FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We realize the unique nature of our church and religion! Many people are very curious and have many questions about who we are, what we believe in, and how it differs from mainstream Western religions. While a religion based on earth-centered and shamanistic practices may feel "new" to the Western world, it's actually some of the oldest practices and traditions in time. The lineages of our indigenous elders have been working with plants and communicating with the spirit realms for thousands of years! Do you have a question not answered below? Feel free to contact us!
Do you believe in God? Do you worship Jesus?
We believe in the Divine, who go by many names. We honor our Mother Earth, who is our source of life, and our Father Sky, who is our connection to the cosmos. In many western religions, God would be another name for Father Sky, Creator, Great Spirit, among other names. We believe in the divinity of spirit guides, angels, ancestors, and other energies. There is the essence of the divine in all things, including ourselves.
We believe Jesus was someone who once walked this Earth. We believe he was a healer, like many others in history, and someone who was dedicated to his spiritual path and a teacher of it, similar to the Buddha. However, he is not a person we worship or include in our religious practices.
Who is Gaia?
We believe in the Spirit of Gaia, who is our Mother Earth. She has created all life, she can heal all life, and we return to her at the end of life. She is also our great teacher, who offers guidance and wisdom to those who humbly seek it.
What is your sacrament? What is Ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a mixture of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria viridis leaf. We believe Ayahuasca is the sacrament that was given to humankind so we can communicate with the divine and receive direct teachings and wisdom from the spirit realms. Also known as The Holy Mother, Ayahuasca is the keystone to our awakening. We honor this gift and believe its use to only be appropriate in a ceremonial context.
Our church believes those who seek to understand our world and the deeper meanings of life will receive the answers to their questions with Ayahuasca. The experience varies for everyone as well as each time they partake in the sacrament. The purpose of taking the sacrament of Ayahuasca may include any of the following and even experiences beyond what is mentioned here: connection to our Creator as well as spirit realms and ancestors, receiving guidance in all facets of life, finding forgiveness and love for yourself and others, spiritual growth and awakening, and progression toward enlightenment.
Due to health limitations, age restrictions, and other factors, it is not a requirement that members partake of the sacrament.
Are you Shamans?
No. Some of our practices are shamanistic in nature and the traditions, modalities, and beliefs are related to the worldviews of various ancient and indigenous lineages. However, a shaman is a very sacred part of specific indigenous cultures in which we are not part of. The term "shaman" is becoming widely used across the globe to encompass particular practices, but we personally do not feel it is appropriate to claim this as a title, which takes a lifetime of learning as well as an ancestral connection to that lineage.
Our sacrament of Ayahuasca has been used by indigenous communities in the Amazon jungle for more than 1,000 years. Traditionally found in South America, awareness of this sacred plant has quickly spread to all parts of the world. While the Church of Gaia has some cultural differences from South American indigenous traditions, the spiritual connections to Ayahuasca are the same. We honor and respect the ceremonial process of these indigenous traditions and make every effort to carry them into our spiritual practices.
Many of our ceremonial and church leaders have spent extensive periods of time with the indigenous people of South America, learning the wisdom and integrating traditions from their lineages. As we continue to develop our website, eventually you will be able to read more about each of their backgrounds and training.
Do you have a written doctrine?
No. Our beliefs do not come from a specific book, but instead from our relationships with nature. Through partaking of the sacrament, we deepen our connection to ourselves and our understanding of the world. We communicate directly with the divine and receive the teachings we need at that time. We do not practice with a written doctrine because the wisdom we receive is individualized and sacred.
We also believe in the importance of passing wisdom through oral traditions. We strive to create a community of trust and connection for this to happen. We honor the tradition of gathering and storytelling to pass on knowledge and share our experiences, especially with respect to including and listening to our elders.
While we do not have a written doctrine, we do have Ethical Guidelines and written policies that members are expected to adhere to in order to maintain integrity and respect within as well as outside of our community.
Do you believe in heaven or hell? Do you believe in reincarnation?
Yes, but maybe not the heaven and hell that many Western religions portray. We believe there is another realm that our souls go after we die to rest, or sometimes possibly stay, among other divine spirits, guides and ancestors. We do not believe in hell - our souls are in an infinite journey of life and death.
We believe in reincarnation and rebirth. We reincarnate so that our soul can continue to grow. Each soul is here for a purpose. It is our goal in this life to discover our path so that our soul may find fulfillment. Along the way, people may get hurt or hurt others, and we often carry trauma with us to the next life because we have not healed in this life. By taking the sacrament, we can discover our current or past life traumas so that we can make sense of them, heal, learn, and find peace through our understanding of our place in this universe. We believe our soul’s journey is unique and everlasting. We humbly express that we do not and will not ever have all the answers to the workings of the universe or what lies beyond this life.
