MFP Education Center

*Embracing the full experience with camping and nature vibes.

In April 2023 I decided to take the leap and commit to the Vital Psychedelic Education program. How could I not? There was just so much to be curious about this community – especially in the context of helping others. Becoming a student again was also a refreshing feeling – and it motivated me to explore this clear path and how it called to me.

Opportunities continued to arise, and 6 Months later (Sept 2023) I am preparing to attend a retreat in Jamaica using psychedelics in a ceremony. I have been learning, exploring, and applying my lessons within Vital, and this experience felt just right. 

Why? Well, first – to graduate from the Vital program, we need practical experience and education to eventually facilitate these substances. By attending a retreat, we can fully embrace the experience of how the set and setting enhance the outcomes.

The second reason is that this specific retreat setting, honors medicine for what it has to offer. Within the ceremony, we value the sacredness of these practices with like-minded individuals.

The third reason is…YA MON! I mean c’mon, who doesn’t want to take an educational vacation to Jamaica? In case you’re wondering why Jamaica of all places – Psilocybin is legal in that country, and it is essential to promote what we do both legally and professionally. 

A fourth reason is that out of all the psychedelics we learn about, I feel most intrigued and called to fungi medicine. I find the potential of fungi is infinite. As we know, there are a variety of fungi that can provide a solution to almost anything, particularly our general health with medicinal fungi. If you ask Why Psilocybin (Mushrooms), it not only holds an opportunity to be more accessible than other psychedelics in the future but also more approachable (IMO) than synthetic drugs. Although I plan to experiment with most psychedelics, I have been experimenting with psilocybin over the past 10 months. And knew it was time to go deeper into this medicine. Psilocybin was the medicine that taught me new wisdom and led to significant personal transformation.

*An outside view of our ceremonial space.

The Lead Up To The Journey

My Intent: to understand myself within a deeper level of consciousness. I knew an experience like this would allow the medicine to show me what I asked for.

• Why do I feel so strongly called to this and pulled to connect with these people and work? 
• Why do opportunities in this field keep presenting themselves to me? 
• What does my soul/spirit want and desire from this calling?
• How do I project this evolved way of being to my lifestyle and career in the future?

The Group Model to Facilitation: Psychedelics are being studied clinically within a variety of settings. Like the breathwork retreat, it is shown that there is great power in a group of individuals coming together with similar intents and goals. This model makes so much sense to me simply because of the parallels to my group enhancement model with CrossFit. To be able to learn how this model is administered and developed was exciting for me to observe and partake in. Knowing that I would be with a loving, caring, genuine, and just as curious group of fellow Vital students, and a trained group of facilitators to create a safe, optimal setting, allowed me to prepare mentally and emotionally.

Mr. and Mrs. Shroom, Mycelium EDU

Part of our retreat experience involved a hands-on excursion to understand the medicine we planned to take. Words cannot describe the value of the love, care, and energy that is put into growing the mushrooms we use. This not only enlightened us about the tedious process of creating psilocybin fungi, but to realize the importance of the organic element vs. the clinical/synthetic use of psilocybin. It is not just the concept of potency, but this belief in the sacred energy and intelligence that is transferred from the actual plant. A question that arises is: how do we honor the truest effects of natural (grown) psilocybin as it is developed clinically within our Western culture? As plant medicine has ancient roots, we learn to honor our ancestors, the land, and usage during this retreat.

*Ya Mon!

My Trip Report: The Journey to Understand Ancient Energy

I was joined by 6 others as we got comfortable and prepared for our bowls of mushrooms. At that moment, I felt ready for whatever came up in my journey, the light and the dark. I patiently waited for my 4.7 grams of psilocybin, which was a combination of mushrooms and mushroom chocolates, with additional honey for sweetening. Yes, in typical Marco fashion, I chose an odd number of doses, but also in typical Marco fashion I made a few sandwiches by using the chocolate bar as a scoop for a few spouts of mushrooms and honey.

