Zuri is a home birthing, homeschooling mama of two, holistic childbirth educator, and ceremonialist. The free-birth story of her second baby, Elijah Light, is one of deep primordial intuition, spirit baby communication, and unwavering trust. Zuri hopes that her story inspires women to radically trust the wisdom that lies within, and to tune into the mystical intelligence our spirit babies have to offer.
Zuri is also passionate about de-stigmatizing the use of ancestral plant and fungi medicines for women in all phases of motherhood, which she shares a bit about towards the end of this episode.
PLEASE NOTE:The breadth of this topic is vast, and while in no way will our talk touch upon every side tangent and nuance that this subject can spiral into and out from, what we do discuss are psychedelic and entheogens, namely psilocybin mushrooms, as a tool for postpartum integration, the difference between micro and macro dosing, and the traditional use of these medicines in the pharmacopeia of the womb continuum and beyond. What this talk is not doing is offering or recommending medical advice, promoting the use of illicit substances nor any illegal activities, and all of the comments and opinions are solely of me, Jaden Graham, and my guest, Zuri Snow, and are not those of the Indie Birth Private Contract Association, nor Maryn Green or Margo Blackstone, and any of their affiliates. Simply, this conversation, like every episode before it, is storytelling at its most basic core. And also similar to past episodes, if you hear something that resonates with you, I implore you to explore on your own and apply what you learn to your own subjective reality, and that which doesn’t resonate, to leave here in this space. While acceptance and policy in regards to psilocybin seem to be shifting in a positive, forward direction in some places across the world, I still fully acknowledge the taboo nature of this topic, in general and especially its intersection with motherhood, which I personally believe is a byproduct of both the erasure of Indigenous traditions and wisdom, America’s toxic so-called “War on Drugs,” and the decades long stigmatization of these ancient, mycelial technologies by the global, patriarchal over culture. So, I am inviting all listeners, and especially those who have little to zero experiences with psilocybin mushrooms or other entheogenic plants, to keep an open mind, an open heart, and if you want to explore this topic further, below is a list of resources. Thank you.
-“Entheogenic Earth Medicine Assisted Motherhood” E-Book by Mikaela de la Myco
“Mushrooms and Parenting: A Talk With Psilocybin Friendly Families” by Mikaela de la Myco (blog post)
The Mama Psychedelia Podcast
“Postpartum, Psychedelics, and Sexual Healing: A Journey of Rituals” by Michah Stover via Women on Psychedelics
“Mushrooms and Menstruation” by Michah Stover via Women on Psychedelics
-Microdosing Mini Guide by @microdosingmom
“How to Microdose Psilocybin According to Paul Stamets: The Stamets Stack” by James Hallifax via Psychedelic Spotlight
“Microdosing Protocols: Microdosing Everyday Vs. Every Other Day” by Danielle Simone Brand via Double Blind Magazine
Jaden’s personal note: While I believe it is important to be discerning in using colonial tools such as research studies to quantify and “measure” something that is so beyond our scope of intellectual understanding, and is also so profoundly unique onto the individual (in the cases of experiences – IE: naming what something is or isn’t, should or shouldn’t be, taking credit and claiming “discovery” for something Indigenous peoples have known for millenia, and the rigid and controlled structure of the nature of these studie.. re: being in a cold, sterile room and being watched vs being in a community setting and/or in nature), I can at least be grateful to various organizations such as MAPS and John Hopkins for their published works in studies of entheogens and psychedelics as medicine to help treat and heal post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and various other ailments. Here are a selection of links and articles on said subject matter from both organizations, as well as media articles on these organizations achievements in entheogenic and psychedelic research:
John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research
“Psychedelic Treatment with Psilocybin Relieves Major Depression, Study Shows” via John Hopkins Medicine
“Psilocybin, The Active Ingredient in Magic Mushrooms, Makes Scientific Gains” by Joseph Guzman via The Hill
“The clinical pharmacology of and potential therapeutic applications of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltriptamine (5-MeO-DMT)” by Reckweg et al. via Journal of Neurochemistry
MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)
LSD-Assisted Therapy Related to Life Threatening Illness (LDA1)
“How I Rewired My Brain To Remove Pain From My Birth Experience” via Taking Back Birth
13 Moons: Epic Eduation for the Birthing Year
Birth Warrior Project: 120 Day Doula Training and Transformation
Indie Birth Midwifery School
