Maharani Medicine Circles
About Us
Welcome! Below is our upcoming schedule;
2025 Spring Offerings; May 9th-11th, May 23rd-25th.
From darkness to light Shadow work retreat June 5th-8th.
Summer Offerings; June 20th-22nd
Please e-mail us for more information.
Our mission is to provide a safe, honest and sincere space for people of all walks of life to come and heal. We believe in the combined power of plant medicine, community and emotional vulnerability. These key elements are the fertile soil for beautiful transformation to occur in our lives!
Maharani Medicine Circles first opened its doors in 2018– since then, we have served at over 110 retreats. We are proud to be a culturally diverse hub for seekers of all kinds. We are honored to be of service to anyone with a desire to grow, learn and heal regardless of background, age or creed.
Here are some things that set us apart from other groups:
- Our groups are ALWAYS intimate & small. We will never serve a group larger than ten people. This fosters a sense of community between participants & staff, creating a safe, familial atmosphere.
- We keep a supportive staff-to-participant ratio so we can all feel fully supported in this intense journey. We strive to have 3-4 facilitators on board in addition to our Medicine Woman. Our team members are humble volunteers with ample personal experience with plant medicine. Each facilitator brings their own unique flair to retreats 🙂
- Our medicine is brewed “in house”, sourcing high quality materials from sustainable sources from Central America. We brew one jar at a time, prepped especially for each upcoming retreat <3
- We place a strong emphasis on Integration. Integration means applying the lessons learned during ceremony to everyday life. Integration is what separates recreational use of medicines from ceremonial & intentional use! It is very important we honor ourselves and our medicines in this way. We offer multiple integration circles during the weekend and also provide supportive resources for our participants when they go home.
- Our Plantswoman has been blessed with immense musical gifts that activate and amplify our Medicine. Most specifically, our participants often laud her voice as one of the highlights of the experience. Many Plant Medicine traditions suggest that music is the vessel which carries the ceremonial energy. The music harmonizes with the medicine and serves as a “Lighthouse” that helps each participant navigate their internal shadows & light alike. The music serves as a compass to bring us back our hearts. Whether it be the mysterious sound of the steel drum, the call of the flute or powerful icaros (medicine songs), we are confident these voices will sing you home.
- We are officially non-profit & church as of this year! Spirituality is very important to us, but we will never be dogmatic or pushy about these beliefs. While our ceremonies are spiritually based, they are very universalist as well. Folks with secular beliefs will not have issues connecting to the ceremony experience.
- Above all else, we strive to “keep it real”. It can feel extremely overwhelming to find the right practitioner, modality or healing space when we live in such a fast-paced world. We are happy to provide a simple, organic and humble space where you can just be yourself. We believe that everyone is a student in this space— we are all learning from one another at all times! We hope you will join us in this incredible opportunity to unravel & remember who we truly are.
Our Retreats are for you if…
- You are looking for a retreat that is not overwhelming in size.
- You are seeking a supportive community to connect with in the long-term– Whether it be for integration, friendship, spirituality or medicinal purposes!
- You are unable to travel to South America or commit to a longer term retreat.
- You are ready to commit to four weeks of Dieta- the physical and mental cleansing that prepares us for ceremony.
- You feel a profound urge to become a better human, work on trauma, process challenging emotions, foster a deeper connection with Nature or expand your relationship with Spirit/Source/The Universe.
We are a “mobile ministry”. This means that we split our time between Upstate New York and the high desert of Arizona. We feel the call to be in service to both sides of this country. We also hope to someday soon travel to other states and offer our retreats in more locations.
In Arizona, we are hosted by community members on their properties. For our New York offerings, we have a beautiful property in the woods that we hold our retreats in. Because we host small retreats, we don’t have the need to have a large retreat center. This means that our accommodations are humble and communally shared.
Please message us if you’d like more information about our retreats or upcoming schedule. We are always available to talk about this work if you have any questions. Thanks so much for reading and many blessings!
