🕊️Aphrodite & Athena 🏹: Same Medicine/Different Effect
One of the common approaches I hear around microdosing practice is people choosing this or that particular medicine because of its hoped-for or desired effects - for example, “I want to be more laser-focused and productive, so maybe I should choose LSD.” Or, “I’m feeling really sad and heard mushrooms are good for depression, should I go with that?”
In my experience, each medicine has its own distinct attributes… but they also each possess a unique wisdom and communication that often defies predictability or consistency of effect and results. For example, it’s very common when I work with a couple who are sharing the very same medicine for them to have completely different experiences. Interesting, right?! The medicine works and weaves so uniquely with each of us, often with an intelligence beyond our human understanding.
For instance, let’s take Amanita muscaria 🍄 ( also known as the fly agaric) - the captivating red “Alice in Wonderland” mushroom with the little white dots we see in forests all across the Western USA… This Wednesday, my colleague & guide Lynda Samphire is presenting a special evening All About Amanita for our Community as part of our Medicine Keeper Series on April 9. Now, when Lynda describes her personal experience with Amanita, it reminds me of “Aphrodite energy” - soothing, flowing, calming. 🕊️ Deeply feminine, relaxing, loving. Expansively creative and nurturing. Soft. Quietly unwinding all the hard, dense places. Whispering and weaving in the dream world. But when I tried microdosing Amanita?? Let’s just say, I got more “Athena vibes.” Enlivening, clarifying, fortifying. Truth-telling. 🏹 Deeply mentoring, confidence-building, boundary-setting. Strong. Alert & bright-eyed. She went straight to work, strategically stitching up any & all still-wounded places and commanding I stand all the way up to my full height & capacity.
And that’s how it goes. Sometimes, to heal - to grow - we need to Soften. To yield, unfurl… rest, repair. To be held in safety, to close our eyes and go inward. Other times, we need to get Strong. To clasp our spear and our shield - stand our ground - protect and defend. To open our eyes wide and stare life straight in the eye.
We can bring our hopes, intentions and expectations to bear on our microdosing experience, but we also trust the spirit of the medicine to bring us exactly what we need.
Sometimes she leads us inward to commune with our soul — other times she’ll summon us to get out, express and engage with the world. Sometimes she brings form, structure and order to our lives — other times she brings us ease, gentleness and a loosening of our grip. She knows exactly when we need to hold on, and precisely when it’s time for us to let go. And as we evolve the medicine evolves with us — as soon as we round one circle in the spiral we find ourselves moving onto the next, ever deeper, ever discovering.
When you’re selecting your microdosing medicine, I invite you to shift your mindset from “Which drug will give me the effect I want?” to “What teacher do I feel drawn to work with, and I wonder what lessons it will share with me?”
We create intentions, a ritual & our container to express our dedication to the practice, while holding a curiosity, openness and trust that the medicine is always working - often in the most remarkable, unexpected ways - in service to our healing, growth & highest potential.
We warmly invite you to join our vibrant & welcoming Community. Our Spring Microdosing Immersion begins April 17th - all programs & offerings can be found HERE online - we look forward to seeing & supporting you on your path!
