🫠 Ask a Guide Anything

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We're the psychedelics newsletter that has one rule: no wishing for more wishes. Intentions, on the other hand… Go nuts. 🧞‍♂️

You've heard it a million times. Intention matters. Closed mouths don’t get fed, right?

But when you're actually sitting down to prepare for a journey, the pressure to craft the perfect intention can feel daunting. What if you get it wrong? What if you're too vague? Too specific?

So we asked our network of licensed psilocybin facilitators: What guidelines do you recommend for setting intentions before a journey?

Their words below should take some of the pressure off.

Hey you. Yeah you, the inbox-zero hero powering through this email.

You do know time is the most valuable thing you have, right? But if you don’t intentionally carve it out, life will never let you slow down.

One way to create that space for you is to join Chariot's psilocybin retreat in Boulder on April 15-19.

It includes two psilocybin journeys, a private room at Hotel Boulderado (just steps away), and free time (what’s that?) to rest, connect with your group, and let insights land before racing back to “reality.”

8 guests only. Mention Tricycle Day for 10% off.

Our guides unanimously agree, simpler is better. Clayton Ickes frames intentions as “mnemonic devices” or “memory aids that allow you to recall what you're doing and why you're doing it.” A good intention is something you can anchor to.

LeTa Jussila backs him up. When the intention is simple, she finds her “clients have an emotional resonance, and it becomes a phrase or mantra they can access during the journey.” Jeremy Nickel says: “Keep it simple enough to remember when language dissolves.” (That’ll happen.)

Melinda Halpern offers a nice metaphor: “I look at intentions as seeds. What do you want to plant in your psyche?” And Jessica Eden reminds us not to overthink it: “We don't have to be that rigid, and in fact we don't want to be rigid with our intentions. We want to be flexible.”

Speaking of flexibility, many guides warned against being too bossy with your intentions. Ashley Mauldin explains: “Rather than focusing on a specific outcome, intentions like 'trust the process,' 'let go of control,' or 'be open to what arises' tend to be more supportive. Think of your intention as a gentle invitation rather than a demand.”

Jana Lomax agrees: “Intentions are best to be open-ended, not too specific. Consider intentions with curiosity and childlike wonder.” She suggests “an intention to listen to the wisdom of the mushrooms or the inner wisdom of the soul.”

Adam O'Neil offers a powerful reframe: “If you only had one afternoon with your wisest, oldest friend, what questions would you ask them? Come with your questions, hold them gently, and trust that the medicine has its own wisdom about what you need.” Mariah Moncada adds: “Set the intention, and then let it go, knowing that it may not be addressed in the journey directly” but later in the integration period.

Now here’s the tricky part. LeTa emphasizes that “it can't just be words [that clients] read or say. Psychedelic experiences are an embodied healing art. If they don't feel it, I will have them re-work the intention until they do. The intention has to live in the body as a felt sense.”

Benjamin Dancer describes using “somatic tools to help identify the energy in my body that wants to flow.” Jamie Blackburn recommends “journaling as a way to notice where you feel stuck, what changes you are hoping to make in your life, or what areas you want to grow into.”

Kelly Lynn Lunde suggests honest intentions come from good prep: “Be intentional in the weeks leading up to your journey. Lower stressors as much as possible; tidy up your intake of food, substances, and media; and create some space in your day to day for stillness and reflection. Weed the garden so good things have a place to grow.”

Truth is, there's no secret formula for the “perfect” intention.

Your intention doesn't have to be profound or poetic. It certainly doesn't need to impress your facilitator or sound good on Instagram. All that matters is that it’s true for you.

If you’re still feeling lost, try filling in one of these blanks.

Show me [x]. Help me [y]. Teach me [z].

And if the mad lib method fails, then shoot. Maybe your intention is to chill and get to the root of your perfectionism. Sheesh.

Reply to this email to shoot your shot. If it’s a juicy one, we may select it for a future issue.

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.