Hello, my brothers and sisters, welcome to the Coming Back Home podcast. I'm your host, amber Rashid, and I fullheartedly invite you on this beautiful adventure. Each week, we will take a journey in exploring different topics in the world of plant medicine and natural healing remedies. My intention is to bring awareness and shed light onto what plant medicine is, helping shift the perspective that these sacred plants are not a drug, but rather a divine and intelligent medicine. It's a concentrated drop of nature that carries ancient wisdom and knowledge from thousands and thousands of years ago to help the collective conscious expand, grow and heal. It's a calling back home to the essence of our soul, who we are and who we are called to be in this lifetime. Hi everyone, welcome to the first episode of the Coming Back Home podcast. I feel so humbled and so honored to be here with you today to share this message. I really just wanted to take the time for this first episode to share a little bit about who I am, where I come from and really how I started on this beautiful journey of plant medicine. So I'm originally from Atlanta, georgia.
Speaker 1:I grew up in a very multicultural household, being that my dad is from Karachi, pakistan, and my mom from Sheboygan, michigan. After the fifth grade, my family and I we moved to Guenica State, costa Rica, where my brother and I attended an international school and grew up there for almost 10 years of our life, really growing up on the beach, running around barefoot, just living the Pura Vida lifestyle, and didn't even have a cell phone until we were 18. So after I finished high school, I moved to California where I received my bachelor's from the University of California Davis, and a couple years later, life took me halfway across the world to the UK where I received my master's from the University of Glasgow and Scotland. So my first true plant medicine experience was in the end of December 2019, with my family, when we were called to sit with the medicine of ayahuasca. And I would have to say that even after our first ceremony, there was a complete shift, and not only in the dynamic of our family but all of us as individuals, and it was an experience that I can never put into words, but it was one of the best things that has ever happened for my family and I. So after this experience of sitting with ayahuasca, fora few ceremonies, I returned back to the University. I completed my master's at the end of 2020.
Speaker 1:And at this time, the pandemic had hit and my family and I, we were called once again to go sit with the medicine of ayahuasca and from there, I really just had a strong calling to come study with the plans and with the medicine and to learn about the shamanic traditions and natural healing modalities. So I stayed in Costa Rica and I worked at a retreat center for four months as a facilitator and during this time period, in June 2021, a dear brother of mine and I traveled to the Amazon to drink huachuma at Spirit Quest retreat center in Iquitos, peru. I would have to say that this experience was probably one of the most profound experiences of my life. We sat with indigenous tribes that have founded this beautiful, beautiful medicine from four to 5,000 years ago, and if I had to summarize my experience, it would be a reality check. It was a complete reality check to what is and what is important. It really brought a lot of grounding that was necessary for me at that time and a lot of clarity to what is and where I was in my life, and not only in my life, but on the bigger picture of to what was going on in the world. From there, I had a strong calling to move back to the United States to be closer with my family and really to start a platform to be an advocate and another avenue for plant medicine.
Speaker 1:I really believe that, as a world is going through a change and there's a big shift in consciousness right now, healing is needed more than ever right now and people are really starting to awaken to the truth of who they are and the light inside of them. And people are just starting to ask questions about why am I here, who am I, and really starting to get down to the root cause. I think for many, many years that's been dating. The problem has kind of been the solution, but as we're seeing now, with the way the world is going, that's kind of not really working anymore. So people are starting to reach out for alternative motives and I really believe in my heart that plant medicine are one of those tools that can really help heal not only ourselves but our communities, our friends and our brothers and anyone that is willing to have an open heart and to come with an open mind and to really want to rediscover themselves and to the true essence of who they are.
Speaker 1:So one thing my intention for this podcast is to really bring awareness that these plants are not a drug but a very sacred medicine that have been used for thousands and thousands of years ago. These medicines are a pure source of nature and I think it's really important for anyone that's listening to remember that we are nature and one day we will return with nature. We are not separate from nature. So plant medicine is beautiful because they don't have an ego, an agenda or an alternative motive behind them. They are truly here for our best interest and to help us evolve and grow and to expand our consciousness so we can release all the layers of conditioning and misbeliefs and ideologies that we might have had, or preconceived notions and family traumas that we've been carrying from generation to generation. So we can let them go and free ourselves, so we can expand and truly heal and just live a life of love and clarity and peace and freedom.
Speaker 1:So with that, I really just hope that people can find comfort in knowing that plant medicine is just another tool that anyone can use for healing, and it might not be for everyone, and that's totally okay. Plant medicine is truly an energetic cleansing of your mind, body and spirit and it's an experience that has to be done for yourself and can never be put into words, no matter how much you research into it or hear about other people's experiences. So with that, I just want to thank you so much for being here today. I feel so grateful and I can't wait to catch up with you on the next episode. May God bless you forever and always.
Speaker 1:Light in love, aho. Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to the Coming Back Home podcast. You can connect with me on social media platforms such as Instagram at Coming Back Home. Please like, share and subscribe for more conscious, heartfelt and healing content. If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review of my podcast on Apple or the website ComingBackHomeco. Remember it's a Calling Back Home to the essence of who we are and who we are called to be in this lifetime. May God always bless and guide you, my brothers and sisters, and lots of love and light, as always.