STATEMENT OF BELIEFS

OUR PURPOSE is to promote the growth and awakening of those who seek connection with the Source. To fulfill this purpose, we organize retreats and sacred ceremonies dedicated to the expansion of consciousness through the sacramental use of natural entheogens, alongside other ancestral practices that promote inner harmony and spiritual insight.

NATURAL ENTHEOGENIC SACRAMENTS

Ayahuasca is a mixture of Amazonian herbs capable of inducing altered states of consciousness, typically for 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. The experience can range from a mild stimulus to one causing extreme visions. Ayahuasca is used primarily as a medicine and a method of shamanic communication, usually at a ceremony under the supervision of an experienced guide or teacher.

As mentioned, chacruna and chagropanga contain DMT, a neurotransmitter found in all humans which plays a key role in all cases of unusual states of perception. This neurotransmitter is found in the brain, blood, lungs, and other parts of the human body. There is strong evidence indicating that the pineal gland (“the third eye” in esoteric traditions), which is located in the center of the brain, is the main source of naturally present DMT. In addition to being found in humans, the DMT enzyme can also be found in all mammals and a variety of plants.

Ayahuasca is unique in that its effects depend on a specific mixture of two plants: cipó mariri (Banisteriopsis caapi) and chacruna (or chagropanga, depending on the region). It is unknown how and when the mixture of these two plants was discovered by Native Americans in South America, though many tribes and shamans have their own mythical stories explaining the origins of medicine mixture and ceremonies.

The ritual of consecration, where the consumption of the sacramental drink takes place, carries within itself a universal message of peace, fraternity, and love, applicable to and valid for all the peoples of the earth. Our experience tells us that the consumption of the sacramental drink within an appropriate spiritual context is beneficial for healing, evolution, and the expansion of consciousness, and is, in turn, positive for the spiritual quest that we are on, rather than being a dissociative experience for the mind and detrimental to the health of the individual or society.

Psilocybin mushrooms are perhaps the most ancient and sacred sacrament on planet earth. It is our belief that psilocybin mushrooms have been consumed by man for tens of thousands and perhaps even hundreds of thousands of years. We believe that psilocybin mushrooms allowed early man to commune with the spiritual realm, whereby early man received information downloads that allowed him to better survive on planet earth by building communities. There is evidence of ancient use of psilocybin mushrooms spanning the entire globe. Psilocybin mushrooms are found on almost every continent, and the ancient use of psilocybin mushrooms transcends time, geographic location, and culture.

The compound psilocyn has mind altering effects similar in some respects to mescaline and DMT. The chemicals have a structure very similar to the structure of serotonin, a chemical messenger with important roles in our brains and digestive systems. Because of this similarity, psilocyn can bind to receptors in the brain that are meant for serotonin. Even though still classified as a hallucinogenic drug, the therapeutical and healing long term effects of these miniature pharmaceutical factories are no longer deniable. Moreover, it is our belief that the chemical structure of psilocybin was designed by source in order to allow man to commune directly with it via the serotonin receptors.

The factors that help determine whether a ceremonial journey is rewarding or “nightmarish” involve the concept of “set” and “setting.” A person’s “set” (or mind-set) includes their intentions, mood, disposition, thoughts, and expectations. A person’s “setting” is the specific place and social situation in which they take the plant medicine. Psilocybin should be taken in a ceremonial setting in a calm and familiar place or in nature. Our psilocybin ceremonies will comport with other ceremonial traditions surrounding the ingestion of natural entheogens, and they will be structured in such a way as to allow the participant the optimal opportunity for interaction with the spiritual realm. As with all other natural entheogenic ceremonies, the ceremony will begin with a prayer and a blessing of the sacraments.

In Central and South America, 5-MeO-DMT is most often sourced from Anadenanthera peregrina (yopo or cohoba) and Virola theiodora. It is also found in the milky white venom of the Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius/Incilius alvarius), which is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. This is why 5-MeO-DMT is often referred to as Bufo. In addition to its ceremonial use among indigenous Amazonians, 5-MeO-DMT shows great promise in the treatment of certain medical conditions. A single inhalation of the substance has been shown to greatly improve general well-being and mindfulness, as well as to reduce the symptoms of psychological disorders. Typically, the experience a person has after ingesting or inhaling 5-MeO- DMT is described as one in which the person feels unified with the universe or some holy, transcendent “other.” The perception of bright colors and recursive patterns are often associated with the experience.

