A Spiritual Community Rooted In Authentic Caring

Vision

To awaken our Higher Selves, together.

Mission

Sacred Waters is a wellspring of spiritual wisdom, supportive community, and sacred experiences,

helping move people from healing to thriving.

"We’re all just walking each other home."
Ram Dass

What is an Entheogenic Church?

Sacred Waters Sanctuary is an entheogenic church

Whether you resonate with the term "church" or not, our Sanctuary is a place where you can connect with the Divine through a variety of spiritual doors, one being entheogenic plants. Entheogenic plants are natural visionary plants. We hold the belief that these plants are sacred and our members only imbibe them as Sacrament in a spiritual ceremonial container guided by our Reverends.

Religious Freedoms

RFRA (Religious Freedoms Restoration Act of 1993) codifies our First Amendment right for religious organizations in the US to practice their sincere spiritual beliefs. Under the very best legal counsel in the US, we have established our Sanctuary to comply with RFRA and the best practices for entheogenic churches in the US.

Learn about our Core Beliefs.

Spiritual Teachings

As a syncretic spiritual community, we draw our doctrine from the shamanic lineages that we have bee initiated into and Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism We believe that these teachings and practices are highly complementary and beneficial for those who seek freedom from suffering.

Our Leadership Team

Aria Tau

Ceremonialist | Spiritual Mentor | Founder

Gabriel Sky

Ceremonialist | Spiritual Mentor | CoFounder

Gail Greenwell

Board Member | SWS Community Leader

Ben Ross, Ph.D

Board Member | Spiritual Mentor

Team

JOIN A CEREMONIAL RETREAT

Founder & Reverend | Spiritual Transformation Guide

MEET OUR FOUNDER

Aria Tau is the Founder of Sacred Waters and a Reverend Co-leading ceremonial retreats. She is a song weaver with an angelic voice that transports you into the angelic realms during ceremony. Aria serves as a clear channel of divine light, walking the healer path in humility and integrity and holding you in reverence as you awaken and realize the bright, undying light that shines within.

She embodies divine femininity, with her open heart and approach that is rooted in radical acceptance and compassion - two core values of the Sacred Waters Sanctuary community. This has created a culture that feels like a family for new and old members of the community. You are accepted as you are - imperfectly perfect - and held in compassion and respect as you shed the layers of self-judgement, embracing self-forgiveness and self-compassion.

Aria has been working with sacred plants for over a decade and has completed dietas (spiritual plant initiations) and apprenticeships to enable her to serve ayahuasca and other sacred plants in ceremonial settings. She is also a highly skilled facilitator with a background in executive leadership coaching, women's spiritual empowerment, and designing and leading transformational and healing programs. She has led over 50 retreats and transformational healing experiences and has worked with thousands to Awaken their Highest Selves through plant medicine, spirituality and neuroscience.

Aria transitioned out of a successful career in technology when she was called to the spiritual path. This led her to take the medicine back to he family in South Africa, and serve her mother, who had suffered with severe trauma and a bipolar disorder for decades. In 2023, alongside other heart-centered leaders, founded Sacred Waters Sanctuary - a non-profit visionary church - to help those who are seeking a safe and sacred way to heal and thrive.

Find her wisdom shares and music on Instagram: @Awaken.with.Aria

Impact Stories

Miriam Bohondoney

“Thanks to a generous scholarship, I was given the opportunity to join in a ceremonial retreat with Sacred Waters Sanctuary. Prior to the ceremony, I had been feeling that my life was like a sliding glass door that was off track, and I hadn't been able to get into proper alignment. After the ceremony I feel like everything has clicked into place.”

Victoria Dreyer

“Before my experience at sacred waters I was living a life of survival instead of thriving. I felt paralyzed by fear and limiting beliefs. The sacred medicine ceremony combined with the integration and 1:1 spiritual guidance has impacted every area of my life. My career path is expanding, my relationships are transforming and my inner world is flowing.”

Sami Hamideh

“My experience with Sacred Waters has been nothing short of life changing! The facilitators were so supportive during the most challenging parts of my experience, but they also taught me how to be there for myself. This really allowed me to feel where the fear was living in my body and what stories were feeding that fear. More than that, Sacred Waters has become like family to me.”

Our Core Beliefs

Sacred Waters Sanctuary is a registered spiritual nonprofit founded under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Rooted in ancient wisdom and sacred traditions, we honor the transformative power of plant medicines as a path to spiritual awakening, healing, and conscious evolution.

1. Thriving Is Our Birthright

We believe that our soul's ultimate purpose is to transcend suffering and achieve liberation. Healing is part of it, but the ultimate goal of the spiritual path is to live a life that is abundant in authentic love and financial freedom, where we feel empowered to manifest our dreams and co-create a thriving family, community and world.

2. Highest Self Awakening

Our Highest Self is the part inside each of us that is Divine, wise, knowing and ancient. Each of us incarnated in this lifetime for a purpose. Our Highest Self guides us towards our destiny by reminding us of our soul's purpose, and helping steer us on our true path. We can awaken our Higher Selves through ceremony and spiritual practices.

3. Sacred Waters Liberate Us

Our philosophy is based on the Taoist teachings of flow. The "Current of The Universe" is flowing in a particular direction. When we try and swim against the current, or cling to a branch, we suffer. When we surrender to the natural way of things and allow ourselves to flow with the current, life becomes easier and the Universe works in our favor.

Buddhism teaches us that change is inevitable, yet our resistance to change brings us suffering. When we surrender to what we cannot control and accept life as it is without clinging or aversion, we are liberated.

4. There Are Many Paths to The Waterfall

We believe that there are many paths to the waterfall. We are a syncretic spiritual organization, drawing inspiration from the wisdom teachings of South American shamanism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism. We teach a nature-based approach to spirituality. We are not separate from, but an innate part of nature. When we reconnect to this truth, we tap into our highest potential.

5. The Plants Are Sacred

We believe in the spiritual essence possessed by each plant, animal, and element such as rivers, mountains, fires, winds etc. We believe our Sacraments are Divine Plants which are gifts from Mother Earth and help us commune with her consciousness. We believe that it is our birthright to commune with the sacred plants of the Earth if we so choose.

6. Divine Guidance

We believe that our Sacrament opens doorways of spiritual awareness that are beyond ordinary states of consciousness. We receive the divine guidance we seek and align with our Highest Selves. This experience is deeply spiritual and sacred.

7. Sacred Reciprocity to the Earth

In this moment in history, Mother Earth is burning and asking us for help. Due to human greed, fires, pollution in the oceans and other climate-related disasters are becoming an existential threat to our species and every other species on Earth. We believe it is our sacred duty to expand the consciousness of individuals and leaders, helping them find stillness and clarity in the noise of a distracted world, and empowering them to live more intentionally and compassionately.

8. Culture and Sustainability

We are sensitive to the cultural and sustainability considerations related to sacred plant ceremonies. Our Sacrament is from Asia, and has no major sustainability or cultural issues related to it.

9. Science and Spirituality Are One

We do not see science and spirituality at odds. Rather, we believe that both work synchronously for our advancement on the spiritual path as science continues to explore what the sages and shamans have known all along. We hold space for deep connection with the mystical, whilst educating our community on neuroscience, and evidence-based tools, frameworks and mind-body practices that have been proven to shift our consciousness and improve our lives.

10. Sound is Sacred

Singing and chanting mantras is a central spiritual practice that activates our Sacrament and our spiritual essences. Our Reverends and Clergy are ordained through the practice of sacred music. We also awaken these gifts in our members.