You do not need the perfect sentence.
That is the first thing to understand.
Many people arrive before ceremony trying to find the “right” intention, as if the medicine only listens when the words are polished. But yagé is not a form you submit. It is not a test.
Your intention is simply how you arrive.
It tells the truth about what brought you here.
At Camino al Sol, we work with traditional Colombian yagé in the mountains of Antioquia, near Medellín. In this tradition, preparation matters. The ceremony begins before you drink. It begins when you start asking honestly why you are coming. If you are still deciding whether this is the right setting, start with our guide to an ayahuasca retreat in Medellín.
Your intention is not a demand
A good intention is not a command.
It is not:
“I want this exact thing to happen.”
It is closer to:
“Help me see what I need to see about this part of my life.”
That difference matters.
Expectation tries to control the ceremony. Intention gives it direction.
You may come wanting clarity about grief, fear, family, addiction patterns, anxiety, anger, love, purpose, or the feeling that something in your life is no longer honest. Those are real reasons. But the medicine may not show them in the way your mind expects.
Taita Diego says, “The medicine is wise. It knows what to show and what not to show.”
That is why humility is part of preparation.
Start with the real reason you are coming
Before you write an intention, ask yourself one question:
Why now?
Not why ayahuasca in general. Not why plant medicine sounds interesting.
Why now?
What has become too heavy, too confusing, too repetitive, or too painful to keep carrying in the same way?
You might write:
- What keeps returning in my life?
- What am I tired of pretending not to feel?
- What pattern do I keep repeating?
- What relationship, memory, fear, or decision feels unresolved?
- What am I ready to understand more honestly?
- Where do I keep abandoning myself?
- What do I want to meet with more courage?
Do not rush this.
The first answer is often the polite answer. The second or third answer may be closer to the truth.
Keep it simple
A strong ayahuasca intention is usually simple.
Not because the work is simple.
Because simplicity gives the ceremony space.
Instead of trying to fit your whole life into one sentence, choose the doorway. The medicine will know there is more behind it.
For example:
Too broad:
“I want to heal everything and become my highest self.”
More grounded:
“Help me see why I keep running from grief.”
Too controlled:
“I want to forgive my father tonight and never feel anger again.”
More honest:
“Help me understand the anger I still carry toward my father.”
Too vague:
“I want transformation.”
More useful:
“Show me what needs to change in the way I live.”
The clearer intention is not always the prettier one.
It is the more honest one.
Use a question, not a performance
Many people feel pressure to create an intention that sounds spiritual.
You do not need that.
A plain question is often stronger than a beautiful phrase.
Examples:
- “What am I not seeing clearly?”
- “What am I ready to stop avoiding?”
- “Why do I keep choosing what hurts me?”
- “How can I relate differently to fear?”
- “What do I need to understand about this grief?”
- “What is asking for my attention in my life?”
- “How can I live with more humility and responsibility?”
These are not magic words. They are anchors.
During ceremony, if things become intense, your intention can help you return to the reason you came. Not to escape the experience, but to remember your direction inside it.
One intention is usually enough
You may have many reasons for coming.
That is normal.
But for ceremony, one clear intention is usually stronger than ten scattered ones. If you bring too many, the mind can start negotiating with the medicine.
Choose the root.
For example, you may think your intention is about your relationship, your work, your family, and your anxiety. But underneath all of them, there may be one pattern:
“I do not trust myself.”
That can become the intention:
“Help me see why I do not trust myself.”
Or:
“Show me what self-trust would ask from me.”
This is where journaling helps. Write everything first. Then look for the thread that connects it.
If you do not know your intention, start there
Not knowing is not failure.
Sometimes the most honest intention is:
“Help me see why I am here.”
Or:
“Show me what I need to understand.”
Or:
“Help me listen.”
That may sound simple, but it can be serious work.
Some people arrive with a clear story about what needs healing. Others arrive with only a feeling: heaviness, numbness, restlessness, disconnection, or a quiet sense that life cannot continue in the same way.
That is enough to begin.
You do not need to force certainty before ceremony. You need sincerity.
Preparation begins before ceremony, in the way you slow down and arrive.
Do not use intention to bypass safety
Intention matters.
Screening matters more.
A clear intention does not make ayahuasca or yagé appropriate for everyone. Certain medications, mental health histories, heart conditions, substance use patterns, and other factors require careful review before ceremony. Read our ayahuasca safety guide before treating intention-setting as preparation on its own.
This page is educational and does not replace medical advice. Do not stop or change medication without speaking with a qualified medical professional.
If you are in crisis, experiencing suicidal thoughts, psychosis, chest pain, severe withdrawal, or another urgent medical issue, seek emergency care immediately.
At Camino al Sol, every participant goes through screening before acceptance. There is no instant booking, because this work should not be treated casually. If you are taking medication, managing a diagnosis, or unsure whether this is appropriate for you, the next step is not guessing.
The next step is screening through the application process.
Your intention should become part of your preparation
Do not wait until the night of ceremony.
Live with the intention for a few days.
Write it down. Sit with it in silence. Take it on a walk. Notice what your body does when you say it out loud.
If your intention feels performative, simplify it.
If it feels too vague, make it more specific.
If it feels too rigid, soften it.
You may also use your intention while preparing physically. Food, sleep, substances, sexual energy, media, conversations, and emotional exposure can all affect how you arrive. Preparation is not about being perfect. It is about becoming less scattered. Our ayahuasca diet and preparation guide explains the broader preparation process.
How to bring your intention into ceremony
Before ceremony, repeat the intention quietly.
You do not need to grip it.
Just remember it.
During ceremony, you may return to it when things become confusing or intense. You might place a hand on your heart or your belly and repeat the simple words:
“Help me understand this fear.”
“Show me what I am ready to see.”
“Teach me how to listen.”
Then let go again.
The intention is not there to control the medicine. It is there to remind you why you came.
Taita Diego says, “It depends on how you think, how you feel, and how your heart is. If there is humility and respect, the visions are one thing.”
That humility is part of the work.
Medicine music helps hold the ceremony atmosphere with direction and care.
What happens after matters just as much
An intention does not end when the ceremony ends.
After ceremony, return to it.
Ask:
- What did I see related to this intention?
- What did I feel that I usually avoid?
- What did I resist?
- What did the medicine show indirectly?
- What action is being asked of me now?
- What needs to change in daily life?
This is integration.
Without integration, an intention can become just another beautiful sentence. With integration, it becomes a way to live differently.
Not dramatically.
Honestly.
The real ceremony is life itself. Our integration guidance can help you turn what you saw into grounded choices after the retreat.
A simple intention-setting practice
Use this before ceremony.
Sit somewhere quiet. Put your phone away. Take a few minutes to breathe normally.
Then write these sentences by hand:
- “I am coming to ceremony because…”
- “What feels unresolved in me is…”
- “The pattern I am ready to see more clearly is…”
- “What I am afraid to face is…”
- “What I am asking for help with is…”
Now read what you wrote.
Circle the sentence that feels most true.
Turn it into one simple intention.
Examples:
- “Help me see the truth about this grief.”
- “Show me why I keep abandoning myself.”
- “Help me understand my fear without running from it.”
- “Teach me how to listen to my heart with humility.”
- “Show me what responsibility looks like now.”
Then stop editing.
Let it be enough.
If you are preparing for yagé near Medellín, you can learn more about our ayahuasca retreat in Medellín, our approach to integration, and our screening-first process through the application page.
