NEW LIFE RISING
What is an Ayahuasca Church?
A SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY CENTERED AROUND DIRECT CONNECTION WITH THE DIVINE
An ayahuasca church is a religious organization that recognizes ayahuasca as a sacred sacrament and spiritual practice to deeper their connection to themselves and to a God of their understanding.
Our purpose is to create a community where people can explore that relationship more deeply while sharing foundational values of love, compassion, personal responsibility, respect for nature, spiritual growth, and service to others.
While every ayahuasca church may have its own beliefs and traditions, the sacramental use of ayahuasca is generally centered around creating a direct and personal experience of the divine in order to cultivate personal healing and growth, so that we may be better members of our families and communities.
For us, ayahuasca is not simply something we consume. It is a sacrament that is approached with preparation, responsibility, safety, respect and deep reverence.
Core Pillars of Our Faith
Direct Experience
At New Life Rising, we believe our relationship with God is deeply personal. We are not interested in telling people what they have to believe.
Rather than asking someone to simply believe in God, spirit, or a higher power, ayahuasca is used intentionally as a way to experience that connection for oneself.
We believe that divine wisdom can be experienced directly, and that through prayer, self-reflection, communion with ayahuasca, and the way we choose to live our lives, we can come to a deeper understanding of God, ourselves, and our connection to one another.
Interfaith Community
As an interfaith church, we welcome people of all faiths and backgrounds, which means you do not need to leave behind your existing spiritual or religious beliefs in order to become part of our community.
Our church doctrine was intentionally created in a way that does not conflict with other sincere religious or spiritual paths. You may be Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, spiritual but not religious, still figuring out what you believe, or have no previous religious affiliation at all.
You are welcome here. All we ask is that you approach this path with sincerity, respect, openness, and an understanding that communion with ayahuasca is sacred work.
Ayahuasca Scarament
New Life Rising uses ayahuasca as a sacrament in our faith to connect more deeply to ourselves and God.
For thousands of years, plant medicines have played an important role in the spiritual traditions of indigenous cultures throughout the Amazon and across the globe. These traditions recognize that our relationship with the natural world is not separate from our spiritual lives.
Our own path with ayahuasca has taught us much the same. We use ayahuasca with reverence, respect and love. It is never commodified or sold a used only in traditional spiritual rituals.
Curious to Learn More?
Join Our Next Live Monthly Online Ayahuasca Community Gathering
Our church community meets online once a month, creating an ongoing space for spiritual discussion, teachings, reflection, connection, and integration. These gatherings give members a place to continue exploring the insights, questions, and experiences that often unfold long after a ceremony has ended.
Become a Member of our Church
Membership in New Life Rising Church is open to anyone who feels aligned with our spiritual values and wishes to become part of our community. There are no membership fees or monthly dues, all contributions are donation based and tax-deductible.
Becoming a member does not require you to give up another religion, adopt a particular label, or agree with every possible interpretation of God or spirituality. It simply means that you recognize and respect the sincere spiritual purpose of the church and wish to explore our beliefs and participate in our community or religious practices.
Members receive invitations to our monthly online church gatherings, updates from the community, spiritual teachings and resources, and information about opportunities to participate in our in-person ayahuasca retreats and ceremonial offerings.
We also offer in-person retreats for members who feel called to commune with ayahuasca. These retreats take place within an intentional spiritual setting centered around respect, safety, responsibility, preparation, tradition, and integration. We believe working with something as profound as ayahuasca deserves time and care. Our retreats are intentionally immersive, creating space not only for ceremony, but also for rest, reflection, community, and the deeper spiritual work that continues between ceremonies.
The Immersion Retreat
A week long spiritual exploration with ayahuasca at our peaceful river ranch in Austin, Texas.
WHAT DOES AN AYAHUASCA CHURCH DO?
An ayahuasca church is about more than the ceremonies themselves. It is a community of people who believe that nature provides everything we need and plant medicines are a gift from God, given to help us learn, grow, heal, and deepen our connection to ourselves, one another, and the invisible web that connects all things in nature.
We believe ayahuasca can help quiet the noise of everyday life and allow us to turn inward, where we may experience profound insight, prayer, connection, healing, forgiveness and gratitude. That does not mean every experience is easy, or that ayahuasca provides all of the answers. Sometimes the most meaningful spiritual experiences ask us to look honestly at ourselves, our choices, our relationships, and the way we are living.
New Life Rising Church is a spiritual community where members have opportunities to gather, learn, share, reflect, pray, connect, and participate in sacramental ceremonies, but ceremony is only part of the practice. What matters just as much is how we carry what we have been shown back into our lives. We seek a deeper understanding of ourselves and the meaning of our lives, and strive to live with greater intention, love, integrity, and respect for our families, our communities, and the world around us. Ayahuasca is one of the sacred practices through which we explore these beliefs, but the medicine itself is not the destination. The deeper purpose is communion with God, greater understanding of ourselves, and learning to live what we have come to understand.
ARE AYAHUASCA CHURCHES LEGAL?
In the United States, sincere religious organizations may have legal protections for the sacramental use of ayahuasca under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, commonly known as RFRA. In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a church whose members used ayahuasca, or hoasca, as a central part of their religious practice, confirming that federal controlled substance laws are subject to RFRA. Since then more than 6 ayahuasca churches have gained the same protections under federal ruling.
However, this does not mean that every organization calling itself an ayahuasca church is automatically legal or protected. Religious sincerity, established beliefs and practices, organizational structure, and the specific circumstances of sacramental use all matter, and the DEA has an established process for religious organizations seeking an exemption under RFRA. At New Life Rising, we take both the spiritual and legal responsibilities of operating an ayahuasca church seriously and have worked carefully to establish our church and religious practices around the sincere beliefs that have guided our work for many years.