Before digesting, I am guided to honor the plant by observing the little details – the color, the stem, the cap, and the presence before enjoying a quite tasty snack. I finish our treat and check in with my wonderful sitter Tamara Gonzales to let her know I am comfortable. I decided to use her upgraded eye mask to prepare me to go deep into my upcoming journey.

Most journeyers lie down with their pillows and blankets. However, my intuition guides me into a seated cross-legged with my spine supported by the wall behind me. I could feel the energy of the room full of facilitators, participants, and sitters. It felt safe and secure. We are guided by our main facilitator to ease our way into meditation as the medicine kicks in. The meditation ends, the music starts, and we, quite literally, begin to blast off into another dimension.

Part 1: The Awakening

Senses Dialed to 11: I have always had an amateur awareness and openness to understanding vibrations, frequencies, and energy – both clinically and spiritually. What was new to me was how I was feeling, seeing, and literally becoming a part of the energetic fields around me. The intensity of the feeling of energy surrounding me being transferred into my physical body was overwhelming. If I were to use my comic book nerd reference, it was as if I were bit by a radioactive spider, and all of a sudden, I have these heightened senses I could not control. As Spider-Man when he first gained his superpowers, he says, “My senses were dialed to 11.”

My first sensation was that my hands were uncontrollably vibrating with heat and energy. I began to shake my hands as if they were on fire, however, there was no diffusion, but only more sensation. My first instinct was to incorporate intensified breathwork techniques to help me feel like I was in control. Unfortunately, fear settled in as I felt like I was losing control within every second and every action. 

…. And then something happened that was not from my conscious mind. 

*How can you not love a spider man reference?

The Ancient Me Arises

As the vibrations got deeper, so did my consciousness and lack of awareness of my physical body. I remember that I involuntarily and unknowingly decided to create a hand gesture with my left hand to my temple. The next thing I can recall is that I was no longer in my body. This gesture in a way felt like I used an ancient technique to settle myself into a dimension that no longer required my physical body. I simply put my body to ease as if my conscious mind was providing me shelter from the extreme physical vibrations.  

I now come to find out that I was creating the symbol Gyan Mudra, which is a basic hand gesture within Buddhist/ Yoga culture. I learned there are numerous of these sacred hand gestures that have significance to our ancient spiritual energy. This instinct was not within any form of consciousness that had been recently significant to me. Nor do I think the gesture had true significance in putting me into this trance. However, throughout my previous psilocybin journeys and spiritual instinct, I experienced a deep feeling that I had a previous lifetime of exploring consciousness and spiritual energy within some form of Eastern culture. However, the hand gesture goes even further past my intuition of a past life. I now have come to learn that I was using my elements of fire (thumb) and air (index finger), and both elements have deep significance to many instances of this spiritual journey. 

…But before I could dive deeper into the meaning of the hand gesture, I had to experience death.

The Shadow Realm

When your life’s purpose relies on your physical body as a vehicle to become your higher self, you can imagine the fear that may come when you lose control of it. After I eased into some sort of trance, time became endless, and physical sensations were nonexistent. My physical body was no more, and I was only pure spirit and consciousness. However, my other senses were heightened to the point where I could see and hear every little detail within all of my surroundings.

It took me a moment to realize that I may be dead. Words cannot articulate what it feels like to have your soul detached from your physical body. My actual thoughts at the moment involved worrying that I died on the ceremony floor and they were going to have to call my family to tell them that I died in Jamaica. 

At some point, curiosity set in. I began to ask, “How do I know that I am really dead?” For a period, I decided to embrace and surrender to the fact I was actually dead. I decided to explore this unique “out of body” experience. Then I decided to put death to the test. If I can breathe, I must still be alive, right? Alas, my pranayama was still there. I then proceeded to adapt and surrender, and breathe back into my physical body, which brought me right back into the newfound overwhelming sensations or maybe a sacred energy that I am becoming aware of…?

*Did my 2022 breathwork journey reveal parts of my consciousness I was not yet aware of?

