Frequently Asked Questions

We are an Entheist church based in Atlanta, GA dedicated to sharing wisdom on personal growth, spirituality, consciousness, and the transformative power of entheogens (sacramental use of psychedelics).

Inspired by works like "Be Here Now" by our teacher, Ram Dass, our mission is to curate an inter-faith spiritual community of mystics who commune with sacred mushrooms and other entheogens for personal, social and global healing with the Divine. 

We aim to leave this world more healed than we found it by breaking cycles of generational trauma and by helping each member find direction and purpose in their spiritual development. Together, we have a ripple effect on humanity.

Yes, we host regular online and in-person events, workshops, outdoor experiences, private sacrament ceremonies and retreats (8-10 per month) that appeal to members of the church at all ages, abilities, and experience levels. These events are led by experienced ministers and leaders within the community. Check our Services page for upcoming dates and registration details.

Anyone with an open-mind and interest in personal growth, spirituality and altered states of consciousness is welcome to join our community. Whether you are just beginning your spiritual path or have been on this path for years, you'll find valuable insights and support here.

Currently, anyone can join our public events (posted on Meetup.com). We request a small donation to give back to the organization and fund future events. Official contributing members can access sacrament ceremonies and group retreats. You can join with an up-front donation of $300 or more, with an option to choose a recurring donation tier of $25, $50, or $100/mo. Your membership fee is applied toward the donation for your sacrament ceremony, if you choose.

We source the sacrament from a trusted and highly educated, professional mycologist and we have been working with our specific strains of sacrament for a long time. 

Psilocybin is not addictive or toxic to the body and studies have consistently shown the sacrament to be beneficial to healing a range of mental health ailments. We invite you to read through our Informed Consent, Harm Reduction and Medical Liability Waiver (click) that features links to science backed studies about psilocybin in clinical settings. These findings translate to spiritual settings as well.

When taken in an appropriate dose, safe setting, with the right intentions, and while in an optimal physical and emotional state --you will have a very safe experience. 

Participating in sacrament ceremony requires trust between participant and facilitator.  We provide education, preparation and integration before and after your experience. We ask that you be responsible for reading all instructions with care and following our advice. 

We screen all prospective recipients of sacrament ceremony for physical and mental health concerns prior to confirming a date. For those whose circumstances are beyond our scope, we will refer you to a clinical setting.

We hold ceremonies in our retreat space in Stone Mountain GA, just 10 minutes from the state park in a quiet neighborhood. We have two private bedrooms with queen beds available and dedicated to use for sacrament ceremony. Each is adorned with a minimalist aesthetic, beautiful scenic view outside the window, memory foam mattress, storage space and easy access to a restroom. You can see photos of these rooms on the Sacrament page of our site.

The total duration of support offered by our ministers is between 10-12 hours in any ceremony or retreat, including preparation and integration. 

Private solo ceremonies (one person) are $900 total. 

Private "duo" ceremonies (two people at once) are $600 per person. 

Group retreats (up to 10 people) are $300 per person. 

We offer payment arrangements and a pay-it-forward program to those who request support to access these services. Please inquire during your connection call.

Please visit the Membership page on our site and follow the four steps outlined there. Step 3 is to schedule a call with us to get to know each other and then we will email you a confirmation of the date and a link to process your deposit or full donation. 

The week prior to the retreat, we recommend abstaining from drugs, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, fast food, and excessive salt + added sugar. Eat a whole food, plant-based diet. Avoid fast food and processed food. Drink only herbal tea and water.

If you are on SSRI or SNRI medication (anti-depressants, anti-anxiety), you will want to wean off over the course of a two to six weeks. Call or message us to discuss. And consult your doctor if you have any heart, lung or neurological conditions.

Also, become more mindful of your mental, emotional and sensory stimulation levels. Avoid difficult personalities and triggering situations. Abstain from social media and news media. Reduce exposure to rap or metal music, horror and drama film genres. 

We offer a list of documentaries we recommend that will contribute to your knowledge and understanding of the sacrament experience:

Fantastic Fungi https://netflix.com/title/81183477   

How To Change Your Mind (episode 2) https://netflix.com/title/80229847

Magic Medicine https://www.gaia.com/video/magic-medicine

GOOP Lab (episode 1) https://www.netflix.com/title/80244690 

Becoming Nobody https://becomingnobody.com 

You'll take your sacrament (dried fruiting body) as a tea, usually ground up in warm water with a dash of pureed ginger and lime juice to help with digestion and flavor.