Vision Statement
Our vision is to become compassionate, pure, healthy, and unconditionally loving people. Through prayer, meditation and the foundational support of our ancestors and their medicines, we humbly walk this path.
In a world shrouded by illusion, our Medicine bursts through the shadows as a shining light. We call upon the guidance of our sacred plant teachers to shed hardened layers around our heart built by the suffering we have endured.
Through dance and song, we shatter resistance keeping us from a righteous and all pervading Spiritual Relationship with life. Our ancient Amazonian Medicine combined with communal celebration yields profound healing for our selves and the entire planet.
We strongly believe in the Great Spirit that dwells within all living beings. This Spirit is alive, deeply caring and calling us home to the Present Moment. We embrace all religions and creeds. All roads lead to the same One, loving and ever-present Being.
Our Mission is to provide a sacred container, as well as education and support for those who are called to Plant Medicine. Ceremony is a state of mind that can embraced every single moment of our lives. We seek to help others cultivate this way of being through integrating spiritual experience.
We also believe that human connection is a powerful gateway to the soul. Maharani Medicine offers a community space for all people to share and grow.
We honor ourselves by truly integrating our Plant Medicine journeys. In choosing to remember Love on the daily, we help the world heal. It is our prayer that we can support people, whether they are preparing for ceremony, sitting in ceremony or integrating afterward. We want every person we meet to thrive and find great internal success. We invite you to join us!
18 Reviews on “Maharani Medicine Circles”
I drove 8 hours up to Maharani Medicine at the beginning of the June for an Ayahuasca Shadow Work retreat. I am pretty experienced with the medicine and have brewed and sat alone over 20 times. I am also a Conscious Breathwork Practitioner who works in a healing capacity with clients. My last group ceremony was in 2018 with my teacher and a group of around 20.
Having said all that, my experience at Maharani Medicine was nothing short of spectacular. I let go of bitterness, anger, and resentment that I didn’t even know I had, and also went really deep into the spiritual realm, even meeting the Greek Gods and Goddesses in what I can only describe as a revelation. Eliana and Austin hold beautiful space and also have beautiful voices. Vidu was the Shadow Work instructor, and if you are struggling in your life, I highly recommend visiting when he is co-facilitating. I learned a lot watching him work with me and the other participants, and again, I also experienced deep, profound healing.
I cannot recommend Maharani Medicine enough, and even if you live 8 hours away like I do, it is certainly worth the pilgrimage. You matter. Your mental health matters. Plant Medicine works, and it works even better when you are being guided by experienced, compassionate facilitators.
Love and Wisdom always,
Michael Boothby
I was fortunate enough to learn of maharani medicine at a women’s music and medicine retreat. I went to a plant medicine discussion hosted by Eliana. I had been interested in experiencing this type of offering for quite some time however, I had very little knowledge in it’s regard. As I listened to Eliana, speak, I connected very deeply with her words. I knew instantly that if I were to take this journey, she would be the one I would want to facilitate it. She spoke with such profound knowledge and respect of the medicine, the process, and the people involved. I felt complete trust in her and in what she is doing. I followed up with Eliana shortly after having met her. She was very accessible and answered any question with amazing insight. She listened to my story, my fears and my intentions with compassion and love. In the months leading to my ceremony, I was very serious in my dedication to my dieta. Eliana was supportive and encouraging. Being that I live fairly close to the location of the retreat, I was able to visit before ceremony to get a feel for the environment. I was able to sit with some of the facilitators and speak about my concerns. Everyone I met that day listened to me with love and kindness and were able to gift their insight to me.
Until I was in an environment, where there truly is no judgment, I had no idea how that actually felt. I felt so unconditionally loved, seen and accepted by everyone…facilitators and participants.
Everyone’s voices, fears, loves, hates, joys, triumphs were respected and nurtured in this space. In between ceremonies I had some things surface that I was having an especially difficult time processing. Eliana and Austin welcomed me with open hearts and took all of the time that was needed to listen to me and help me work through it. Their wisdom helped to provide an experience for the second night of ceremony that I can only describe in one word… solace. Every part of my being felt safe, enough, worthy and soothed. I felt an incredible sense of belonging, writhing myself and within the group.