Understanding Sacred Energy

As the soul re-entered my physical body, the vibrations had not dissipated. They heightened to a point where my body felt like it was absorbing this golden energy (visually), that had a fiery sensation. Specifically speaking, the energy was intensifying through my pelvic region (root), up into my chest (heart), and into my neck (throat). I continued to shake my hands, saying “It’s too much. It’s too much.” The energy was so intense in my vertical body and hands; It was as if I could have lit a candle by touching it. Then through instinct, I sought to project this energy I am absorbing…through creating vibrations.

I began to create my own vibrations by making sounds of “Mmmmmmmmm.” Then I could see this energy that was the color of gold begin to extract from my physical body. I began to understand this sacred energy that my body was physically and spiritually designed for. I was learning to control and to manifest it. It was almost as if I was meant to have this unique ability because my physical body was trained to handle the vibrations.

Alice, of course, assisted with words of encouragement. She joined in caring for me with my sitter. She knew exactly how to keep me safe by fanning/blowing air on my body to cool me down and listening to her breath to know I was going to be okay. I began to tame this power by using my vibrations to project through these portals of energy (throat, heart, pelvis). Then came an unexpected friend from the element of water…

The Divine Feminine

Visually through my forehead came The Octopus. For my spiritual friends, she represents the divine energy of the feminine. Her message was not fully clear, but her presence was intense, and I knew she was there to deliver a message. My first thoughts involved the sacredness in the balance of our masculine and feminine energies. In this type of work, the idea that our souls have balanced parts of both masculine and feminine is normal and accepted. I felt that I needed to surrender and be open to what was being offered. However, nothing was clear with her presence, and then I became lost and scared.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

I began to feel overwhelmed. This new profound energy felt like a burden. I hugged my knees to my chest and cried. It was the same feeling of responsibility for the pressures in my life. So many people in my life rely on me to be their vessel of hope, energy, and fire. As my community/business/and manifestations continue to grow, so does the responsibility to inspire, serve, and heal more people. I began to feel afraid that I would let people down, but with fear comes growth. Then came in Coach Marco…

“Get your poop in a group and suck it up. This is your purpose and what you are meant to do in this lifetime. This is who you are meant to be. Wipe your tears and get back to work.”

Embracing more challenges brings more opportunities to explore – specifically, the “elements” of surprise.

“You Are the Storm”

Within the spiritual world, the elements of fire, earth, water, air, and ether (space) hold sacred space within our ancient DNA. We are not beings surrounded by the elements, but we are the elements. We are connected to the elements through our physical energetic vibrations, spiritual life force, and sacred geometry (aka quantum physics). As this statement may not have tangible data, many in this spiritual community and metaphysical scientists understand this connection much more deeply.

For me, I can now somewhat include myself in that category. My senses are still significantly heightened, and these energy portals feel wide open. I could feel elemental energy through my physical body. Particularly through fire and air. But then something surprising occurred during our ceremony – a storm. Our location in Jamaica does frequently have storms, so that was actually not a surprise. However, the surprise came from an energetic feeling that this particular storm was conjured. Yes, what I am saying is that the weather was mimicking a very intense vibrational frequency of emotions. This was not specifically from me, but I could physically FEEL through my energetic body that the storm was coming from someone in the room. Thus, because my body felt like a portal, I was moving my body in expressive ways that I felt the storm was communicating to me.

*Fun Fact: During our group sharing circle the next day, another participant shared her journey after I shared mine. She mentioned her deep sense of anger during her journey…as if she was calling upon a storm. This makes me think at that moment…was this imagination/coincidence? Or may there be something that I need to explore more down my spiritual path?

*Sharing Circles are significant to our retreat model. Facilitators Lindsey and Connor, as well as my partner Tamara are in conversation.

Slow Down and Ground

As my energetic body was absorbing the elements, it was time to settle down and get grounded. As stated previously, our ceremonial space is held by a well-trained facilitators. There are many unique skills to facilitating psychedelic journeys, one being the ability to understand the energetic fields of container (space) and of the journeyers. Our main facilitator, Carla, must have sensed I needed something. I could feel her presence approaching. And then, a distinct scent arose. I found out she used a tool in her facilitator toolbox called “Palo Santo.” This sacred, and commonly used form of incense can immediately help participants feel grounded and calm when going through an intense experience. It was exactly what I needed, as this brought me into a state of focus and clarity…but maybe too much?

