Maria Sabina Magdalena Garcia who was born on July 22nd, 1894, lived in a small town known as Huautla de Jimènez, in the Sierra Mazatsca area of Southern Mexico. Born into the Mazatec ethnic group, Maria was surrounded by shamans at a very young age. To those who may not understand the role of shamans, Shaman are considered as the ones who could establish contact and influence the world of evil and good spirits.
While performing a ritual, they can enter into a trance state which helps them to practice the art of healing or get in contact with the divine one. To let them enter into a trance state, the shamans would perform a ritual that includes the consumption of some hallucinogenic mushrooms, also known by the name “holy children.” By following this ritual, they believed in establishing contact with the divine.
Starting from a very young age, Maria was accustomed to the rituals and the miracle which one could perform in that trance state. At a very young age, she started to consume mushrooms. The mushrooms acted as a tool for her to connect with the parallel dimensions and realities. While in a trance state, Maria gained her knowledge of healing. She dedicated her life to the healing practice. Her rituals began with the consumption of mushrooms along with mezcal, followed by tobacco smoke and ointments extracted from medicinal plants.
Best Quotes Of Maria Sabrina, A.K.A The Priestess Of Mushrooms
People who wanted to heal themselves used to seek her help. Maria would take in those patients and help them in their healing process. She would perform the ritual with her patients. After they were introduced into the trance state, Maria would serve as a guide who would help them to travel through different realms. Her healing sessions became so popular that soon she acquired popularity among the masses, which resulted in the birth of her new nickname as the “priestess of mushrooms.”
It was a matter of time before her tales would reach the ears of the western world. Her story gained more popularity when an economist named Gordon Wasson, along with his wife Valentina Pavlona Guercken, decided to visit her. Robert studied ethnobotany which is the study of the interaction between humans and plants. His interest led him to visit Maria and study their rituals. After returning back, Robert published a book where he mentioned in detail his experience and the nature of those hallucinogenic mushrooms. The book gained popularity among the masses, which resulted in the massive popularity of Maria.
The interference of the western world gave not only her popularity but also some financial crisis as well. As a healer, not only Maria performed miracles, but at the same time, she shared her knowledge with the western world. Not only she acted as a bridge between the real world and the mystical realm, but she also bridged the gap between her community and the western world.
Apart from being a healer, she was also a poetess who wrote some beautiful poems. Let’s take a look at those quotes from her poems.
1. “There is a world beyond ours, a world that is far away, nearby, and invisible.” -Maria Sabina
Establishing contact with the world which is beyond us, a world of divinity and spirituality, was the only thing that molded the life of Shamans. For some people, such a concept is regarded as hokum, whereas the other section of the people considered such rituals to be the only way one could come in contact with the divine one. But to gain experience, one has to be in a state of trance. In a trance state, one could freely remove the reins which have a hold on one’s mind. The mind wanders into the depth of the various realms before arriving at its final destination.
2. “The sacred mushroom takes me by hand and brings me to the world where everything is known.” -Maria Sabina
As we know, one of the most important things while performing the rituals of healing was to consume hallucinogenic mushrooms. Without the consumption of the mushrooms, one could not enter into a state of trance. The intake of those mushrooms helped Maria to enter into a state of trance where she acted as a healer as well as a guide. She healed all those souls who wanted to treat their wounds, may it be physical or spiritual.
3. “The ninos santos heal. They lower fevers, cure colds, and give freedom from toothaches. They pull the evil spirits out of the body or free the spirit of the sick.” -Maria Sabina
Ninos Santos is known as psilocybin mushrooms which were considered the most sacred plant among the Mazatec group. To attain the state of trance, the people belonging to this Mazatec group consumed the mushrooms. As we know, not all mushrooms are safe for consumption. Some could prove to be fatal, while some could make one hallucinate. The Mazatec people would consume the mushroom in order the heal themselves from all the sufferings which were a part of the real world. According to Maria, the mushrooms would not only cure her of all the physical wounds, but they would also help her to extract the evil spirits out of her body.
4. “Heal yourself with beautiful love, and always remember you are the medicine.” -Maria Sabina
Physical wounds are not hard to treat. Every day new cells are being created by our body. With the help of medicines, the wounds are treated and soon heal as well. One may not even remember the pain caused by any physical wounds. But the pain which causes all the suffering comes from within one’s mind. If one can’t heal those wounds, then the suffering will never end. But how do you cure something which one can’t see but can feel almost every day? Simple, by the power of love. Instead of waiting for someone to provide you the love, one must learn to love itself first. Self-love doesn’t mean pampering oneself with extravagant gifts. It is the power one gives to one’s mind that no matter what someone tells me, I’m worthy of the love which the world has to offer.
5. “I’m wise even from within the womb of my mother. I’m the woman of the winds, of the water, of the paths because I am known in heaven because I am a doctor woman.” -Maria Sabina
Through such words, one could easily recognize the power the speaker holds while saying those words. Maria was known as the healer in her community. As a healer, she not only cured the ones who came with physical wounds but also helped those souls who explored spirituality and established contact with the divine one.
6. “Sweeten yourself with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile.” -Maria Sabina
Lavender is an essential oil that could help one to cope with anxiety. Rosemary boosts the immune system. Lastly, Chamomile is said to be a digestive relaxant. These plants are great for curing one’s physical as well as mental illness. Thus, to sweeten oneself with such plants would mean healing one’s body using the medicinal properties of such plants.
7. “Hug yourself with cocoa beans and a touch of cinnamon.” -Maria Sabina
The sweetness of the cocoa bean, when combined with the aroma of the cinnamon, would not only heal but could surely make someone fall in love as well. The happiness received from such a hug could easily transport one’s mind into the world without suffering and pain. The world which filled with warm and happy love.
8. “Heal yourself with mint, neem, and eucalyptus.” -Maria Sabina
Mint cures one’s bad breath. Neem has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times. Eucalyptus cures one’s cough and cold symptoms. Treating one’s body with the use of such plants can help in their healing process because the plants carry certain medicinal properties within them.
9. “Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain.” -Maria Sabina
After a hard day of work, where not only one’s mind but their body is exhausted as well, where one longs for the rain to calm the heat emerging from the surrounding, and at the such moment when the wind blows, it feels as if the wind was giving you it’s gentle kisses.
Or a day where one’s mind is filled with sadness, where one wishes for a hug; shattering the walls of sadness comes the rain, which makes its way to hug you and heal you from the sufferings of the world.
10. “But from the moment the foreigners arrived to search for God, the saint children lost their purity. They lost their force; the foreigners spoiled them. From now on, they won’t be any good. There’s no remedy for it.” -Maria Sabina
The increasing popularity of Maria came with a price. When the western world became aware of her skills, the visit increased to their land. Each year some or the other foreigners would come in order to connect with the spiritual world. One way this bridged the gap between her native world with the western world, but on the other hand, it spoiled their traditions. Many people came for recreational purposes. Not only they disrespected their traditions, but they also paved the way for misusing the mushrooms. Such behavior not only disappointed her but also broke her heart as she knew there was so remedy that could cure the behavior.
The increasing popularity of Maria came with a price. When the western world became aware of her skills, the visit increased to their land. Each year some or the other foreigners would come in order to connect with the spiritual world. One way this bridged the gap between her native world with the western world.