Welcome to the deeper you go, the weirder it gets. I'm your host, Garett Renon. So this episode is gonna be a short one where I basically just read you my latest newsletter article. And this article is about expectations around ceremony. And this is a good thing to talk about because expectations are everything.

And one of the most interesting things about plant medicine ceremonies is that you don't usually get what you want, you get what you need. So before we get into the episode, I wanna remind you to I wanna remind you that this podcast is helped by your support. And because I'm reading a newsletter article, I am asking you if you want to learn more about what I do or work with me, signing up for the newsletter is the best way to stay in touch. So you can find a link on how to sign up for the newsletter in the show notes. Okay.

So let's get on with the episode. So not every ceremony needs to be profound. Plant medicine ceremonies don't always need to be profound. And when I say profound, I'm talking about those deep, intense, life altering, everything changed in one night experiences. The kind of stories you hear on podcast or from someone who just got back from spending months in the jungle.

And those experiences can happen, and when they do, they can be incredibly powerful, but they are not the norm. In fact, they are extremely rare, and that is perfectly fine because the truth is you don't need a peak experience to have amazing results. Those peak dramatic life changing experiences are the ones people tend to talk about because they are extremely interesting, fascinating, and fun. And who doesn't like and who doesn't love a good story. Right?

But those amazing stories are usually not the full picture. Most profound experiences actually unfold over time. See, the truth is it is more common than not to leave a ceremony weekend feeling confused, unfulfilled, or even slightly disappointed. And that is because it can usually take days, weeks, sometimes even months for the events of a particular ceremony to fully integrate into your psyche. But once it does, something seems to click.

The insights come flooding in and suddenly it feels like the events from that ceremony could make complete sense. So when people tell their stories, they tend to tell it like all the insights, transformations, healing, and growth all happened over the course of one night, but it didn't. And this creates a problem, the expectation trap. See, when you expect every ceremony to be a peak experience, you set the bar way too high. So anything less than a complete death and rebirth, access to the Akashic records, a face to face meeting with mother Ayahuasca or a surprise visit from interdimensional surgeons can feel like a major letdown.

And unfortunately, I see this happen all the time. But one of the core principles of this work is you don't always get what you want, you get what you need. And what most people need isn't a peak experience. They need healing. They need growth.

They need a new lens so that they may see their life from a different perspective. They don't necessarily need a wild fantastical story they can tell their friends. They need something that actually improves how they think, feel, and live. And the truth is, real change rarely looks dramatic. It shows up as a new way of thinking, less tension in the body, a quiet a quiet realization you can ignore, a small change in how you act.

It's not flashy, but it's the kind of change that really sticks. Back to real life. So this expectation also keeps people from doing the work in the first place. I get asked all the time, how much time do I need after ceremony before I can return to quote unquote normal life? And the reason people ask this is because of what they think is about to happen.

They think or expect that they are going to be blown wide open, that they'll witness the origins of the universe, that they will commune with their ancestors and heal generations of trauma, that they'll lose their sense of self completely, merge with the source and come back as someone completely new. And if that's the expectation, of course, they'll assume it will take days, maybe weeks of silence and isolation just to recover, just to make sense of it all, just to put themselves back together. But here's the truth. Most ceremonies are not that profound and they're not supposed to be. So remember, you don't always get what you want, you get what you need.

Most people can return to normal life within a day or two, sometimes even the next morning if necessary. Sure, you might be tired, but you'll be fine. And more importantly, you should go back to your quote unquote regular life as soon as possible because that's where integration actually happens. The insights, growth, and healing don't come from sitting around doing nothing but meditating, journaling, or resting. They come from taking physical action and confronting your problems head on.

See, don't forget we are here on earth in the physical realm for a reason. The lessons and growth our soul needs come from participating in life, not avoiding it. So final thoughts. Not every ceremony needs to change your life overnight, but every ceremony has the potential to move your life forward. And over time, those small shifts stack up, and that's where real transformation happens.

Alright. See you on the other side.