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Essays on plant medicine, integration, ceremony, and inspired living. By Austin Mao and the Ceremonia team.

151 posts · migrated from Squarespace 2026-05

2026-01-11
Healing Happens In Connection
The new year often invites reflection. We look at who we want to become and what habits no longer serve us. But as we explored in our last reflection on cultivating a way of being, lasting change rarely comes from willpo…
2026-01-03
The New Year Shift That Actually Changes Your Life
The New Year arrives with a familiar pressure to decide who we’re going to be. Goals line up like resolutions waiting for discipline to enforce them. And yet, if you’ve lived long enough to make and break a few, you alre…
2025-12-21
Values: The Hidden Force Shaping Your Life
There is a quiet question running beneath most of our stress, confusion, and exhaustion. It doesn’t usually announce itself directly. It shows up as feeling scattered. Overcommitted. Pulled in too many directions. Busy b…
2025-12-06
WINTERING: Moving With The SEASONs
Winter has a way of slowing the world down. Not in a dramatic, cinematic way, but quietly—softly—like a reminder we didn’t know we needed. The air changes. The light thins. Trees stand in their bare, honest silhouettes.…
2025-11-29
The Quiet Revolution of Gratitude
Thanksgiving weekend naturally nudges many of us into reflection—not because we’re told to be grateful, but because the pace of life slows just enough for us to actually feel it. The gatherings, the quiet moments, the fa…
2025-11-21
The Medicine of Rest and the Healing Power of Play
There is a moment — often subtle, almost too soft to hear — when the body whispers before it ever screams. A tightening in the chest. A flicker of exhaustion behind the eyes. A sense that the world is getting louder not…
2025-11-16
MANIFESTING: THE COURAGE TO WANT WHAT YOU WANT
Many people begin their transformational journey with a subtle sense that something in their life is meant to expand. It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes it shows up as restlessness, other times as a quiet knowing, or a…
2025-11-08
From Performance to Presence — Why Healing Is the New Success
For most of the last century, success has meant performance: the ability to produce, to achieve, to rise above. The icons of the modern age were defined by output — how much they could do, build, or control. Yet beneath…
2025-11-02
Reclaiming Creativity
There’s a spark inside every human being—a quiet, steady pulse of imagination that longs to express itself. We feel it in the urge to paint or write, to start a business, to dance, to solve a problem no one else can. Cre…
2025-10-25
The Power of Time
Time is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. It shapes every choice we make—how we work, rest, connect, and grow. Yet for many of us, time has become a source of pressure rather than possibility. We rush from on…
2025-10-18
The Power of Radical Responsibility
We live in an age that makes it easy to blame something outside of ourselves — our upbringing, our circumstances, our partner, our government, the system, even fate. And while each of these carries real weight, there’s a…
2025-10-11
Reprogramming Limiting Beliefs: How to Rewrite Your Inner Narrative
Every person lives inside a story. Not just the stories told in childhood or the ones written in our culture, but the invisible scripts that shape how we see ourselves, others, and the world. These inner narratives guide…
2025-10-05
Fear as a Teacher
Fear has always been part of the human story. It lives in the body, in the tremble of the heart before we take a risk, in the hesitation before speaking truth, in the tension that appears whenever we step beyond the know…
2025-09-28
Colorado Psilocybin, Made Clear
Introduction Across Colorado, a quiet shift is underway. For the first time, adults seeking safe, guided transformation with psilocybin can do so within a fully legal framework. This change opens doors for those who feel…
2025-09-28
The Psychedelic Renaissance: Medicine for a Wounded World
There are moments in history when a culture reaches a breaking point—when the old ways of coping no longer sustain us, and the cracks in our systems expose wounds that can no longer be ignored. The rising tide of depress…
2025-09-22
Answering the Crisis of Our Times: Why People Choose to Become Psychedelic Facilitators
We live in a moment of profound uncertainty. Political division, ecological crisis, and widespread mental health struggles weigh heavily on the collective psyche. For many, traditional solutions no longer feel sufficient…
2025-09-14
The Pulse of Aliveness
There are seasons when life feels muted, like we are moving through the days in grayscale. We wake up, go through the motions, stay busy, but something in us remains untouched, waiting. Then there are the flashes—the cra…
2025-09-06
Ayahuasca in Colorado Tradition Legality and Ceremonia’s Next Chapter
Ayahuasca, often called the vine of the soul, is a sacred brew from the Amazon that has been used for centuries in Indigenous traditions for healing, ceremony, and spiritual guidance. It is prepared by combining the Bani…
2025-06-29
Crossing the Threshold
Endings are sacred. They are the quiet thresholds between what was and what is yet to come. In the psychedelic journey, the descent from peak experience back into ordinary life can feel like a kind of death—a return that…
2025-06-15
Psychedelic Science 2025
This week, Denver becomes the epicenter of a global movement as it hosts Psychedelic Science 2025, the largest psychedelic conference in history. Organized by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MA…
2025-06-08
Psychedelics And Neuroplasticity
In the evolving landscape of psychedelic research and practice, a compelling narrative is emerging—one that intertwines the brain's capacity for change with the heart's intrinsic wisdom. Psychedelics, long revered for th…
2025-06-01
Psychedelics And Nature
In the modern resurgence of psychedelics, a profound theme emerges: a rekindled connection to the Earth. Beyond their therapeutic potential, psychedelics often catalyze a deep sense of unity with nature, dissolving perce…
2025-05-25
Stewarding Psychedelics
As the modern psychedelic renaissance unfolds, it's essential to recognize that the use of entheogenic substances is not a novel phenomenon but deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. For millennia, Indigenous communitie…
2025-05-18
Using Psychedelics In Different Settings
Psychedelics have long been woven into the human experience, serving as tools for exploration, healing, and connection. Today, their use spans a spectrum—from recreational enjoyment to therapeutic intervention, ceremonia…
2025-05-10
Building Safety With Psychedelics
Psychedelic experiences, particularly with psilocybin, can open profound avenues for healing and selfdiscovery. However, they can also evoke intense emotions, including fear and anxiety. Understanding and working with ou…
2025-05-04
Integrating Ritual into Daily Life
In modern life, it's easy to separate the sacred from the mundane. Rituals are often reserved for special occasions, religious holidays, or formal ceremonies. Yet for thousands of years, cultures across the globe have wo…
2025-04-27
Trusting the Inner Healing Intelligence
There is an ancient and emerging truth echoing across traditions, psychology, and science: healing is not something we create—it is something we allow. Deep within every human being lies an innate drive toward wholeness,…
2025-04-20
Bicycle Day and the Rebirth of Psychedelic Healing
Each year on April 19th, the psychedelic community honors Bicycle Day, commemorating the first intentional LSD experience by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1943. This day not only marks a pivotal moment in scientific di…
2025-04-05
Growing Up Psychedelic
Personal and collective transformation involves multiple dimensions, one of which is "Growing Up"—the process of advancing through stages of psychological and emotional maturity. Ken Wilber, in his book Finding Radical W…
2025-04-03
Join Our Final Journeys at Ceremonia’s Sacred Space
After guiding hundreds through lifechanging transformation, Ceremonia’s Sacred Space will soon close its doors as we search for a new home that aligns with Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act. If you’ve been waiting f…
2025-03-30
Cleaning Up With Psychedelics
Embarking on a journey of personal and collective transformation necessitates confronting and integrating our psychological shadows—a process Ken Wilber, a leading figure in transpersonal psychology, terms "Cleaning Up."…
2025-03-23
Waking Up With Psychedelics
As humanity faces unprecedented global challenges, there is a notable resurgence in the exploration of psychedelics as tools for personal and collective transformation. This revival aligns with a broader cultural shift t…
2025-03-16
Psychedelics and Integral Theory A Path to Collective Awakening
As humanity stands at the threshold of a global transformation, psychedelics are reemerging as powerful catalysts for healing and evolution. Once marginalized and misunderstood, these ancient tools are now being recogniz…
2025-03-08
Psychedelics And The Intelligence of the Heart
For centuries, mystics, healers, and indigenous wisdom traditions have spoken of the heart as the true center of perception and knowing. Far from being just a muscle that pumps blood, modern science now affirms what anci…
2025-03-02
Mastering Your Nervous System for Deep Psychedelic Healing
Psychedelic experiences can open profound doorways to healing, but they can also bring up intense emotions, memories, and sensations. Whether we are working through past trauma, expanding our consciousness, or deepening…
2025-02-23
Healing the Heart with Psychedelics and Emotional Integration
Emotions are at the core of the human experience, shaping how we connect with ourselves, others, and the world around us. Yet many of us were never taught how to process them in a healthy way. Instead, we suppress grief,…
2025-02-16
Circling and Psychedelics
The psychedelic experience often brings profound realizations, but true transformation happens in how we integrate those insights into daily life. One powerful practice for integration is Circling—a relational meditation…
2025-02-02
Inside-Out Mastery: The Blueprint Behind Awaken at Home
If you tuned into our recent conversation with Matias De Stefano and Robert Edward Grant, you already know that the journey into psychedelic experiences is about so much more than a momentary escape—it’s about accessing…
2025-02-01
Expanding Consciousness with Psychedelics and Transpersonal Psychology
