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If you know anything about Ayahuasca, you’ve probably heard the term ‘Ayahuasca calling’ thrown around like a ragdoll when this sacred medicine works its way into the conversation.
People will tell you that you’ll know when you’re ready to take Ayahuasca, or that you don’t seek the medicine, it calls you.
Great! Thanks for that overwhelmingly helpful advice! But you might wonder what on Earth that actually means, and if this ‘Ayahuasca calling’ is a real thing, or if it’s just empty rhetoric.
So, here I’ll iron it out. In this article, I’m going to tell you a bit about my story with Ayahuasca, how I experienced the calling, and explore some questions you might have about it too.
What Is the Ayahuasca Calling?
The Ayahuasca calling is what we often label the deep, soul-led desire to work with Ayahuasca. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re feeling a pull to work with Ayahuasca and are wondering what it means.
Let me tell you a little about my story with Ayahuasca.
My first encounter with Ayahuasca was in 2017 when I first participated in an Ayahuasca and San Pedro retreat in the Ecuadorian Andes, followed by several ceremonies in the Peruvian Jungle.
At this point in my life, I was young and deeply in love with plant medicines, considering they opened my consciousness to a whole new world of information.
So naturally, I was curious about Ayahuasca.
No, this wasn’t an Ayahuasca calling, just an Ayahuasca curiosity. I was backpacking around South America, and it was something I wanted to experience after hearing all the wonderful stories about this medicine, so I booked a retreat and was on my way.
The first few ceremonies were good. I wouldn’t say life-changing, but still profound in their own ways. As my life progressed, over the years, a deeper desire began to cultivate, and I knew that Ayahuasca would play a much larger role in my life.
How Ayahuasca Crept Back Into My Life
For the first few years after my first Ayahuasca retreat, I didn’t think about it too much. But slowly, a deeper, seemingly illogical desire began creeping in as if it was telling me that I’m due for another session, and I couldn’t shake it off.
As the thought of spending more time with this medicine started to occupy more bandwidth. I would have dreams where I was in a ceremony, and the desire to learn more from Mother Ayahuasca only got stronger, to the point I began orienting my future around it.
I was set to do an Ayahuasca volunteering program in Ecuador when the pandemic hit, and my plans changed. The center I was heading to closed down for a couple of years. With a change of plans, I left Vietnam after 2.5 years and made my way to Mexico instead, where I would essentially wait out the pandemic.
Interestingly enough, Ayahuasca unexpectedly made its way into my life just a couple of weeks after arriving in Mexico City. I wasn’t looking for it, it just sorta landed on my lap, which was a sign I was on the right path.
This happened to be the perfect timing as I was going through a painful breakup and needed some healing. The ceremony was beautiful, the tears were cathartic, and this ceremony affirmed that I was making the right decision.
The Desire to Go Deep Kept Getting Stronger
I spent about 20 months living in Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States. When the stars finally aligned, I set off to Ecuador to begin my volunteering, and I would spend the next 6 months volunteering and then working at this shamanic healing center.
During these 6 months, I sat with Ayahuasca at least 15 times, and this time the medicine opened itself up to me in profound ways. Most of these experiences were at the retreat center, and when I was traveling between retreats, I stumbled upon local ceremonies and began developing strong friendships with a couple of the shamans whom I spent some time with learning the traditions.
Ayahuasca was opening up to me in ways I would never imagine, all because I followed this calling and decided to go all in. I began to understand that the more I stepped into this strange but beautiful world, the more doors opened up for me, and the more fulfilled I felt.
Now it was a matter of trusting the process.
Following the Ayahuasca Calling
After 5 years abroad, the time came to head back to Australia to reunite with family and friends. This was a very joyful moment, but I didn’t feel at home anymore. My heart was pointing back to South America, and I knew that my work with Ayahuasca had just begun.
For the next 9 months, while I worked and saved up some money, heading back to South America was the only thing that was on my mind. I had good times in Australia, sure, but I knew that I was being called back to the shamanic medicine world.
When the time came, I headed to Peru, where I would participate in my first vision quest, do a master plant dieta, and volunteer in a medicine community to deepen my relationship with the medicine. I would then travel North to Ecuador to reconnect with my friends there, and do another initiation.
Naturally, when I followed this calling, doors in the shamanic world began to fly open, leading to some nice volunteering opportunities, paid employment at an Ayahuasca center, the red road, and some amazing teachers who are helping me step deeper into my potential.
I do genuinely believe that the spirit of Ayahuasca is telling me, ‘Daniel, you’re not done with me yet, we’ve got some work to do.‘
Life has taken its own route lately, but I have plans to get back on track soon to continue my work with master plants, and continue following the traditions.
To me, this is what the Ayahuasca calling is. It’s not just a curiosity, it’s something much deeper that you can’t ignore. A deeper part of you feels magnetized to the traditions. Not in an obsessive way, but because it ignites a spark in you and intuitively feels right.
In my case, the Ayahuasca calling started off subtly and slowly grew. Over the years, as I followed that calling, it only became more powerful and more difficult to ignore. The thought of developing a deeper relationship with this medicine captivated me, but in the best possible way.
