrity. Go wherever this glorious plant and your callings take you :)
NEXT BLOG: Navigating a “Bad Trip” On Plant Medicines and Psychedelics
About the Author
Tina “Kat” Courtney is an 18 year veteran of Plant Medicines, and a traditionally trained Ayahuasquera and Huachumera, and the author of Plant Medicine Mystery School Vol 1: The Superhero Healing Powers of Psychotropic Plants. Kat is a pioneer in the Psychedelic Integration space. Her coaching expertise includes existential and spiritual crises, interpretation of plant communications, navigating the darkness and a dark night of the soul, and the integration of all major plant medicines and psychedelics. Kat is also a certified Death Doula honored to help people make peace with the inevitable and beautiful transition into the afterlife. She has spent her adult life cultivating a bonded and trusting relationship with the darkness, and she’d love to help you do the same.