For those who have ventured into the depths of a psychedelic experience, the journey often feels like more than just an altered state—it can be a direct encounter with something vast, mysterious, and profoundly meaningfu…
2025-01-25
Finding Meaning in Unexpected Psychedelic Journeys
For many, the allure of psychedelics lies in their reputation for catalyzing profound, lifealtering experiences. Vivid visuals, deep emotional releases, and an overwhelming sense of connection are often expected outcomes…
2025-01-19
Becoming A Psychedelic Alchemist
Throughout history, alchemy has captivated humanity as both a mystical and practical art, often reduced to the quest for turning lead into gold. Yet, beneath its literal interpretations lies a rich metaphorical framework…
2025-01-12
Psychedelics And The Shadow
Carl Jung described the shadow as the aspects of ourselves we repress or deny—traits, impulses, and memories we disown because they conflict with our ideal selfimage or societal expectations. These hidden aspects don’t d…
2025-01-04
Journey Into the Psyche With Jungian Psychology and Psychedelics
Carl Jung’s groundbreaking work on the psyche has provided a rich framework for understanding the complex interplay between the conscious mind, the unconscious, and personal transformation. When combined with the transfo…
2024-12-28
Make 2025 Your Breakthrough Year
As the final days of the year unfold, many of us find ourselves in a reflective state, looking back on the moments that shaped us and considering how we want to grow in the year ahead. This time is not only an opportunit…
2024-12-21
Winter Solstice and the Ancient Roots of Healing
The winter solstice, the longest night of the year, has been revered for centuries as a profound moment of transition. It marks the turning point when darkness begins to wane, and the light slowly returns, embodying them…
2024-12-14
Navigating Challenging Psychedelic Experiences
Psychedelic experiences can open doors to profound insights and healing, but they can also be intense, uncomfortable, and emotionally demanding. What some call a "bad trip" is often better understood as a challenging exp…
2024-12-08
Breaking the Cycle of Suffering with Psychedelics
The human experience is inextricably tied to suffering—an undeniable truth echoed across centuries and cultures. In Buddhist psychology, suffering is not viewed as an inescapable fate but as a phenomenon deeply interconn…
2024-12-01
The Psychedelic Path to Creativity
The relationship between psychedelics and creativity is as timeless as art itself. Across cultures and centuries, altered states of consciousness have inspired transformative works of art and music, serving as a wellspri…
2024-11-24
Rewiring Your Mind for Growth with Psychedelics
Psychedelics are increasingly recognized for their ability to promote neuroplasticity—the brain’s capacity to rewire itself by forming new neural connections. This remarkable quality opens the door to profound personal t…
2024-11-17
Psychedelics and the Evolution of Humanity
Human history is intertwined with the natural world in profound and often mysterious ways. Among the most fascinating threads in this tapestry is the role that psychedelics—naturally occurring plant medicines and fungi—m…
2024-11-09
Psychedelics and The Wisdom of Your Nervous System
Understanding how to work with triggers and regulate our nervous system is foundational for healing and personal growth. Psychedelics, when used thoughtfully, can aid in this process by helping individuals access and rep…
2024-11-02
Healing Attachment Wounds with Psychedelics
Our capacity for trust, vulnerability, and connection often traces back to the fundamental bonds formed in early childhood. Through the lens of developmental psychology, attachment theory shows us how these early relatio…
2024-10-27
Your Hero's Journey Through Psychedelics
In the timeless narrative of human growth, the hero’s journey serves as a powerful map for personal transformation. This concept, shaped by mythologist Joseph Campbell, illustrates a universal story structure that appear…
2024-10-19
Reconnecting with Nature Through Psychedelics
In our modern world, we often find ourselves disconnected from the natural environment that once nourished our ancestors. The urban lifestyle, fastpaced digital age, and societal pressures can create a sense of isolation…
2024-10-12
Healing Trauma Through Psychedelics and the Body’s Innate Wisdom
Psychedelics have been hailed as powerful tools for healing trauma, working with the body’s innate intelligence to process and release deeply held wounds. Leading voices in trauma therapy like Gabor Maté and Donald Kalsc…
2024-10-06
Transform Your Psychedelic Insights with the Power of Circling
After a profound psychedelic journey, the question many people face is: “How do I bring the insights from my experience into my everyday life?” This process, known as integration, is crucial for turning psychedelic heali…
2024-09-29
Harness the Healing Power of Psychedelics and Somatic Psychology&nbsp;
In recent years, the intersection of psychedelics and somatic psychology has opened powerful new pathways for healing. By integrating these modalities, individuals can achieve a deeper connection between the mind and bod…
2024-09-22
Unlocking Deep Healing with IFS and Psychedelics
Internal Family Systems (IFS), a groundbreaking therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, has gained popularity for its ability to guide people through the complexity of their inner worlds. At its core, IFS…
2024-09-15
The Difference Between True Healing and Spiritual Bypassing
The term "spiritual bypassing" has become increasingly relevant in discussions about both modern spirituality and the use of psychedelics for healing. Coined by psychologist John Welwood in the 1980s, spiritual bypassing…
2024-09-08
Setting A Powerful Intention for a Transformative Psychedelic Experience
When preparing for a psychedelic ceremony, the importance of setting a powerful intention cannot be overstated. This single act has the ability to shape the course of your journey, allowing you to approach the experience…
2024-08-30
Awakening the Compassionate Heart with Psychedelics and Loving-Kindness Meditation
Psychedelics have long been revered for their ability to open the heart and expand consciousness, leading to profound insights and emotional breakthroughs. When combined with lovingkindness meditation, these experiences…
2024-08-25
How To Harness Psychedelic Insights to Create Lasting Transformation
Integration is Essential: The true power of a psychedelic experience lies in how well you integrate the insights into your daily life. Community Matters: Surrounding yourself with supportive people who understand your jo…
2024-08-18
How to Train Your Mind for Psychedelics
Enhanced Spiritual Growth: Combining psychedelics with meditation amplifies the potential for spiritual insights and deeper connection to the self. Grounding Techniques: Practices like breathwork and concentration medita…
2024-08-09
The Power of Community in Psychedelic Integration
Psychedelic experiences are deeply personal, yet the way they are processed and integrated into everyday life often depends on the social environment in which they occur. A recent study in the Southeastern United States…
2024-08-04
Set, Setting, and Community in Psychedelic Experiences
In the realm of psychedelic experiences, the concepts of "set" and "setting" are fundamental. These terms refer to the mental state (set) and the physical and social environment (setting) in which the experience takes pl…
2024-07-27
Exploring the Transformative Power of Psychedelic Retreats: A Deep Dive into Ceremonia Circle
In the third and final installment of our series reflecting on the experience of writer, podcaster, and recent Ceremonia alumni David Shapiro, we explore the structure and essence of a Ceremonia Circle retreat. This post…
2024-07-20
Discovering Renewal: A Journey at Ceremonia
Last week we referenced an article by writer and podcaster Dave Shapiro exploring the unfolding psychedelic renaissance. This week, we continue with the second part of the series where he shares his transformative experi…
2024-07-14
Welcome to the Psychedelic Renaissance by David Shapiro
The world is experiencing a Psychedelic Renaissance, a transformative movement in spirituality and healing that promises profound personal growth and societal change. Recently, David Shapiro, a recent alumnus of Journey…
2024-07-07
Finding Peace and Insight Through Meditation
Embrace mindfulness and equanimity in daily life. Use meditation to understand and manage emotions and pain. Recognize the lawfulness of karma and its influence on our lives. Develop compassion and lovingkindness towards…
2024-07-03
An Alumni-exclusive Offer and Ask for Support
Did you know that you are a part of history? Two years and 200 alumni later, Ceremonia is preparing to be one of Colorado's first licensed 🍄 centers. Now, more than ever, we are calling for your support (and providing s…
2024-07-03
The Synergy of Psychedelic Therapy and Shamanic Ceremony
In recent years, the field of psychedelic therapy has gained significant traction as a powerful tool for healing and personal growth. At the intersection of ancient traditions and modern science, the combination of psych…
2024-06-30
Spirituality is What Deeply Heals
Psychotherapy provides tools for understanding and controlling our mental patterns, helping us reconcile our past experiences. Spirituality encourages surrender and acceptance, allowing us to embrace the uncertainty and…
2024-06-21
Zen and Psychedelics
Awareness as the Foundation for Change: You can only consciously change what you are aware of. Zen enhances selfawareness, revealing patterns and behaviors that no longer serve us. Equanimity Leads to Insight: Holding at…
2024-06-08
Integration Begins with Preparation
Integration of psychedelic experiences starts with thorough preparation. Skills learned beforehand ground the psychedelic journey in neuroplasticity. Essential skills include mindfulness, connection, and psychotherapeuti…
2024-05-19
Individual Psychedelic Therapy vs Group Ceremony
Individual therapy offers a deeply personal and private setting for exploration but often comes at a higher cost due to the personalized attention and resources required. Group ceremonies are anchored in thousands of yea…
2024-05-11
Transforming Fear: A Path to Emotional Freedom
Fear, like any emotion, arises due to specific conditions and is neither permanent nor defining of our true selves. Embracing fear with mindfulness allows us to learn from it and diminish its control over our actions and…
2024-05-05
Choosing the Right Psychedelic
A diverse range of psychedelics offers varied therapeutic potentials; informed choice is critical, considering their effects, applications, and legal statuses. Psilocybin and ayahuasca have been decriminalized in Colorad…