The False Ego: I became so clear and confident that I believed my ego took my insights and blew them out of proportion. Soon I came to an idea that I discovered a magic that would save and teach the entire world. I was telling myself that I was this chosen one and that everyone wanted to study this magnificent power that had emerged. I had a sense that everyone in the world was surrounding me, astonished by this golden sacred energy. My ego was becoming inflamed!

As music plays a vital role in a journey experience, I was soon hit by a series of songs that made me move my body like I was putting on a show. My movements made the energy flow outward through my hands, pelvis, chest, and throat to entertain my surrounding crowd. Then my crowd got bigger, all my family, friends, community, and the entire world, were watching me perform this amazing feat of accessing this divine energy. The songs were becoming softer, and I decided to tell everyone to hold hands, rejoice, and celebrate this discovery. We can finally all become connected with love. We have been saved. We all can access this energy.

As my vibrations began to settle, I finally decided to come out of this trip that felt so surreal, so true, and so intuitive. I was so sure that when I took my eye mask off, I would be surrounded by a room full of people in awe. I ask Tamara if she thinks I should take my eye mask off as if she were excited for me to witness this miracle. 

My mask slowly comes off, and my ego is immediately shut down. The room hasn’t changed other than noticing a few others going through their processes. I look at the facilitators in the room as they are holding space with care. The effects were still feeling very potent, and I then found out I was only 1/3rd into my journey…

*During every retreat I attend, the universe calls the right people to partner for each other. This is a dream team that was meant to be. Thank you Tamara!

Part 2: The Reality Shift 

You are not as cool as you think. My ego felt destroyed. I took myself out of this reality where I was a higher being with significant importance to the world. There were no “ooohs and aaahs” over these magical components that I felt I was displaying to an admiring crowd. It was just me sitting in silence as if nothing changed. Everything was so intense and so real, especially because my physical body was going through these tangible sensations. I was struggling with the idea that I was having this ridiculous dream that I made up through my imagination. However, I knew I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. I got myself together and knew I had more to explore.

Finding Meaning: I decided to go back into my psyche. The eye mask goes back on, I get comfortable lying down, and I prepare to dig deeper into this surreal trip. I could not let go of this intense first part of my journey. I decided to stay on course and ask questions. The music was perfect, and allowed me to explore my curiosity:

What were these initial vibrations all about? Were these real sensations or just my imagination?

What does my hand gesture mean? Was this some intuitive gesture from a past life that my soul holds onto? Does this explain part of my calling to spirituality?

Was I dead? Did I have a legitimate “out of body” experience?

Why does the fire element continue to show significant signs in my life? 

Was I really seeing and feeling these ancient Chakras that I have learned about via Yogic philosophy? Why were the vibrations and fire so intense through these energy portals?

Why does this golden energy concept keep coming back to me?

What about the divine feminine energy of the Octopus? What was her message?

Was I really feeling this energy of the elements and storm? Was it really “conjured?”

Did I do something in a past life where people looked up to me as this being of enlightenment/importance? Was I a teacher of this sacred energy of the Chakras? Or is this my own ego projecting commonality within my current life?

I must meditate deeper to understand…

*Maybe I am starting to connect the dots…or wheels!

Part 3: Trance States 

Back to my Roots: I have experience exploring consciousness through deep meditative states. In fact, I am slowly learning to become quite comfortable with what are called “Trance States.” Through specific breathwork, meditation, and grounding techniques, I have been developing my ability to get into deep trances like being “out of your body.” These states of consciousness I typically explore are nothing compared to that feeling of death earlier in my journey. However, during these “mini” trance states I dive deep into my manifestations and intuitions. I open myself up to receiving emotions, energy, and whatever the universe wants to tell me. As my practices have been much more consistent throughout the past year, I can say that I have had messages during these states that allow me to take action in life. Because of this, I went back to my roots during my psilocybin journey in hopes of grounding my questions into clarity.

