What does it mean to be feminine? There are plenty of magazines and how-to videos with tips and tricks for harnessing the goddess within, but some look to more ancient lineages for their dose of divine feminine wisdom. Ayahuasca ceremony participants often recall an ethereal mother that led them through their psychoactive trip. In a world so often ruled by patriarchal structures, ayahuasca and femininity illustrate the reverence of nurturing and feminine energy.
Defining Femininity
Traditionally women are associated with femininity and men are associated with masculinity. This categorization relies on the fallacy of the gender binary, rather than the more expansive understanding of femininity and masculinity as energies that individuals of all genders can express and cultivate.
Femininity is often described as sensitive, nurturing, compassionate and flowing. Conversely, masculinity is thought of as aggressive, logical, grounded and achievement-oriented. People of all genders embody both feminine and masculine qualities, but historical patriarchal structures constrain gender expression further perpetuating the fallacy of women’s inherent femininity and mens’ inherent masculinity.
The foundations of patriarchy come from the transitions away from hunter-gatherer communities and towards systems that valued property and ownership. In pre-modern societies, femmes were reduced to tradable goods with objectifiable value: dowries for brides and increased sexual violence as a war tactic.
A modern example of a patriarchal structure is the nuclear family. The father leads the decision making and the mother supports and nurtures the children. Though this system is not inherently negative, it does solidify the patriarchal power dynamics that continue to oppress women and femmes.
Around the world, traditional indigenous family structures have been displaced by the colonizing nation’s ideals of patriarchal power. Increasingly, attitudes toward traditional patriarchal structures are souring, and powerful resistance is dismantling this pre-modern inheritance
Too often masculine traits are valued and feminine traits are demeaned in societies built on misogynistic principles. Embracing the feminine power is often a journey through resistance and learned messages of minimization and compliance. Societies that incentivize goal orientation and results, often overlook the importance of the experiential process. Femininity’s strengths are immeasurable as they draw upon the elusive natures of love, compassion and intuition. This energy is the basis of divine feminine energy. Everyone has the chance to tap into the power and presence of the open and connective feminine spirit.
People define femininity for themselves, despite societal ideas of what traits, behaviors and appearance a femme is supposed to embody. For some, ayahuasca is a part of their journey of understanding and connecting with divine femininity and healing from traumas of the feminine experience.
Ayahuasca and “The Mother”
Travelers from all over the world journey to South America to participate in curandero-led ayahuasca ceremonies with hopes of connecting to “The Mother.” This divine feminine source is thought to meet and guide participants through their ceremony, sometimes imparting generational healing and wisdom. The ayahuasca vine is a female plant, referred to with she/her pronouns in traditional ceremonies but this connection to Mother is a primarily Western interpretation.
The idea of divine feminine source as the mother draws upon the basis of creation. The coming together of masculine and feminine creates a life that grows in the belly of mothers and eventually becomes the people of this world.
Ayahuasca’s ability to connect people to the divine feminine is a powerful testament to the sacred maternal role. Essential in nurturing and cultivating growing minds, feminine love and care are the foundation of many people’s early memories. After growing and birthing humans, mothers are responsible for feeding and caring for the infants and children that rely on them. All humans desire to love and care endowing mothers with tremendous responsibility as primary attachment figures. Connecting to the deeply feminine divine mother allows people to heal and move through traumas etched deeply into their psyche. Often Mother Ayahuasca does not give seekers what they want but rather what they need, just as any loving mother would look out for her children’s best interest.
The experience of an ayahuasca ceremony is often described as a rebirth. Allowing people to shed their demons or reconnect with a lost part of themselves is one of many ways that ayahuasca has reportedly given people new life. The concept of birth connects the divine energy experienced during an ayahuasca ceremony to the mystical mother at the center of the universe.
Female Healers
Female healers have always participated in psychoactive spiritual practices. In general, male healers work with wood and female healers work with herbs and leaves. Though the ayahuasca vine is thought to contain a feminine spirit, ayahuasca curanderos are typically male. Curanderas or female healers are common, with a wealth of knowledge of their own entheogenic plant materials. Men seeking to work with hierbas or women seeking to work as an ayahuasca curandera break the typical gender roles in these spiritual circles. The Quechua tradition, for example, has not allowed female curanderas to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies but this is not true for all indigenous communities.
There is a growing number of curanderas in the Shipibo Konibo communities of Peru. Fresh faces in the male-dominated shamanic tradition, these maestros bring a new perspective to ayahuasca ceremonies but their participation is not widely accepted.
Female healers have long assisted male shamans in the preparation of ayahuasca and can provide support to them throughout the ceremony. The role of female healers continues to shift as demand for curanderas grows and the culture surrounding ayahuasca rituals evolves.
Connecting with a feminine healer can be especially important for women and femmes seeking to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies. The mutual understanding and more experiential feminine perspective can allow people to connect and learn from the curandera’s wisdom. The participation of female healers has also allowed for the creation of all-female retreats: a place where people seeking to avoid potentially triggering gender dynamics can engage with this healing brew.
Healing
The unique experience of navigating femininity is not without struggles, adversity and the need for support. In the United States, one in five women experience rape and one in three women experience intimate partner violence. For trans women, the experience of violence is almost universal — with one in four trans women reporting a biased based assault. Femmes need support and resources to combat the oppressive structures putting them at risk for stress and violence.
Ayahuasca has anecdotally and clinically helped people heal from eating disorders, depression and PTSD. Neuroscientists aren’t entirely sure how this ancestral brew rewires the brain but new research on ayahuasca derivative DMT shows a connection between this trippy molecule and the brain’s serotonin signaling system. More research is needed to further understand the extent of DMT and ayahuasca’s effect on the brain but it has the potential to help many people in need of support.
Women are more likely to receive anxiety disorder diagnoses, whether it be generalized anxiety, OCD or PTSD. There is also some research examining the connection between women’s hormonal cycles and the interactions these fluctuations have with anxiety disorders. Similarly, Trans women are also at increased risk for mental health difficulties due to the mass amounts of discrimination and invalidation that many faces. This increased need for stress relief makes ayahuasca treatments viable options for femmes seeking healing.
Ayahuasca and DMT are proving helpful in the realms of anxiety reduction. The stress hormone cortisol can be overactivated in people dealing with anxiety, new studies show that DMT could help regulate cortisol production resulting in a more balanced cortisol level. For femmes dealing with persistent anxiety or depression, ayahuasca’s potential ability to help manage stress levels could provide healing and relief.
The mystical power of ayahuasca is not unlike the elusive and ethereal connectedness of femininity. From the hands of the curanderas preparing the tea to the cosmic mother so many encounters on their journey through time and space — divine femininity is an essential part of the ayahuasca experience. The ways that women engage with this plant change as the world continues to welcome the voices of women and femmes into the conversion.
Where do you think ayahuasca and femininity intersect? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. If you love the ayahuasca content and want more, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter.
