Huachuma: Divine Masculine Medicine and the Pathway Back to Our Hearts
Ah Grandpa Cactus. He has many names – San Pedro, Sacred Cactus, Wachuma, Trichocereus/Echinopsis pachanoi, Peruvian Torch; to me he will always be Huachuma. He is the unsung hero of the plant medicine realm; only now starting to garner more and more awareness and reverence. He’s been used as a sacrament for thousands of years by tribes like the Mochi, Q’ero, and Chavin, but hasn’t permeated Western culture like his good friend Ayahuasca. And yet his medicine and gifts are essential in our evolution as a species, and if I hear him correctly, he keeps insisting that his renaissance is about to burst.
I am ridiculously honored to get to carry the title of Huachumera - one who carries the medicine of Huachuma. I first began my work with this impeccable source of healing about 13 years ago with one of the modern age’s most revered and powerful Huachumeros, Don Howard Lawler. He founded and ran the sanctuary in Peru where I landed for my first dance with Ayahuasca. I was hooked on Madre from the get-go, but Howard, whose medicine was indisputably all about the cactus, kept luring me into the clutches of San Pedro.
From the first sip, I fell madly, ridiculously, insanely in love. With both Huachuma and Howard. And the abyss of heaven has just kept growing.
As Howard taught me, Huachuma brings us back to our hearts. He is the path to heaven on earth, which resides deep inside each of us. He is the medicine that holds our hands and walks us home.
Huachuma’s Superhero Powers
Grandfather Cactus has a documented history of usage dating back at least three thousand years. There are multiple temples in Peru that were built for ceremonial usage of the sacred cactus; my favorite is a place called Chavin de Huantar, which is high up in the Andes and boasts the most incredible underground temple I have ever had the honor of experiencing.
The temple is both an homage to Huachuma, and the spirit of the Jaguar. It’s built at the headwaters of the Amazon and at the base of two holy mountain ranges. Chavin means “center of the center”, and the combination of cactus medicine and this temple will burst open even the most cemented heart.
The Chavin people did Huachuma ceremonies at this sacred temple, and many of their magical tools remain. There’s an Earth flute carved in the ground, where holes of various depths would be flooded with water, and the shaman would use a rock to cover the holes and create music. There’s also a contraption Howard called the “cosmic telephone”—a series of carvings that would align with various stars and constellations throughout the year, so as to connect with the tribe in the sky. But the center of this sacred site the Lanzon; an indescribably magical rock carving that I can only express is God In a Rock. It beams holiness, joy, and heart-centered love. It will send you to your knees in awestruck tears. It is the holiest of the holy.
Huachuma’s medicine is mescaline based; that is the most prominent alkaloid, and the main one that provides the psychotropic effects. But his spirit and his alkaloidal structure are very complex.
On a physical level, he is pure heart medicine. His vibration matches the heart exactly, in that a deep experience with him creates an intense sensation of pulsing; a continuous expansion/contraction feeling that mirrors the heart’s function. The skin will get splotchy, the veins will pulse and appear, sweating is common, as is the incredible sensation of having your heart blown wide open.
He’s a blood tonic, and heart strengthener, and he’s also amazing at highlighting any physical aliments we might dismiss as small and insignificant, but that have the propensity to become bigger deals down the road. Like most psychotropic medicines, he amplifies both body sensations and emotions. Huachuma is a teacher of what we are hiding on the physical.
I once sat a ceremony with debilitating sciatica pain—something I had never experienced on that level before. It was a horrible feeling, but I know he was making me aware of tightness and alignment issues that could have easily worsened had I not felt the urgency to focus on better stretching, strengthening movements, and posture adjustments. He’s very “in the body”, and he’ll show you what you might be missing.
He also lifts the veil of what we see; and shows us how to view the world as it really is. Huachuma allows us to see the life force and energetic aura of all things; rocks, plants, clouds, people, and animals. The clouds put on puppet shows. Nature dances and sings and waves and whisks into her vibrations. Just as it should be.