An opening prayer and a blessing commence the ceremony. The participant then sits on a tapestry on the ground and recites a specific prayer tailored to the Bufo experience. Then, the participant takes a deep breath in and blows it out. The participant then inhales the smoke, while the Bufo is lit and pipe is held by the practitioner. Once the participant has fully inhaled the volume of Bufo, they lay down on the tapestry. It is very important that several other ceremony participants and facilitators watch over the Bufo ceremony participant, as sometimes the process can be very intense. However, the upmost attention to safety is always practiced. Once the participant is fully out of the Bufo experience, they are allowed to walk around while being monitored by the facilitators

A. Founder, Prophet, or Teacher:

B. Important Writings:

C. Gathering Places:

D. Keepers of Knowledge:

E. Ceremonies and Rituals:

Preparing for the Ceremony: Before entering a ceremony for which a natural entheogen will be the sacrament, it is important to prepare yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually with the intentions of love, protection, high vibration, and positive energy, and with intimate prayers for healing and transformation. The following guidelines and questions support our members and ceremony participants in the phase before the actual ceremony or, in other words, in preparing for the ceremony. The questions listed hereunder help members and ceremonial participants better reconnect with themselves and can assist them in more clearly identifying their intentions.

Coming into any ceremony involving the consumption of a natural entheogen as a sacrament, it is essential that you bring something with you, and your intention plays a crucial role in the entire process. Remembering what brought you here to explore and heal in the first place can re-center you.

When your intentions are clear, or when you are sure about what you want, you give the universe full permission to deliver it to you. When you focus on what you don’t want, the universe is likely to deliver to you more of the same drudgery that led you to want to transform our day-to- day reality in the first place. Clarity of your objective, of your purpose and intention, will enable you to experience profound healing beyond your wildest expectations.

(2) Physical Preparation: The “Dieta,” Medications, and Physical Activities

Dietary practices and protocols leading up to a ceremony are known as a Dieta, and though the word most obviously refers to food intake, ceremony preparatory practices extend to behavioral abstinence and spiritual practices as well.

Simply stated, it is best to simplify your diet as much as possible in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Eliminate processed foods, colorings, and preservatives; avoid salty, sugary, and spicy foods; cut out animal products, particularly meat; and eliminate all sexual activity, addictive substances like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and recreational drugs. Avoid cannabis and other psychoactive substances for a minimum of one week before the journey. Try sticking to wholesome, organic meals. Drink plenty of water and light herbal teas. Avoid coffee or strong black tea. See the following guidance on the recommended Dieta.

These are specific restrictions regarding potentially LETHAL interactions:  

• Antidepressants – SSRIs, MAOIs, and Serotonin-enhancing medicines like Seroquel 

• Antihistamines, medication for colds, sinus problems, hay fever or allergies, or sleep aids 

• Medicine for asthma, bronchitis, or other breathing problems 

• Antipsychotics 

• Appetite suppressants (diet pills) 

• Central nervous system depressants 

• Opiates or synthetic opioids, Morphine, Vicodin, and the like 

• Amphetamines, Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, Benzedrine, and the like 

• Do not take anything other than aspirin/ibuprofen within 10 days without first consulting with us. 

• Prescription drugs against high blood pressure – please notify us of the kind you are taking. 

• Anyone taking antidepressant medications will not be permitted to participate. 

• Antidepressants must be stopped at least 2-4 weeks prior to the ceremony! Please first consult with your doctor and notify us of any updates. 

• Women who are pregnant are not permitted to participate. 

• Please do not schedule any dental work or surgery one week prior to and following a Ceremony!

The most potential change in behavior suggested before meeting the plant spirits is abstinence from sexual activity, both with others and on your own. Shamanism understands sexual intimacy as a form of energetic connection between the people involved; it would then make sense that in ceremony, you might feel the energy or presence of that other person strongly. This can lead to a confusing experience, distracting you from your ability to focus on your own healing and to see your connection with the other person clearly. Sexual activity with yourself is said to deplete the individual of spiritual energy that would otherwise be used in the healing process during the sacred ceremony, limiting your ability to dive deep and preventing the medicine from communicating with you clearly. 

