What does it mean to “ethically” serve Kambo + Spirit Medicine?
Yesterday, Dec 9 was my Kambo-versary! One of the most profound tools for transformation I have ever worked with and am humbled to serve. My first experience was the morning after an excruciatingly challenging five-hour karmic clear-out from Abuela, where she told me I needed to finish it off with a morning kambo purge.
I recently found my journal from those months in Peru and I re-read the words I wrote: "thank God I never have to do that again." Ironically, I later met the "God" that at one point I thanked for never having to put myself through that again. And it was that God who told me this was my path. So here I am, hundreds of ceremonies later, feeling the weight of the world get lighter with each purge that ends up in the bucket, honored that my life's love is to hold space for the shadows in order to birth the light. Synchronistically, my birthday was declared World Frog Day in 2009 to bring awareness to threatened frog species. I was also born under a New Moon, on the Spring Equinox - all three of which symbolize Emergence + New Beginnings at the end of a Metamorphic cycle.
---
So what does it mean when I say I "ethically" serve the medicine?
To me, it means:
I only source medicine from elders I have personally gone with to call for the frogs and harvest the medicine, and how they treat the frogs is as respectful as possible given the way it's harvested.
I donate 20% back of each session directly to the Amazon through organizations I have vetted for transparent allocation of funds.
I honor Ayni, sacred reciprocity, in every ceremony. We don't just "take," we give the best and highest possible versions of ourselves back out into the world.
I've been given permission and blessings to serve this medicine from my Indigenous teachers, and from what I know to be my personal understanding of "God"
This isn't something I 'chose' or ever even 'wanted' to do - it's something I was contracted for in this lifetime, and after a lot of egoic resistance I accepted it, including the risks and the high level of intricacies and responsibilities that come along with this role. It is my greatest honor and offering of service to humanity :)
I've given uncountable amounts of time, resources, and energy on all aspects of devotion to being a servant of this medicine. I've have gone into my own personal hell realms in too many ceremonies to count in honor of clearing out cobwebs of shit to be worthy in service of Spirit Medicines.
I've properly trained in Western and Amazonian settings over upwards of ten trips to Peru and spent countless hours researching the myriad of health concerns of Westerners wanting to sit, finding the most beneficial ways to apply the medicine with consideration of the infinite diagnoses, complications, prescriptions, etc while to remaining culturally respectful of my teachers and the way I was trained.
My days are spent with all the glorious liquids, sounds smells and releases from all orifices of the human body, and cleaning up all the spills, shits, and spits. It's oddly fulfilling :)
To me, carrying this medicine also means protecting it. I am a bouncer at the doors of this path. It's not recreational, and there is and sentient being made extremely uncomfortable to give this medicine. I offer a full menu of alternative methods of cleansing, detoxing, and intentional practices, and if I don't see a commitment to personal growth, there's a good chance I will bounce someone right back out the door they tried to come through, with love of course, until they are ready to do the work.
If someone comes to me in a way that doesn't feel aligned, it's transparent. I can see through everything and I have years, lifetimes, and dimensions of experience, guides, energetic telepathy, empathy, and 20/20 Ajna vision - l know when a vibe is off, and I won't have any of the fluff or fuckery. There is a huge amount of narcissism in this medicine world - and it doesn't stand a chance around me. Intuition aside, I worked for an Ayahuasca healing center as the person responsible for screening participants with laser vision of pinpointing spiritual bypassing. If you have any agenda other than authentically, humbly, and vulnerably asking for evolution, I already know about it.
It's not just about the ceremony. We don't just use the medicine and are done with the work after the purge. Reflection and integration are GOLDEN KEYS in creating long-lasting changes, as well as positively contributing to the sustainability of this medicine. Going deeper into bigger shifts with less medicine, rather than more medicine with less commitment to change.
Have questions? Looking for a practitioner in your area? Curious if Kambo is right for you?
Reach out, and I can explore my network of trusted facilitators to find one near you.
