Morning all,

In the next month or so I am going to be putting on an Aya session for a few friends of mine and I would like some tips from anyone who has done this or some suggestions from others on what they would like from there first Aya ceremony.

It will be me and 3 others, 2 friends and the boyfriend of one of these frinds. we will all be meeting up a few weeks before the event to discuss what's gonna happen, at this meeting I will give them loads of info and some links to the Nexus and other online info sources so they can get an idea of whats gonna happen.

I was planning on having some kind of structure to the seesion but also allowing it to go with the flow of the evening.

Everyone has expressed a desire to be properly dosed, so I have decided that since 2 of them have never done aya/pharma/DMT before then I will give them a smaller dose of pharma to go home with, they are both experienced with other substances so im not worried about them taking this smaller dose alone. Once I know they are not extremely sensitive to the magic it should make the dosing in the ceremony a bit easier, I don't want to land them in hot water but I do want them to have a "propa" experience.

So any tips or suggestions would be appreciated

Cheers

You do not need any structure, just experience what happens and let go into it.

Play nice music. It is more about what you do not do than what you do do.

Pretty much what beastie said.

I've only done aya a couple handful of times, mainly with my lady and a few times with one other close friend. I would usually do a simple 2-day diet of vegetables, nuts, water, tea, etc leading up to the ceremony. Spending several hours each day walking at the park, helping to clear the mind and focus.

Comfy resting spots with blankets and pillows. Burning some incense leading up to. Rounding up a playlist that's relaxing, non vocal, that everyone agrees on. Having some water nearby. Some fresh fruit to munch on in the after hours of the experience. Ambient lighting usually, such as a couple rock salt lamps, etc.

Thats the gist of what i've done.

Best of travels to you guys. Hope it all unravels smoothly.

much love,
tat

The person who makes the servings available should have a clear position about him/herself to be a ceremony conductor OR just a facilitator.
The difference is quite dramatic, as a ceremonial leader carries responsibility about the energetic safeguarding of the event, and the others might feel backed up and rely on the "shaman" at service.
Whereas a facilitator, there is no person of reference and everyone is actually on his/her own.
This distinct should be clear for everyone in advance and all should feel comfy with it, whatever choice is made.

Especially when new people are involved, the feeling of having a backup or not can become a sensitive subject and can render to a mind set that can influence their experience, especially regarding fear/panic scenarios.

If everyone plans to go deep, do not automatically assume backup will be possible. It might well be so, but it is not guaranteed.

If someone takes initiative to "sit behind the medicine" and puts him/herself available to service backup the others in case of, then this person should really know what kind of load in on the wagon, and serve him/herself accordingly to comply with the demands on hand.

Just make sure everyone knows how the setup is, and agrees, so no one should blame anyone afterwards for whatever or not happened.

thanks for the replies folks,

I guess I will just see how it goes and go with it.

Jees, im certainly only a facilitator, I will be telling them as much info as I can on the subject but ultimately everyones gonna be on there own.

Im sure it will all go swimmingly

I think the "take-home" dose is a great idea to familiarize them with a small taste of the state and, as you pointed out, to assure that no one is hypersensitive. Having said that, if everyone is dosing about the same relative levels, as Jeez pointed out, there will be no "backup".

I have done Aya 4 times alone and once with others and an attendant, self proclaimed shaman. She took a small dose to be on the same wavelength as everyone else, but was clear and present enough in case anyone should run into difficulties. We all had little wire baskets with white plastic bags in them for the purge, and anytime anyone purged she was quick to remove and replace the bag. A small detail, but I found her attentiveness to this detail reassuring - every time she replaced a bag, it was a reminder that she was never far and was responsive to our needs.

Here is that trip: Aya with Ay and I

If you dose with them everything will likely be fine. If anyone runs into trouble though, you may find yourself in the de facto position of backup, even if you are psychologically unprepared to be (being too far gone yourself). Or they may mar or ruin others' trips - it's harrowing in the middle of a difficult trip or a very personal part of an experience to hear someone else screaming and writhing in terror!

...but I may be over thinking it. I tend to do that, largely because when I dose it usually tips one way or the other - bliss or horror.

Good luck whatever you decide to do, and be reassured by your insecurity - wanting and worrying about doing the right thing weighs the chances in your favour of succeeding. Overconfidence and a cavalier attitude, as I am sure you know, are the things that will sink you!

