I cannot say enough good about the experience I had with the OYA with Phillip and Annie as facilitators. I was incredibly nervous to participate as I have heard quite a lot about the power of the medicine, but from the moment I arrived at the location, both the facilitators and the participating community members provided a safe and welcoming environment. It is clear that both the facilitators and the community take this medicine work seriously and have a level of reverence and preparation that brings the correct spirit to the experience. Phillip and Annie both show their experience and training as the two most proficient musicians I have ever had the pleasure of seeing perform as well as being deeply sensitive facilitators and caretakers. Their blend of traditional icaros and modern musical synthesis quite literally keeps the boat afloat as the ceremony progresses along. The power of these two facilitators working in tandem is deeply felt by the way they both play together as well as take turns leading songs while the other tends to a participant who needs attention. There is enough space and care to both move through difficult emotions as well as follow along with the facilitators’ musical intent in the interest of experiencing an internal journey. I expected to have a difficult or scary experience but the sheer force of spiritual power of the facilitators helped me to have a joyful experience and to remember that “gratitude is the fabric softener of the universe”. This truly feels like a community the way that the facilitators and the participants share house tasks and conversation throughout the weekend. I am excited to participate more with the OYA and to follow its growth as more individuals become connected to the community. Thank you so much Phillip for answering my questions before I registered for the ceremony weekend and helping me to feel ready to take a significant step forward in my own healing. Thank you to Annie for your proficient facilitation, your masterful musicianship, and your sensitive heart. Thank you to my fellow participants for providing a friendly space in which to reach a deeper level of relationship with myself. Each night I was able to reclaim a different broken, forgotten or fractured aspect of self and invite them back into the light of my spirit. Since sitting in ceremony two weeks ago I have been in integration from all that I learned and experienced and I can say that the glow hasn’t faded, I still feel a profound and clear connection to my unknown and unseen self and I look forward to my further time sitting with the OYA! I highly recommend signing up for all three nights in order to surrender more deeply to the experience and benefit from the transformative power of this medicine and the hearts of the facilitators.