Honoring Indigenous Ceremonial Medicine – Sacraments, Not Psychedelics/Entheogens

Indigenous peoples throughout the globe have cultivated abiding relationships with Sacred Plant Medicines for millennia. Sophisticated Ceremonies, with specific Songs and Protocols (which require years of training, devotion, and permission in order to conduct in a Sacred and proper manner), have been passed down for generations. The growing popularity of these Medicines in the colonized world, in both recreational and therapeutic contexts, poses serious challenges and risks, not only to the survival of the Medicines themselves but also to the Indigenous peoples who are being disrespected and disregarded. This session shares Indigenous perspectives in relation to Sacraments, the issues experienced in the colonized world, and the means to include Traditional Native voices as well as to honor and respect the sacrifices they have made to protect their Medicines.