When Should You Start Serving Yagé — Or Should You At All?

You must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynmann

There’s a big difference between assisting in Yagé ceremonies and actually serving the medicine. My own path began with assisting. From my very first ceremonies, I discovered that I remained relatively lucid and conscious, and this allowed me to help. At my second ceremony, the retreat was short on helpers, and someone was struggling. The organizer asked if anyone could step in. I raised my hand, and that simple moment began my path.

I became a musician. I became a fireman. For five years, I supported in those roles. But serving the medicine — pouring the cup, praying to it, guiding others through it — is a very different matter. And it should not be entered into lightly.

Many people in the Western world (and beyond) feel the desire to serve Yagé. But desire alone is not enough. Serving is not something you “get certified” for in a weekend workshop. It’s not a role you claim because you love the limelight. In fact, I’ll be blunt: most people will never be ready to serve. And that’s okay.

Apprenticeship, Teachers, and Hard Lessons

My path has unfolded over years, often faster than I expected, largely because of the people who believed in me. My apprenticeship began with Abuela Gloria, who taught me how to care for the sacred fire. Along the way, I worked with many taitas, elders, and medicine carriers — men and women across traditions: Siona, Cofán, Inga, Awa, Wiwa, Murui, and more.

Not all teachers were the same. Some withheld knowledge for years. Others shared openly. Some doors closed to me, and others opened. Through it all, I learned one lesson the hard way: humility is the lynchpin.

Once, when Abuela Gloria gave me permission to serve Huachuma, I fell into my ego. Despite my best efforts, I let that color the experience for those I was serving. It set me back years. That’s why I emphasize this point so strongly: if ego is involved, you will cause harm — to yourself and to others.

Most recently, I was given the vision to build my own ceremonial center. Only after building community, creating a family with my wife, and starting to lead my own community did the medicine say: “Now you may begin to learn.” For me, that was the marker. If you want an example, that’s my personal experience.

Calling vs. Discipline

Serving Yagé is an unmistakable calling, but it’s also shaped by discipline and effort. You don’t pursue serving directly. You pursue service — to the people, to the fire, to the music, to the space.

If you show up with humility, you’ll be invited to help: cleaning buckets, guiding people to the bathroom, supporting musically if you’re ready. Over time, if you are consistent, you will be entrusted with more. But if you make “becoming a server” your goal, you’re likely already on the wrong path.

At some point, when you’ve demonstrated patience, discipline, and devotion, the medicine itself will speak. That’s when the path of serving may open — not before.

The Dangers of Rushing

There are many dangers when people rush into serving too soon.

• Physical: Yagé has contraindications with medications, especially antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. Without proper screening, people can suffer serotonin syndrome, heart issues, or worse. Deaths in ceremony are rare but real.

• Spiritual: The medicine opens powerful doors. Without knowing how to open and close them, or how to protect a ceremony, facilitators can cause lasting harm. Some patients come away worse.

• Personal: Ego is the most common danger. I’ve seen many friends rush into serving, only to become lost in their own power. Some spiral into dependency on rapé, mambe, or even the medicine itself, taking without purpose.

Serving is not about pouring. It’s about holding responsibility for people’s lives and souls.

Signs of Readiness

No one is ever “fully healed,” but there are milestones before you should even think about serving:

• Free of addictions to substances, especially alcohol or drugs

• True humility — not lip service, but the ability to blend into the shadows

• Patience — the willingness to wait years without forcing doors open

• Family and community grounding — many tribes require partners and children before someone serves

• Spiritual maturity — the ability to hold presence, to stay calm, to be stable even when others are in chaos

These qualities matter more than visions, titles, or permission slips.

Lineage, Tradition, and Change

Lineage matters. The tribes that have carried this medicine for centuries have guarded and protected it. Many are cautious, even reluctant, to train foreigners. Some never will. That is their right.

But we are also living in the time of the Eagle and the Condor prophecy. The medicine is leaving the jungle. It is being planted in new lands. It is encountering new cultures. Traditions may need to adapt — carefully, respectfully, and with deep gratitude for those who came before.

If you’re discerning your path, speak to different taitas, medicine men and women, and tribes. Listen to their perspectives, but don’t take any single one as gospel. And if a teacher says no — honor it. Don’t try to force them to see your worth. That’s a losing battle and a sign you’re not ready.

Other Sacred Ways to Support

Not everyone who feels called should serve. In fact, most shouldn’t. And that’s not a limitation — it’s a gift.

There are many ways to support the medicine:

• Playing music in ceremony

• Keeping the fire

• Organizing retreats

• Bringing people to the maloka

• Holding integration spaces afterward

These roles are just as sacred, and often more urgently needed. Servers cannot hold the space alone.

Advice for Those Who Feel Called

If you feel the pull to serve Yagé, welcome. It’s natural: as we heal, we often want to help others heal too. But take a deep breath. Learn to identify your ego first. Ask yourself honestly: Why am I looking to serve? If it is even slightly for your own benefit, step back. Work on that first, and return when you can say with integrity that your ego is not involved.

Serving is a sacred and weighty responsibility. It’s like becoming a doctor. You don’t take a three-day online course on flu symptoms and suddenly call yourself a physician. There are real consequences if you give the wrong treatment. The same applies here: if you misstep as a medicine carrier, the consequences may not show up in court, but they will reverberate in the spiritual realm.

Richard Feynman, who worked on the Manhattan Project, put it perfectly:

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”

This truth is essential for anyone considering serving. If you fool yourself into thinking you are ready when you’re not, you risk harming both yourself and those who trust you.

How I Stay Grounded

Even now, I don’t consider myself “ready.” I continue to prepare the way my teacher, Taita Javier, advised: by taking the medicine on my own.

And I don’t walk alone. I’ve surrounded myself with strong medicine men and women, facilitators and helpers who check me when I drift into ego or act from the wrong place. My mentors and guides — Mamo Javier, Mayor Jhosefat, Taita Pedro, Taita Javier, Carlos, Juan Pablo Correa, Lina, my wife, and others — all hold me accountable.

It’s the combination of perspectives and wisdom from my community that keeps me grounded. This is not a path walked in isolation. It is held by many hands.

Closing

So when should you start serving Yagé? The honest answer is: maybe never. And that’s okay.

Most people are called not to serve, but to support in other sacred ways. If the path of serving is yours, you won’t have to chase it. The medicine, your teachers, and your community will open that door when the time is right.

Until then, be patient. Be humble. And remember: you must not fool yourself.

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