Mystical Plant Journey
I discovered AYAHUASCA in 2011. My first ceremony was in rural Joshua Tree on my 47th birthday and It was a completely life changing experience. I immediately booked my next ceremony in Topanga Canyon, and from then I was with Aya every month.
I joined Bird Tribe in 2012. Bird Tribe was different from the deep Shipibo style I had been used to. It was much more social. The songs came from different traditions and different musicians which brought their own styles. We didn’t sit in pitch black darkness which is Peruvian style. There were candles spread around the various altars and people could move around a bit more freely.
I was introduced to the Santo Daime Church about 2 years later. In fact the principal facilitators of Bird Tribe were all members of the Santo Daime, which is how I made the connection. The Santo Daime is a wonderful organization that dates back to the 1930’s. Founded in Brazil, it brings together Amazonian shamanism, African rituals, and European Catholicism. Joining the Santo Daime does not mean that you have to abandon your native religion, So you can find Jewish, Catholics, Hindu, Arabs, Wiccans and just about anyone else in the Santo Daime Community.
Wearing the Star indicates that you are a full member of the Santo Daime Church, and willing to show up and take on the responsibilities that the Church requires. Below you can see me getting my star from Padrinho Alfredo, the head of of the Santo Daime, in 2014.
In 2014 I Traveled to Peru and learned a thing or two from the Shipibo shamans of Pucallpa. I spent three weeks there deepening my understanding of this particular medicine tradition learning how to make the medicine and how to serve it. Before leaving Pucallpa I funded a project to create a Maloca (ceremonial space) for the locals.
In 2023 I returned to Pucallpa to be with my shaman friends Cesar and Fidelia, and see how the center they had created evolved. Cesar gave me a 15 day dieta with Pinon Colorado, (also known as "cura todo"). It's a plant used for empowering and clearing negative energy. I've certainly been empowered. I was welcomed into the fold as a member of the church of Rao Kano Xobo and became a disciple to the Shipibo medicine man (Onaya) tradition. On the 4th day of the dieta Fidelia gave me a special facial tattoo for confidence, leadership and empowerment. This was huge!
My future goal is to offer healing ceremonies in the Shipibo tradition in a way that benefits others, while continuing and deepening my membership with the Santo Daime.
Santo Daime
PERU 2014
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PERU 2023
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My Most Recent Certificates
In 2022, I completed a ten-month program called Shamanism for Self-Healing. This journey helped me explore my draw to shamanism and begin a process of self-cleansing. I learned to receive lessons from the natural world, to recognize my place within the cycles of life, and to understand the importance of stepping beyond my personal ego to make space for the wisdom of the spirit world.
I was introduced to ancient practices that allowed me to safely access both the upper and lower worlds. In the lower world, I found animal spirit helpers who restored latent power; in the upper world, I met teachers who became catalysts for growth and direction. Along the way, I reflected on shamanic ethics, learned to dance with trees, practiced feather dusting, and explored divination techniques that wove together different states of consciousness.
This program deepened my study of Shipibo shamanism and Vegetalismo, helping me integrate its healing cosmology with the practices I was learning at Rao Kano Xobo, a Vegetalismo healing center in Peru, where I received my certification letter and direct guidance in these traditions.
The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education, and policy work around traditional plant medicines.
In 2023, I completed the ICEERS Academy course Increasing the Safety of Ayahuasca Sessions. This training focused on best practices for supporting safe, responsible, and ethical ayahuasca work. Over the six-month program, I studied how to minimize risks, recognize challenges, and create conditions that honor both participants and tradition. This certification deepened my understanding of safety protocols and strengthened my commitment to protecting the integrity of plant medicine practices.