Day 3 & 4 at Medicine Festival 2024 — the final round before the festival disappears until 2026.The cold’s gone, I’m slightly more alive, and this one’s got everything: spontaneous connections, failed attempts at ceremony, a very sweaty walk, and a surprise long-form chat with someone I met at ISTA about unlocking joy, inner babies, survival mode, and calling on your spirit guide crew like it’s WhatsApp.I nearly joined a men’s workshop but bailed as soon as the music started. Tried to get something out of Daniel Pinchbeck’s talk on AI and consciousness — got Steiner, McKenna, and a bunch of backstory instead. Bumped into Richard Rudd and briefly considered starting a beef (I didn’t). My camera battery was dying. My brain was halfway out the tent flap. I had a great time.This isn’t a guide or a testimonial — it’s just what it’s like to be there, weird edges and all.Includes:Hanging out with someone for 6+ hours by accidentApproaching a workshop and ghosting it immediatelyAn AI talk with very little AI thoughtOne of the more grounded chats I’ve had all year (ISTA shoutout)Final thoughts before Medicine goes quiet for a whileThere’s no Medicine Festival in 2025. If you’re wondering what actually happens — beyond the marketing and mysticism — here’s a very human, very rambling look at it all.#medicinefestival2024 #medicinefestival #healingjourney #alternativeliving #istaexperience #festivalweirdness #innerbabyunlocked #danielpinchbeck #AIandconsciousness #spiritguidesoncall #ceremonyvlog #realfestivallife #notbackuntil2026 #mensworkdodged #andyjoinscults

My experience at Medicine Festival 2024 — a plant medicine, ceremony, and healing-focused gathering in the UK. This is a first-person, unfiltered look at what it’s actually like to be there.Medicine Festival isn’t happening in 2025, so I wanted to put this out for anyone curious about what it felt like to attend in previous years. There’s no big spiritual climax here — just me showing up low-energy, observing, wandering through ceremonies, and sitting with the general weirdness and wonder of it all. Whether you're researching psychedelic spaces, preparing for a future gathering, or just curious what medicine work looks like in real life — this is my raw take on Days 1 & 2.

Taking time to integrate after ISTA Level 1 in an Airbnb with two others instead of rushing back to London. These days gave me space to practice what I learned - mostly about presence, connection, and shadow work rather than the sexuality everyone assumes these trainings focus on. Looking back, I couldn't have done this three years ago. The temple arts practices and conscious sexuality work needed a foundation - My own path lead me to heart-based tantra, meditation (particularly Osho's active meditations), and breath work like holotropic or rebirthing, which contributed significantly to my own understanding of reality. ISTA workshops bring up intense emotions and patterns you might not know you have. Nothing is mandatory, but everything pushes edges. Found kinship with 30-40 people who get it, while accepting others might find this work triggering or weird. That's fine. Special acknowledgment to the ISTA training facilitators. #ISTA #PersonalDevelopment #ConsciousLiving #Documentary 00:00 Post-retreat settling into Airbnb 02:15 Unexpected connection and healing after the program 04:30 Reflections on massage and non-sexual intimacy 06:20 "Everybody should be able to experience this" 08:45 Recommendations before considering ISTA 10:30 "Could I have done this 3 years ago? No." 12:15 Final group share experience and healing 14:30 Finding your people vs others' reactions 16:20 "Nothing was mandatory" - thoughts on intensity 18:45 My Own Preparation recommendations: 22:30 Gratitude to facilitators: 24:00 Final goodbye ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦ Want more? Get access to extended versions of these videos by becoming a member! Click 'Join' to unlock exclusive content and dive deeper into the journey. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andyjoinscults Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0KSE7Qxzw2USiRZw84Qhfe?si=93916bdb9628426f 🝗∇☭🝈Ɏ✞ዘ!ⵍᏳ !Ֆ Ⲁ ☾ⵡ𐌋✞ https://ista.life/