2024-04-27
Creating Physical and Emotional Safety in the Psychedelic Experience
Individual therapy offers a deeply personal and private setting for exploration but often comes at a higher cost due to the personalized attention and resources required. Group ceremonies are anchored in thousands of yea…
2024-04-21
Creating Physical and Emotional Safety in the Psychedelic Experience
Facilitators should possess emergency first aid training and knowledge of potential medical issues to ensure physical safety during psychedelic experiences. Emotional safety is bolstered by facilitators with traumainform…
2024-04-14
Spiritual Safety and the Role of Facilitators
Spiritual safety is enhanced by a nondogmatic approach, allowing participants to explore their spiritual experiences without external labels or implications. The energy and orientation of facilitators can significantly i…
2024-04-05
Demystifying 'Bad Trips': Navigating Challenging Experiences
Our relationships serve as mirrors, reflecting aspects of ourselves that need attention and healing. Triggers are opportunities for growth, guiding us towards greater selfawareness and authenticity. By taking responsibil…
2024-03-31
Navigating the Psychedelic Experience
This blog is a preview of the free Foundations of Psychedelic Healing: A Guide to Safe and Lasting Transformations course. The psychedelic experience is inherently unpredictable, and a flexible, open mindset is crucial f…
2024-03-24
Trigger Treasure Hunting
Our relationships serve as mirrors, reflecting aspects of ourselves that need attention and healing. Triggers are opportunities for growth, guiding us towards greater selfawareness and authenticity. By taking responsibil…
2024-03-16
Listen to the Wisdom in the Body
Healing emerges from the nonresistance of feelings, urging us towards a deeper engagement with our bodily sensations rather than pushing them away. Through practices like mindfulness and the "Letting Go" method, we learn…
2024-03-09
How Buddha Revolutionized Meditation
Buddha's methods transformed meditation by emphasizing the separation of awareness into thoughts, feelings, and sensations. This innovative approach leads to a deeper understanding of self and reality, fostering insight…
2024-03-02
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
Life's challenges signal the need for change toward authenticity. Resistance to life's flow can manifest as physical and emotional suffering. Embracing pain and challenges can lead to significant personal breakthroughs.…
2024-02-25
The Double Edge of Awareness
Awareness expansion through practices like mindfulness and psychedelics broadens our emotional spectrum. This heightened awareness intensifies our experience of both pain and pleasure, revealing a greater contrast in lif…
2024-02-19
Ayahuasca vs. Psilocybin in Shamanism
Ayahuasca and Psilocybin offer unique, transformative experiences; Ayahuasca is seen as a guiding "Grandmother," while Psilocybin is likened to "Wise Children" of the forest. Both plant medicines facilitate deep introspe…
2024-02-11
The Allure of Authenticity
Suffering arises when we stray from our truth, which is both subjective and objective. Authenticity demands courage to confront and express our deepest feelings, understanding that beneath emotions like anger are primary…
2024-02-04
The Timeless Path of Slowing Down
Rushing stems from a fear of death, creating anxiety and detracting from the quality of life. Adopting an abundance mindset towards time can transform our approach to living. Slowing down is a spiritual practice that enr…
2024-01-28
Announcing OPEN Course with AI
Imagine if Tony Robbins, Warren Buffett, and the Dalai Lama were your personal coaches. How quickly could you become the pinnacle of who you are meant to be? We are excited to announce the first online course by Ceremoni…
2024-01-19
A Relationship is a Spiritual Path
Exploring the deeper realms of relationships reveals an exhilarating path to spiritual growth. Far from being mere companionships, relationships offer transformative experiences, facilitating mutual discovery and guiding…
2024-01-13
AI in Therapy and Coaching: Revolutionizing Personal Development
In a world where AI is revolutionizing industries from education to healthcare, its impact on personal development is particularly profound. Imagine an AIpowered classroom where the curriculum dynamically adapts to each…
2024-01-06
Connection Begins Inside
Have you ever realized that the secret to the deepest connections in your life might actually reside within you? As we embark on this journey of selfdiscovery, let's explore how cultivating a rich inner world can open th…
2023-12-30ARCHIVE
New Year, Sharper Mind
Welcome to the first part of our fourpart series aimed at rejuvenating your mind, body, spirit, and heart for the New Year. This section focuses on the mind, offering a holistic approach to enhancing cognitive functions,…
2023-12-24ARCHIVE
Deepen Your Connections Over the Holidays
The holiday season is an ideal time to deepen family bonds through heartfelt conversations. Creating a safe, open environment for sharing is crucial for fostering authentic connections. Here’s how you can set the stage f…
2023-12-17ARCHIVE
Read These Transformational Books for the Holidays
As the holiday season approaches, it's a perfect time to cozy up by the fire with a book that not only entertains but also enlightens. Here are some thoughtprovoking book recommendations that can offer greater clarity, p…
2023-12-10ARCHIVE
Let It Sing
Let it sing. Let yourself surrender. Let yourself receive. This path, who knows Only the way knows the way Let yourself relax. Breathe. Be messy. Let yourself bend, let yourself fray Nobody is perfect We are all just try…
2023-11-26ARCHIVE
Beyond Gratitude
As we gather this Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, we're reminded of the importance of gratitude in our lives. Yet, true gratitude extends far beyond the festive table and the customary expressions of thankfulness. It is…
2023-11-12ARCHIVE
The Paradox of Suffering
In the complex spectrum of human emotions, suffering occupies a unique, paradoxical role. It's an element of life that can be a source of both profound pain and significant growth. Understanding this duality, and the pat…
2023-11-05ARCHIVE
Meeting Your Inner Child
The pursuit of selfdiscovery often leads us inward to the tender realms of our early years, where the seeds of our current selves were planted. To meet your inner child is to engage in an intimate dialogue with the echoe…
2023-10-29ARCHIVE
The Science and Impact of Psilocybin
In recent years, scientific research into the effects of psychedelics and psilocybin has grown exponentially, shedding new light on their transformative potential. From enhancing creativity and fostering spiritual growth…
2023-10-22ARCHIVE
Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
We often grow up with the notion that for growth to be valuable, it must come through adversity, struggle, or hardship. This is evident in how we are encouraged to break through physical, emotional, or mental barriers to…
2023-10-15ARCHIVE
Dynamic Spirituality
In our pursuit to understand and share spiritual experiences, we often use words, rituals, and organized systems of belief. While these help in providing a framework, they can also become barriers. At Ceremonia, we encou…
2023-10-10ARCHIVE
Alumni Announcements: Referrals, Ayahuasca, and More
Can you believe 2023 is almost at an end? Who were you at the beginning of this year? How have you grown? As an alumnus of Ceremonia's Awaken program, you might reflect upon the impact that Ceremonia and plant sacraments…
2023-10-08ARCHIVE
The Hidden Harm of Spiritual Bypassing
Psychedelic therapy and plant medicine ceremony presents an unparalleled opportunity for healing and growth, even for those that have used psychedelics recreationally. We can encounter transformative experiences often eq…
2023-10-01ARCHIVE
From Success to Fulfillment
Why do we strive so relentlessly for success? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is rooted in our quest for safety. In an uncertain world, we work tirelessly to amass assets, investments, and plans, all in an effort to cr…
2023-10-01ARCHIVE
Schedule Private Group Info Sessions
We've heard you. Many of our cherished alumni have reached out asking for a way to share the transformative Ceremonia experience with their own circles of friends, family, and professional organizations. We're delighted…
2023-09-27ARCHIVE
Introducing New OPEN Weekend Retreats
We're excited to announce OPEN, a new 4week program and weekend retreat as an introduction to accelerated transformation. More than 100+ alumni of our 8week journeys in the past year have raved that their experience at C…
2023-09-24ARCHIVE
Who We Choose
Imagine your life was a simulation… like a video game, except the end goal is love, joy, peace, and enlightenment. In your video game, how do the challenges in your life advance you towards this endpoint? Who are the peo…
2023-09-17ARCHIVE
Money, Spirituality, and the Abundant Soul
In the realm of selfgrowth and spirituality, money often finds itself demonized, as if pursuing financial abundance is contrary to a journey towards higher consciousness. For some, the pursuit of wealth is often perceive…
2023-09-10ARCHIVE
Why is This Happening For Me?
Consciousness is a dance between shadow and light. One of the most profound transformations occurs when we step from victimhood into sovereignty and then creatorship. This transition transcends mere change; it is a metam…
2023-09-02ARCHIVE
The Ocean of No Mind
In the expanse of an average day, the human mind is a labyrinth of some 70,000 thoughts. One might ask, how many of these thoughts are Atlaslike, carrying the weight of the world on their proverbial shoulders? And how ma…
2023-08-28ARCHIVE
The Magic of Burning Man
Today, as arid winds dance across an expanse of undulating dust, the gates of Burning Man open to a deluge of 80,000 souls. Souls yearning for an escape from digital leashes, embracing instead the raw, tactile embrace of…
2023-08-20ARCHIVE
Thank You
Thank you for the connection between things The energy that draws us together The binding of the trees to each other The roots of the Earth and the water underneath us The soil that feeds us The love from Maya to us all…
2023-08-06ARCHIVE
Picking a Psychedelic Facilitator
Psychedelic healing, often encapsulated as ten years of therapy condensed into ten soulstirring hours, has the potential to be transformative. Indeed, 96% of those who attend our Colorado psilocybin retreat or Colorado a…
2023-07-30ARCHIVE
People change. So can you.