I was able to gain access to tools within myself to unconditionally love and nurture myself when I left the space. I have felt and seen this beautiful gift radiate from my energy field to positively affect others around me. This type of healing has been and continues to be an extraordinary experience for me. I remain in contact with the other participants and the facilitators from the ceremonies that I attend and look forward to every integration call. I feel a strong sense of connection and community. Eternally grateful to Maharani Medicine. 💙
I have nothing but praise for the work, the medicine, the community, and the facilitators at Maharani Medicine. I recently came to the land for my second retreat with them, and experienced deep beauty, connection, and healing with the small group I shared my time with. Truly some of the most kind and generous people in life are Austin and Eliana, and I encourage anyone curious about this work to reach out to them. I navigated moments both challenging and transcendent, all sacred, this weekend, and rediscovered a strength and camaraderie with the other participants that has instilled great hope within me. As always, the work and the beauty of this space lies in integration. Being able to process our ceremonies in 2 integration circles, and then seizing the opportunity to stay in touch after the fact, are amazing honors and privileges that I enjoy every second of.
Thank you so much for your love, kindness, and healing.
Jai Ma!
Folks, if you want to heal, go to Maharani.
Eliana & Austin conduct a singular ceremony; you cannot find this kind of healing anywhere else. They understand spirit work on a level that touches God, and they steer the ship with tender-loving strength every time. Eliana has the voice of an angel. Austin is a rock.
They take you from darkness to light with personalized, expert care. They are extremely experienced ceremony leaders, and they have a team of expert men and women facilitators who have seen it all. Whatever you are going through, they got you. They will shepherd you into your depths so you can find out your light, then they’ll guide you home.
I attended my first ceremony ever at Maharani about a year ago, and I have returned every season since. Why?
See for yourself. Then share your story.
I can honestly say my 2-day ceremony retreat with Maharani Medicine was one of the most profound and transformational experiences of my life.
From the moment I arrived, I felt safe, seen, and deeply supported. Austin, Mitchel, Jake, and Lex each brought something unique and powerful to the space—holding it with incredible wisdom, presence, and care. Their guidance was never forceful, but always intentional. You could tell they weren’t just facilitators—they were walking the path themselves.
Whether it was through the way they handled ceremony, how they attuned to group energy, the one-on-one support they offered, and even just making things fun and engaging, each of them created an environment where deep healing and insight could truly take place. They knew when to step in and when to give space. And when things got intense, their calm presence was everything.
Even after the ceremonies, they continue to check in, offer tools, and create space for real, grounded transformation—reminding me that the journey doesn’t end, it evolves.
I can’t thank Austin, Mitchel, Jake, and Lex enough. You’ve changed my life in ways I’m still discovering.
Sacred Heart Container..
Words cannot describe the ineffable, like a baby in the womb, the mother is felt whole. There is such reverence for this medicine, such respect and honor for the mother, and the HEART of a Warrior truly shines in the Moderator and Facilitators of the events. I attended once before, and had miraculous journeys, mainly because the care is so strong and true that you are just nurtured into being, and I have recently attended another event which is targeting the masculine energy and purifying our strengths and soul. This journey was incredible and beyond our doing, we are mere vessels for the cleanse, seekers for the soul, and Lord Knows, Mother Knows, their work is extremely profound and vivid for those in surrender. My heart forever goes out to Maharani Medicine Circle, for their personal care and touch for the ceremonies, and my total honor goes to Grandmother for her infinite aptitude of love pouring onto us all, filling us with glory. Blessings to everyone who attended, Lord Knows I drink you in with grace and pray your hearts meet your every goal to change. God Be Blessing, God Be Willing!!
Aum..
I was desperately in need of some help. I carefully prepared myself and took a chance, based on the reviews of this site, to participate in a ceremony with Eliana. I had a great experience, and it far exceeded what I was expecting!
