The holy children: a medicine of the earth that softens the edges of the everyday, opens feeling and, very often, leaves people feeling held by the natural world.
“I held space with grief that I never felt that I had the permission to grieve before.”
Christie · retreat guest
A medicine of the earth
Niños Santos, the holy children, rise from the earth after the rains. People across the world have sat with them for a very long time, and they remain among the most widely shared of all sacred medicines. We think of them as a medicine that belongs to everyone, not to any single tradition.
Compared with the vine, the arc is softer and shorter, and the body is rarely sick. The experience is felt as much through the senses and the heart as through visions: colors deepen, music moves through you, feelings arrive and pass, and the natural world can feel alive and very close.
We hold ceremony as a collective prayer, woven with meditation, breath and time on the land. The intention is for you to build your own relationship with the medicine, so you can become the medicine woman or man of your own life.
Every ceremony is arranged around you. These examples show how a ceremony fits into time with us, from a single day to a full retreat.
Morning to evening
3 to 5 nights · 1 or 2 ceremonies
Group retreat · up to 13 guests
Pricing depends on the length of your stay, the setting, and how many people are joining, so we quote every ceremony individually. Ask us, and we'll send you options.
People come for many reasons, and the medicine often answers a different question than the one they brought. These are the ones we hear most.
Here is how a ceremony usually unfolds, from the first quiet minutes to the days after.
Often a light, buzzing or heavy feeling in the body, some yawning, and sometimes mild nausea that passes. Colors and sounds begin to shift.
Colors deepen, patterns may appear behind closed eyes, and music becomes something you feel. Laughter, tears, tenderness and awe move freely. Time loosens.
Many people meet memories, insights and parts of themselves with surprising kindness. Some passages are challenging, and they ease with breath and support.
The effects soften gradually. People often feel open, warm and quietly reflective. Eating, walking and talking come back easily.
Pupils widen, temperature can shift, and coordination is reduced for a few hours. The body is rarely sick, and you're cared for throughout.
A lighter mood, a sense of connection and a fresh perspective often last days or weeks. This is the time to build the habits you want to keep.
Every ceremony and every person is different. These describe common experiences, not a promise of any outcome.
From the first call to the weeks after, this is the path every guest follows.
A free call to hear what's calling you and what you carry. If it's not the right time, we'll say so.
Book a free call →A full health and medication form, reviewed by a medical doctor. Lithium is a firm no, and some antidepressants change the experience.
A few days of lighter eating, less screen time, rest and reflection, with no alcohol or recreational substances.
A collective prayer opened with meditation and breath, with live music and an experienced, trauma-informed team present throughout.
A closing circle, follow-up sessions with Alexa or Luke, and practices to carry home.
We work with this medicine ourselves, and we are part of a wider circle of elders and traditional facilitators. Depending on which medicine is being served, the right people join us, and we always work with each guest to find the best fit.
Twenty years guiding people on ceremony floors and in somatic work across Vietnam, the Himalayas, Thailand, Costa Rica, Guatemala and southern Mexico. Luke holds the container, the music and the body work: breathwork, QiGong, meditation, Kambo and sacred sound.
Ten years of clinical practice, with a somatic, attachment-based and trauma-informed approach. Alexa leads the preparation and integration work, before and after every ceremony, so what opens has somewhere to land.
A wait is never a no forever. Tell us everything, and we'll answer honestly, refer you to a doctor if needed, and help you find the right time.
Usually, yes, in the body: purging is rare, and the arc is shorter. Emotionally it can go just as deep. Many people choose Niños Santos as a first ceremony for this reason.
Often, especially with eyes closed: colors, patterns, scenes. But the heart of the experience is usually feeling, not seeing.
Together, based on your history, your intention and your health intake. We'd always rather start gently; a smaller amount with guided support can be as meaningful as a large one.
For some people, very small amounts taken with intention can support the weeks after ceremony. We teach it as a simple, personal practice and talk through whether it suits you.
Yes. Couples, families and small groups of friends often sit together. We'll talk about how to hold everyone's needs.
The weeks after a ceremony are when change takes root. You'll have follow-up sessions with Alexa or Luke, our 6 Pathways integration guide, and an open line to us whenever something comes up.
When you're ready to take a step, reach out. Every ceremony begins with a free call, and nothing is booked until we both feel it's right.
Book a Free CallSacred Counsel does not administer, supply, or handle any controlled substances. Ceremonial experiences are provided by independent, third-party facilitators operating under applicable local laws; we hold the preparation, the container, and the integration.
This ceremony is offered for personal and spiritual wellbeing. It is not a medical treatment, and nothing on this page is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to replace the advice of a licensed physician. It has contraindications and is not suitable for everyone.
