Dennis Notten, founder of Sacred Journey

In 2012, Dennis Notten—founder of Sacred Journey—travelled to South America where he partook in the sacred ceremonies of the Santo Daime church. While there, Dennis built a relationship with Padr Alfredo, the spiritual leader of the church, and was granted permission to work with the sacrament of the Santo Daime; Ayahuasca. You can read more about Indigenous Cultures and the Santo Daime Religion here.

In 2013, Dennis opened a healing centre in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru, practicing a variety of therapeutic modalities, including the use of sacred medicines. He went on to return to South America, this time travelling to the Brazilian rainforest where he met, lived and studied with the Yawanawá, an indigenous tribe of the Amazon. This marked the beginning of a life-long relationship with the tribe, during which time Dennis has been a student of the spiritual leaders of the tribe, and entered into a total of one year and seven months of ‘dieta’—a period of deep study of traditional medicines, the jungle itself and the spiritual teachings of the Yawanawá, including learning their songs and healing prayers. This time spent in Dieta included long periods of solitude deep in the jungle, very simple food, celibacy, and no pure water; it also offered Dennis a rare understanding of the plants of the jungle, and the knowledge and wisdom that they hold.

In 2015, following the closure of the centre in Peru, Dennis, along with Ava Appenrodt, formed Sacred Journey. Over the next seven years the pair went on to build, and serve, community in California, with the first dietas being held in Santa Cruz, and Céu do Novo Mundo, ‘Heaven of the New World’, becoming an officially recognised non-profit Santo Daime church organisation in 2018. Ava’s current offerings can be found here.

What followed this period was a sacred pause; time spent not in active building and growing, but in a state of enquiry and listening. This time allowed for the natural evolution of Sacred Journey into an organization offering a more personalized way of working with people, and sacred medicines. There is greater focus on the right use of sacred Medicines—learnings acquired from over a decade of holding ceremonies mean that the well considered timing and fine-tuning of doses are paramount, as it is these types of considerations that allow for, and fully support, sustained personal growth. 

Sacred Journey is actively moving away from the more Capitalist way of working with medicines, instead turning towards being a body of support to the Yawanawá tribe and their endeavours, as well as working in a more intimate, focused and personal way with people on their own sacred journeys of personal realisation. 

The organization actively encourages discussion and debate around the usage of sacred medicines in the West; simultaneously honouring the immense healing power of the plants while also acknowledging the potential for over-use of the vine, and the under-recognition of the history of the tribes from which they come. 

Foundational to Sacred Journey is the belief that transformation of consciousness is the basis for individual, collective, and societal transformation. Also foundational is the dedication to remaining in a place of listening, so that the organization can respond fluidly to the ever changing landscape of the plant medicine world while staying committed to honouring the ways the tribe. 

Mission

  • Our mission is to make a global impact on the way that people live and heal themselves. We believe that one global conscious community, built on love and compassion is possible.

  • SacredJourney.Earth was founded on the belief that transformation of consciousness is the basis for all transformation.

  • We aim to be a catalyst for your personal transformation by providing education, daily spiritual practices, natural medicine and transformational retreats, along with emotional and moral support throughout your Journey towards health, happiness and your truest Self.

  • Supporting the endeavours of the Yawanawá tribe, especially the village of Mutum, is of fundamental importance. We focus on aiding them in realising their visions of increased sustainability, and adaption to modern times. Our hope is to assist in building an alliance between the Yawanawá and the Western world.

Values

  • Transformation of consciousness is the basis for transformation; individually, collectively and as a society.

  • A daily spiritual practice is vital for personal growth and transformation.

  • Human potential is unlimited.

  • Realization of humanity’s potential transcends political, religious and scientific dogma.

  • We all share the ability to love, learn, feel and create.

  • Strong natural tools of transformation can be used in a space held with love, protection, wisdom and compassion. The intention behind using these tools is to heal, grow and uplift consciousness.

  • Individualized attention encourages growth (which is why we choose to work in small groups).

Practices

  • Gratitude. We practice an attitude of gratitude. We recognize and honor the gifts inherent in every moment.

  • Service. We offer our experiences in support of the growth of others.

  • Growth. We support personal, collective and social transformation. We take risks to discover ourselves. We encourage the uplifting of consciousness and realization of our ability to love, feel and learn, fully in this moment, here and now.

  • Responsibility. We take full responsibility for who we are–our choices, words, attitudes and actions. We recognize that our actions affect others and acknowledge our involvement in every situation.

  • Integrity. We strive for harmony in our words, actions, values and beliefs to foster conscious communication and self expression.

  • Beauty. We offer beauty in every way that we can. It is our hope that the beauty we offer will put your mind at ease, allowing growth and healing to occur.

  • Space. It is our intention to hold a safe space, where all of our participants feel protected. We will guard you so that you may venture deep inside of yourself for the purpose of growth and healing.

  • Confidentiality. We are grateful for all that is shared with us and will honor your privacy by maintaining full confidentiality.

  • Sexual Safety. Your sexual safety is extremely important to us, and is guaranteed at all times in all our work.