Cheers,

JBArk

Spare clothing is not a bad idea either. Things can get messy, it happens.

While a certain freedom is definitely necessary, I'd establish some kind of guideliness for the whole experience.

I think it works best to tell people to avoid chatter during the session. We have enough time to talk in our daily lives... also there can be a pre and post-session conversation, but during the experience, I like to advise people to be in silence or sing/play music. This way the experience can go much deeper for everybody. Hearing others chat while you're trying to go deep can be seriously disturbing.

I like to offer a first light dose, see how everyone react, and then go for a second dose in about an hour and a half or so, for those who want it.

I think it's also good to ask people to generally be around the circle or near.. This doesn't have to be an absolute rule and people can have their own space, go to some room nearby to lay down or whatever, but specially if there are beginners, it is also for safety that they shouldnt be wondering around randomly, they can hurt themselves and others not notice.

If you have some drums or other instruments, I really recommend using that during the experience at some point, specially if others can join.

Not sure what else, if I remember more things I'll post here.

Good luck!

I agree absolutely with this. Pre and post discussion are helpful, even necessary for some people, but during the experience it's better to just play music or sit in silence.

I take ayahuasca with my band mates and we sit in a tight circle and have improvisational music jam sessions. They're magical, to put it mildly.

So even for people who aren't that musically inclined a small drum, an egg shaker, something simple to play works great. Especially when everyone gets into the groove and it really starts to resonate. I get chills just talking about it

jbark, I remember reading that story and it is epic, obviously we will back each other up if needed but I will have to point out to them that I will be no more help than they are when im 2 cups down.

Endlessness, when I mentioned having a structure I meant just what you pointed out, a little chat and settle down, then drink the brew, then a brief chat on how beautiful the brew tastes , then quiet till its done.

cheers peeps

Good luck
Keep us updated on how it went.

i have done aya a couple hundred times i put ceremonies on regularly doing one today. if i was to give you some advice make sure you let everyone whos partaking know that yes this is a beautiful experience but it does diserve a certian amount of respect and that everyone should express their apperciation for being able to be apart of its magic and that they will abide to the rules of the ceremony that you are facilitating. let everyone know that they will be ok actually emphasize that, cause when things get potentially intense for them they will remember that and it will calm them down. smudge the area with sage and palo santo before the ceremony with everyone there, have some cedar around with you and if you wanna take it a step further make an offering as well, and yes everyone should remain silent once the ceremony has started, hope that helps you my friend

It can be hard to get the right amount for certain people..I have tried. When 2 of you are on the floor vomiting, one is just maybe half way there and the other three are sober talking about how they're day at work was etc things can get a little beyond annoying. So be clear that everyone more or less shuts up about mundane things.

I tend to prefer to give people a pipe if I am going to facilitate any group work, which I very rarely ever do. I am much more confident in both dosing and guiding when it comes to vaporized tryptamines.

sorry to drag this one up but I thought I would finish the thread properly.

well last week the evening came, my friends sister and boyfriend were provided all the information I could gather but they decided to drop out.

however, my psychonaut brother stayed strong and we dived in. We turned his front room into a pile of duvets, pillows and psychedelic lights and its safe to say we both had an excellent time.
I was led around a crazy psychedelic funfair, became a wizard on a hill bestowing wisdom and blazed a trail on horse back, with my friend, across the desert. my friend was immersed in a fractal pond of glory and was absolutely blown away, he has vaped the magic before but he never remembers any of it, I am very happy that this time he did.

The following week my friend said he had a powerful desire for fruit and ate more in a week than he had in a year, he is now on to me to have another ceremony ASAP as he feels he only really got his toes wet and wishes to be fully immersed next time. I suppose I will accommodate him

thanks for the advise everyone

Try this, the entheogenic guides' guild.

Also, focusing on intent is a good way to go, but honestly Aya will take you to that entheogenic place whether you want to or not.

Things like calm/ambient/spiritual music, incense, prayer, singing, meditation, taking some time to express your gratitude (ie. for having the chance to have the experience, being alive, having friends, being blessed on a general level) can all bring you into a calm, formative experience much easier than a hurried recreational trip.

As Jamie says, be sure to set up a rule of no talking unless you feel your life is really threatened. This silence should be maintained until agreed otherwise by eye contact. Having chattering people around is utterly unconstructive and will yank you out of any therapeutic headspace you might have found.

Good luck, I hope you recieve valuable healing!
The Chairman