Maharani Medicine Circles is a whole team of people led by Eliana. They were very nice and experienced, so the ceremony logistics were easy. I participated in Arizona and appreciated the small group dynamic and the community that quickly developed. I was also impressed by the carefully prepared medicines from trusted sources that were respected in their use.
I’m also grateful for integration thoughtfully planned into the retreat. That was key to the break throughs I received. I highly recommend folks take their preparation seriously and put in the integration work before and after the ceremony.
Eliana and team are true performance artists, and the ceremony had a special element of words, music, and rhythms that really enhanced the experience.
Eliana has earned my trust and I’m looking forward to another ceremony once I’ve fully integrated my experience. I’ve also recommended her to my family members that could benefit.
My husband and I had the privilege of joining Maharani Circle in January of 2025 at their upstate NY location. We were greeted and welcomed by our hosts and facilitators with love and respect.
1st night of ceremony was extremely intense for us. We purged a lot and felt very weak. We were reassured it was part of the process and marched on to the second night. Second night was much easier on the body and mind. I think partly because you kind know what to expect and your body is also more used to the medicine. I have to say I followed the dieta recommeded almost completely. I didnt give up certain foods which i strongly believe it made my purging experience a little more intense compared to others who did. So if i can recommend one thing is follow the dieta!!! Its tough but it will be rewarding.
My first night was mostly purging and a strong body awareness. My second night consisted of many visions and messages. Its been a week since i had this experience and Im still processing and deciphering these messages. Im really grateful for the amazing teamwork Maharani circle provided us. The integration and interactions between our group that was soo deep. Thank You Eliana, Austin, Moses, Serenity and Jake for making our experience one of a kind. For making us feel safe and strong to embark on the beautiful journey that mother ayahuasca provided for us. May God continue to bless the beautiful work you guys do everyday.
I am unsure where to begin expressing my eternal gratitude for Maharni Medicine and the souls my path has intertwined with at their church. This past year I sat on three different occasions-January, June, and December. I have been no stranger to the sacred plant medicines they work with and have sat in the past in the traditions that these medicine carriers have learned from and have been shaped by. I have seen nothing but deep respect for the ancient traditions and sacred medicines as they conduct ceremonies in their own powerful and blessed way. Eliana, Austin, and their team’s agenda of making deep, real healing accessible to those in the Northeast carries nothing but genuine energy. I have felt nothing but safe, loved, and able to express myself fully (and respectfully) on the beautiful land they work on while soaking in that genuine healing energy and their offerings.
Each time I have been I have been blown away by their ability to call in and honor Spirit while controlling and moving the powerful ceremonial energy brought on by bringing different souls together, for the first time, who are healing from their unique pain and path of suffering. On my path of healing and my path towards acquiring ultimate Wisdom, they have become teachers and friends I admire deeply who have played a crucial role in solidifying my realization of Self and my union with Spirit and truly have forever changed me.
It works if you work it intentionally and if you have faith and courage in the medicine, faith that deep healing is possible, and faith that plants are teachers who help us on our path to freedom. Courage to face our pain can be difficult, but if done so with faith and trust, the reward of being free can be yours. Well-being is our original state and this medicine helps shave those layers of pain to get there.
We all have our unique paths of getting there and we are all in different places on those paths getting there. We all have different intentions on why we sign up to drink medicine in the first place. Eliana and Austin have the experience and intuition to be able to understand and see that aspect of each participant and they act accordingly with each individual with trust, respect, and honor. While respectfully communicating my needs to them, and building trust with them and the medicine over the years, they have assisted me in gaining levels of healing and mental clarity that I never thought were possible as someone who almost ended this incarnation in deep pain a short time ago.
The music is always deeply on point and the singing is always unbelievably beautiful and full of deep love and wisdom. The ceremony I sat in December was nothing short of miraculous and Spirit was very much with us. Every selection, every note, every word, danced flawlessly with the energy of the Divine in the room. They truly did an impeccable and honorable job for all the souls transforming. The boundary to keep the circles small is deeply respected by me and it has created a space for me to achieve some of my spiritual goals with medicine. It’s important to note that what we learn in ceremony about ourselves must be integrated into our lives and the divine feelings one feels in ceremony must be believed to exist in every moment of our time on this Earth, otherwise it’s just an experience. This has been an important aspect for me and I believe a major key in why these three ceremonies this year helped me achieve what I was looking for.