The specific strains and doses we serve to each participant is customized to their intention, experience, and life circumstances. Because most of our participants come for the most transformative experience possible, to break through decades of historical patterns and trauma, they will receive a “heroic dose”. This amount ranges between 4 to 5 grams of a potent strain. We will introduce you to your sacramentand give you a background on how and where they were grown. You will have a chance to hold them prior to being ground up into a tea. You will also have an option to deepen your dose with a psilocin melt (an enhancement) after the first hour.

The effects will be noticed in 15-30 mins after consumption and last around four hours. The first two hours are usually the most immersive. You can trust that the medicine is a gentle teacher, offering healing and growth, insight and inspiration. You may laugh, you may feel euphoric, you may be visited (energetically) by loved ones, you may feel overwhelmed with love and gratitude, you may re-live past traumas, you may cry and that's okay. Many of us resist crying in everyday life and this is a safe space to let go. Some participants experience purging; which may just be what your body needs to facilitate letting go of emotions. Most participants report that the sacrament gives them an opportunity to process whatever has been on their minds the past few weeks or months. It may be very 'visual' or very noticeable in body sensations, or both.

We cannot assure that you will have a "good" trip, but  we are confident that every trip is beneficial when facilitated in an optimal set and setting. Concerns about "bad trips" often stem from portrayals in media or past personal experiences in less than optimal containers. 

We prefer not to label trips as "bad" but rather as unpleasant, recognizing that the sacrament guides your healing in impactful, though not always gentle, ways.  We create our container with a focus on healing, honoring the intelligence of both your body and the sacrament itself. Your willingness to approach the ceremony with respect, intention, and surrender to the experience is essential.

Sacrament ceremony is not intended as a substitute for medical or psychotherapeutic care. Please ensure that you inform us about any ongoing medical or psychological treatments you are undergoing. If we have any questions or reservations regarding your participation, we may request additional information, suggest that you consult with a doctor prior to proceeding, or refer you to a clinical setting that would be more appropriate to your circumstances.

The following conditions are considered contraindications:

• Pregnancy
• Schizophrenia or sensitivity to psychosis
• Severe breathing problems
• Severe blood pressure or heart problems
• History of seizures or brain hemorrhages

The following medications should not be combined with psychedelics and will require a full taper-off prior to ceremony:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
• Benzodiazepines (e.g., Valium, Oxazepam, Xanax)
• Opioids (e.g., tramadol, morphine, codeine)
• Lithium

We offer an overnight option as many participants find they are exhausted and not up for driving after ceremony and integration ends at 9 or 10pm. You are welcome to stay with us at no additional charge. We'll need to send you off the next morning around 10am, after tea and a light breakfast. We often have another participant coming in that same day and just need time to reset and prepare.

The day after ceremony, to maintain your connection with the sacrament and the wisdom you received, you will want to continue creating a relaxed vibe. Where possible, we recommend scheduling a massage, or time in a sauna or hot tub. Try candlelight in place of overhead lights in the evenings at home with mellow non-lyrical music and/or spiritual reading. 

In the days to follow, we recommend spending time in nature immersion, consistent journaling, meditation and gratitude practice, reducing social media and news media consumption, and abstaining from any recreational substances.   

We will check in with you via text and follow up calls to assist in integrating the messages received. We will advise you on microdosing as well. Private integration coaching is available for an additional donation to create a plan of action and accountability. 

The long-term effects have been overwhelmingly positive, with fMRI brain scans revealing the formation of new neural pathways weeks after psychedelic consumption. Patients who suffered from depression experienced physiological changes in their brains, enabling them to rewire their thought patterns. These positive physiological effects were still observable six months later, according to research from UCSF. In controlled settings, preliminary findings suggest that psilocybin may enhance emotional and brain plasticity, leading to long-term positive outcomes (Barret, et al.).

Many members who are newer to the sacrament opt to come in for ceremony once every 3-6 months to continue deepening their healing, growth and spiritual understanding. Some schedule ceremonies more frequently, some only work with the sacrament once a year (or less). We encourage you to listen to your intuition and the wisdom of your body. You will know when it's time to go deeper. Our goal is that you always have experienced facilitators available to you to learn with. Once you are more familiar with how your body responds to the sacrament, you can learn to create your own healing container (at lower doses) with the support of a friend or loved one at home. 

Yes, our church Facebook is https://facebook.com/groups/entheotemple and our Instagram is https://instagram.com/entheotemple . We are more active on FB and it is a great way to stay plugged into inspiration and community discussions. You are also welcome to send a friend request to either of the minsters Mira Joleigh and/or Alex Himes.