AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
Churches are increasingly seeking legal protection to use psychedelics as sacraments, despite their Schedule 1 classification. The Church of Gaia, having secured legal status, plans to expand, offering ayahuasca ceremonies led by Peruvian teachers. However, this intersection of religion and psychedelics faces challenges. Bridger Jensen, founder of Singularism, a church using psilocybin mushrooms, was arrested after an undercover operation. Singularism sued, halting criminal proceedings and regaining their mushrooms, potentially becoming the first legally recognized mushroom church in the US. Ceremonies at Singularism, costing up to $1400, aim for spiritual breakthroughs, but can be challenging.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
“This is a purely spiritual practice,” said Connor Mize, the ceremonial leader of the Church of Gaia. “It’s not a thing you do just for fun.”
Psychedelics are classified as schedule 1 substances and banned throughout most of the US. But a small number of churches have won the right to use them as sacraments: since the 2000s, four organizations have secured legal protections for psychedelic use after protracted battles with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
A similar legal victory followed in Oregon three years later. More recently, in 2024 and 2025, churches in Arizona and California received legal protections for psychedelic use after reaching settlements with the DEA.
With its legal status secured, the church is planning for the future. Mize is focused on securing visas for Peruvian teachers and constructing a circular, mat-filled building to host ceremonies. There, groups of the Church of Gaia’s nearly 70 members will soon gather for hours-long ceremonies to sip on ayahuasca as they purge, listen to traditional Amazonian songs and practice their faith.
But operating at the intersection of psychedelics and religion isn’t without risks. Beyond logistical hurdles like securing insurance or property as an underground entity, church leaders must also contend with the fear of hearing law enforcement officials knock at their door.
Bridger Jensen, founder of the religious group Singularism, was leaving work last November when he found himself surrounded by a Swat team. An undercover officer had posed as a would-be member of his church, based in Provo, Utah, which uses psilocybin or magic mushrooms in its ceremonies. Police raided Singularism’s center, confiscated its mushrooms and charged Jensen.
Singularism responded by suing. Using Utah’s state-level RFRA, the group halted criminal proceedings against Jensen, recovered its seized psychedelics and won permission to continue operating as the case plays out in federal district court. If Singularism ultimately prevails, it would become the first mushroom church ever recognized in the US, potentially opening up the playing field for other psychedelic practices.
At Singularism, the church focuses solely on mushrooms in ceremonies that can cost up to $1,400 per round. It isn’t unusual for participants to find closure with estranged family members or face ego death during a session, said Jensen. “Some of them are very euphoric and pleasant, and some of them are very understandably difficult and can be at times uncomfortable.”