In the tapestry of our lives, we weave threads of relationships with people we are close to. As we reflect upon those we haven't interacted with in some time, we may summon the last memory, the fading impression, the end…
2023-07-23ARCHIVE
How to Choose the Right Psychedelic Practitioner
At Ceremonia, our nonprofit psychedelic church near Denver, Colorado, we recognize the profound impact of psychedelic healing, and we place paramount importance on selecting the right facilitators to guide participants t…
2023-07-16ARCHIVE
When Values Become Dogma
Values are a codification of our Inner Truth. They provide cues guide our spiritual evolution, a path that can be made more distinct during our experiences at a psilocybin retreat. But our values can solidify into dogmas…
2023-07-09ARCHIVE
Ceremony
Drink deeply. Now begins your sacred journey. The space between thoughts is beckoning. Truth awaits those who wait patiently. The spirit craves its reckoning. Close your eyes. Hear the song of your soul. You lie at the b…
2023-07-02ARCHIVE
Modern Enlightenment at Conscious Entrepreneur Summit
Slides from Modern Enlightenment at CES 2023 speech Transcription: One of the formative memories for me as a child was being with my mother as she was broken down on the floor crying. I remember singing to her an improvi…
2023-06-26ARCHIVE
Resistance and the Psychedelic Experience
Psychedelic therapy is often related to 10 years of therapy in 10 hours. Indeed, we've seen the profound metamorphosis that unfolds, transcending the boundaries of personal growth our participants have been working on fo…
2023-06-18ARCHIVE
The Need for Self-guidance
In the realm of spiritual exploration, we encounter an extraordinary gift of the 20th century the resurgence of entheogenic medicines. These sacred substances offer us a profound pathway into the mysterious labyrinth of…
2023-06-12ARCHIVE
The Path of Least Suffering
The post below continues the story of Ceremonia cofounder Austin Mao of creating the process of Modern Enlightenment: an integrated approach of psychology and spirituality to work with plant sacraments. The first post is…
2023-05-28ARCHIVE
The Renaissance of Me
The post below shares the story of Ceremonia cofounder Austin Mao of how he would come to discover plant sacraments. It is part one of a speech being shared at the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit in Boulder, Colorado on Ju…
2023-05-14ARCHIVE
Fragments of the Divine
Touch in, touch out Here are fragments of the Divine Truth. Love. Purpose. Ringing through the halls of time. The journey is always inwards Towards the light inside Through the heart Harnessed by the powers of the mind.…
2023-05-07ARCHIVE
Psychedelics, AI, and the Singularity of the Soul
We are at the precipice of a human revolution. Transcending suffering has never been easier, more accessible, and rapid due to advances in psychotherapy, neuroscience, biohacking, psychedelics, and spiritual technology.…
2023-04-30ARCHIVE
From the Depths
From the very depths Of a place where I disbelieved The Truth within me I found the courage to be I found the voice of spirituality A fierceness, a passion For my existence, for my being From the very depths Of a spiritu…
2023-04-23ARCHIVE
The Practice of Enlightening
Enlightenment is often viewed as an impossible state to achieve. The notion might seem only reachable through a monastic life of renunciation and devotion to meditation. Even at the beginning stages of learning to medita…
2023-04-16ARCHIVE
The Power of Love
What would be more healing: an hour with Freud or an hour with Ram Dass? This question underpins a nuance of the psychospiritual process that lays at the heart of Ceremonia’s thesis: that unconditional love is the soil i…
2023-04-09ARCHIVE
God’s Vision
This is a poem written by Ceremonia cofounder, Austin Mao, while in ayahuasca ceremony. I feel the energy inside. A breath of relief. Allowing myself the safety To be vulnerable, To cry. I give thanks to my journey. The…
2023-04-02ARCHIVE
The Art of Attunement
Service is an essential part of the human experience and foundational to spiritual growth. At the heart of service lies the desire to create deep, impactful, and meaningful relationships with those we serve. Attunement i…
2023-03-27ARCHIVE
Illusion and Essence
Our human lives begin in a place of unity. We are one with our mothers in the womb: breathing the same air, eating the same food, and feeling the same feelings. Then, birth heralds the shift into separateness. The baby b…
2023-03-19ARCHIVE
What We Resist, Persists
There is a spiritual adage: what we resist, persists. Emotional charge that remains unprocessed leads to suffering. A simple spark of frustration, a transient moment of grief, or a sliver of shame… if we turn a blind eye…
2023-03-10ARCHIVE
What It Means to Feel
What is a feeling? Where does it originate from? Where does a feeling go when left ignored? Feelings create thoughts. Consider a feeling like love. How many volumes of texts, how many reels of film and verses of poetry h…
2023-03-05ARCHIVE
Loving All Our Parts
Life seeks to create life. From amoeba to dolphins, from apes to humans, all of life is aimed at safety so that life may perpetuate. Humans are one of the few animals on the planet that require our caretakers to survive.…
2023-02-23ARCHIVE
The Mirror of You
When we feel a feeling, where does it come from? Whether it is love or anger, joy or guilt, we often look outwards for the benefactor or perpetrator of our own inner sensations. It is so much easier to say, “you made me…
2023-02-17ARCHIVE
The Price of Freedom
One of the great ailments of human existence is the experience of rush. We rush through an airport and feel pressure. We rush towards a deadline and feel anxiety. We rush into relationships and feel unworthy. The future…
2023-02-12ARCHIVE
The Myth of Manifesting
“Manifesting” is one of the trendiest words in spiritual circles… the notion of crafting boundless wishes and purpose into form. Life coaches on Instagram promise that their process will help you manifest more money, bet…
2023-02-03ARCHIVE
The Human Experience: the Mind, Body, and Spirit
There are three layers to the human experience: the mind, body, and spirit. The mind is a sharp tool. It can be precise and focused. We know the mind well because we have spent our whole lives in the mind. The mind belie…
2023-01-28ARCHIVE
Content vs. Process: the Key to Durable Transformation
One of the remarkable differences between traditional talk therapy and psychedelicassisted therapy/ceremony is how accelerated the healing process can be. Work with plant medicines is often described as “ten years of the…
2023-01-21ARCHIVE
Your Enlightened Vision
The Enlightened Vision is who you are before your physical body takes its final breath. We offer this practice of the Enlightened Vision to frame what is truly important to you as millions of people around the world are…
2023-01-15ARCHIVE
Psychedelics, Psychology, and the Soul
The word psychology is the study of psyche, which is the synonym for “self: atman, soul, spirit; subjectivity: higher self, spiritual self, spirit.” The roots of psychology were deeply embedded in the study of the spirit…
2023-01-06ARCHIVE
The Pursuit of Wholeness
In the beginning, there was the Spark. The Big Bang exploded into stars. Stars formed planets. Planets became mountains, trees, and water. The elements birthed amoeba, then fish, then dinosaurs and reptiles. Mammals, ape…
2023-01-01ARCHIVE
The Enlightened Vision
Ram Dass believed everyone achieves enlightenment at death. In that final nanosecond of life, every human being–no matter what life they have lived or what suffering they have gripped onto–experiences a total surrender t…
2022-12-25ARCHIVE
Who Are You?
Who are you? When did you become you? Are you this body? Are you your job, relationships, accolades, or hobbies? Are you your successes or failures? Are you your thoughts, senses, intuitions, or stories? When you close y…
2022-12-14ARCHIVE
Modern Enlightenment: How to Awaken, Heal, and Manifest
Enlightenment is classically defined as a nondual state of ultimate peace, bliss, joy, meaning, and fulfillment. While this state represents the ultimate destination of spirituality, the Inner Journey itself bears fruit…
2022-12-11ARCHIVE
The Subjective Truth &amp; Your Innate Power
Words are frameworks to communicate ideas. When we use a word like “spirit” or “God”, this may invoke different ideas in each person. One person might imagine a wise old man in the clouds; another might see a smiling, fa…
2022-11-24ARCHIVE
Gratitude &amp; the Miracle of Life
There is a certain texture to the feeling of gratitude that transcends labels of happiness, joy, or love. Gratitude is classically defined as the recognition that something provides you value. Yet “value” feels insuffici…
2022-11-17ARCHIVE
Dogmatic About Non-dogma: A Lesson in Discernment
I felt triggered within an integration circle after an Ayahuasca ceremony two weeks ago after the shaman shared his beliefs as truth. I sat with my feelings, quieting my mind to hunt for the righteousness within me that…
2019-03-11ARCHIVE
We Are Evolving. Let's Grow Together.
Ceremonia’s first journey was on June 27, 2022 with just four people. In 14 months and 13 journeys later, we now count 111 alumni. This means 111 people have answered their own inner calling and dived into the depths of…

Writing

Blog

Essays on plant medicine, integration, ceremony, and inspired living. By Austin Mao and the Ceremonia team.