If you’re thinking about a retreat at Maharini Medicine I highly recommend it no matter where you are on your journey with medicine, what pain you carry, or where you are on your spiritual path. There is deep healing here. There is realness. There is love. There is respect. And there is light. I am blessed to have found myself in their energy and blessed to experience the healing of the other participants I shared space with. Not once have I seen a negative occurrence happen during the time I’ve spent at the Lighthouse. I have nothing bad to say about my experiences there and I am deeply grateful to have been served medicine by these honorable souls.
I had intentions of sitting with Aya in 2022, while in Guatemala, but the timing wasn’t right. For many reasons I’ve come to find out. I wasn’t ready.
The way the medicine came to me back in October 2024, was like no other. A dear friend invited me to Maharani Medicine Circle. I went back and forth if I should go. Then the universe made it impossible for me not to go. An incredible selfless soul paid it forward so I was able to go. (I cried for days) I had a call with Austin prior to going that helped me clear up any questions or concerns I may have. He was extremely helpful and very informative about the dieta and preparation. After speaking with him, I knew I was going to the right place to heal. The moment I arrived at Maharani Medicine Circle, it felt like home. The entire weekend was intentional and full of love. The amount of knowledge and preparation Eliana and Austin bring into ceremony is a gift. I caught myself watching in awe throughout ceremony as they sang, played various instruments and weaved in and out flawlessly. I have never felt so held, safe and cared for in my life. It was very hard to leave the lighthouse when you experience love like that. But it doesn’t stop there. Integration and keeping in touch is extremely important to them. They continue to be a support system long after ceremony. If you are thinking about sitting with Aya, I am here to tell you, it will be the best thing you can do for yourself. After 20+ years of drinking, I am now 79 days sober. I continue to feel the love from Aya throughout my life almost daily. I will be forever grateful for the medicine. And I am forever grateful for Eliana and Austin and all the facilitators that showed me love and continue to stay in touch. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Aho.
Testimonial:
Maharani Medicine was brought to me by a dear friend I’d been working with to heal an intense amount of grief and shame that I had been carrying after the lost of my only son. Truthfully, I didn’t know much about plant medicine, but I felt called to receive it as a tool to help me work through the feelings I was struggling to work through on my own. Even after adopting a disciplined meditation practice, finding sobriety, and spending less time with “friends” who weren’t supporting my healing journey, I could not get past the blockages that were clearly keeping me stuck. Enter Eliana and Austin. After the call with Eliana and deciding this weekend was exactly what I needed, I was struggling with the Dieta. It was vastly different than how I had lived up until that point. I reached out a week later and asked if I should even proceed, and the response was exactly what I needed. She supported me and slow dripped belief into me. The weekend I spent at the lighthouse has completely changed my life. I have never felt so supported and safe in my entire life and the fact that I was with strangers made the experience even more meaningful. Grandmother showed me a path that involved letting go of the shame I was carrying and forgiving myself for what I had previously felt I couldn’t. I left that Sunday feeling vibrant in a way I had never felt before. Eliana and Austin and all of their facilitators are medicine right along next to Aya. I was deeply listened to, validated, and hugged in a way I had never experienced before. I would encourage anyone looking for help to seek them out. I am 6 weeks out from my retreat and still receiving new messages and guidance from Aya. Healing is possible with this powerful medicine. My journey will never be finished, but it truly started when I found these influential humans.
It is had to know where to start, but here I go.