How to Know if You Have the Ayahuasca Calling
The Ayahuasca calling is a sense that something deep inside is guiding you toward the medicine. You know there is something there for you, maybe healing, direction, a breakthrough, or the next step of your spiritual evolution, that is tied to sitting with this sacred brew.
It often feels like a deep, intuitive feeling that you’re at the right time to sit with the medicine. Thinking about it might light up your heart. You might feel a sense of deep joy and excitement when this medicine is mentioned in a conversation. There’s an undeniable force that really takes a hold on you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it, besides follow it.
For many, that invitation comes through a quiet, persistent inner nudge. But it’s more than an aspect of yourself feeling ready to meet this spirit. When you’re being called by Ayahuasca, it tends to start showing up in your life in unexpected ways.
Some signs you have an Ayahuasca calling include:
- You keep seeing or hearing the word ayahuasca over and over
- You might keep having dreams of sitting with the medicine, being in the jungle, or at a ceremony
- You feel an unexplainable emotional reaction when you hear people talk about it
- Youโve been on a healing journey and naturally feel like this is the right step forward
- Youโre not even sure why, but something in you knows itโs part of your path
The intriguing thing about Ayahuasca is that she tends to show up in our lives and nudge us in the right direction when our souls are ready to meet her. This can happen in seemingly mystical ways that defy logic, but if you have the Ayahuasca calling, you’ll know that it’s drawing you in, and it’s only a matter of time until you meet the medicine.
For me, Ayahuasca gradually took hold after many ceremonies. The more I worked with this medicine, the more I felt it roping me in to go deeper into the experience. It’s almost like the medicine was telling me that there’s something much deeper that I’m supposed to realize through this medicine, and if I want to discover that goldmine, I need to dig deeper.
I have come to understand just how powerful and intelligent this spirit is. You don’t need to drink the medicine for it to be there, guiding, showing, helping. In the same way, we don’t need to be at the altar to feel god’s presence. The more I surrender to this divine force of this sacred medicine, the more I see that it’s leading me in a direction that is truly in my best interest to go.
Why Does Ayahuasca Call Certain People?
There are often 2 main reasons why people choose to sit with Ayahuasca:
- You’re curious, interested, or want to work on your healing and growth.
- You feel compelled to work with the medicine for somewhat unknown reasons, and probably won’t feel like you’ve scratched that itch until you do.
The latter is what people often call the Ayahuasca calling. There seems to be a deeper nudge at play, described as if the medicine is pulling you towards it, but I tend to see it as your soul being drawn towards the spirit, to reunite with it (likely, your soul already has a relationship with this plant in some form, whether it be ancestral, past life, karmic, etc.)
You might experience an Ayahuasca calling when:
- Youโve hit a wall emotionally or spiritually, and you’re ready to go deep into your processes
- You feel stuck, lost, or disconnected from your purpose
- You’re tired of numbing, distracting, or pretending you’re okay
- You know thereโs more to life than what youโve been living
The thing you need to realize is that Ayahuasca is a teacher. Just like we seek various teachers in our lives when we’re ready for their teachings, the same phenomenon works with Ayahuasca. It has a strange way of showing up exactly when youโre ready, not when you think youโre ready, but when your soul is.
Feeling the call is the first sign that you’re approaching the experience with respect, not just curiosity or hype. The medicine doesnโt respond well to ego or impulse, and if you’re led by these desires, it will likely either kick your ass, or provide no experience at all.
Ayahuasca responds to sincerity.
When you listen to the call with humility, youโre opening the door to enter new dimensions of consciousness, growth, and personal evolution that are worth seeing through.
How Do You Know if Youโre Feeling the Call?
If you’re feeling the Ayahuasca calling, first, you need to iron out the details, which comes by setting intentions and sitting with that calling. Ask yourself why you’re drawn to this medicine. What are you hoping to find? What are you willing to face?
There’s a reason why Ayahuasca is calling you. Can you figure out what it is? Is it for healing, spiritual growth, or to deepen your understanding of higher realms?
Identifying why you’re feeling called to Ayahuasca can help you bring some meaning to the phenomenon, but to be honest, it’s not entirely necessary. What is important is that you’re feeling that deep desire to work with it, and that you honor that calling.
Keep in mind that not all retreats are created equal, and it’s important to make sure you go to a good one.
Look for facilitators with integrity, experience, and a real connection to the indigenous roots of the medicine. Avoid places that feel transactional or overly commercial.
If you don’t know where to begin, I’ve compiled a list of the best Ayahuasca centers and ceremonies that I know of, including the ones I’ve spent time in. Every Ayahuasca center I’ve added here is highly authentic, reputable, and personally recommended, so you can’t go wrong.
You can check out the list here.
Just because you feel the calling doesnโt mean you need to book a flight tomorrow. When itโs time, the opportunity will open up naturally. Sometimes the Ayahuasca calling is the beginning of a long unfolding.
Trust the process, and listen to that voice. It will lead you in the right direction.