Dr. Strange Vibes: I went to my back into a seated position and began to do my trance work. Let’s just say that being on psilocybin makes it significantly easier and quicker to enter this state of consciousness. Not just more efficiently, but much deeper. By deeper, I mean that I felt that I was able to enter another dimension. If I go back to my Dr. Strange obsession, I think about his magic to enter the Astral Dimension. I felt that I could willingly detach my conscious mind from my physical body. Now I am not qualified, knowledgeable, or confident enough to certainly say that I was Astral traveling, but I am making assumptions based on teachings and education about the subject of the different dimensions of our reality. For me, the Dr. Strange comparison is my easiest way of describing the feeling. But again, I am still feeling the potency of the medicine, so I could simply be going off my imagination. Only more exploration will help!

Wisdom Arrives: Throughout the rest of my journey, I continued to explore trance states – proceeding to ask questions and reflect. Then an unexpected guest arrives. My friend, The Owl, has come back to visit. Earlier that morning, the animal spirit of that owl came to me during my chanting meditation practice. To have the owl come back at this moment was no coincidence. It came with a specific message, saying, “You will have a lot of wisdom to share, but you must stay humble and grounded.” An Owl’s wisdom is held with prestige. I knew I must listen, reflect, and evolve on this. I felt comfortable knowing that these experiences all have meaning. 

Closing: After “trancing” for a significant time, our ceremony is ending with sacredness and care. Most of us stay grounded in our space and take some time to reflect before leaving. Some were able to gather themselves and sit to converse about their journeys. For me, I was still very much feeling the medicine. I was drained and needed to just be still. After snacking and talking with my sitter, we decided to get outside into nature. She brings me back to my tent, where I decide to lay on my yoga mat on the grass, sprawled out with my arms and legs, and just rest, ground, and absorb all that I went through for 6 intense hours. I had so much to reflect on, but my body, mind, and soul needed a solid 90 minutes on the earth to just take it all in.

After taking time to integrate my experience during and after this retreat, I have begun to dive deeper into the meaning of what I experienced. Honestly, I have formulated much more questions and curiosity than finding answers. If I were to provide a quick summary, here are some things I learned:

First, we are human beings of infinite energy that goes far beyond the physical body. There is a part of my soul and past that has explored this infinite potential of vibrations and energy. Since I have been evolving and have been open to receiving so much, this small component of my “higher self” is beginning to unfold more and more. The energy that surrounds and connects all forms of life force is real. For some, the only way to believe it involves practicing and feeling it. More importantly, we also have ancient roots within our DNA to connect to this sacred energy, but it will take the right actions and guidance. 

Second, we are a physical being (body), a spiritual being (soul), and an energetic being (nervous system). We thrive when we become aligned and balanced in these energies.

We also need to learn to embrace neutrality and balance.

• Shadow and Light
• Death and Rebirth
• Masculine and Feminine
• Physical Body and Spiritual Soul
• Fear and Love
• Opportunity and Challenge
• Liberation and Manifestation

Lastly, in a less dramatic way than my journey, I learned that I could enhance my life’s purpose to serve others by continuing to explore this newly revealed energy. I have yet to evolve into who I am meant to be in this lifetime. It will take more practice, experience, and guidance to help me to continue this path. Slow and steady, humble yet hungry!

There is much more to unpack regarding this overall retreat and experience. Therefore, it is time to shift focus. For most of you, you are probably thinking that I am becoming a lunatic with hallucinations. However, within our spiritual world, medicine has a mind of its own. The medicine knows what you need and how you need it, whether you realize it in the moment or not. I am learning how this psychedelic medicine is so profound and powerful in helping you unlock your true self within your psyche. By now, hopefully, you’re curious about psychedelics and the coming renaissance of its implementation into modern culture.

*In Part 3, we will breakdown my teachings from Vital, and the details about Psychedelics. Below are books recommended from my vital instructors Angie and Mike, to help me integrate my Psyilocibin experience.