Is It Important to Have an Ayahuasca Intention?

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Ayahuasca is known for its life-changing potential, but the journey can feel unhinged without a well-defined intention. Your Ayahuasca intention serves as a guiding force in your journey. Think of it as a steering wheel that directs the medicine journey toward your deeper purpose, reasons, and desires.

Working with this medicine over the years, I’ve learned just how important setting an intention is. This isn’t just because it gives you a sense of purpose, but it can change the entire experience.

In this article, we’ll look at why it’s important to set an intention when taking Ayahuasca and how to do it properly. I’ll also share some examples of what you can ask Mother Ayahuasca. Regardless of how many times you’ve sat with this powerful medicine, setting the right intention can make a world of difference.

What is an Ayahuasca Intention?

An Ayahuasca intention refers to the purpose you bring into your Ayahuasca ceremony. Most people have a reason why they’re seeking out one of the most powerful medicines in the world, and likely traveling intercontinental to do so.

But hey, sometimes we just take it because… why not? Sometimes, we don’t know why we’re taking the medicine. It may be due to curiosity, to experience it, or because the opportunity arose. In my experiences, the medicine journey is generally much more profound when taken with a deep-seated reason, as opposed to taking it just because you can.

There’s a reason for this.

Your intention acts as a guiding mechanism and helps focus the medicine journey on something specific you’re seeking information, healing, or understanding on. Intentions come in many forms, including:

Finding guidance regarding a life situation
Self-discovery and inner exploration
For clarity, purpose, or direction
For self-actualization and spiritual growth
For healing trauma, depression, and other emotional issues
To release something such as fear or resentment
Healing addiction and dependency
Connecting with ancestors or loved ones
Illuminating and clearing particular blockages
To become more at peace with death and mortality

Whether you’re looking for emotional healing, spiritual growth, or clarity on major life decisions, having a clear intention can steer the journey in your desired direction. Therefore, think of your Ayahuasca intention as your compass. If you don’t have one, the journey can be random, scattered, and lack inherent meaning.

For example, if you focus your intentions on healing trauma, letting go of something, or finding a deeper sense of purpose in your life, then your experience will likely tailor itself to this intention.

With that said, your Ayahuasca intention isn’t a silver bullet. Just because you intend your experience to be oriented around something in particular doesn’t mean it will be.

Sometimes, the medicine will show you something unrelated that you may not intend. Other times, it will reveal a deeper layer of your intention that you don’t expect, and then sometimes it won’t show you anything at all.

Although setting an intention generally does direct your experience, it’s important to trust that the medicine knows best and that you’ll experience what you need to experience.

Why Is an Ayahuasca Intention Important?

During my time working with plant medicines in traditional and therapeutic settings, I became aware of three important keys that can transform the medicine journey into one of profound learning, healing, and growth.

These keys involve:

Intention: Have a clear reason for consuming the plant, and know exactly what you’re seeking from it.
Respect: Treat the plant with the utmost respect, recognizing its role as a wise teacher and powerful spiritual tool.
Openness: Be open to the teachings of the plant in whatever form they manifest, and avoid resisting the experience.

Sitting in an Ayahuasca ceremony without having an intention is like setting off on an adventure without a destination. The journey may still be incredible, but it lacks inherent meaning.

Setting an intention gives the journey meaning. This means you’re much more likely to take something tangible from the experience and interpret it in ways that benefit your life moving forward. Likewise, an intention can redirect the entire journey and drastically change the experience.

Most of us see plant medicines as nothing more than entheogenic substances; however, when working with Indigenous traditions and using these plants in an entirely different context, your perception begins to shift.

It’s important to note that plant medicines are spirits. When I say this, I mean they’re intelligent entities that you connect with through consuming the plant.

Rather than perceiving these plants as simply entheogenic substances that lack inherent meaning, you begin to see them as conscious beings that can open a window into the deeper levels of your subconscious and beyond.

These spirits respond to your energy in the form of words, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and experiences in a way that can’t be rationalized. When I have taken these substances unconsciously without respect and intention, I often receive a vivid message: ‘You shouldn’t be here’.

So, if you’re planning on working with these powerful tools, make sure you’re doing it right!

Intentions vs Expectations

There’s a fine line between having intentions and expectations for an Ayahuasca journey. Intentions are good, but expectations are not.

I have met a lot of people who believed that Ayahuasca would be the solution to all of their problems after a single sitting. Likewise, sometimes people think that Ayahuasca will fix their relationship for them, fill them with self-love, or cure a terminal illness.

The result is often disappointing because an intention, especially an unrealistic one can create a block for the medicine to work its magic. I’m not saying Ayahuasca won’t help with these issues, but it can’t do the legwork for you.

Ayahuasca is a teacher plant that gives you information, but it can’t solve your problems. Many people who seek out Ayahuasca get the idea in their heads that it will be the most profound, life-changing experience, but this isn’t a grounded approach.

This is having an expectation.

It’s important to note that the medicine knows best. Trust that it is doing what it needs to do, even if there are no epiphanies or visions popping out at you, or they’re not in line with your intentions.