In sum, clearing fatty and heavy foods out of your digestive system, intoxicants out of your circulatory system, and impure thoughts out of your mind in preparation for a sacred ceremony certainly has its benefits. However, these do not always come easily.

Some of the items on the list are included for the purpose of bringing you to an optimal physiological and spiritual state to receive the medicine, while others are there for factual health reasons. See the following rough timeline for physical preparedness practices you should take prior to a sacred ceremony. 

Reflection Questions for Journaling:  

Breath 

• Do you breathe easily, and rhythmically/deeply? 

• When you exercise, do you feel your lungs expanding? 

• Do you know what it feels like to be out of breath? 

• Have you explored breathing practices, such as Transformational Breath® work or others? 

Food 

• Do you take the time to prepare food for yourself? 

• Is feeding yourself an enjoyable activity? 

• Do you eat junk food or sweets? 

• Do you sometimes forget to eat? 

• In what ways is your relationship with food a healthy one? 

• In what ways is your relationship with food problematic? 

Exercise and Movement 

• What do you do for exercise and movement? 

• Do you exercise too little or too much? 

• What physical practices do you want to explore? 

• Do you integrate mindful breathing into movement?

Sleep 

• How do you prepare for sleep? 

• Do you go to sleep early or stay up late? 

• How many hours do you sleep per night? 

• Is your sleeping environment nourishing to you? 

• Do you wake up feeling rested? 

• What do you dream about? 

Sensory Pleasures 

• What beautiful things do you surround yourself with? 

• How do you relate to your personal sensuality and erotic flow? 

• How is your erotic expression with others? Is it inhibited, uninhibited, expressive, happy, too little, or too much? 

• How do you express your sexuality? 

• How do you express your gender identity? 

Clothing 

• Do you dress for comfort or for beauty? 

• Is it important how people see you? 

• What are your favorite things to wear?

Health 

• What do you do to maintain your sense of health and balance, chemically or hormonally? 

• How do you choose to take care of yourself when you don’t feel well? 

• Are you able to ask for and receive support when you are sick? 

Psychosomatic Awareness 

• Where and how do you hold fear, stress, or tension in your body? 

• How do you deal with stressful situations? 

• Do you experience waves of depressive or anxious energy? 

• If so, how do you experience them in your body? 

• Do you tend to your physical body and appearance, i.e., your hair, your skin, your nails, and your teeth?

In expanded states of consciousness, we are granted access to the domain beyond our normal ego structures. The veil that lies between our conscious mind and the vast ocean-like realm of our unconscious becomes more permeable. Because expanded consciousness gives us access to these normally elusive layers of our minds, a sacred ceremony and the journey should be thoroughly prepared for before entering the space. You can do this by becoming familiar with the ways the mind functions.

It is a basic animalistic instinct to not want to feel pain and to do anything possible to avoid it. Expanded states of consciousness have the effect of relaxing your psychological strategies and defenses and bringing you face-to-face with the contents your ego structure normally keeps hidden. You also want to become familiar with the content and flavor of the emotions that arise in your body and awareness. The more in touch you are with the way these states arise within you, the more profoundly you can engage your core material and expanded states of consciousness.

Just like in everyday life, expectations are the root cause of disappointment. Although we live calculated, scheduled, and, for the most part, predictable lives, we are usually under the illusion that we are in control of many things. At any given moment, disruption to our routine can occur and predictions can cause massive frustration and loss just because disruptions are unexpected. On the other hand, experiences we look forward to and build up in our minds often underwhelm us because they are different from the image we constructed beforehand.

Regarding your mental and emotional preparedness, see the following questions to ask yourself and to journal about in preparation of the sacred ceremony. Use these to take inventory of your mental and emotional state.

(4) Spiritual Preparation

Reflection Questions for Journaling: 

Spiritual Background 

• Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person? 

• Did you have a religious upbringing? 

• If so, did it impact your life negatively or positively? 

