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Onlangs nam Holistik’s Karlijn Visser samen met haar broertje deel aan een Magic Mushroom ceremonie bij Earth Awareness. Geïnspireerd door dit artikel dat we eerder op Holistik plaatsten over ‘de kracht van psychedelica bij angst en depressie’ ging Karlijn op pad. Binnenkort lees je meer over haar persoonlijke ervaring. Eerst verrassen we je met dit gesprek dat Karlijn in Teuge had met Mark & Maya, founders van Earth Awareness, tijdens haar 24-uurs ceremonie.

Magic Mushroom ceremonies: dit is waarom ze komende jaren een vlucht nemen

Onder de rook van Apeldoorn ligt Teuge, het klein dorpje met een wel heel bijzondere afslag. Het is een afslag naar een meer verbonden versie van jezelf, zowel met je eigen hart als met de wereld. Want dat is waar Mark (43) & Maya (44), founders van Earth Awareness zich al jaren voor inzetten. Dit doen ze met behulp van magic mushrooms die je neemt tijdens een ceremonie in hun beroemde NatuurTempel.

Mark is een echte levenskunstenaar. Voor hem komen al zijn passies en talenten samen in de NatuurTempel; een bouwwerk van zijn hand bestaande uit meer dan 40 soorten hout, waar hij met ruim 200 vrijwilligers al 10 jaar aan werkt. Zie hem als een moderne sjamaan en all-round klusjesman, want als je off grid woont is er altijd genoeg te doen. ‘Het geeft me zoveel voldoening als ik zie wat voor positieve impact ons centrum heeft op de bezoekers. Het is mijn roeping en levensvervulling om tijdens de ceremonies met muziek de reis te begeleiden, en zorg te dragen dat alles goed verloopt’ aldus Mark.

Maya is sinds 2008 intensief betrokken bij Earth Awareness en richt zich op het organisatorisch vlak. Daarnaast is ze lead facilitator bij verschillende psilocybine ceremonies. Maya: ‘Ik hou van de afwisseling, de uitdagingen en het vrije off grid leven, altijd in nauwe samenwerking met de natuur. Het creëren van de NatuurTempel is een groot avontuur geworden. Om nu mensen in contact te mogen brengen met hun innerlijke vuur en creatiekracht op deze wonderlijke plek is onbeschrijfelijk bijzonder.’

We are excited to announce our upcoming collaboration with a research scientist of the University College London: Rosalind McAlpine. This year, she will start using questionnaires and interviews to gather data from people who have previously attended one of our retreats. We are investigating how best to prepare for psychedelic experiences and also how the retreat setting (group, natural environment) contributes to psychedelic invoked personal change.

Rosalind Mcalpine has recently been interviewed by Gwella:

Rosalind’s educational journey has taken her through Oxford, Yale and now currently UCL for her Ph.D. in Mental Health Sciences. She has studied neuroscience, psychopathology and much more, following her passion for understanding the human mind. She is currently interested in research focusing on the development of novel psychological and/or pharmacological treatments within clinical psychology (e.g., psychedelic research); a venture which necessitates interdisciplinary collaboration, encompassing neuroscience, psychopharmacology, social-psychological theory and policy.

She is particularly interested in comparisons between the use of psychedelic substances in traditional/ceremonial settings and their place in Western medical models. She considers the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies, with emphasis on the requirement of increased cultural competency, incredibly important if we are to progress within mental health science.

Psychedelics are gaining popularity last few years. Not only by truth-seekers but more
and more scientists are discovering the great potentials of these substances for human
well-being. That is about time, because the crimininalisation of psychedelics has been a misplaced and missed opportunity for decades already.

We want to contribute in disolving the stigma that surround psychedelics, because
we believe that real changes come from within. That's why we started cooperating with Rosalind, who is creating a questionnaire for our participants to gain more insight about how to prepare and integrate such experiences. You are free to choose whether you cooperate filling in these questionnaires. But we encourage you to speak up! Share your experience with others in a video, a testimonial or in person. Not only the benefits, but also the pitfalls. Educate each other!

Are you interested in a psychedelic experience, but also a bit doubtful if this is something for you? You are not the only one!
Now that worldwide interest has been aroused in the potential that plant medicine offers for healing and personal growth, it is more important than ever to gain insight into how these natural remedies work and what they really contain. These alternative means are not suitable for everyone or always. Good information is essential to achieve healthy results and to prevent undesirable consequences.
Fortunately, that information is there. After all, people have been working with these natural resources since time immemorial and science has recently been fully engaged in them. A lot of information can be found on the internet, articles, potcasts and documentaries. Sacred plants like ayahuasca, peyote, iboga and magic mushrooms, are traditionally used for inner vision, healing, guidance and cultivating wisdom by native shamans and tribes since ancient times.
Sacred plants enable you to explore your inner world, restore your natural balance and create a deeper understanding about your place, role and relationships in creation. This lecture is intended to create more awareness for the different psychoactive plants and the cultures that use them in ceremony.

Mark is an expert-facilitator who is organizing/guiding plant medicine ceremonies since 2006 and is willing to share his knowledge and experience with us. The pitfalls and potention of sacred plants. On July 1 he will have a talk in the Nature Temple in English and on July 25 in Dutch.