151 posts · migrated from Squarespace 2026-05

2026-01-11
Healing Happens In Connection
The new year often invites reflection. We look at who we want to become and what habits no longer serve us. But as we explored in our last reflection on cultivating a way of being, lasting change rarely comes from willpo…
2026-01-03
The New Year Shift That Actually Changes Your Life
The New Year arrives with a familiar pressure to decide who we’re going to be. Goals line up like resolutions waiting for discipline to enforce them. And yet, if you’ve lived long enough to make and break a few, you alre…
2025-12-21
Values: The Hidden Force Shaping Your Life
There is a quiet question running beneath most of our stress, confusion, and exhaustion. It doesn’t usually announce itself directly. It shows up as feeling scattered. Overcommitted. Pulled in too many directions. Busy b…
2025-12-06
WINTERING: Moving With The SEASONs
Winter has a way of slowing the world down. Not in a dramatic, cinematic way, but quietly—softly—like a reminder we didn’t know we needed. The air changes. The light thins. Trees stand in their bare, honest silhouettes.…
2025-11-29
The Quiet Revolution of Gratitude
Thanksgiving weekend naturally nudges many of us into reflection—not because we’re told to be grateful, but because the pace of life slows just enough for us to actually feel it. The gatherings, the quiet moments, the fa…
2025-11-21
The Medicine of Rest and the Healing Power of Play
There is a moment — often subtle, almost too soft to hear — when the body whispers before it ever screams. A tightening in the chest. A flicker of exhaustion behind the eyes. A sense that the world is getting louder not…
2025-11-16
MANIFESTING: THE COURAGE TO WANT WHAT YOU WANT
Many people begin their transformational journey with a subtle sense that something in their life is meant to expand. It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes it shows up as restlessness, other times as a quiet knowing, or a…
2025-11-08
From Performance to Presence — Why Healing Is the New Success
For most of the last century, success has meant performance: the ability to produce, to achieve, to rise above. The icons of the modern age were defined by output — how much they could do, build, or control. Yet beneath…
2025-11-02
Reclaiming Creativity
There’s a spark inside every human being—a quiet, steady pulse of imagination that longs to express itself. We feel it in the urge to paint or write, to start a business, to dance, to solve a problem no one else can. Cre…
2025-10-25
The Power of Time
Time is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. It shapes every choice we make—how we work, rest, connect, and grow. Yet for many of us, time has become a source of pressure rather than possibility. We rush from on…
2025-10-18
The Power of Radical Responsibility
We live in an age that makes it easy to blame something outside of ourselves — our upbringing, our circumstances, our partner, our government, the system, even fate. And while each of these carries real weight, there’s a…
2025-10-11
Reprogramming Limiting Beliefs: How to Rewrite Your Inner Narrative
Every person lives inside a story. Not just the stories told in childhood or the ones written in our culture, but the invisible scripts that shape how we see ourselves, others, and the world. These inner narratives guide…
2025-10-05
Fear as a Teacher
Fear has always been part of the human story. It lives in the body, in the tremble of the heart before we take a risk, in the hesitation before speaking truth, in the tension that appears whenever we step beyond the know…
2025-09-28
Colorado Psilocybin, Made Clear
Introduction Across Colorado, a quiet shift is underway. For the first time, adults seeking safe, guided transformation with psilocybin can do so within a fully legal framework. This change opens doors for those who feel…
2025-09-28
The Psychedelic Renaissance: Medicine for a Wounded World
There are moments in history when a culture reaches a breaking point—when the old ways of coping no longer sustain us, and the cracks in our systems expose wounds that can no longer be ignored. The rising tide of depress…
2025-09-22
Answering the Crisis of Our Times: Why People Choose to Become Psychedelic Facilitators
We live in a moment of profound uncertainty. Political division, ecological crisis, and widespread mental health struggles weigh heavily on the collective psyche. For many, traditional solutions no longer feel sufficient…
2025-09-14
The Pulse of Aliveness
There are seasons when life feels muted, like we are moving through the days in grayscale. We wake up, go through the motions, stay busy, but something in us remains untouched, waiting. Then there are the flashes—the cra…
2025-09-06
Ayahuasca in Colorado Tradition Legality and Ceremonia’s Next Chapter
Ayahuasca, often called the vine of the soul, is a sacred brew from the Amazon that has been used for centuries in Indigenous traditions for healing, ceremony, and spiritual guidance. It is prepared by combining the Bani…
2025-06-29
Crossing the Threshold
Endings are sacred. They are the quiet thresholds between what was and what is yet to come. In the psychedelic journey, the descent from peak experience back into ordinary life can feel like a kind of death—a return that…
2025-06-15
Psychedelic Science 2025
This week, Denver becomes the epicenter of a global movement as it hosts Psychedelic Science 2025, the largest psychedelic conference in history. Organized by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MA…
2025-06-08
Psychedelics And Neuroplasticity
In the evolving landscape of psychedelic research and practice, a compelling narrative is emerging—one that intertwines the brain's capacity for change with the heart's intrinsic wisdom. Psychedelics, long revered for th…
2025-06-01
Psychedelics And Nature
In the modern resurgence of psychedelics, a profound theme emerges: a rekindled connection to the Earth. Beyond their therapeutic potential, psychedelics often catalyze a deep sense of unity with nature, dissolving perce…
2025-05-25
Stewarding Psychedelics
As the modern psychedelic renaissance unfolds, it's essential to recognize that the use of entheogenic substances is not a novel phenomenon but deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. For millennia, Indigenous communitie…
2025-05-18
Using Psychedelics In Different Settings
Psychedelics have long been woven into the human experience, serving as tools for exploration, healing, and connection. Today, their use spans a spectrum—from recreational enjoyment to therapeutic intervention, ceremonia…
2025-05-10
Building Safety With Psychedelics
Psychedelic experiences, particularly with psilocybin, can open profound avenues for healing and selfdiscovery. However, they can also evoke intense emotions, including fear and anxiety. Understanding and working with ou…
2025-05-04
Integrating Ritual into Daily Life
In modern life, it's easy to separate the sacred from the mundane. Rituals are often reserved for special occasions, religious holidays, or formal ceremonies. Yet for thousands of years, cultures across the globe have wo…
2025-04-27
Trusting the Inner Healing Intelligence
There is an ancient and emerging truth echoing across traditions, psychology, and science: healing is not something we create—it is something we allow. Deep within every human being lies an innate drive toward wholeness,…
2025-04-20
Bicycle Day and the Rebirth of Psychedelic Healing
Each year on April 19th, the psychedelic community honors Bicycle Day, commemorating the first intentional LSD experience by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1943. This day not only marks a pivotal moment in scientific di…
2025-04-05
Growing Up Psychedelic
Personal and collective transformation involves multiple dimensions, one of which is "Growing Up"—the process of advancing through stages of psychological and emotional maturity. Ken Wilber, in his book Finding Radical W…
2025-04-03
Join Our Final Journeys at Ceremonia’s Sacred Space
After guiding hundreds through lifechanging transformation, Ceremonia’s Sacred Space will soon close its doors as we search for a new home that aligns with Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act. If you’ve been waiting f…
2025-03-30
Cleaning Up With Psychedelics
Embarking on a journey of personal and collective transformation necessitates confronting and integrating our psychological shadows—a process Ken Wilber, a leading figure in transpersonal psychology, terms "Cleaning Up."…
2025-03-23
Waking Up With Psychedelics
As humanity faces unprecedented global challenges, there is a notable resurgence in the exploration of psychedelics as tools for personal and collective transformation. This revival aligns with a broader cultural shift t…
2025-03-16
Psychedelics and Integral Theory A Path to Collective Awakening
As humanity stands at the threshold of a global transformation, psychedelics are reemerging as powerful catalysts for healing and evolution. Once marginalized and misunderstood, these ancient tools are now being recogniz…
2025-03-08
Psychedelics And The Intelligence of the Heart
For centuries, mystics, healers, and indigenous wisdom traditions have spoken of the heart as the true center of perception and knowing. Far from being just a muscle that pumps blood, modern science now affirms what anci…
2025-03-02
Mastering Your Nervous System for Deep Psychedelic Healing
Psychedelic experiences can open profound doorways to healing, but they can also bring up intense emotions, memories, and sensations. Whether we are working through past trauma, expanding our consciousness, or deepening…
2025-02-23
Healing the Heart with Psychedelics and Emotional Integration
Emotions are at the core of the human experience, shaping how we connect with ourselves, others, and the world around us. Yet many of us were never taught how to process them in a healthy way. Instead, we suppress grief,…
2025-02-16
Circling and Psychedelics
The psychedelic experience often brings profound realizations, but true transformation happens in how we integrate those insights into daily life. One powerful practice for integration is Circling—a relational meditation…
2025-02-02
Inside-Out Mastery: The Blueprint Behind Awaken at Home
If you tuned into our recent conversation with Matias De Stefano and Robert Edward Grant, you already know that the journey into psychedelic experiences is about so much more than a momentary escape—it’s about accessing…
2025-02-01
Expanding Consciousness with Psychedelics and Transpersonal Psychology
For those who have ventured into the depths of a psychedelic experience, the journey often feels like more than just an altered state—it can be a direct encounter with something vast, mysterious, and profoundly meaningfu…
