Let's talk about the part of this that can feel, on the surface, like the least "spiritual" topic on this entire blog: paperwork, screening, and why you can't just show up to a ceremony off the street.
I think this stuff actually *is* spiritual — or at least, it's an expression of how seriously we take everything else we've written about. But I get why it can feel like a buzzkill, so let's just be direct about it.
Why Membership Exists At All
Here's the blunt version: San Pedro is powerful, ceremony is intense, and we are responsible for the people in our circle. Letting anyone walk in off the street — no context, no health screening, no understanding of what they're agreeing to — would be reckless. Not edgy, not "open-minded." Just reckless.
Membership is how we make sure that everyone present has:
- Genuinely chosen to be there, with real information about what that means
- Told us about anything in their health history that we need to know about
- Read and understood our Statement of Faith and Membership Covenant
- Signed a liability waiver, because ceremony — like any physical and emotional experience — carries real risk, and pretending otherwise helps no one
None of this is about excluding people for the sake of it. It's about making sure the people who *are* there are there safely and intentionally.
The Health Screening Part
This is the part that surprises people most, I think. We ask about medications and health conditions because **some medications genuinely do not mix safely with San Pedro** — certain antidepressants being a well-known example, but not the only one.
If something in your intake raises a flag, here's what happens: we tell you, plainly, what the concern is. Sometimes that means we'll ask you to talk to your doctor first. Sometimes it means sitting out a ceremony for now. It is *not* a moral judgment, and it's not permanent. It's us doing the bare minimum of due diligence that any responsible organization handling something this powerful should do.
If a wellness retreat, ceremony group, or "shaman" *isn't* asking you these questions, that's not a sign of how open and welcoming they are. It's a red flag.
The Waiver
A liability waiver exists because ceremony involves real risk — physical, emotional, sometimes both. We're not going to pretend that risk doesn't exist, and we're not going to ask you to pretend either. Signing a waiver means you understand that, you're choosing to proceed anyway, and you're not relying on us to have eliminated risk that can't actually be eliminated.
This is standard for any organization doing anything physically or emotionally intense — and frankly, an organization that *doesn't* have you sign something like this either hasn't thought it through, or is hoping you won't either.
The Application Itself
The membership application asks real questions — about your interest in this tradition, your intentions, your background. We read every application. We're not looking for a "correct" answer; we're looking for genuine engagement. People who clearly haven't read anything about what this is, or who seem to be looking for something we're not — a party, a quick fix, a story to tell — usually aren't a good fit, and we'll tell them that honestly.
Why This Builds Trust, Not Distance
I know a screening and paperwork process can feel like the opposite of "welcoming." But I'd argue it's actually the foundation of trust. When you walk into a ceremony with us, you can know — not hope, *know* — that everyone else there went through the same process. That the organization holding the space has thought about safety, has structure, and isn't winging it.
That's worth something. Maybe especially in a space where so much of the broader plant medicine world genuinely *is* winging it.
If You're Ready
If everything in this post — and the four before it — makes sense to you, and especially if it makes you trust us *more* rather than less, then you're probably someone we'd want to talk to. Head to [Join]when you're ready, and we'll take it from there.