The grounds are beautiful and the Facilitators are amazing the work they do is top notch. They are doing this work because it is a passion and they want to help the broken and that truly shows. No matter if it is making you dinner or being there for you to talk or handing you a bucket lol , they do it with love. Please don’t come into the experience thinking it will be fun or easy because it is not. The weekend I spent in the container was the most traumatic/beautiful experience of my life. If your not ready to have the medicine burn you to the ground spit on the ashes and rebuild you perhaps your not ready for what she has to offer. The conversations I had and the relationships I built with the other participants will be everlasting. I will never forget my time I spent with them. I am so grateful for the experience and deep change it has made. Thank you to everyone involved in my rebirth..
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Maharani Medicine Circle is a sacred container that feels so safe and nurtured that it allows the full expression of your process, no matter what it looks like. It was a life changing experience for me that felt divinely orchestrated. God/Source/Spirit brought me to this community. You can trust it. What makes this retreat stand out is that the facilitators share their wisdom instead of taking a hands off approach when it comes to integration of the experience. And they are WISE! They also move with the full embodiment of LOVE. As a guest you feel like family and they will do anything and everything to make sure that you have the best, most profound, experience possible. I am eternally grateful for their service to humanities awakening.
I’ve attended several ceremonies at the Lighthouse, each more profound and beautiful than the last. This space has literally changed my life in ways I never knew were possible. You are not only getting a sacred opportunity in these ceremonies, you are held in a safe and beautiful container by people who are also deep in their own healing journey. Those who understand the work and show up with passion and integrity in sharing it. For those ready to dive deep and truly meet themselves for their highest growth, this is a must have experience.
I recently attended a shadow work + medicine ceremony retreat, and it was one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had.The environment was so supportive and nurturing—it allowed me to really let go and dive into my shdow and heal deeply.
The ceremonies were deep, in the best way possible. They pushed me to confront parts of myself I had been avoiding for years, but I always felt cared, guided and supported through the process.
The facilitators (austin, prem, nishchala, erin) all were sooo incredible—so compassionate and wise, with a deep understanding of the medicine and the journey each of us was on.
It wasn’t always easy, and there were definitely some emotional ups and downs, but by the end of it, I felt lighter and more connected to myself. I left the retreat feeling more at peace than I’ve ever been, with a new perspective on my life and the things that have held me back. Honestly i cant wait to get back to it
If you’re considering a retreat like this, and you’re ready to go deep, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s truly a life-changing experience that helps you reconnect with yourself on a level that’s hard to put into words. The whole process was beautifully transformative, and I’m so grateful for the experience.
I am so thankful for Eliana and her team for facilitating these ceremonies. The small group atmosphere really made you feel safe and that you were with friends and family. I tend to have very intense experiences with ayahuasca and I was grateful that everyone was so patient with me and let me have space to work through my experience. The knowledge, understanding, kindness, and generosity of everyone was also deeply appreciated. Looking forward to working with them again!
Soul Tender Eliana/Maharani Medicine Circles has been a sanctuary for me. A safe space of profound growth through humble and humbling experiences. The land is medicine. Eliana honors this place with her impeccable vocabulary and inter-dimensional integrity. She owns her humanness which shines in the Lighthouse whose rays invite the Seeker to breathe in, lean in and get out of your own way. Her music is medicine and beautifully allies with integration. Her Partner Austin brings in the Divine Masculine, is of Service, supporting and tending the boundaries. Her Medicine Lineage is top notch and reflects her mature playfulness, Love for ceremony, devotion to family and those she serves. Pinak
Maharani Medicine Circles was my first introduction into the intentional medicine space, and I sit here writing this both humbled and inspired. Never have I witnessed such dedication and precision in bringing a vision to life. Eliana and the facilitators stand with presence and acceptance ~ providing a place of safety where no one that comes is a stranger. The way the medicine is carried through song, prayer, and honest communion and the emphasis that is put on integrating afterwards, speaks magnitudes to the respect and integrity that is at the core of this work.
I am forever grateful for being a part of and witnessing the healing and connection that happens here. For remembering the Spirit that resides within. And for knowing I am never alone in my pain and joy.
Thank you MMC <3
If you have the chance and feel the calling, take the plunge! Your soul will thank you.