First, congratulations. You have survived the completion of the hero’s journey and  have come home whole. You are joining the ranks of millions of well ancestors who have walked this path since the beginning of time and entered into a sibling-hood with the land and every living thing. Please be gentle with yourself as you take on your true calling. 

This is moment is both fragile and deep. You may be experiencing increased openness and sensitivity or a vulnerability hangover. If irritation arises, be gentle with yourself and others; let it pass like weather in the sky. Be the sky. 

It is common to find your boundaries have shifted. While many of your culturally learned boundaries may have dissolved, your deep personal boundaries are becoming stronger and clearer, and as a result, you may discover that they either have been or are still being violated. The anger which arises is a normal human response to having your boundaries violated. The anger is also sacred medicine. Welcome it. Offer it tea and cookies. Listen to your anger like an honored guest and make good on your promises to keep yourself safe from this day forward. 

Sometimes huge revelations come in the night. As these echo through your soul over the coming two weeks hold your course. Don’t make any drastic decisions or massive changes for at least two weeks before and after ceremony let the dust settle and offer you clarity. If you need to have difficult communications or go no-contact with someone, take your time and be easy on yourself.  

Other hallucinatory medicines are dis-integrating, meaning they dissolve your boundaries and spread your soul out across the entire universe. What we used to call ego death we now understand as the profound state of oceanic boundlessness. It is natural after these medicines to have to pick yourself up and put yourself back together. From this arises the notion of needing to integrate. But Amanita is very different.

Amanita is a concreteizing medicine. Rather than spreading you out, Amanita offers you an opportunity to experience yourself firmly rooted in the body. This is why so many people say they finally feel normal or at home in their own skin. So the concept of integration with this medicine is quite different.

To optimize the gifts you have received from Amanita, she recommends spending time in sunlight, putting your bare feet onto the Earth, making contact with the living waters of rivers or oceans, and taking on the role of nurturing yourself as though you were your own best parent. Do the things that make your inner child the happiest. Play, make art, sing, write poetry. Humans are creative beings. We make the world. 

Please understand that the gifts of Amanita can take weeks or months to unfold. She often manifests in our lives in the most beautiful and practical ways. That being said, this medicine often gives us the clarity to end relationships that no longer serve us. Divorce is a possible side effect of this medicine. It is also not unusual for an ex you haven’t heard from in 10 years to contact you out of the blue. If you are hungry, food may appear. If you are homeless, shelter may arise from thin air. I have seen her manifest everything from money to children. 

Many people experience a lasting, sometimes permanent reduction, or elimination of nerve pain. Many people experience and elimination or deep forgetting of their childhood trauma. This de-triggering process can be very profound. Let it unfold and bask in your newfound sense of peace and ease.

As a result of this peace, you may find you no longer need to self medicate in the same ways. Many people report a massive reduction or elimination in their need for alcohol or marijuana as methods of suppressing fear or sadness. Be gentle with yourself. It’s OK to fall back on your old crutches, like shopping, television or social media. It’s also OK to leave those crutches at the altar of your healing and walk away on your own two feet.

Amanita seems to have the ability to adjust our micro-biome and eliminate nerves which are over reacting to foods and causing sensitivities. I’m not advocating that you eat something you are allergic to, but you may find that food feels more nurturing and is easier to digest.

Often for months, your dreams will be more vivid and prophetic. Keep a journal if you like.

Above all else, please remember to be gentle and kind to yourself and those around you as you step into your new role as the hero of your own story. The easy way is hard enough. As the Buddha says: 

Oh nobly born, remember who you truly are. 

If you would like more resources, I recommend the Tamalpa Institute’s “Life-Art Process” for creative arts integration.