You may be looking for a solution to an issue, and the medicine illuminates a deeper, root issue rather than giving you what you want. For example, if you are seeking Ayahuasca to heal depression, it could help you remove a blockage preventing you from opening your heart. You might think it’s unrelated, but perhaps the best solution to heal depression is by feeling more love, gratitude, and compassion.

Therefore, intend the best, but let go of expectations and be open to whatever the medicine wants to teach you because it may be very different from what you anticipate.

How to Set an Ayahuasca Intention

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Your intention determines the purpose the plant serves – whether it’s as an aid to heal, or whether it’s as a channel for information. There are two ways we can use Ayahuasca depending on our purpose for using it:

As a medicine: To heal, grow, and resolve issues in our lives.
As a power plant: To attain knowledge, wisdom, and divine information.

Your intention is likely to be different every time you take Ayahuasca. The thing about an Ayahuasca intention is that your life situation is always changing, meaning that as each ceremony arrives, you will be in a different situation, with different priorities.

When I have an upcoming Ayahuasca ceremony, I usually think about what I need most in my life at that moment. If there is any pressing concern, I will focus on addressing this issue in my life. If there is no pressing concern, I will reflect on my life situation and think about what information would benefit me the most – guidance, wisdom, courage, etc.

Often I will focus my intentions on spiritual growth and exploration – based on my interests. In many ceremonies when there is no pressing matter to address, I’ll ask the plant to connect me with deeper levels of consciousness, to contact entities, or to venture into higher dimensions. These intentions don’t always come to fruition, but usually, they do if I humbly ask for it and genuinely want it.

Setting your intention is about focusing your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions on resolving an issue you’re facing in your life and asking the medicine to help you. Make sure that you genuinely want what you are asking for, and do it with humility.

How to Set Powerful Ayahuasca Intentions

To set a strong intention that the medicine is likely to respond to, you need to:

Be specific: Don’t ask vague questions such as “Help me overcome my problems.”
Be clear: Know exactly what you’re asking and why you’re asking it (What is the desired outcome?)
Feel it, don’t just say it: Words count for something, but the emotion behind them accounts for a lot more.

When working with Ayahuasca, you should approach it as a wise spirit that has the answers. Even though Ayahuasca will do what it needs to do to help you regardless, providing it with intentions can focus the journey on a specific issue.

It’s always best to feel the intention from your heart. Speaking your Ayahuasca intention before a ceremony may reinforce it, but it won’t count for much unless it’s backed with genuine emotion and desire. After all, it’s your energy that the medicine responds to.

A strong intention is always felt. The strongest intentions are those you don’t need to think about because you know exactly what you’re looking for from the journey.

For example, someone who is mourning the loss of a child is automatically going to have a very powerful intention because, consciously or unconsciously, they are seeking something specific from the medicine. In this case, it could be closure, it could be to release the pain, connect with their loved one, or move on.

When you’re setting an intention for an Ayahuasca ceremony, I suggest that you speak to the medicine as you would to a person. Take your time to talk to the medicine, and express yourself fully to it. This is good to do just before drinking it while holding the cup, and it’s good to think about leading up to the ceremony.

People often hold the medicine to their hearts while setting an Ayahuasca intention because the heart generates a powerful energy that the medicine responds to. Don’t rush the process and try to embody your intention before drinking the medicine.

Some Questions to Ask Mother Ayahuasca

As mentioned previously, the strongest intentions are the ones you instinctively know. However, if you don’t have a burning desire to why you’re seeking Ayahuasca, then here are some examples of different intentions you can gain inspiration from.

It’s best to phrase your intentions as questions – as if you’re asking the medicine how it can help you. Likewise, it’s good to be specific with your intention.

Here are some different things you can ask Mother Ayahuasca.

“What do I need to learn to move forward in my life?”
“Can you help me understand the root of my anxieties?”
“How can I overcome this blockage?”
“How can I learn to love myself more fully/again?”
“What do I need to release to heal my heart?”
“How can I let go of the baggage I’ve been holding onto?”
“How can I open my heart to experience more love, compassion, and gratitude?”
“How can I align my actions with my higher self?”
“Help me understand my true self.”
“How can I discover my true purpose/calling in life?”
“What do I need to do to feel more at peace with my life?”
“I’m seeking emotional healing
“What do I need to do to heal this depression?”
“I want to release the resentment and anger I’m holding onto.”
“Show me how I can feel more fulfilled.”
“Help me process and release grief.”
“I seek a deeper connection with nature and the universe.”
“Guide me toward forgiveness for myself and others.”
I want to connect with entities and spirits
I want to experience deeper layers of consciousness, other dimensions, and realms of existence
“Show me the path I need to take for my professional life.”
“Guide me to improve my relationships.”
“How can I heal my relationships?”
“Show me what I need to do to have a fulfilling relationship with someone.”
“How can I create healthier habits that will increase the quality of my life?”
“What lessons do you have for me today?
“What steps can I take to align with my true purpose?”
“Help me identify the obstacles that are holding me back from achieving a great life.”