2025-01-25
Finding Meaning in Unexpected Psychedelic Journeys
For many, the allure of psychedelics lies in their reputation for catalyzing profound, lifealtering experiences. Vivid visuals, deep emotional releases, and an overwhelming sense of connection are often expected outcomes…
2025-01-19
Becoming A Psychedelic Alchemist
Throughout history, alchemy has captivated humanity as both a mystical and practical art, often reduced to the quest for turning lead into gold. Yet, beneath its literal interpretations lies a rich metaphorical framework…
2025-01-12
Psychedelics And The Shadow
Carl Jung described the shadow as the aspects of ourselves we repress or deny—traits, impulses, and memories we disown because they conflict with our ideal selfimage or societal expectations. These hidden aspects don’t d…
2025-01-04
Journey Into the Psyche With Jungian Psychology and Psychedelics
Carl Jung’s groundbreaking work on the psyche has provided a rich framework for understanding the complex interplay between the conscious mind, the unconscious, and personal transformation. When combined with the transfo…
2024-12-28
Make 2025 Your Breakthrough Year
As the final days of the year unfold, many of us find ourselves in a reflective state, looking back on the moments that shaped us and considering how we want to grow in the year ahead. This time is not only an opportunit…
2024-12-21
Winter Solstice and the Ancient Roots of Healing
The winter solstice, the longest night of the year, has been revered for centuries as a profound moment of transition. It marks the turning point when darkness begins to wane, and the light slowly returns, embodying them…
2024-12-14
Navigating Challenging Psychedelic Experiences
Psychedelic experiences can open doors to profound insights and healing, but they can also be intense, uncomfortable, and emotionally demanding. What some call a "bad trip" is often better understood as a challenging exp…
2024-12-08
Breaking the Cycle of Suffering with Psychedelics
The human experience is inextricably tied to suffering—an undeniable truth echoed across centuries and cultures. In Buddhist psychology, suffering is not viewed as an inescapable fate but as a phenomenon deeply interconn…
2024-12-01
The Psychedelic Path to Creativity
The relationship between psychedelics and creativity is as timeless as art itself. Across cultures and centuries, altered states of consciousness have inspired transformative works of art and music, serving as a wellspri…
2024-11-24
Rewiring Your Mind for Growth with Psychedelics
Psychedelics are increasingly recognized for their ability to promote neuroplasticity—the brain’s capacity to rewire itself by forming new neural connections. This remarkable quality opens the door to profound personal t…
2024-11-17
Psychedelics and the Evolution of Humanity
Human history is intertwined with the natural world in profound and often mysterious ways. Among the most fascinating threads in this tapestry is the role that psychedelics—naturally occurring plant medicines and fungi—m…
2024-11-09
Psychedelics and The Wisdom of Your Nervous System
Understanding how to work with triggers and regulate our nervous system is foundational for healing and personal growth. Psychedelics, when used thoughtfully, can aid in this process by helping individuals access and rep…
2024-11-02
Healing Attachment Wounds with Psychedelics
Our capacity for trust, vulnerability, and connection often traces back to the fundamental bonds formed in early childhood. Through the lens of developmental psychology, attachment theory shows us how these early relatio…
2024-10-27
Your Hero's Journey Through Psychedelics
In the timeless narrative of human growth, the hero’s journey serves as a powerful map for personal transformation. This concept, shaped by mythologist Joseph Campbell, illustrates a universal story structure that appear…
2024-10-19
Reconnecting with Nature Through Psychedelics
In our modern world, we often find ourselves disconnected from the natural environment that once nourished our ancestors. The urban lifestyle, fastpaced digital age, and societal pressures can create a sense of isolation…
2024-10-12
Healing Trauma Through Psychedelics and the Body’s Innate Wisdom
Psychedelics have been hailed as powerful tools for healing trauma, working with the body’s innate intelligence to process and release deeply held wounds. Leading voices in trauma therapy like Gabor Maté and Donald Kalsc…
2024-10-06
Transform Your Psychedelic Insights with the Power of Circling
After a profound psychedelic journey, the question many people face is: “How do I bring the insights from my experience into my everyday life?” This process, known as integration, is crucial for turning psychedelic heali…
2024-09-29
Harness the Healing Power of Psychedelics and Somatic Psychology&nbsp;
In recent years, the intersection of psychedelics and somatic psychology has opened powerful new pathways for healing. By integrating these modalities, individuals can achieve a deeper connection between the mind and bod…
2024-09-22
Unlocking Deep Healing with IFS and Psychedelics
Internal Family Systems (IFS), a groundbreaking therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, has gained popularity for its ability to guide people through the complexity of their inner worlds. At its core, IFS…
2024-09-15
The Difference Between True Healing and Spiritual Bypassing
The term "spiritual bypassing" has become increasingly relevant in discussions about both modern spirituality and the use of psychedelics for healing. Coined by psychologist John Welwood in the 1980s, spiritual bypassing…
2024-09-08
Setting A Powerful Intention for a Transformative Psychedelic Experience
When preparing for a psychedelic ceremony, the importance of setting a powerful intention cannot be overstated. This single act has the ability to shape the course of your journey, allowing you to approach the experience…
2024-08-30
Awakening the Compassionate Heart with Psychedelics and Loving-Kindness Meditation
Psychedelics have long been revered for their ability to open the heart and expand consciousness, leading to profound insights and emotional breakthroughs. When combined with lovingkindness meditation, these experiences…
2024-08-25
How To Harness Psychedelic Insights to Create Lasting Transformation
Integration is Essential: The true power of a psychedelic experience lies in how well you integrate the insights into your daily life. Community Matters: Surrounding yourself with supportive people who understand your jo…
2024-08-18
How to Train Your Mind for Psychedelics
Enhanced Spiritual Growth: Combining psychedelics with meditation amplifies the potential for spiritual insights and deeper connection to the self. Grounding Techniques: Practices like breathwork and concentration medita…
2024-08-09
The Power of Community in Psychedelic Integration
Psychedelic experiences are deeply personal, yet the way they are processed and integrated into everyday life often depends on the social environment in which they occur. A recent study in the Southeastern United States…
2024-08-04
Set, Setting, and Community in Psychedelic Experiences
In the realm of psychedelic experiences, the concepts of "set" and "setting" are fundamental. These terms refer to the mental state (set) and the physical and social environment (setting) in which the experience takes pl…
2024-07-27
Exploring the Transformative Power of Psychedelic Retreats: A Deep Dive into Ceremonia Circle
In the third and final installment of our series reflecting on the experience of writer, podcaster, and recent Ceremonia alumni David Shapiro, we explore the structure and essence of a Ceremonia Circle retreat. This post…
2024-07-20
Discovering Renewal: A Journey at Ceremonia
Last week we referenced an article by writer and podcaster Dave Shapiro exploring the unfolding psychedelic renaissance. This week, we continue with the second part of the series where he shares his transformative experi…
2024-07-14
Welcome to the Psychedelic Renaissance by David Shapiro
The world is experiencing a Psychedelic Renaissance, a transformative movement in spirituality and healing that promises profound personal growth and societal change. Recently, David Shapiro, a recent alumnus of Journey…
2024-07-07
Finding Peace and Insight Through Meditation
Embrace mindfulness and equanimity in daily life. Use meditation to understand and manage emotions and pain. Recognize the lawfulness of karma and its influence on our lives. Develop compassion and lovingkindness towards…
2024-07-03
An Alumni-exclusive Offer and Ask for Support
Did you know that you are a part of history? Two years and 200 alumni later, Ceremonia is preparing to be one of Colorado's first licensed 🍄 centers. Now, more than ever, we are calling for your support (and providing s…
2024-07-03
The Synergy of Psychedelic Therapy and Shamanic Ceremony
In recent years, the field of psychedelic therapy has gained significant traction as a powerful tool for healing and personal growth. At the intersection of ancient traditions and modern science, the combination of psych…
2024-06-30
Spirituality is What Deeply Heals
Psychotherapy provides tools for understanding and controlling our mental patterns, helping us reconcile our past experiences. Spirituality encourages surrender and acceptance, allowing us to embrace the uncertainty and…
2024-06-21
Zen and Psychedelics
Awareness as the Foundation for Change: You can only consciously change what you are aware of. Zen enhances selfawareness, revealing patterns and behaviors that no longer serve us. Equanimity Leads to Insight: Holding at…
2024-06-08
Integration Begins with Preparation
Integration of psychedelic experiences starts with thorough preparation. Skills learned beforehand ground the psychedelic journey in neuroplasticity. Essential skills include mindfulness, connection, and psychotherapeuti…
2024-05-19
Individual Psychedelic Therapy vs Group Ceremony
Individual therapy offers a deeply personal and private setting for exploration but often comes at a higher cost due to the personalized attention and resources required. Group ceremonies are anchored in thousands of yea…
2024-05-11
Transforming Fear: A Path to Emotional Freedom
Fear, like any emotion, arises due to specific conditions and is neither permanent nor defining of our true selves. Embracing fear with mindfulness allows us to learn from it and diminish its control over our actions and…
2024-05-05
Choosing the Right Psychedelic
A diverse range of psychedelics offers varied therapeutic potentials; informed choice is critical, considering their effects, applications, and legal statuses. Psilocybin and ayahuasca have been decriminalized in Colorad…
