TOBACCO CEREMONIES
SITTING WITH THE OLDEST KNOWN PLANT MEDICINE
WHAT IS A TOBACCO CEREMONY?
A tobacco ceremony can be many things. In some traditions, the pipe is used for prayer or for creating peaceful speech within community. In other traditions, tobacco is ingested orally as a tea, to clean the body of physical & emotional imbalance. Likewise, the same tea can be snorted into the sinuses to purify the eyes & ears or inserted into the colon via enema to detoxify the intestines. Hape, an intranasal snuff of tobacco powder, is used for grounding the emotions, aligning body and mind.
We use a homemade paste of pure wild tobacco for ceremony. The paste is taken internally and digested almost like a food. Physically, it is a cleaning agent of the entire digestive tract, a balancer of the nervous system, a strengthener of bones and ligaments and harmonizer of the immune system. Spiritually, tobacco paste connects us to a profound state of shamanic meditation, evoking personal vision, ancestral memory, psychic humility and bridging our consciousness to the realm of spirit—while remaining lucid, sharp & sober.
HOW DOES A TOBACCO CEREMONY WORK?
A Tobacco Ceremony lasts for about 3.5 - 4 hours and consists of drinking a tea of Tobacco Paste & water. In most cases, the Tobacco Tea will cause the body to vomit, or purge, the contents of the stomach, and sometimes the intestines. The process is often gentle and deeply therapeutic.
During the Tobacco Ceremony, each participant sits in a kind of shamanic meditation, finds their center and allows the medicine to do its work. The facilitator will chant and move energy in the room, anchoring in a deep and sturdy structure of safety in the room.
Towards the end of the Tobacco Ceremony, the space is opened for shared voices from the circle. Most individuals will leave when the ceremony is finished, feeling both strong and sensitized.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
A Tobacco Ceremony is therapeutic on Physical, Emotional and Spiritual levels. The medicine is highly stimulating to the liver and helps clear the digestive tract. Tobacco Paste, in particular, is amazing for the body's deep connective tissue, including the fascia, tendons and ligaments. Purging with Tobacco is excellent for helping us access and move difficult emotions that may feel stuck, oppressive or out of our control. The ancient art of purging with Tobacco is also a spiritual practice that can help us to deeper levels of self-knowledge and connection to the primal nature of existence.
PHYSICAL
Anti-Inflammatory
Anti-Viral & Anti-Parasitic
Detoxifies Organs
Strengthens Digestion
Stimulates Connetive Tissue
EMOTIONAL
Invites Emotional Release
Clears Unprocessed Trauma
Sharpens Mental Clarity
Cuts Cognitive Dissonance
Helps Us Ground Our Energy
SPIRITUAL
Connects of to Our Ancestry
Expands our Personal Vision
Encourages Humility
Supports Spiritual Evolution
Builds Courage
HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Tobacco Ceremonies are safe & legal approaches to plant medicine, and can help most people clear themselves, ground their energy, straighten the mind within the body, come to attention and align with a wholesome spiritual path. With that said, Tobacco is a powerful master plant and nicotine is a chemical which requires respect to be utilized as a medicine. Here are some things to consider when deciding if a Tobacco Ceremony is right for you:
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Blood Pressure / Circulation Issues
Recent Surgeries
Active Pharmaceutical Ingestion
Pregnancy
Psychiatric Diagnoses
NICOTINE ADDICTION
For anyone dealing with Tobacco or nicotine addiction, Tobacco Ceremonies can be an incredibly effective way to come back into right relationship with these powerful substances. If you are currently under the influence of Tobacco or nicotine addiction, it is necessary that you stop using Tobacco or nicotine products for at least a week prior to attending a Tobacco Ceremony
PHYSICAL INTENSITY
Tobacco Ceremonies are generally quite calm and the purge or experience of vomiting is often easy and natural. Sometimes the medicine can stir up strong energy within the body and the purge may feel very forceful or intense. These are often the most powerful and therapeutic releases and they are not common in Tobacco Ceremonies outside of our Master Tree Diets and Tobacco Apprenticeships, though they are possible and this should be considered when deciding if you will join us.
CARE
The holistic care of all who attend our circles is a top priority for us, as is the safety, groundedness and cleanliness of our spaces. If you choose to show up, you show up to a safe space. With that said, true safety begins with self-trust.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR A TOBACCO CEREMONY?
Tobacco Ceremonies require minimal preparation, but it is important that we eat a clean diet the week of ceremony, abstain from drugs and alcohol, fast most of the day we will have our ceremony and come with a strong intention or prayer.
INTENTION
Clarifying our intention can look like asking ourselves some simple questions:
What is calling me to this Tobacco Ceremony?
Where have I been struggling or blocked?
What do I need to renew or refresh in my life?
What is the strongest truth or feeling in my heart?
DIET
Three days before your Tobacco Ceremony it is best to avoid:
Red Meat, Pork, Heavy Seed Oils, Dairy, Excessive Caffeine, Cannabis, Alcohol, Pharmaceuticals and any other drugs.
The day of Ceremony it is important to refrain from eating after 1pm.
WHAT TO BRING?
The day of your Tobacco Ceremony, bring at least 3 liters of water
And a clear intention
AFTERCARE
After a Tobacco Ceremony, most people feel grounded, open, sensitive and strong. It is typical for most people to return home within 30 minutes of a ceremony closing. We will continue to hold space after the closing of the Tobacco Ceremony for about 1 hour to make sure everyone is grounded and able to return home safely.
It is important not to eat after the Ceremony, hydrate the following day and treat your stomach with respect. The day after ceremony, eat fresh, gentle foods. Ground yourself in nature. Find gratitude for life!
"It took 6 days for the deeper knitting of why I actually showed up to come into fruition. I came in with a deep prayer to receive the strength and protection of the Oak and I really felt the tree answer my prayer and come into my whole being with medicine. It was super powerful and such a gift." -Holly
"The Tobacco Apprenticeship has strengthened how I show up, hold structure and hold myself to a new standard of being in life, that has led me to feel the most vitality I’ve experienced to date. This Tobacco Diet is no joke. It’s extremely deep, profound and transformative. It requires a level of devotion I don’t see very often. I respect anyone who shows up to do this." -Grant
"Tobacco opens the heart and the Tree Medicine weaves up your spine and straightens you. Through the Tobacco practices, everything is distributed and with Primordial Breath you learn to hold all of that energy with yourself as the structure. The core of what I've learned is how to hold the energy that is coming through and I'm taking this lesson with me on all of my journeys. " -Nora
"The Tobacco Apprenticeship has rearranged all of my furniture. It’s like I went out for a weekend, came back and my house was tidied up and feng-shui’d. There’s been a re-orchistration of how I understand what is essential in my life. Tobacco is a spirit of directness that cuts through clutter and creates a clear outcome, bringing us back to simplicity in a way that is integrated and embodied." -Mateo
"A Master Tree Diet is an 8-day break from the world to connect deeply with nature and a specific tree. They're a really profound opportunity to be in silence in nature with your prayer and to strengthen your body, your mind, your soul, your heart, in beautiful locations with beautiful groups of people. The Birch diet was incredible because before I got here I couldn't identify a Birch tree and now I feel such a deep connection to her spirit." -Courtney
"Through the Tobacco Diet, I've returned to my joy, my authenticity and my center in a way that has felt out of reach. I've opened up my channel for spirit to move through me in a way that allows me to be of service in the containers, spaces and ceremonies that I hold and to share my medicine in a way that is pure, in right relation." -Greg