August Soul Talk: Your Birthright. Our Mission.
- Alana Thornton
- Aug 5
- 4 min read
Religious Freedom with Sacred Mushrooms in Action
By Courtney Rose | August 2025
I’m oh-so-grateful to be right here, right now with you — as you read these words, I hope something within you remembers the truth of who you are… and what your soul is here to do. Perhaps even how your path might intertwine with our blossoming community here at Psanctuary.
I’ve just returned home from our Minister’s Ceremony Weekend, where we gathered to celebrate the life of María Sabina, the beautiful Mazatec curandera who helped pave the way for many of us to remember our sacred connection with mushrooms — and with each other.
María Sabina lived a difficult life. She knew poverty, sacrifice, and suffering — and she also lived in devotion: to her family, her people, and the divine presence she encountered through the mushroom. Her life ended tragically, yet her legacy lives on.
She once said:
“Jump, dance, sing — so that you can live happier.”
Her words remind us: the mushroom isn’t just a tool for healing pain. It’s a sacred technology that reconnects us to joy, to aliveness, and to the wisdom of the Earth.
And this past weekend, I witnessed the power of community in action — how we show up for each other in ways we never could have planned, but so deeply need.
In moments like these, I’m reminded that we don’t have to do this alone and we were never meant to.
Another message from María Sabina that has been echoing in my heart:
“I am wise even from within the womb of my mother. I am the woman of the winds, of the water, of the paths, because I am known in heaven.”
This whole mushroom resurgence we’re seeing in culture right now — it’s not new. It’s not a trend. It’s an ancient remembering.
The mushroom is not a commodity. It is a teacher and it is a friend.It is a spiritual companion, here to help us remember who we are, and how to live in right relationship with ourselves, each other, and Spirit.
Here at Psanctuary, we are co-creating something extraordinary: a church rooted in co-created sovereignty, where the sacred practice of communing with the mushroom is honored and shared with reverence in community.
This practice is your birthright. We each have the divine right to commune with God, with or without the mushroom. We also believe the mushroom is a sacred technology gifted by the Creator for moments we need some help remembering who we truly are and what we came here to do.
And when held in intention, in community, and with deep care, this practice becomes not just healing, but revolutionary celebration.
The Next Step: Foundations Membership Is Now Open
Over the last year and a half, we’ve been listening.
Many of you have asked:
“How can I invite my partner, my parent, or my best friend into this space?”
“Is there a way for them to understand what we’re doing here before committing to minister training?”
“Can they experience some level of ceremony too?”
We’ve been asking the same questions, and now, we’re ready.
Introducing Our Foundations Membership
Launching August 12, this new membership includes access to our first-ever 4-week Member Foundations Course, co-taught by Eric and me. It’s designed to help you:
Better understand our structure, values, and sacred agreements that we uphold in group ceremony
Explore your rights and responsibilities in our current legal framework in the US
Learn and feel out how to talk about Psanctuary with friends, family, and community
Experience our culture of relating and support through live weekly calls
Live calls run August 12 – September 4 and this will be the only chance to attend them live (recordings will be available for future members).
If you complete the course as a member, you’ll be invited to participate in our next member ceremony during National Mushroom Month and National Psilocybin Day (Sept. 19–21).**Previously ordained MySelf and Friends and Family ministers will already have access to ceremony, however, we ask that all members, minister or not, participate in our foundations membership course
Lifting Each Other Up: Your Invitation to Contribute
Joining the Foundations Tier may mean increasing your monthly contribution. We know that for some of you, that’s a meaningful decision, and we honor it deeply.
If this mission lives in your heart… If this community has touched your life…We invite you to say yes with your presence and your support.
This contribution helps us:
Create more educational and relational offerings
Expand our regional networks and internal support teams
Improve our messaging and storytelling to our community at large
Take real steps toward securing a piece of land for our Psanctuary home
Provide a space where our ministers, and eventually, you, can gather, commune, and grow
If you feel called to give more than your current membership, thank you. You’re helping tend the soil for the next generation of spiritual freedom and sacred mushroom practice.
If You Need Support, Please Reach Out
We also want to be clear: If you are unable to increase your membership without impacting your ability to meet your basic needs, food, housing, safety for yourself and your family, please reach out to see what options are available. We are committed to accessibility and mutual uplifting.
We rise together, and rising tides lift all ships.
Looking Ahead
There’s more to come.In the coming months, we’ll be opening:
New cohort applications for minister training (now open!)
A Seminary Membership, for those deepening on the ministerial path
A Steward Membership, for those called to contribute towards our long-term vision
And through it all, we’ll continue to grow in beauty, integrity, and joyful devotion.
Closing: A Breath of Blessing
If you’ve read this far, thank you. Thank you for your time, your presence, your heart.
Let’s close with a breath:Inhale through your nose…Exhale through your mouth…
May we walk forward with hearts wide open, in service to the land and all its inhabitants. May peace be with you as you move into August. And may we continue to remember who we are together.
With love,
Courtney Rose McClure
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