2024-04-27
Creating Physical and Emotional Safety in the Psychedelic Experience
Individual therapy offers a deeply personal and private setting for exploration but often comes at a higher cost due to the personalized attention and resources required. Group ceremonies are anchored in thousands of yea…
2024-04-21
Creating Physical and Emotional Safety in the Psychedelic Experience
Facilitators should possess emergency first aid training and knowledge of potential medical issues to ensure physical safety during psychedelic experiences. Emotional safety is bolstered by facilitators with traumainform…
2024-04-14
Spiritual Safety and the Role of Facilitators
Spiritual safety is enhanced by a nondogmatic approach, allowing participants to explore their spiritual experiences without external labels or implications. The energy and orientation of facilitators can significantly i…
2024-04-05
Demystifying 'Bad Trips': Navigating Challenging Experiences
Our relationships serve as mirrors, reflecting aspects of ourselves that need attention and healing. Triggers are opportunities for growth, guiding us towards greater selfawareness and authenticity. By taking responsibil…
2024-03-31
Navigating the Psychedelic Experience
This blog is a preview of the free Foundations of Psychedelic Healing: A Guide to Safe and Lasting Transformations course. The psychedelic experience is inherently unpredictable, and a flexible, open mindset is crucial f…
2024-03-24
Trigger Treasure Hunting
Our relationships serve as mirrors, reflecting aspects of ourselves that need attention and healing. Triggers are opportunities for growth, guiding us towards greater selfawareness and authenticity. By taking responsibil…
2024-03-16
Listen to the Wisdom in the Body
Healing emerges from the nonresistance of feelings, urging us towards a deeper engagement with our bodily sensations rather than pushing them away. Through practices like mindfulness and the "Letting Go" method, we learn…
2024-03-09
How Buddha Revolutionized Meditation
Buddha's methods transformed meditation by emphasizing the separation of awareness into thoughts, feelings, and sensations. This innovative approach leads to a deeper understanding of self and reality, fostering insight…
2024-03-02
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
Life's challenges signal the need for change toward authenticity. Resistance to life's flow can manifest as physical and emotional suffering. Embracing pain and challenges can lead to significant personal breakthroughs.…
2024-02-25
The Double Edge of Awareness
Awareness expansion through practices like mindfulness and psychedelics broadens our emotional spectrum. This heightened awareness intensifies our experience of both pain and pleasure, revealing a greater contrast in lif…
2024-02-19
Ayahuasca vs. Psilocybin in Shamanism
Ayahuasca and Psilocybin offer unique, transformative experiences; Ayahuasca is seen as a guiding "Grandmother," while Psilocybin is likened to "Wise Children" of the forest. Both plant medicines facilitate deep introspe…
2024-02-11
The Allure of Authenticity
Suffering arises when we stray from our truth, which is both subjective and objective. Authenticity demands courage to confront and express our deepest feelings, understanding that beneath emotions like anger are primary…
2024-02-04
The Timeless Path of Slowing Down
Rushing stems from a fear of death, creating anxiety and detracting from the quality of life. Adopting an abundance mindset towards time can transform our approach to living. Slowing down is a spiritual practice that enr…
2024-01-28
Announcing OPEN Course with AI
Imagine if Tony Robbins, Warren Buffett, and the Dalai Lama were your personal coaches. How quickly could you become the pinnacle of who you are meant to be? We are excited to announce the first online course by Ceremoni…
2024-01-19
A Relationship is a Spiritual Path
Exploring the deeper realms of relationships reveals an exhilarating path to spiritual growth. Far from being mere companionships, relationships offer transformative experiences, facilitating mutual discovery and guiding…
2024-01-13
AI in Therapy and Coaching: Revolutionizing Personal Development
In a world where AI is revolutionizing industries from education to healthcare, its impact on personal development is particularly profound. Imagine an AIpowered classroom where the curriculum dynamically adapts to each…
2024-01-06
Connection Begins Inside
Have you ever realized that the secret to the deepest connections in your life might actually reside within you? As we embark on this journey of selfdiscovery, let's explore how cultivating a rich inner world can open th…
2023-12-30ARCHIVE
New Year, Sharper Mind
Welcome to the first part of our fourpart series aimed at rejuvenating your mind, body, spirit, and heart for the New Year. This section focuses on the mind, offering a holistic approach to enhancing cognitive functions,…
2023-12-24ARCHIVE
Deepen Your Connections Over the Holidays
The holiday season is an ideal time to deepen family bonds through heartfelt conversations. Creating a safe, open environment for sharing is crucial for fostering authentic connections. Here’s how you can set the stage f…
2023-12-17ARCHIVE
Read These Transformational Books for the Holidays
As the holiday season approaches, it's a perfect time to cozy up by the fire with a book that not only entertains but also enlightens. Here are some thoughtprovoking book recommendations that can offer greater clarity, p…
2023-12-10ARCHIVE
Let It Sing
Let it sing. Let yourself surrender. Let yourself receive. This path, who knows Only the way knows the way Let yourself relax. Breathe. Be messy. Let yourself bend, let yourself fray Nobody is perfect We are all just try…
2023-11-26ARCHIVE
Beyond Gratitude
As we gather this Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, we're reminded of the importance of gratitude in our lives. Yet, true gratitude extends far beyond the festive table and the customary expressions of thankfulness. It is…
2023-11-12ARCHIVE
The Paradox of Suffering
In the complex spectrum of human emotions, suffering occupies a unique, paradoxical role. It's an element of life that can be a source of both profound pain and significant growth. Understanding this duality, and the pat…
2023-11-05ARCHIVE
Meeting Your Inner Child
The pursuit of selfdiscovery often leads us inward to the tender realms of our early years, where the seeds of our current selves were planted. To meet your inner child is to engage in an intimate dialogue with the echoe…
2023-10-29ARCHIVE
The Science and Impact of Psilocybin
In recent years, scientific research into the effects of psychedelics and psilocybin has grown exponentially, shedding new light on their transformative potential. From enhancing creativity and fostering spiritual growth…
2023-10-22ARCHIVE
Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
We often grow up with the notion that for growth to be valuable, it must come through adversity, struggle, or hardship. This is evident in how we are encouraged to break through physical, emotional, or mental barriers to…
2023-10-15ARCHIVE
Dynamic Spirituality
In our pursuit to understand and share spiritual experiences, we often use words, rituals, and organized systems of belief. While these help in providing a framework, they can also become barriers. At Ceremonia, we encou…
2023-10-10ARCHIVE
Alumni Announcements: Referrals, Ayahuasca, and More
Can you believe 2023 is almost at an end? Who were you at the beginning of this year? How have you grown? As an alumnus of Ceremonia's Awaken program, you might reflect upon the impact that Ceremonia and plant sacraments…
2023-10-08ARCHIVE
The Hidden Harm of Spiritual Bypassing
Psychedelic therapy and plant medicine ceremony presents an unparalleled opportunity for healing and growth, even for those that have used psychedelics recreationally. We can encounter transformative experiences often eq…
2023-10-01ARCHIVE
From Success to Fulfillment
Why do we strive so relentlessly for success? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is rooted in our quest for safety. In an uncertain world, we work tirelessly to amass assets, investments, and plans, all in an effort to cr…
2023-10-01ARCHIVE
Schedule Private Group Info Sessions
We've heard you. Many of our cherished alumni have reached out asking for a way to share the transformative Ceremonia experience with their own circles of friends, family, and professional organizations. We're delighted…
2023-09-27ARCHIVE
Introducing New OPEN Weekend Retreats
We're excited to announce OPEN, a new 4week program and weekend retreat as an introduction to accelerated transformation. More than 100+ alumni of our 8week journeys in the past year have raved that their experience at C…
2023-09-24ARCHIVE
Who We Choose
Imagine your life was a simulation… like a video game, except the end goal is love, joy, peace, and enlightenment. In your video game, how do the challenges in your life advance you towards this endpoint? Who are the peo…
2023-09-17ARCHIVE
Money, Spirituality, and the Abundant Soul
In the realm of selfgrowth and spirituality, money often finds itself demonized, as if pursuing financial abundance is contrary to a journey towards higher consciousness. For some, the pursuit of wealth is often perceive…
2023-09-10ARCHIVE
Why is This Happening For Me?
Consciousness is a dance between shadow and light. One of the most profound transformations occurs when we step from victimhood into sovereignty and then creatorship. This transition transcends mere change; it is a metam…
2023-09-02ARCHIVE
The Ocean of No Mind
In the expanse of an average day, the human mind is a labyrinth of some 70,000 thoughts. One might ask, how many of these thoughts are Atlaslike, carrying the weight of the world on their proverbial shoulders? And how ma…
2023-08-28ARCHIVE
The Magic of Burning Man
Today, as arid winds dance across an expanse of undulating dust, the gates of Burning Man open to a deluge of 80,000 souls. Souls yearning for an escape from digital leashes, embracing instead the raw, tactile embrace of…
2023-08-20ARCHIVE
Thank You
Thank you for the connection between things The energy that draws us together The binding of the trees to each other The roots of the Earth and the water underneath us The soil that feeds us The love from Maya to us all…
2023-08-06ARCHIVE
Picking a Psychedelic Facilitator
Psychedelic healing, often encapsulated as ten years of therapy condensed into ten soulstirring hours, has the potential to be transformative. Indeed, 96% of those who attend our Colorado psilocybin retreat or Colorado a…
2023-07-30ARCHIVE
People change. So can you.
