Ceremonies & Sacred Meditations have been part of the human experience for tens of thousands of years. They are no less powerful today than they were when performed by our ancient ancestors, underneath the stars. These rites of passage and holy rituals satisfy our longing for spiritual communion, personal & collective healing, and a reverent, intimate understanding of our place within the primordial universe. To participate in such an experience is to dedicate oneself to the mysterious adventure of continual awakening.

The use of plant medicines is one of many ways to connect with your inner guidance and explore the vastness of human consciousness. I've worked with an array of entheogens over the course of my life, including Ayahuasca, Wachuma, Peyote, Hapé, Psilocybin, Chiric Sanango, and Iboga. When used for sincere, integral purposes - and with the proper guidance and care - plant medicines can help you examine, heal, release, or integrate problematic emotions & perceptions, re-align with your authentic self, gain clarity regarding your soul’s purposes, open your heart, dissolve your ego, connect with your intuition, and acknowledge or catalyze important transitions in your life. Many people report feeling "lighter" inside after a plant medicine ceremony, or, specifically with hapé, they describe a "grounded clarity."

Unlike the more fantastical/vision-producing plant medicines such as ayahuasca or psilocybin, hapé (also known as rapé or hapeh) is not a psychedelic. It is a legal mixture of dried Amazonian plants from various vines, seeds, bark, or flowers; a form of sacred tobacco is the most active ingredient. Hapé's energy is personified as masculine, benevolent, loving, and grandfatherly/wise/elderly. Indigenous tribes in South America use hapé to clear their energy, re-connect with the Earth, and center themselves. Hapé is a very "in body" experience; you will most likely not travel to alternative dimensions, dissolve into non-form, or view colorfully illustrated narratives from your life. Of course, if you are a seasoned meditator and/or have rich visions naturally, you may have such an experience when receiving hapé. However, hapé mostly keeps you centered in a very Earthly, present, human state of being. Why is that a good thing? Well, there is no risk of getting lost in the fireworks show, for one. It's also less likely that the messages you receive will be mis-interpreted because there is less "shock and awe" during a hapé meditation than during a psychedelic experience. I also find that the insights hapé leads us to are easier to immediately, practically integrate. Hapé is great at giving us "next step" guidance.

Having said all that, hapé can still kick your butt and is considered by South American tribes to be an extraordinarily powerful healer. The Yawanawa tribe of Amazonian Brazil consider hapé one of their most powerful master plants - just as powerful as ayahuasca but in a different way. The Yawanawa use hapé during ayahuasca ceremonies to restore balance and grounding, and to help participants avoid getting lost internally.

Hapé is also a wonderful medicine to help you release and let go. During a hapé ceremony, you may suddenly begin to cry, sweat, or throw up. All of this is normal. The medicine is energetically clearing your system, and it's best to submit to the process. You may even have an awareness of what, exactly, is being cleared from your system when you purge (i.e. anxiety, doubt, self-hate, ego, attachments to an ex, past trauma, etc.)

It is said that the medicine always gives you exactly what you need.