Maria Sabina | The Priestess of Mushrooms
Maria Sabina Magdalena Gracia was born in a small town in Oaxaca, Mexico on July 22, 1894. Her father was a shaman, and had many healers that would travel to their home. Maria was eight years old the first time she tried the divine “magic” mushroom.
It was around that time that Maria’s uncle fell very ill. The mushroom gave her visions of the herbs that her uncle needed to remedy himself, she cooked them for him, and he recovered. At a very young age Maria was dubbed a wise and talented shaman of her community.
In 1955 Robert Gordon Wasson, and a few others, traveled to Oaxaca to receive an indigenous mushroom ritual with Maria Sabina. Wasson published an article in LIFE magazine about his experience that fueled the counterculture movement of the ‘60s.
This led to a boom of tourism in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. Many Americans wanted to experience the mushroom rituals of Maria Sabina. The travelers quickly adopted a diluted and Americanized version of the sacred mushroom rituals, and the local townspeople began to despise Maria for playing a role in the rise of foreigners coming to their town with little respect for their traditions.
Maria would write about these experiences, and quickly doubted the sacredness of the movement from the Americans. Tragically, Maria’s home would be burned down by her local community, and her son was also killed as an adverse response to the American intervention.
Maria’s story has a sad ending. Yet, the life she lived was honorable and regardless of her tragedies, she is still viewed as one of the most influential and powerful healers of Mexico.
We will leave you with a poem, the beautiful words of Maria:
"Heal yourself with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon. With the sound of the river and the waterfall. With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds. Heal yourself with mint, neem, and eucalyptus. Sweeten with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile. Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a hint of cinnamon. Put love in tea instead of sugar and drink it looking at the stars. Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain. Stand strong with your bare feet on the ground and with everything that comes from it. Be smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with your forehead. Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier. Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember ... you are the medicine."