But by far my favorite effect of cactus is his ability to slowly yet deftly diminish the attachment to “I”. Our identification with the ego slowly fades away as the heart opens and takes our attention. It’s a slow ride up, but once you’ve landed, the “you” that is the default steering wheel hog has somehow faded to the backseat for nappies. And the true, authentic, vibrant, heart-opened feeler can instead emerge and make him/herself known. He is the most glorious awakener of the inner child, in the safest, most loving way imaginable.
Sacred Cactus Brings us Back to Our Natural State of Being
I like to joke that while I’m not known for my epic powers of maturity on a good day, Huachuma is my tonic for playfulness. He really calls forth our natural state of being; for me, it turns out that’s off the charts silly, giggly, and childlike. Grandpa is aptly named; he gives us the permission a beloved grandparent does to be in our innocence and joy. He strips away attachments and stories the ego tells us about appearances, limitations on behaviors, and what an adult really looks like, and helps us tap back in to the incredible healing power of innocence and unbridled happiness.
Yet like all plant medicines, grandpa can take us to the dark side. It’s a lot less common than a medicine like Ayahuasca, but when he deems it time to bond with death, and darkness, and fear. . .he is unstoppable. He can pulsate to the surface our deepest, darkest terrors, and that’s when he’s most likely to bring on a purge as well.
Typically, people who are very uncomfortable feeling their emotions have a hard time with Huachuma out of the gate. If you don’t want to feel, which is the pathway to the heart, he will likely be a very tough ride. Likewise, some souls have a really profound contract with him, which entails a lot of difficult twists and turns in journeys with him. While these bonds are indescribably deep and difficult, those with a soul contract for deep work with cactus medicine are going to go big, struggle, and yet have the most miraculous breakthroughs.
Working With Huachuma in Ceremony vs Alone
Because cactus medicine is easy to procure (he grows indigenous in many parts of the US), and due to his reputation of joy and love, many people attempt to make a home brew and go into the process solo.
As per usual with powerful plant teachers, this isn’t a recommended route.
First of all, part of his magic is that he is *very* difficult to make into a strong, effective, beautiful brew. It can take a Huachuma brewmaster many years to perfect their craft, as every energy touch point matters, and he is very sensitive to heat, water to cactus ratios, and the entire process of making his medicine. If you want to get to heaven, you gotta work for it. It’s worth it :)
Likewise, taking him solo or in a container that isn’t professionally held as sacred and safe has lots of potential not-so-fabulous ramifications. This is why a shaman trains for years and years before pouring medicine; there is a lot to it, this process of creating safety, of knowing every vibration of the medicine, and of keeping people aligned and calm. That said, in gentle doses, he is a magical medicine to bring in as an ally, and many have subtly powerful experiences on their own.
Finally, Huahcuma is a fascinating entheogen as he doesn’t make it as easy to have a breakthrough with him versus a medicine like Ayahuasca, who can be so full throttle balls-out STRONG she’s impossible to miss. Many people without training have experiences with cactus that are flat and uneventful. This is because he is so sensitive to intention and the relationship between his spirit and the energy of the person leading the experience, if there isn’t a deep connection, there often isn’t a deep experience. This is one of the was Huachuma protects us from ourselves; it’s very difficult to have a big experience with him if you don’t have the know- how around making his medicine, and meeting him halfway in the hallway of surrender.
Like I said, he makes us work for it; but with great effort comes great reward.
Sacred Cactus Summary
Because Huachuma has very little written or spoken about him as of yet it is an honor to bring him more and more into the limelight; I trust his message to me that the big renaissance is coming. We all could use a little more heart medicine in our lives, no?
For all of you who have the Broken Heart Syndrome, or have had problems expressing the breakthrough into joy, Huachuma can help. He is so benevolent, so playful, powerful and kind, and he is the reason I know how to experience an all-in expression of love. He lets us be who we are without apology or resistance. And he brings us home to our hearts. If this is a destination you are seeking, than Huachuma is most certainly calling.
Journey well, and much love.
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.
