Go Quietly Amid the Noise and Haste - Sacred Mushrooms and the Art of Silence

Maria Sabina was born and died in poverty. In Alvaro Estrada's seminal 'The Life and Chants of Maria Sabina,' Sabina recounts eating the mushroom to fill her stomach and stave off the hungers of poverty. As shamanism comes into vogue, every hipster under the sun--including yours truly, has a blog or a podcast selling psychedelic-illumination--neatly packaged and well-marketed--for a low-low price! Buy now while the deal lasts!

And yet Maria Sabina--widely regarded as one of the most unique voices to emerge from the sacred plant-traditions of meso-America--a true expert in sacred plants, never even owned a pair of shoes. Yet in spite of her poverty, she rarely--if ever, refused to provide a mushroom vigil to someone who had asked. She never asked money for her services, and certainly never advertised.

The truest experts in the use of sacred plants are not the ones making noise, marketing their wares, and garnering attention; the true experts in sacred plants are dwelling quietly in silence, living out their lives according to their means and within the vessel of their calling. So let us remember in the midst of all the noise, that the true depth of this art of the sacred plant tradition rests in stillness and silence.