• If not, what has shaped your relationship with spirituality? 

• Do you believe in a God, many Gods, or no God at all? 

• Do you believe that life is sacred? 

• What is your relationship with the elements, or local rivers and mountains? 

• Do you consider yourself to have faith? 

• How do you express your gratitude? 

• What do you value most in your life? 

Pure Being

• How do you connect with your core essence? 

• Who are you when you are not doing anything? 

• Are you comfortable simply being with yourself? 

• Are you comfortable simply being with someone else? 

• What do you think happens when your body dies? 

• Do you relate with the terms “pure being,” “God,” “source,” “awareness,” “emptiness,” “open presence,” “transcendence,” “great mystery,” or “the divine”? 

• Do you make space for the power of pure being to be felt? 

• How does this presence inform your life? 

Practices 

• Do you have a spiritual teacher? 

• Do you belong to a spiritual community? 

• What role do you believe spirituality plays in humanity? 

• Do you gather together to meditate, pray, sing, or do acts of service? 

• What rituals or spiritual practices do you perform? 

• How do you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or significant deaths? 

• Which spiritual or inspirational books do you love? 

• Where do you put images of spiritual teachers, meaningful objects, or special photos?

• Do you meditate, pray, or spend time in nature? 

• Do you include times of silence and quiet when you are by yourself? 

• Do you take time for spiritual or personal retreats? 

Personal Relationships

• How is your relationship with your family of origin? 

• If you need a friend, who do you call? 

• Are you able to cultivate lasting friendships? 

• Do you have a friend or friends you can trust and depend on? 

• How do you share your vulnerability with people in your life? 

• How do you feel when other people express vulnerability? 

• Do you tend to over-focus on others in a relationship, i.e., listening and supporting? 

• Do you tend to over-focus on yourself in a relationship, i.e., asking for help and seeking attention? 

Group Belonging

• What does it mean to you to belong to a community? 

• Which work, sports, spiritual, or artistic communities do you belong to? 

• If you go to a workshop or a ceremony or you travel with a group, how easy it is for you to relate with all of this? 

• What qualities or actions do you contribute to your communities? 

• What are your ways of connecting with new people? 

• How do you maintain a connection with the people in your life? 

• Do you have unfinished business with any of your friends, family, or other people in your community? 

• Do you take an interest in global events? 

• Do you empathize with others experiencing suffering or triumph? 

• How do you contribute to the evolution of human consciousness? 

Giving and Receiving 

• Do you feel nourished or exhausted by your social commitments? 

• How well do you balance time with others with time for yourself? 

• Are you more withdrawn and introverted, or are you more outgoing and extroverted? 

• How could you be more balanced in the ways that you relate with others? 

• In what ways do you give back to or service your communities? 

Creativity 

• In what ways do you consider yourself to be creative? 

• How are you creative in the way you dress and how you eat? 

• How are you dressed, how do you eat, and how do you express yourself through words and actions? 

• What are you curious about? 

• Do you practice and express art forms? 

• What beliefs do you have about your capacities to be creative? 

• Do you feel blocked in your creativity? 

• What blocks you? 

• How could you relate with someone you know more creatively? 

• What aspects of life would you like to bring innovations to? 

• What new things could you explore? 

The Ceremony: The way we use any plant medicine at World of Grace Foundation is always in a sacred ceremonial setting. We respect the plant as a living being, as medicine, and as our teacher, and we believe in its sacred properties. Therefore, we create a sacred space before we conduct a ceremony.

After the Ceremony: Integration: It has been said that a ceremony can be equivalent to 10+ years of psychotherapy. This inevitably changes your perspective on life, self, identity, and purpose. However, this rapid and profound shedding can leave us sensitive, vulnerable, and can be a lot to process all at once. With guidance, these lessons can be applied to our daily lives in a powerful way.

Integration, in large part, is the process of absorbing and digesting this raw material, quite literally, and incorporating it into your new heightened level of consciousness. This inevitably changes your perspective on life, self, identity, and purpose. We can grow into showing up as our true whole and soulful selves. We begin to cultivate a way of being that is in touch with what really matters. 

