Walking Together into the Future
Our Plant and other Healing Medicines are Coming Back Strong. My father told me that the purpose of our Sacred Medicines was to heal our physical and mental illnesses, so that we could become free of all but our beloved Creator, Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit. We are all unique souls, so our prayerful healing is our choice, along with the consequences that come with it. More perspectives below:
Beloved Relatives,
With the deepest love and respect, I will share as best I can our infinite Indigenous spiritual teachings and medicines, which have healed and guided us since the beginning of time - a time that has no beginning. These are not discoveries. They are ancient relationships with living beings, each carrying its spirit, purpose, and sacred role in the ultimate healing and transformation of our Human Family.
1. Ayahuasca – Known by many traditional names such as Yagé among the Kofan, Siona, and Inga, this sacred medicine is made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the Psychotria viridis leaf. It comes from Amazon, from people such as the Shipibo-Conibo, the Asháninka, the Huni Kuin, and many others. It is a medicine of visions, purification, and deep ancestral healing. But it must be used with great care and knowledge, within ceremony and tradition.
2. Sacred Mushrooms – Called Teonanácatl, or “Flesh of the Gods,” these are Psilocybe species used by the Mazatec, Mixtec, Nahua, and other Indigenous peoples of what is now Mexico. In the North, among certain Salish peoples, sacred mushrooms were also used, particularly during rites of passage, helping young ones find vision and spiritual grounding as they entered adulthood. These ceremonies were performed with deep reverence in sacred places, guided by wisdom keepers who knew what they were doing.
3. San Pedro—Traditionally known as Huachuma, this cactus (Echinopsis pachanoi) has been used for thousands of years in the Andes by Quechua, Aymara, and other Andean nations. It is a heart-opening medicine used in ceremonies to connect with the spirit world, Mother Earth, and the truth that lives in our hearts.
4. Peyote—Called Hikuri by the Wixárika (Huichol) and held sacred by the Comanche, Kiowa, Oceti Sakowin, and many other Indigenous Nations, this small cactus, like Lophophora williamsii, is not a drug—it is a sacred being. We use it in prayer, healing, and vision. We do not take peyote casually. It is never a daily thing. It belongs to the altar and the circle of community.
5. Kambo—This medicine is the secretion of the giant monkey frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor. It comes from the Amazon and is traditionally used by tribes like the Matsés and Katukina. It is a physical and energetic purgative—powerful and intense. It is not psychedelic but works by cleansing the body and spirit. And it must be done with someone who truly knows its ways.
6. Bufo, or Toad Medicine – This is Incilius alvarius (formerly Bufo alvarius), the Sonoran Desert toad. It produces 5-MeO-DMT, one of the most potent substances that opens consciousness. While the traditional use of this medicine is still debated, what’s clear is that it is now being widely misused. Without the training, the grounding, and the spiritual maturity required, people are stepping into realms they are not prepared for—and sometimes harming others in the process.
Just because someone has sat in a few ceremonies does not make them a healer.
Our medicines are not for show. They are not for profit. They are not for ego. And they are never to be used to manipulate, control, or abuse another human being—spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or sexually. Anyone doing this is violating the sacred, and they have no right to be serving these medicines.
These medicines must always be held by those who are grounded in Indigenous traditions—those who have been trained, blessed, and guided by Elders who know. And yes, there are a few rare exceptions, like beloved brother, Dr. Sam, who devoted seven months of his life in the Salish, Shuswap, dear brother Hamilton in the Amazon, brother PJ in the Suswap Territory, and others who will not be shared now, who have truly walked the path with humility, service, and time. But they are few and far between.
Spiritual Alloy’s
In recent years, our sacred traditional medicines have been combined as spiritual allies, in ways that honor both spiritual wisdom and scientific insight. One such example is a medicine called Clarigenics, which blends four sacred elements and is not a psychedelic.
– Sassafras
– Marigold
– Potato (blue)
– A microdose of sacred mushrooms (Psilocybe species)
Used in exacting small amounts, measured not only by weight but also by the individual's spiritual condition, Clarigenics is a gentle medicine that helps open a quiet, safe, four- to five-hour space where one may commune directly with one's higher self. The intention is not to stay on any of these medications but to use them only as long as needed and then discontinue them.
Some sacred healers continue to use these medicines to keep their communities healthy and balanced until they transition to the spiritual worlds, where they remain part of the healing process in ways that are far beyond my understanding. Some are in their nineties.
What I do know, from personal experience and the elders who helped me along the way, is that the spiritual worlds are closer than our closest veins. These sacred realms are around us as I write this and as you read what I have written, everywhere, all at once. I don't understand these medicines or the spiritual worlds surrounding us.
Other elders know far more than I do, who will correct the details of what I am sharing. Sometimes, we can think we are dead right when we are dead wrong, and sometimes we can feel something is terrible when it’s right. The entire universe, including ourselves, is in draft. That is why we have to keep learning about what it means to be humble. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow or tonight?
From my limited understanding and experiences, respect is the foundation for those stepping onto this path. Without it, these medicines can be harmful to you. You may not see it right away, but they will teach you one way or another.
Our elders teach us not to use these medicines unless they are grounded in community, tradition, justice, and humility. Our Indigenous peoples have protected these ways for countless generations, not so they could be diluted or exploited, but so they could be honored and shared when the time and the spirit are right.
With Warm and Loving Greetings,
Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr,
Šuŋkmanu na Čhaŋnúpa Sápa, Hiŋháŋ Wičhášta–Phizí–Deloria Thióšpaye kiŋ, Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ na Chickasaw Nations.
Chairperson-Four Worlds, Compassion Games International, Four Directions-Member of the Council of the Condor, Hummingbird, Quetzal, and Eagle, and the Elders and the Elder’s Council of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
