Spirit Medicine Programs

Spirit medicine journeys are initiations into transformation – death – by way of mystical experiences.

Indologist Gerald James Larson describes mystical experiences as “an intuitive understanding and realization of the meaning of existence.” 

Mystical experiences liberate us from the limited patterns, habits and behaviors that we as humans tend to fall into, due to the nature of modern life and the unresolved traumas that we hold in our bodies.

“The finest emotion of which we are capable is the MYSTIC EMOTION. Herein lies the germ of all art and all true science. Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man.”
— Albert Einstein

The four aspects of a mystical experience –

  1. Ineffable: hard to describe in words; transcends language.

  2. Revelatory: uncovers insights and a-ha! moments

  3. Fleeting: difficult to hold onto and remember, like dreams.

  4. Connective to a greater force: a felt experience that widens out our perceptions of what is seen and known with our somatic senses.

Roland Griffiths, founder of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Unit who died recently in 2023, believes that mysticism is included in our operating system at birth – that we just have to turn it on. And spirit medicine provides a doorway to reach these states.

Mystical experiences help us to DIE BEFORE WE DIE.

“Western recreational use of our Spirit medicines have nothing to do with reflecting on the mind or spirit. It is not always a sacred act. The Western view says psychedelics manifest the human mind, but these medicines are not about the human mind alone, they reveal Spirit, the very animating principle of Life.”

Yuria Celdiwen, senior fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute and native of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent

Sacred Mushroom Medicine Journeys

Indigenous Mazatec medicine woman Maria Sabina called the sacred psilocybin mushroom her los Niños Santos, Holy Children. I honor and celebrate her life and stewardship of these medicines with my commitment to healing and walking in right relationship with these sentient beings.

“It’s so scary to know who you really are.” These were the words I had scribbled in my journal after my first conscious walk with the sacred mushroom. I knew then that I was being called into service to companion others as they walked through the doorways of their transformative death portals, opened by the Holy Children.

Since that day, I have companioned many through these portals, witnessing their healing in real time as they bravely faced their fears of the unknown, expressing emotions and experiencing memories they had suppressed for years. The energy charge of unexpressed and unresolved pain and trauma surfacing at last to be felt and released.

This invitation of companionship is a sacred gift and honor that I hold with reverence and gratitude.

Private Medicine Retreat for Individuals + Couples

Pre-Journey Preparation

A 60-minute virtual guided preparation session to set your intentions for the journey, and walk you through the preparation of body, spirit and mind – meditation, altar work, playlist co-creation.

Medicine Ceremony

The ceremony will take between 7 to 8 hours. We will begin with a meditation to connect to the Earth, guides and the ancestors, sending gratitude to the Sacred Mushroom. We will prepare an altar in your space. We will spend time to prepare your body and regulate your nervous system.

The private nature of the ceremony allows for you to receive the specific kind of support you need. Every journey looks and feels different as everyone’s needs are unique.

As a trauma-trained ceremonialist, I approach every journey as a companion. Your sense of safety in your body from your connection to the Earth allows you to surrender into the experience of your journey.

Integration

You are supported with a 60-minute integration session to process your experience and make actionable changes in your life.

Accommodations

A 2-night stay in your own cozy cabin nestled in the pine forest of Idyllwild, CA.

  • Friday – Arrival after 4pm. Vegetarian dinner will be provided.

  • Saturday – Breakfast provided, including fruit and snacks. Morning is open for hiking and quiet preparation. Ceremony will begin in early afternoon. Light vegetarian dinner will be provided.

  • Sunday – Breakfast provided. Integration will begin at 10am. Checkout by 12pm.

Packages start at $2500

Scholarship is available for those who need financial support. The amount is based on what has accrued through the Medicine Membership. Please inquire during the discovery call.

If you are ready to embark on a Spirit Medicine Solo Retreat…

…please select and secure your weekend with a non-refundable $200 deposit. This deposit will be applied towards the total cost of the program. There are only 15 weekends available in 2024.

If you are interested in a couples retreat with a partner or friend, please note that in the intake form and set up a discovery call to discuss and plan.

Medicine Journey Testimonials.

  • Making the decision to journey with Ellen was truly transformative for me. She approaches each step of the process with such clarity, intuitive wisdom and gentleness, and was able to create such a safe space in our work together, where I felt so supported and open to receive what I needed to receive.

    NL

  • "If your breath is your anchor on a journey through the vast expanse of your consciousness, then Ellen is the hand extended and held throughout. There are not enough words in this world to encompass the warmth, nurturance, and care with which she exudes as your companion and guide. Her presence and insight was as vital to my most life-changing experience as the Sacred Mushroom was."

    Christina C.

  • "Ellen welcomed me with a warm hug, sisterly felt warmth and care. She opened her space to me, created safe physical and emotional container, and sit me through the journey with sacred medicine. I was supported and encouraged to explore and express anything, that felt “right” during the journey. It was a very private, individually customed, multidimensional and truly extraordinary experience. As I surrendered into it - real magic happened.. Music and medicine, invited me to a never seen before- world of shapes, forms, geometry, vivid colors. It was above and beyond my expectations. It felt like opening a portal to new dimensions, discovering inner knowledge, power and divinity."

    Aleksandra G.

  • "My gut told me for years that I needed to explore mushrooms for my healing, but I was too apprehensive to try it on my own. From the moment I talked to Ellen, I felt completely supported and guided. Ellen created so much ease and space for my journey to unfold, and I am so deeply grateful for the wisdom she shared every step of the way. Life continues to shift over a month after my journey––I feel a different calm and peace. I remember to breathe deeply more often. My heart feels more open to the people I love. I see trees in vivid detail in a way I simply hadn't before."

    Karen S.

Companioning vs. Guiding

I have been directed by the medicine to walk alongside my clients from “within the circle” rather than outside as practiced in a Western clinical setting. This approach of companioning over guidance or “treating” is taught by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, founder and director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition.

Wolfet’s tenets of companioning particularly speak to my philosophy of how I choose to walk with my clients –

  • Tenet Two: Companioning is about going to the wilderness of the soul with another human being; it is not about thinking you are responsible for finding the way out.

  • Tenet Four: Companioning is about listening with the heart; it is not about analyzing with the head.

  • Tenet Five: Companioning is about bearing witness to the struggles of others; it is not about judging or directing these struggles.

  • Tenet Six: Companioning is about walking alongside; it is not about leading.

  • Tenet Nine: Companioning is about respecting disorder and confusion; it is not about imposing order and logic.

  • Tenet Eleven: Companioning is about compassionate curiosity; it is not about expertise.

Companioning strips away any hierarchy that guidance and treatment assume. Instead, we walk together, side by side, into the Unknown. The profound healing occurs in the witnessing, sharing and holding of sacred space as well as the trust in the wisdom of our bodies and of the medicine.