In the tapestry of our lives, we weave threads of relationships with people we are close to. As we reflect upon those we haven't interacted with in some time, we may summon the last memory, the fading impression, the end…
2023-07-23ARCHIVE
How to Choose the Right Psychedelic Practitioner
At Ceremonia, our nonprofit psychedelic church near Denver, Colorado, we recognize the profound impact of psychedelic healing, and we place paramount importance on selecting the right facilitators to guide participants t…
2023-07-16ARCHIVE
When Values Become Dogma
Values are a codification of our Inner Truth. They provide cues guide our spiritual evolution, a path that can be made more distinct during our experiences at a psilocybin retreat. But our values can solidify into dogmas…
2023-07-09ARCHIVE
Ceremony
Drink deeply. Now begins your sacred journey. The space between thoughts is beckoning. Truth awaits those who wait patiently. The spirit craves its reckoning. Close your eyes. Hear the song of your soul. You lie at the b…
2023-07-02ARCHIVE
Modern Enlightenment at Conscious Entrepreneur Summit
Slides from Modern Enlightenment at CES 2023 speech Transcription: One of the formative memories for me as a child was being with my mother as she was broken down on the floor crying. I remember singing to her an improvi…
2023-06-26ARCHIVE
Resistance and the Psychedelic Experience
Psychedelic therapy is often related to 10 years of therapy in 10 hours. Indeed, we've seen the profound metamorphosis that unfolds, transcending the boundaries of personal growth our participants have been working on fo…
2023-06-18ARCHIVE
The Need for Self-guidance
In the realm of spiritual exploration, we encounter an extraordinary gift of the 20th century the resurgence of entheogenic medicines. These sacred substances offer us a profound pathway into the mysterious labyrinth of…
2023-06-12ARCHIVE
The Path of Least Suffering
The post below continues the story of Ceremonia cofounder Austin Mao of creating the process of Modern Enlightenment: an integrated approach of psychology and spirituality to work with plant sacraments. The first post is…
2023-05-28ARCHIVE
The Renaissance of Me
The post below shares the story of Ceremonia cofounder Austin Mao of how he would come to discover plant sacraments. It is part one of a speech being shared at the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit in Boulder, Colorado on Ju…
2023-05-14ARCHIVE
Fragments of the Divine
Touch in, touch out Here are fragments of the Divine Truth. Love. Purpose. Ringing through the halls of time. The journey is always inwards Towards the light inside Through the heart Harnessed by the powers of the mind.…
2023-05-07ARCHIVE
Psychedelics, AI, and the Singularity of the Soul
We are at the precipice of a human revolution. Transcending suffering has never been easier, more accessible, and rapid due to advances in psychotherapy, neuroscience, biohacking, psychedelics, and spiritual technology.…
2023-04-30ARCHIVE
From the Depths
From the very depths Of a place where I disbelieved The Truth within me I found the courage to be I found the voice of spirituality A fierceness, a passion For my existence, for my being From the very depths Of a spiritu…
2023-04-23ARCHIVE
The Practice of Enlightening
Enlightenment is often viewed as an impossible state to achieve. The notion might seem only reachable through a monastic life of renunciation and devotion to meditation. Even at the beginning stages of learning to medita…
2023-04-16ARCHIVE
The Power of Love
What would be more healing: an hour with Freud or an hour with Ram Dass? This question underpins a nuance of the psychospiritual process that lays at the heart of Ceremonia’s thesis: that unconditional love is the soil i…
2023-04-09ARCHIVE
God’s Vision
This is a poem written by Ceremonia cofounder, Austin Mao, while in ayahuasca ceremony. I feel the energy inside. A breath of relief. Allowing myself the safety To be vulnerable, To cry. I give thanks to my journey. The…
2023-04-02ARCHIVE
The Art of Attunement
Service is an essential part of the human experience and foundational to spiritual growth. At the heart of service lies the desire to create deep, impactful, and meaningful relationships with those we serve. Attunement i…
2023-03-27ARCHIVE
Illusion and Essence
Our human lives begin in a place of unity. We are one with our mothers in the womb: breathing the same air, eating the same food, and feeling the same feelings. Then, birth heralds the shift into separateness. The baby b…
2023-03-19ARCHIVE
What We Resist, Persists
There is a spiritual adage: what we resist, persists. Emotional charge that remains unprocessed leads to suffering. A simple spark of frustration, a transient moment of grief, or a sliver of shame… if we turn a blind eye…
2023-03-10ARCHIVE
What It Means to Feel
What is a feeling? Where does it originate from? Where does a feeling go when left ignored? Feelings create thoughts. Consider a feeling like love. How many volumes of texts, how many reels of film and verses of poetry h…
2023-03-05ARCHIVE
Loving All Our Parts
Life seeks to create life. From amoeba to dolphins, from apes to humans, all of life is aimed at safety so that life may perpetuate. Humans are one of the few animals on the planet that require our caretakers to survive.…
2023-02-23ARCHIVE
The Mirror of You
When we feel a feeling, where does it come from? Whether it is love or anger, joy or guilt, we often look outwards for the benefactor or perpetrator of our own inner sensations. It is so much easier to say, “you made me…
2023-02-17ARCHIVE
The Price of Freedom
One of the great ailments of human existence is the experience of rush. We rush through an airport and feel pressure. We rush towards a deadline and feel anxiety. We rush into relationships and feel unworthy. The future…
2023-02-12ARCHIVE
The Myth of Manifesting
“Manifesting” is one of the trendiest words in spiritual circles… the notion of crafting boundless wishes and purpose into form. Life coaches on Instagram promise that their process will help you manifest more money, bet…
2023-02-03ARCHIVE
The Human Experience: the Mind, Body, and Spirit
There are three layers to the human experience: the mind, body, and spirit. The mind is a sharp tool. It can be precise and focused. We know the mind well because we have spent our whole lives in the mind. The mind belie…
2023-01-28ARCHIVE
Content vs. Process: the Key to Durable Transformation
One of the remarkable differences between traditional talk therapy and psychedelicassisted therapy/ceremony is how accelerated the healing process can be. Work with plant medicines is often described as “ten years of the…
2023-01-21ARCHIVE
Your Enlightened Vision
The Enlightened Vision is who you are before your physical body takes its final breath. We offer this practice of the Enlightened Vision to frame what is truly important to you as millions of people around the world are…
2023-01-15ARCHIVE
Psychedelics, Psychology, and the Soul
The word psychology is the study of psyche, which is the synonym for “self: atman, soul, spirit; subjectivity: higher self, spiritual self, spirit.” The roots of psychology were deeply embedded in the study of the spirit…
2023-01-06ARCHIVE
The Pursuit of Wholeness
In the beginning, there was the Spark. The Big Bang exploded into stars. Stars formed planets. Planets became mountains, trees, and water. The elements birthed amoeba, then fish, then dinosaurs and reptiles. Mammals, ape…
2023-01-01ARCHIVE
The Enlightened Vision
Ram Dass believed everyone achieves enlightenment at death. In that final nanosecond of life, every human being–no matter what life they have lived or what suffering they have gripped onto–experiences a total surrender t…
2022-12-25ARCHIVE
Who Are You?
Who are you? When did you become you? Are you this body? Are you your job, relationships, accolades, or hobbies? Are you your successes or failures? Are you your thoughts, senses, intuitions, or stories? When you close y…
2022-12-14ARCHIVE
Modern Enlightenment: How to Awaken, Heal, and Manifest
Enlightenment is classically defined as a nondual state of ultimate peace, bliss, joy, meaning, and fulfillment. While this state represents the ultimate destination of spirituality, the Inner Journey itself bears fruit…
2022-12-11ARCHIVE
The Subjective Truth &amp; Your Innate Power
Words are frameworks to communicate ideas. When we use a word like “spirit” or “God”, this may invoke different ideas in each person. One person might imagine a wise old man in the clouds; another might see a smiling, fa…
2022-11-24ARCHIVE
Gratitude &amp; the Miracle of Life
There is a certain texture to the feeling of gratitude that transcends labels of happiness, joy, or love. Gratitude is classically defined as the recognition that something provides you value. Yet “value” feels insuffici…
2022-11-17ARCHIVE
Dogmatic About Non-dogma: A Lesson in Discernment
I felt triggered within an integration circle after an Ayahuasca ceremony two weeks ago after the shaman shared his beliefs as truth. I sat with my feelings, quieting my mind to hunt for the righteousness within me that…
2019-03-11ARCHIVE
We Are Evolving. Let's Grow Together.
Ceremonia’s first journey was on June 27, 2022 with just four people. In 14 months and 13 journeys later, we now count 111 alumni. This means 111 people have answered their own inner calling and dived into the depths of…

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