Questions To Ask Before A Plant Medicine Ceremony [eating-disorder sensitive]
For many of us going in ceremony or working with plant medicines or psychedelics, there is usually something linked to desire: a desire to heal something, a desire to gain clarity on an aspect of life, a desire to connect in a certain way. Plant medicines offer us an opportunity to open our hearts and light up something in our minds that pave a new way of feeling, thinking and being.
To get most out of our medicine journey, we need to consciously carve out time and space to reflect on what it is that we desire. Maybe you desire to desire! Especially for people with eating disorders there are often feelings related to low self-worth which can manifest as guilt, shame and doubt around having desires, feeling desires and reaching out for those desires.
If this is something you relate to, it could be worth exploring what it feels somatically to desire freely, without the baggage and narratives that stop you in your tracks for going after what it is that you want. Take some time to reflect on this topic through journaling, meditating or moving with it in a dance practice.
Preparation for ceremony is as important as the journey itself. The more space we give ourselves to the preparation, we can start paying more attention to what it is that we are paying attention to: the preparation. We notice the thoughts and the felt sensations around how we feel about being in ceremony. How do you feel when you think about yourself in the space with the medicine, and in the circle with your fellow journeyers? What sensations come up in your body? We notice the patterns and common themes that we choose to believe, the expectations, the doubts, fears and fantasies.
With this meta-awareness, we are also priming the brain to look for clues and cues within and around us to support us in our preparation process. It’s like we are training the body, heart and mind to align with frequencies around us so we can take hold of all opportunities that maximize our efforts in preparation.
And we know that preparation can greatly help us in achieving what we desire. A simple example is visualizing and mentally rehearsing giving a speech in our mind before we deliver it irl. Importantly alongside this preparation process, we must also remember to hold onto it all lightly. The practice of surrendering, letting go, and trusting allows us to flow and adapt with the energies of the moment. So while we can practice the speech in our mind, we do not truly know how things will be on the day. Maybe the crowd turns out to be different to how you imagined and so you have to now adapt your speech and presentation so it works with and for the audience.
So while we hold it all lightly, we can still practice, prime and process so that we are as adaptable and responsive as can be in the moment. In preparation for your ceremony, I have put together eight questions that you are welcome to spend time journaling on, sharing with a friend, or even emailing me what came up for you. These questions can also be brought into your microdosing practice, or if you find yourself in a challenging moment of transition and possibly need some guidance on where to focus.
Finally, I would like to mention that questions are great for people in eating disorder recovery whether you are planning on going into a plant medicine ceremony or not. If you find yourself in a tough time right now with your eating disorder, these questions may be helpful in reorienting you back on the recovery path.
I bless you on your journey.
8 preparation questions to ask yourself before ceremony
What do you want to transform and convert within yourself?
What do you want to achieve? Where do you want to go?
How does it feel to let go of some parts of yourself that need to be released in order to achieve this? Can you give yourself space to grieve? How can you hold yourself through this liminal space?
What do you want recover within yourself, in your life, and in relationships?
How do you envision your life after this main chapter of transformation? What is your ideal day?
How does it feel in your body to embody this higher vision?
How can you show up for this future vision in this present moment?
In what ways can you give thanks, or offer gratitude, to your past self and all of the support - in human form or otherwise - that you have received up until this moment? Can you express gratitude for the future support that are yet to be discovered, right now?
If you want to dive deeper into medicine orientation, feel free to read my ceremony preparation article that dives into how to prepare for, journey and integrate a psychedelic or plant medicine ceremony.
Let me know what came up for you in through this reflection process if you are called to share. I would be honoured to connect with you on some of these topics. Thank you for walking this brave and beautiful path of healing, transformation and wholeness.
With gratitude
Francesca
Photo by Yaniv Knobel on Unsplash