Post-ceremony or journey integration is offered in monthly integration circles. These powerful circles enable you to: 

• share authentically your current state of being; 

• share what you have been able to integrate since the ceremony; 

• share what you are still struggling with; 

• listen to fellow journeyers and their stories and ways of integration; 

• share insights with others and vice versa; 

• implement lessons gained from the retreat into everyday life; 

• nurture your connection to your soul and to the medicine; 

• stay connected to your truth, valuing your life; and 

• be a part of a like-minded and like-hearted, caring community.

We also offer one-on-one post integration sessions. For those who need a more intimate setting to assist with the integration process, we invite you to book a session. We will support you in navigating life after a journey and help you stay on track with the lessons learned. Additionally, a private breath session is one of the most effective and easiest ways to assist with integration.

World of Grace Foundation has the following structure to its organization: 

Head Minister: Responsible for general oversight of the organization as a whole, oversight of individual sanctuaries, and oversight of safety guidelines and standards. 

Associate Minister: In order to be an Associate Minister, an individual must have a deep understanding of the principles and beliefs of World of Grace Foundation; have a deep and wide understanding of the sacred use of natural entheogens; have strong knowledge of the world within; have an intimate understanding of the spiritual teachings of natural entheogens and live by those principles; and shall maintain integrity in all areas of life to the highest standard possible. 

An Associate Minister is required to live in a way that inspires the community at World of Grace Foundation. They must also embody the highest standards within all areas of their personal and spiritual lives. Finally, an Associate Minister must represent World of Grace Foundation in a manner that maintains trust, honor, and respect from everyone inside and outside the community. 

Associate Ministers are responsible for leading group service with prayer, meditation, and teachings from various approved texts or writings and teachings that are in line with World of Grace Foundation foundational principles. They are also responsible for seeking out and creating deep connections with members and participants. Associate Ministers must also continue to educate themselves through prayer, meditation, and ceremony, as well as texts, classes, and connection with spiritual leaders, participants, and members. Lastly, an Associate Minister is responsible for assisting the founder(s) with in-house integration work.

Associate Ministers are expected to further their education through traditional means, as well as by learning from the sacraments themselves, such as by participating in a with a traditional healer. 

Council and Senior Facilitators: The Council consists of the ministerial leadership team and is responsible for organizing and overseeing community outreach and fundraising for local and regional populations. The Council is also responsible for assisting and co-creating programs that are in line with the principles and vision of World of Grace Foundation. Lastly, it is responsible for inspiring in others what it means to be a good neighbor and respectful resident of Mother Earth, as well as maintaining a loving soul towards the Great Spirit. 

Due to their intimate knowledge of and experience with conducting ceremonies, Senior Facilitators are responsible for holding space during ceremony and providing assistance and/or guidance to members and participants during ceremony.

Honorary Members: Honorary members are individuals that have been nominated by the ministerial leadership team and confirmed by a vote of the majority of the Board of Directors, as dictated by the by-laws. The Honorary Members are responsible for assisting the ministerial leadership team as directed. The Honorary Members will also be expected to uphold the values and teachings of World of Grace Foundation in all of their affairs, to the best of their ability. Honorary Members are subject to removal at any time for failure to participate and/or failure to uphold the values and teachings of World of Grace Foundation.

World of Grace Foundation honors Mother Earth and acknowledges the quarterly solstice with reverence. As all holidays are times of celebration and promoted unity within a community, members are encouraged to participate in all other holidays which their consciousness dictates they participate in.

See information on the Dieta above.

During ceremony, members/participants should utilize a special dress code reflecting unity and respect for the sanctity of the sacred ceremony.

World of Grace Foundation engages in some online marketing and community outreach in an effort to make people aware of the Fellowship’s retreats and mission. To that end, World of Grace Foundation will maintain a website and social media pages. In no event should anyone affiliated with World of Grace Foundation make concerted efforts to convince others that the Fellowship’s beliefs or way of living is superior to or better than anyone else’s. World of Grace Foundation prefers to acquire members and participants by attraction rather than promotion. To that end, we believe that the greatest attractors to World of Grace Foundation are the healing and positive changes that occur within those who are members and participants to the Fellowship’s sacred ceremonies.

1. Substance Handling and Records:

2. Screening Procedures: