Ayahuasca's topics - tribe.net

Visionary art

acudoc — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:52:39 GMT

David Amaringo is a nephew and student of the late great Pablo Amaringo. Please take a few moments to look at his beautiful work and if possible help support him with your purchases (he couldn't even afford the ticket to get from Iquitos to Puccalpa for Pablo's funeral). I find his work in many ways to equal or exceed that of his uncle. And the price, since he is still relatively unknown for his work, is very reasonable.
http://www.amaringodavisionart.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

The Great Mother Drips Ayahuasca

YsoBelle — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:34:41 GMT

Oh Great Mother lifts us up and opens our eyes so gently. Give thanks for all her great substances and divine guidance.

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Singing to the Plants Book Trailer Video

Steve — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:24:23 GMT

There is a new video trailer available for my book on ayahuasca shamanism, Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon.

There are two ways to take a look at the video. You can go to the Singing to the Plants website at www.singingtotheplants.com/ and click on the image that says: Watch the Book Trailer! A video player will open up and show the new six-minute Singing to the Plants promo trailer. Please let me know what you think.

Another way is to go to YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-o2j0ESkEI . Please feel free to visit, rate it, and leave comments. I would love to have lots of feedback! :-)

I would really look forward to any discussion here in this Tribe.

-- Steve
www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Rick Doblin's Mainstreaming Psychedelics

JohnWilly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:57:00 GMT

Rick Doblin's 11/17/09 Google talk is online at: http://tinyurl.com/yjgly99 Mainstreaming Psychedelics

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Visionary Temple reconstructed

Sundeep — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:17:23 GMT

Greetings,
Visionary Temple is now updated with a Flash interface and new art....

http://www.visionarytemple.com

Check it out, and hope you enjoy your visit :)

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Stuff happens.

CG — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:24:45 GMT

In a recent work with the medicine I saw someone have an older form come through. Their face changed. From within, teeth and fangs emerged to expose an older face from the prehistory of this persons consciousness. Their consciousness was clearly on a long journey and from the human shape they inhabit now I saw an older shape emerge. Baboon. It was crystal clear, powerful and intense to behold.

Since it occurred I've begun speculating on what I was being shown. It feels like the lesson was that it's consciousness that is the truer evolutionary track. That to be human is an opportunity that doesn't bestow any supremacy on it's own just for being in that form. That somehow what matters is the transformative movement of a deeper consciousness.

What's the goal? I don't know, I have an opinion, but that's just my take on it. What rocked me was the being-ness of consciousness as a beings deeper or more true self.

posted in Ayahuasca - 24 replies

Pablo Amaringo

Steve — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:08:42 GMT

It is with great sorrow that I inform you that Pablo Amaringo passed away in the early hours of this morning. Apparently he had been quite ill, but had seemed to be improving.

This is a great loss to us all.

I will pass along any additional information as I receive it.

-- Steve
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 2 replies

ayahuasca as cultural heritage of Brazil from Bia Labate

clancy — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:55:45 GMT

Dear Friends

I am happy to announce the publication of our interview (done by me and Ilana Goldstein) with Antonio Augusto Arantes Neto, Brazilian anthropologist and former president of the the National Cultural Heritage Institute of Brazil (IPHAN). The tile is “The preservation of the intangible”. The text is in Portuguese, and since many of you do not read it, I am sending here a short summary of its content.

The interview addresses the recent request made in 2008 by the Brazilian Ayahuasca groups to be recognized as immaterial cultural heritage of Brazil (see request in English here:
http://www.bialabate.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/IPHAN_Request_Ayahuasca_Cultural_Heritage_Brazil.pdf
It is part of a series of interviews done with several different subjects that played a central role in this process (for a summary of this request see:
http://www.bialabate.net/news/ayahuasca-as-cultural-heritage-of-brazil.

The interview has two parts. On the first, Arantes reflects on the challenges of the new conceptions of the Brazilian national immaterial policy programme, and its recent change from the focus on the recognition of material heritage (ie the historical city of Ouro Preto) to a immaterial cultural heritage programme; and from the recognition of academic and formal cultural traces to popular and ethnic cultural traces – these changes were followed by changes in our new Constitution.

He gives several examples of cultural goods recognized by the Brazilian state, such as the candomblé and the samba, and analyses the controversial issues involving authenticity and tradition in these and other similar cases. He points out how the recognition of cultural heritage is a result of a process of negotiation between State and society and addresses the paradoxes involved in this process, ie, to recognize certain practices instead of others; to define certain practices as cultural heritage while recognizing at the same time the right for internal diversity and space for cultural change; the dangers of an essentialist view of culture on the one side, and of problem of folclorization on the other. Finally, he describes the empiric process of recognition and the practical resulting protection effects on these allegedly endangered practices.

On the seccond part, Arantes reflects about the specific case of ayahuasca, the relationship of these cultural heritage request to legal issues, the challenges to define exactly what would be recognized – the religions? the substance itself? the cooking techniques? -- and speculates on the actual chances that these religious groups come to be recognized as some sort of national symbol of Brazil, as they claim.

The interview is posted in Portuguese here: http://p.php.uol.com.br/tropico/html/textos/3140,1.shl

Best wishes
Bia Labate
http://bialabate.net
http://neip.info

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

Wow! 1st time help dearly appreciated - let er riipp!

James — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:08:43 GMT

In New York now
do I need to go to Sante Fe /or Ashland /or ??
who can I email or call or write???
is UDV /Santo Daime approachable-contactable-reachable???
is January February a good time to participate??
I have been quietly aspiring to greater preparedness and readiness to work w/ AYA for years, and now I am finally reaching out to travel this winter to wherever I must go (in US...) please - any gentle or not-too-gentle replies encouraging or aiding me would be so dearly appreciated
healing references available (I lived and worked at Omega for years...) and 1 of my best friends fathered Jerry Garcia's last child (Manasha)
you may email me directly at jamesnix@gmail.com - thank you so much - thank you
ps
I especially would love to spend time in Sante Fe this winter if participation was possible (Feb??)
thank you NAMASTE! aloha!!!

posted in Ayahuasca - 11 replies

Shipibo Art Clothing

Rocio del Mar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:08:03 GMT

A year or 2 ago there was a gal from Canada selling garments with Shipibo embroidery on them. I got a piece from her, but she never made anymore stuff. This summer there was a couple selling in the W. Coast clothing with Shipibo art on them. Any leads to them. I failed to get their name or contact info...
Thank you in advance....

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Ayahuasca Monologues

Steve — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:55:21 GMT

I just returned from New York after participating in Reality Sandwich's 3rd Annual Ayahuasca Monologues, New Tales from the Spirit Vine, at the historic Webster Hall Grand Ballroom in New York. My first nightclub gig! I am not kidding. There was a stage, a microphone, and bright lights in my eyes so I could not see the audience. To my amazement, there must have been 300 people in attendance, all eager to hear stories about ayahuasca.

Other speakers included famed visionary artist Alex Grey, author Margaret De Wys, Marvel comic book artist Adam Pollina, and Hamilton Morris, drug columnist for Vice Magazine. Daniel Pinchbeck introduced.

If you weren't there, you missed a remarkable experience. If you were there, I would be really interested in hearing what you thought.

-- Steve
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 6 replies

appeal of oregon verdict

clancy — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:06:14 GMT

By Matthew Meyer

(*) Special to bialabate.net

On August 21st, 2009, the Department of Justice formally notified the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that it would appeal Judge Owen M. Panner’s March 18 ruling granting a permanent injunction to the Ashland, Oregon-based Church of the Holy Light of the Queen to import and use Daime tea (ayahuasca) in its religious rituals.

The government had already asked Judge Panner, following the decision, to amend it, arguing that the exemptions to the Controlled Substances Act that Panner set forth “swept too broadly, mistakenly enjoining the enforcement of numerous regulations that were not challenged in the Complaint and that have not been held to pose any burden on Plaintiffs’ exercise of religion.”

The government’s position in this case has lately resembled the stance it has taken in the O Centro case involving the União do Vegetal, where the government, having apparently lost the substantial points about the dangers ayahuasca use by the UDV might pose to its members and to society, has resorted to stonewalling by refusing to agree to a permanent, workable arrangement in negotiations with the UDV outside the court. Instead, the government has argued that the UDV must prove the same case for each and every DEA regulation that places an unreasonable burden on its religious practice. (These regulations include keeping track of the precise dose of the controlled substance—which is this case would be small amounts of DMT in the ayahuasca—given to each individual.)

A blanket or wide-sweeping exception to the CSA, the government told Panner, would mean that “the DEA’s ability to enforce the [Controlled Substances Act] through the closed regulatory system…would be seriously inhibited.”

Judge Panner denied the government’s request in a document dated June 23rd, 2009, saying that the government “has already lost its battle for a closed regulatory system.” He pointed to the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in O Centro, which characterized the government’s position, having failed to demonstrate harm from ayahuasca use, as saying that “If I make an exception for you, I’ll have to make one for everybody.” But judicial exceptions to laws on a case-by-case basis is exactly what the Religious Freedom Restoration Act requires, Judge Panner noted. And the Supreme Court decision made it clear that the Controlled Substances Act was not beyond the reach of RFRA.

Concluding the legal justification of his decision, Judge Panner declared that he found “that this court’s authority under RFRA to create exceptions to the Controlled Substances Act necessarily includes the authority to create exceptions to the DEA regulations that implement the Act.”

Judge Panner went further, however, chiding the government for its extremely inflexible approach to the Oregon case (and, one imagines, for its similar approach in the UDV’s case in New Mexico, especially given that some of the same government lawyers are working both cases). “Many of the issues the government raises in its motion,” he noted, “could have been resolved through discussions with [the UDV].”

The government’s appeal was not surprising if you consider that it has continued to appeal both ayahuasca cases despite never getting any court, at the district, circuit, and Supreme Court levels to agree with its central arguments.

On the other hand, as Jonathan Goldman, the leader of the Church of the Holy Light of the Queen noted in a recent podcast interview with Martin Ball of the Entheogenic Evolution, the government surely knows that it is raising the stakes in appealing this decision. Because the Ninth Circuit covers all of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, among other western states, losing an appeal at that level would expand the reach of the precedent set by the case to areas with numerous similar ayahuasca-using churches.

Although it seems likely that the government will continue to argue that all DEA regulations may legally be applied to the Church of the Holy Light of the Queen, we won’t know their precise arguments until the government’s first brief, due to the court December 7th, is available.

posted in Ayahuasca - 106 replies

tobacco tea medicine

LowKey_Loki — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:18:13 GMT

today i made a tea out of tobacco (rustica aka mapacho), in a very small quantity, under 1 gram. as an herbalist i know that even herbs with significant toxicity can have powerful applications as medicine given the right understanding and circumstance. i found the tea to be nicely stimulating, with a clarifying effect on the mind and senses and the quality of inducing a strong movement of qi in the body so as to alleviate pain and unbind some areas of tension in my meridians. (the latter effect seems to occur at both the qi and blood level, for those who are into TCM) in high doses i could easily see it becoming overwhelming, but sometime i will try it again with a slightly larger quantity.

biomedically, tobacco is a source many alkaloids beyond just nicotine. it is also a significant source of betacarbolines, including harmala alkaloids.

i am curious if anyone has knowledge or experience of the traditional amazonian applications of tobacco as a medicine, how they describe its effects, etc.

peace,
matt

posted in Ayahuasca - 5 replies

New forum on Ayahuasca churches and religious groups

wayusa-warmi — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:30:30 GMT

http://www.forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=46

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

retreat to Peru...

MJ — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:05:56 GMT

Hello all, just wanted to let everybody know about an organized retreat to the Amazonian raiforest of Peru in Feb. 2010. During the retreat, participants will receive plant medicines, participate in four ayahuasca ceremonies, and have the option to join in workshops on shamanism and shamanic healing techniques based upon the common principles and practices of shamanism during the course of the retreat. More information about it can be seen on my web site, provided below. It is my hope that with this retreat, one can begin the process of profound personal and spiritual discovery and transformation. Information can be seen here: http://www.plantspiritshamanism.ca

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

apprenticing in vegetalismo

LowKey_Loki — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:35:32 GMT

hi,

i was wondering if anyone knows what kind of situations there may be available in the amazon to apprentice in shamanic healing or vegetalismo. specifically, i am wondering if there are organizations that might trade apprenticeship and basic food and shelter for my work.

in my case, i am an acupuncturist and chinese herbalist. since some organizations are aimed toward treatment of diseases (like addiction) or more general somato-emotional healing, i think that an acupuncturist might be a helpful support to such a healing center. of course i feel it would be a wonderful experience for me to learn shamanic healing while helping others, and i am at a period in my life where i may just be able to go live in the jungle for a few years... nothing keeping me here at the moment, so i figure it is best to look into these opportunities while that is still the case...

peace and gratitude,

matt

posted in Ayahuasca - 3 replies

wtf

clancy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:54:05 GMT

http://tinyurl.com/yzcxhy3

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

visiting LA /SF this weekend - any ceremonies?

Flow — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:22:31 GMT

that can i attend?

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Gratitude

Rodrigo — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:53:06 GMT

I have intended to write this here for some time now, folks, but I was waiting to get the right words to tell. And I guess this is it:

I have no words to describe how much I am really grateful to ayahuasca – in my case in particular, the Daime.

I always felt this way, no matter if in the first few years I was afraid of it, which in fact was fear of me. What occurred to me in one session is that I was afraid to be left alone with myself. And, listening to many people who drinks Daime and feel the same ‘fear’ towards the ceremonies, I also understand that one of the many wonders of this brew is that it is not patronizing in any level.

I wanted to write more, but I figured that this is it. The Daime put me alone with myself and I had to figure a way to cohabit in peace with it.

I am not saying that this ‘relationship’ in between me and myself is working wonders, but step by step I am getting there. And to say this here is really, totally, out of gratitude.

blessings,

posted in Ayahuasca - 3 replies

Largest Pyramid In the World Found In Guatemala Built By The Mayans - Mayan City Complex As Large As Downtown Los Angeles

Omarsky — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:17:20 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6JiShvlUxI

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Caapi seeds

wayusa-warmi — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:12:08 GMT

Ayahuasca vine is a wonderful companion plant. I have one living on my altar who has been with me since 2003, grown from a cutting. Reportedly the vine is easy to grow from seed, but Caapi seeds are difficult to come by, since the plant has to be a minimum of ten years old to flower, and the viability period of the seeds is very short. A person on the Ayahuasca forums is offering seeds for free or nearly free. (At first she was asking 30 cents each, but since so many seeds need homes, and their viability will expire before too long, she is now asking for mailing costs only.) See http://www.forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=20694 .

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

C-Realm Podcast on Ayahuasca Shamanism

Steve — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:40:51 GMT

Part One of the C-Realm Podcast interview about Singing to the Plants is now live at http://c-realmpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2009-10-14T11_00_30-07_00 . AyasminA, the interviewer and one of my favorite people, did a wonderful job of asking me some really interesting questions. Please listen and let me know what you think.

-- Steve
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 7 replies

Coming Out of the Mud

Rodrigo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:51:25 GMT

Hi, people. Below I am going to post a [quick] translation that I did of an article published by a Brazilian magazine. I thought to be a very interesting work.

posted in Ayahuasca - 8 replies

nonprofits like takiwasi

LowKey_Loki — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:27:51 GMT

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know if Takiwasi is registered as a non-profit organization in the US or if there are other groups similar to Takiwasi that are?

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

Singing to the Plants excerpt on Reality Sandwich

Steve — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:47:41 GMT

An excerpt from my forthcoming book, Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon, has been posted on Reality Sandwich, http://www.realitysandwich.com/. Read and enjoy!

And please let me know what you think.

-- Steve
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

vegetalismo in the midwest

LowKey_Loki — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:21:54 GMT

hi everyone,

i am very inspired by the recent legal battles that have been won by the santo daime church and others. i hear that this ruling currently applies to those distinct traditions and may only be relevant in the ninth circuit for the time being. but it would seem that things are moving in the direction where our practices may gain legal recognition much the same way the NAC has.

so i am curious if yage practices have come to the midwest yet. that is where i am from, wisconsin specifically, but i encountered medicine ways in washington. i understand that there are reasons people may be hesitant to speak up about specifics, but i am not asking for details at the moment, just scouting out whether there may be such groups that i can find when i return home to wisconsin. specifically, i am most interested in shipibo, amazonian mestizo and/or santo daime practice groups. do they exist?

posted in Ayahuasca - 11 replies

Steve's book and a question about mestizo

Pluma del Tigre — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:07:24 GMT

I just pre-ordered your book and I’m really looking forward to reading it. Perhaps you have addressed this there, but I noticed with great interest the emphasis on mestizo ayahuasca shamanism. Having worked with Don Rober and having only experienced mestizo “style” ceremonies myself, I am curious what you might think is different or perhaps advantageous in the mestizo approach as opposed to purely indigenous ayahuasca shamanism in the Upper Amazon? I’ve read about other approaches – some seemingly quite different, like the varieties in Ecuador for instance. Are there elements or approaches in mestizo that are missing or emphasized differently in, say, Shipibo ceremony? Do you think there are advantages or downsides to mestizo approaches vis-à-vis the others?

Truly just curious and wanting to broaden my view of this wonderful work I was privileged to experience.

posted in Ayahuasca - 2 replies

Visionary art 3D Posters

Sundeep — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:36:49 GMT

greetings to all at the tribe,
Im an artist new to the visionary art scene, and wanted to promote my art website here.

www.visionarytemple.com

The works on the site represent the culmination of several years of attempting to draw what I encounter in the dimensions opened up by the tryptamines. My inspiring entheogens have been mushrooms and dmt (in the form of Ayahuasca), and they pushed me to draw at the level I can my visions.
You may also purchase the works as posters with Chromadepth 3D glasses, which make the posters appear 3D.

Inquiries and comments are welcome.

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

A few links...

Elfin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:05:11 GMT

Hi folks, here are a few links that may be of interest...

1) http://www.plumedserpent.org/audio : : : An audio blog in MP3 format taken over a three month period in Ecuador while on a plant diet and apprenticeship with a Kichwa ayahuascero. Also, the root of the site, http://www.plumedserpent.org may also be of interest for spiritual subject matter, though there is nothing ayahuasca-specific in the main site.

.......

2) http://www.bookofremembering.com : : : A book about integrating lessons taught by ayahuasca, such as death and rebirth, into daily life. Book summary by B.M.B. : : : I had been studying with the sacred medicinal plant ayahuasca for a few years when during one ceremony I had an experience that changed my life. Though I had lived many visions previous to this point, and was cautious to believe things too quickly or literally (were the visions from the plant, Divinity, or my own ego?)... the nature of this vision was different. With my consciousness, I entered a self-less, formless state, merged with the awareness of Creator... and began to see and travel through time. After this I began to time-travel quite frequently – in ceremonies, dreams, and seemingly daily life. There were answers that I sought, but only more questions that I received. So much that I experienced was beyond the brain's hardwiring capabilities. Reality began to ooze, and the foundation I was standing on became quicksand.

Coinciding with this time was a peaking of spiritual battle that I had been engaged in for almost 20 years... since I began seeing shadow entities, or demons as commonly referred to. I held the view that as energetic parasites, they had been feeding on my mind-energy body, or aura, for many years. I could sense that after tremendous personal work, the permissions I had given them were being removed, and that I would soon be liberated. But rather than having their hold weakened, they seemed stronger. As my reality crumbled and my sensitivities increased, I found myself agitated by them continually.

I was driven on multiple fronts: discovering the mysteries, fighting shadow entities, learning of interdimensional extraterrestrial light beings (angels), and healing myself... until one day, the whole world coalesqued within me... and I did something on par of the most foolish deeds ever performed. I fought darkness with darkness. I wonder, if one wanted to kill the Devil... should they really use his very own sword? The reprocussions were immediate and severe. Thinking about it gives me the chills, even now.

Following a 10 day period of not sleeping, lest I bleed in a dream and awaken to find blood on myself... I was neurotic. I was broken. I had hit 'rock bottom' and then dug six feet further. And then a miracle happened: darkness gave way to light. I found forgiveness within myself. After that... everything changed.

.......

3) http://www.keepersofwisdom.org : : : A non-profit in formation: The Amazon Rainforest is a region that functions as the 'lungs' of the earth, and its well-being is vital to all of us. One of the most effective ways to preserve the Rainforest to to help protect indigenous cultures who have served as stewards and protectors of the forests for thousands of years. Much of the healthiest forest today can be found with native occupants living within, as unoccupied land is vulnerable to corporate purchase and resource extraction. Protecting the Amazon and its original inhabitants is one-in-the-same. Currently there is a small project towards the bottom of the home page which is geared towards protecting indigenous knowledge by forming a medicinal preservation garden and plant college to document much of the fading knowledge of Ecuador. Feedback requested on this one (feel free to use the contact form on the site).

Blessings.

posted in Ayahuasca - 2 replies

new report on legalization of santo daime in europe

clancy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:33:29 GMT

the Legalization of Santo Daime in Europe, "The Santo Daime Church â The Protection of Freedmon of Religion Under International Law", written by Stefanie KÃ¼fner, Drew Rabe, Barbara Sconzyk, Amsteran Law Clinic, in 2001.

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

new research on ayahuasca: Santo Daime study by John Halpern

clancy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:08:09 GMT

NEIPÂ´s site just published the text "Evidence of health and safety in American members of a religion who use a hallucinogenic sacrament", by John Halpern, Andrea Sherwood, Torsten Passie, Kimberly Blackwell, A. James Ruttenber, which was originally published at Med Sci Monit 2008; 14(8): SR 15 - 22.

This study, together with John's Halpern testimony in court (see his first statment here:
http://www.bialabate.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/59-120108-halpern-statement.pdf and his rebutall to the US Goverment here: http://www.bialabate.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/112-11009-halpern-rebuttal.pdf) played a central role in the recent legal case of the Ashland, Oregon-based Santo Daime Church of the Holy Light of the Queen.

(To see a history of this case, check here: http://www.bialabate.net/news/understanding-the-santo-daime-case-correction; for the most recent news, here: http://www.bialabate.net/news/us-government-to-appeal-oregon-daime-ruling; to see a video interview with the leader of this church, Jonathan Goldman, check: http://denizentv.com/wellness, on the right margin, seccond item on top).

Summary of the article:

Background: Ayahuasca is a South American hallucinogenic tea used as a sacrament by the Santo Daime Church, other religions, and traditional peoples. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision indicates religious ayahuasca use is protected, but little is known about health consequences for Americans.
Material/Methods: 32 (out of 40) American members of one branch of the Santo Daime Church were interviewed providing demographic information, physical exam, drug use timeline, a variety of psychological measures, and data about childhood conduct disorder. Subjects were asked about extent of Church participation, what is liked least and most about ayahuasca, and what health benefits or harms they attribute to ayahuasca.
Results: Members usually attend services weekly (lifetime 269Â±314.7 ceremonies; range 20â1300). Physical exam and test scores revealed healthy subjects. Members claimed psychological and physical benefits from ayahuasca. 19 subjects met lifetime criteria for a psychiatric disorder, with 6 in partial remission, 13 in full remission, and 8 reporting induction of remission through Church participation. 24 subjects had drug or alcohol abuse or dependence histories with 22 in full remission, and all 5 with prior alcohol dependence describing Church participation as the turning point in their recovery.
Conclusions: Conclusions should not be extrapolated to hallucinogen abusers of the general public. For those who have religious need for ingesting ayahuasca, from a psychiatric and medical perspective, these pilot results substantiate some claims of benefit, especially if subjects interviewed fully reflect general membership. Further research is warranted with blinded raters, matched comparison groups, and other measures to overcome present study limitations.

Read here: http://www.neip.info/html/objects/_downloadblob.php?cod_blob=497

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

ayahuasca talks and/or meetings in london???

Aya — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:30:48 GMT

Hi everybody,
just new to tribe and loving it!!!
I have been to the International Conference in Iquitos last July and I am really missing the lovely crowd and exchange of ideas with like-minded people.
Does anyone know if there are any talks/ meetings on Aya or shamanism in the London area that are not paying courses in shamanism?
Many thanks

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Living With a Shaman & Tribe in the Peruvian Amazon

Rossauce — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:04:44 GMT

Greetings....

I have been studying indigenous tribes and their knowledge of ethnobotany for the last couple of years. I have yet to actually go to the source and experience first hand the wisdom and mystique of these ancient peoples. I would like to live with a tribe in the Amazon for 8-10 weeks and engage in multiple Ayahuasca ceremonies. I am not interested in going through the commercialized/Westernized tourist route of leading large groups for the purpose of exploitation and $. I am looking to go off the beaten track and find a local liaison/translator between myself and the tribe, who can help introduce me to a tribe that would be open to hosting me. If you have any advice or information at all that you feel might help me in my journey, please let me know. I truly appreciate your insight and wisdom. All love and many blessings...

Ross

posted in Ayahuasca - 26 replies

Anyone in the Tucson area working with the vine?

Maurizio — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:42:57 GMT

Would like to find a person or group in the Tucson area to have Ayahuasca ceremonies. I've taken it several times in the southern Peruvian Amazon. Has been a few years. Would like to work with it again. Peace to all

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

center for study of amazon and ayahuasca opened in brazil

clancy — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:32:14 GMT

http://www.bialabate.net/cae-amazon

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Looking for curandera en SF Yarinacocha

Sukaya — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:04:16 GMT

I have worked with Elisa Vargas and Darwin, but I would like to connect with other Onanyas. Any advice...

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

trying to post an icaro...

MJ — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:41:56 GMT

Hello, my intention is to post an icaro song online because I would like to have somebody translate it for me, but I can figure out how to post it. The file is too big to actually e-mail it, and Im not really all that computer savy, and cant figure out how to share this song. Does anybody have any suggestions on how I can share this icaro? Im sure it is an easy thing to do, I just cant figure it out... Thanks for your help

posted in Ayahuasca - 6 replies

Trying for more ayahuasca in USA

JohnWilly — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:48:05 GMT

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-09-13-mindaltering-tea-drinkers-brew-us-planning-row

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Quechua - Spanish - English Dictionary

Michael SJ — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:30:44 GMT

The University of Kansas has a handy pdf Quechua - Spanish - English dictionary for download.

http://www.kechwa.ku.edu/KechwaDict.pdf

Now all I need is a Shipibo - English dictionary and I'm set.

posted in Ayahuasca - 5 replies

Dealing with the darkness.

CG — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:03:10 GMT

I'm headed for an aya ceremony in a couple of days and two at the end of the month. Some call it a gift to be presented with dark or negative experiences in a ceremony with Mama Aya, and some talk about clearing or getting rid of it as if it's negativity or demons that need to be thrown off. I've always found it informative even when it's hard or frightening and I'm in a process of learning to deal with it. I find it necessary as I heal to handle it as it comes up, and it's the handeling I'd like to hear about.

How do you think about it? What do you think it is? Is it yours or a random bit of something not you?

I guess there's no easy answer, and probably many takes on it as well as many ways to treat it.

What's yours?

posted in Ayahuasca - 38 replies

how the jungle heals: a new blog

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:34:48 GMT

feedback is greatly appreciated.

http://howthejungleheals.blogspot.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 3 replies

The healing power of forgiveness

Obafemi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:43:12 GMT

Have you ever made a mistake? What was it like when you expected someone to punish you but they taught you a valuable lesson instead? In this video, Obafemi teaches how forgiveness can build trust, strengthen relationships and inspire greatness in ourselves and our loved ones. Visit www.ObafemiO.com to register for the upcoming Acts of Forgiveness Community Ritual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsUvYCyDgSk

posted in Ayahuasca - 37 replies

ahoy, new to the tribe and i've got a few ideas to share.

Apollo — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:36:26 GMT

cold water extraction - for a few months i have been working with "coldwater" extraction, where the vine mater is soaked in acidified water for a day or two. this tea is then reduced and the acidity canceled with bicarbonate. the result has some notable differences from the typical 3x3 brew. the cold extract doesn't go cloudy when it’s refrigerated, which leads to the second difference. the cold extract is milder tasting and easier on the stomach, the purge can still happen, but the body load is much easier. on to the third difference, its more potent when cold brewed. using the same vine stock (McKenna’s red) a regular brew needed to include about 20 - 30 grams of vine in each cup. the cold brew is very potent at 10 grams, with a much livelier pleasant feel to it. if anyone is interested in the details i am working on a tek, pm me.

throat singing - if you are experienced with the vine and other enthrones you will probably agree there is a defiant synesthesia feed back with singing and sound. in my experience the aya is the most responsive to this singing feed back, with singing i have turned nonvisionary, uncomfortable experiences into profound ones. if you work with the vine i highly recommend learning to throat sing. it is an extremely powerful shamanic tool. what you do is generate a basic tone and using your mouth and sinuses you shift the tone slightly, then the two slightly different tones interact and trough harmonic dissonance (sound wave interaction) a third tone emerges. I've been throat singing for about 4 years, and in my relatively short time with the vine i have spontaneously learned two additional styles of throat singing, wow! if you didg or chant the acoustical physics of throat singing can be applied to these practices to dramatic effect.

beta carboline comparison between vines - I am working on a side project trying to understand more about how the vine works. my hypothesis has to do with the ratios of harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, and the experiential difference between the yellow, red and white strains. i have found a fair amount of info on the pharmacological analysis of brew samples with a breakdown of content of DMT and the specific beta-carbolines. the scientist gathering the data can go into great detail about tribe, language, location, ect. but they don’t record which adjuncts went into the brew let alone what strain of vine was used. so im looking for that kind of data as well as reports from people using pharmahuasca (specific beta carboline ratio used) . if you've got any leads please share.

i hope this spawns some interesting discusion. be well,
apollo

dancing with aya down the hallways of always

throat singing

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

Quechua words associated with Ayahuasca practice

wayusa-warmi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:44:43 GMT

http://www.forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=20194

Although Quechua is often thought of as a highland Andean language (and was the official language of the Inca Empire, Tawantinsuyu) it is also an Amazonian language, having been a lingua franca in parts of the Amazon since many centuries before Inca times. The variety of Quechua (or Kichwa) associated with Ayahuasca practice in the Amazon is basically the dialect spoken along the Napo River, which begins in Ecuador and flows through Peru to connect with the Amazon River near Iquitos. (It is very different from the Quechua spoken in highland Peru and Bolivia, almost a distinct language.)

Following are Amazonian Quechua (or Kichwa) words associated with Ayahuasca practice or part of medicinal plant names in the Amazon. (Comparisons with Peruvian highland [Cuzco] Quechua are made in order to demonstrate the differences between Amazonian and highland Quechua):

chacruna / chakruna = 1) mixture, 2) something dry mixed with something liquid, in Amazonian Quechua. In Ecuadorean highland Quichua, it can mean "disorderly mixture." (unknown word in Cuzco Quechua)

chaliponga -- > chali panga means "split leaf" in Napo Quichua (chali and panga are unknown words in Cuzco Quechua; "leaf is raphi in Cuzco Quechua).

chagroponga --> chagra panga means "garden leaf" in Napo Quichua. (Garden is chakra and leaf is "panka" in Cuzco Quechua.)

ponga --> panga in Amazonian Quechua is "leaf' (in Cuzco Quechua, laqi or raphi is "leaf").

sacha (as in sacha runa, sacha mama, ajo sacha, etc) --> means "forest" or "wild" in Amazonian Quechua (in contrast to chagra, the cultivated garden). It signifies the spirit of wildness, the spirit of the forest. In Cuzco Quechua, it means "tree" or "wood" and sacha-sacha means grove, group of trees, or forest.

kaspi --> means "tree" or "wood" in Amazonian Quechua (kaspi means "stick" in Cuzco Quechua)

sanango --> sanangu, a hybrid Spanish-Quechua word that means "medicinal plant," from Spanish sanar and the Amazonian Quechua suffix -ngu (-nqu in Cuzco Quechua) which means "in order to." This word is part of the name of many medicinal plants.

chiri (as in chiri sanango. chiri wayusa, etc) --> means "cold"

chirik (as in "chirik sanango," another form of chiri sanango) means "cooling" or "making cold" (chiriq in Cuzco Quechua). It also sometimes means shivering.

yawar (also spelled yahuar) --> blood

Some other Amazonian Quechua words used in Ayahuasca culture, or occurring in icaros (with comparisons to Cuzco Quechua when they differ). Quechua verb roots are sometimes used with Spanish verb endings in mestizo icaros.

yachay --> means "knowledge" (in all dialects). In Amazonian Quechua, it also signifies spiritual power, which is a transferable substance, sometimes embodied in invisible phlegm. (Yachay is also the verb "to know" in Cuzco Quechua, while to know is yachana in Amazonian Quechua.

yachak --> literally "knower," is the Amazonian Quechua word for shaman. (The word "knower" is yachaq in Cuzco Quechua.)

icaro --> ikaray means "to blow smoke on to heal" (unknown word in Cuzco Quechua)

wasi (as in Takiwasi, Waska-wasi, etc) --> house

shungu --> heart. (sonqo in Cuzco Quechua)

runa --> means (depending on context) person, human being, any being that communicates (eg, a spirit); in the highlands, it often means Indian (with the connotation of humble common person)

hambi or ambi --> "medicine" or "poison" -- any substance which alters the body. (hampi in Cuzco Quechua)

samay --> "breath" or "energy."

sumay --> "beauty." (As a noun this word is not used in Cuzco Quechua, but the adjective sumaq, "beautiful" or "excellent" is.)

yaku --> "water" or "river." (In Cuzco Quechua, "river" is mayu, and water may be either yaku or unu; the latter word is unknown in Amazonian Quechua.)

mama --> "mother." It can also mean the master spirit of a species of plant or animal.

arkana --> literally, to block a path, to dam, etc; used to mean a "fortress" against negative energies. (harkana in Cuzco Quechua.

taki --> "song" (as a verb root, taki- means to sing.) In Amazonian Quechua, at least in Napo, taki is reserved for spirit songs or power songs; the Spanish loanword kanta- is used for everyday singing.

wayra (sometimes spelled huaira) --> "wind."

nina --> "fire."

amarun --> "boa" or "anaconda" (amaru in Cuzco Quechua)

sinchi or shinchi --> strong

ali or alli --> good.

alichi- or allichi- (verb root) --> to make good, ie., to heal.

shamu-, shamuri- (verb roots) --> come.

shaya-, shayari- (verb roots) --> stand or stay.

muyu-, muyuri- (verb roots) --> turn in a circle

pacha --> place, time, space, season, body, nature, Earth, universe...

Pachamama --> usually translated "Mother Earth" but perhaps more literally "Mother Time/Space/Universe." ("Earth" in the sense of "ground" or "soil" is allpa, and Mother Earth as the ground is Allpamama.)

pichana --> literally, sweeping; means energy cleansing or limpieza (p'ichana in Cuzco Quechua)

sasina --> literally, fasting; refers to dieta

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

Has anyone attended the Shamanic Conference in Iquitos this year?

Maya — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:15:45 GMT

I would love to know how it went. I've been wanting to be a part of it for a long time. But I can never make it out there during that time of the year.

I would love to hear anything anyone has to say about it.

Namaste,
Maya

posted in Ayahuasca - 3 replies

Favorite quotes that inspire peaceful co-existence.

Stan — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:08:00 GMT

I am collecting quotes for a musical experiment. The experiment is going to consist of gathering the quotes that most inspire humanity to peacefully co-exist, and that also promote us to come together and live in harmony. In addition I am also gathering quotes that offer real meaningful solutions to troubles both physical, spiritual, and societal.

My intent is to take the best quotations and translate them word by word into musical notes. I will then begin to put together a symphony consisting of the top voted quotations that sound the most amazing. Once that is completed I will ask many people to listen to both the symphony and the literary translation that it derived from. I will also ask them if they liked the song and if they have any constructive criticisms, and or suggestions that would add to the continuing perfection of the symphony.

If we all begin to live our lives in a mutually beneficial groove we will all be creating a state of mind that enhances the quality of life for anyone who listens to it. The meaningful purpose of this experiment is to co-create a song that everyone will enjoy subconsciously tuning themselves into.

I need your help. This is not something that can be done by one person. I have learned that doing this on my own can create beautiful music that tunes me into manifesting things, situations, and aspirations into being. But it also limits the true potential of what this form of literary musical translation can do. I know I do not have all the answers to all of the modern day problems that humanity faces, but I know that we as a human race do. We need to come together and create a song that we can all enjoy tuning into. If we do things, situations, and aspirations will begin to manifest for anyone who listens and tunes into it, because they will understand its true musical and literal meanings with all the benefits it implies.

If you would like to contribute to this musical experiment please respond by posting your favorite quotes that you feel will most benefit and inspire humanity to wake up and realize who we are, and what we all are truly capable of becoming.

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

A welcome for new members, apologies, and a personal update

ben — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:23:52 GMT

what confusion! Your humble moderator has been exploring novels depths of limbo and disorientation--an ordinary job with eight hour work days and early mornings. A new underworld trip; fresh banality; unexpected limbo.

We have some lovely new members. Welcome!!

A moment of clarity revealed to me that this tribe is still not 'public.' Membership requests have been festering in my inbox. The spirits are surely displeased.

--

I've spent the last year attempting to dismember my life. I thought that my courage alone was enough.

I seem to be fleshing out a Faustian pact. I've been moving into interactions with increasingly dense matters.

I've been wresting with the world--ripping out walls and old floors, building a shower, tearing apart and repairing an old vehicle. That was the easy, painful stuff. Now I'm in danger of succumbing to real stupidity, working full time, missing my solitude.

Maybe some of you will enjoy my raving account of one of the flashes of clarity that burst through a turn around the twisting screw-threads

http://forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=19283&start=0

I'm now staying in an empty home, which I hope will sell as soon as possible. I'm full of hope. I'll drive across the country. I'll be one more thin thread connecting the tribes. I'll meet those of you who are interested in meeting me.

--

Welcome new members! You've been ignored but not forgotten. Assault me with your justified grievances!

love,
ben

posted in Ayahuasca - 20 replies

Cottonwood Research Foundation NEEDS YOUR HELP!!

Kenneth — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:23:37 GMT

Cottonwood has not yet reached the point at which we will pass the test for public non-profit status, which comes up in another 3 years. Non-profits have 5 years in which to show they are publically supported, rather than supported by a small handful of donors. There are advantages to maintaining public status, which we will only do if more donors contribute more low- and medium-level donations.

Please support this IMPORTANT work with these amazing plants in the US. Thank you.

http://cottonwoodresearch.org

--
k

posted in Ayahuasca - 6 replies

I need so advice from those experienced in AYA

Cowbot — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:23:37 GMT

Let me tell you about myself and this will give you some insight into what I am trying to find out.

Two years ago I read the Kira Salak article in NatGeo and I was intrigued and yet absolutely terrified. I have had years of
depression. I then checked out Blue Morpho and could not coordinate the time I had off from work with the starting date of their
retreats so I went to Iquitos (Spirit Quest- nice place!) and summoned every ounce of personal strength to drink on the first ceremony. I don't know if this is common but I have not been as nervous about anything as that first ceremony. Fear of the unknown or being totally
overwhelmed or ..?

Well, I drank and waited and four hours later realized that almost nothing (aside from world class diarrhea) happened. The following
day I felt defeated and hopeless. I then left Iquitos feeling like a total failure (having spent $3000 for airfare + retreat fee). The host mentioned that it would take at least three ceremonies to have any lasting effect on depression. I figured that I missed out on one
so what was the point of going through this if it is not enough to help.

A few months later I once again went to Peru and found someone else. It was less comfy accommodations there but not bad. I did get up the courage to drink there but I was still VERY nervous of the effects. As the effects came on I was so scared that I passed out cold!!! I
cannot imagine that what I experienced is the same that everyone else experiences. It was dark and quite alien feeling.

At that point I had some disagreements with the host and I felt that I could not really get anything from this and basically gave up on
the idea. (probably due to fear rather than any REAL reason)

In the spring of this year I once again revisited the idea when I saw the video clip by Alistair Appleton (Man who drank the universe http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1547240899855868654 I then booked a trip to Brazil and had a much better experience
at Silvia Polivoy's place. I drank 4 times, three of which were negative but one was quite blissful and profound.

I apologize on the length of this but here is the point of this; I feel it was beneficial but I have not seen any of the life-changing
benefits that I keep reading about. I have not had any visions. I did have some amazing insights but nothing that would warrant the
expense (time, money, stress) that I have invested.

Basically what I am hoping to discover is; do you feel based on your experiences that some individuals just might not be "wired" to
benefit from this? Or do you feel that I just need to "jump in to the fire" and take a much larger dose. The largest dose I took in
Brazil was horrible and I spent most of the night just waiting for it to be over while thinking "never again, never again". In the
morning I felt like "well, I'll try again but not as much" I had a horrible experience but I still had not taken enough to produce
visions.

I did buy "Metamorphosis" and I feel that the ceremonies in the film were much more intense than I have experienced but I cannot imagine anyone going through that level of fear and misery and actually doing it again based on MY experiences.

To sum up:

1) I have not got the results I have read or heard about

2) My largest dose was one of the worst experiences of my life and yet was not enough to give me any visions.

3) Do I need to be patient at this dose and wait for benefits? Or

4) Take a near-heroic dose to achieve benefits.

5) Is everyone's experience of Aya this hard and I am just being a sissy about it? Do I need to just take a cosmic dose and
"hang on"

6) Do you feel that your benefits come from: insights DURING the session, after the sessions, the visions themselves, or from a
renewed perspective in the days following?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted in Ayahuasca - 42 replies

First Ayahuasca Ceremony

Afghan — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:54:08 GMT

In lak'ech AHO!

I'm looking for some guidelines in the preperation for my first ayahuasca ceremony.
My friend Mirko Fernando Sanchez, an Incan Indian living in poland since 27 odd years, is bringing Curendero Don Raul http://www.mirko.org.pl/donraulen.html
to Poland for the second time. It has been quite synchronic for me as I was looking to do a ayahuasca analog in germany 2 months ago, but it didn´t happen, and then a couple days later I heard about Don Raul coming. Om tat sat :)

So the ceremony is in Poland in just over 2 weeks. I am looking for some concrete guidelines as to a diet i could go on and eventually a fast. I have already done some good work the past 3 weeks in this direction - doing raw food for many days, lots of yoga everyday, traveling on my bicycle so good soultime :)
I'm an iboga initiate and relatively experienced in psychoactive plants and substances. I self healed hepititis B and C during my second iboga experience so many profound experiences.
My intention for this ayahuasca ritual is naturally manifold, but my main focus is to ask the spirit of the plant to help me develop a more intimate and connected and lasting relationship with the plant kingdom. U know to get to know on a deeper level the properties of plants, their spirits, healing qualities and applications. I have a bit of a block towards plants i've noticed. I feel a bit overwhelmed when i realize how many plant species there are and find that it is difficult for me to remember/integrate any knowledge i pick up along the way about plants that i come into contact with.
Also would like the aya to help me build a more centred and balanced perception of reality, well more for it to help me keep my centre and balance in my perception of reality :) Some deeper grounding generally as i can often fly a bit high, which i do enjoy, but there are many everyday situations in which i feel that I should be more grounded.

So boom, I think i have a good approach already to this ceremony, and it is very sincere and i feel the timing and synchronicites are perfect, but of course i am very open to more input and advice from u wonderful creatures :)
How long should i fast for before the actual ceremony?
What diet could i implement leading up to the ceremony and before the fast? I am a vegan, but would like to know if there is a good cleansing diet that would work for the ceremony.
How do you "ask" ayahuasca for help and blessings? I already have the intention deep in my heart since some weeks and I defiantely have a great respect and revenrence for the shamanic plant mixture but i am interested to know how people present there desire across to the spirit. eg. do u tell the curandero what u r seeking and then drink, or just keep the awareness of what u r seeking and drink, etc.

Many blessings and tnx ahead!
peace unbound!

posted in Ayahuasca - 10 replies

Goal of 2013 members by 2010

LaPuma2013 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:06:27 GMT

Calling all tribers and members of our club to manifest another 1000 new members... presently vision to manifest spread the word....
onelovefamily.tribe.net

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

travelling with aya on a plane

Andres — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:33:44 GMT

Seeking advice on how to travel with ayahuasca as part of your checked on luggage. The legal issues is not my concern- I am wondering if people can tell me the proper method(s) to bring it without the air-pressure causing it to fizz and burst inside my bag. Muchas gracias......

posted in Ayahuasca - 7 replies

Jesus and Psychedelics: A Match Made in Heaven

JohnWilly — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:41:41 GMT

The story of Jesus is inspiring, but for wisdom's sake ya gota know the history of language which, combined with use of psychedelic plants, empowers anyone who believed Jesus was always and would always be better than you. And sure, when you choose to stare Jesus down from the Heavens you'll get what you deserve. It's not a simple walk in the park, it's more like survival in the jungle because it's the rare few who actually believe in the power of psychedelics. Nobody will listen, they're just plants and mushrooms they'll say. And therein lies the problem. Earth gets no respect. People got TV to watch. The burden of the psychedelic pioneer is to compete with the entertainers and I'm hopeful. If you can't make psychedelics entertaining for people they won't listen. It's a shame, but it's the truth.

posted in Ayahuasca - 7 replies

Looking for Hawaiian Caapi Leaves

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:40:34 GMT

Hello I was wondering if any one could connect me with any growers of hawaiian caapi. I am looking for a source of bulk or wholesale leaves.
never hurts to ask.
I would be interested in Peruvian sources as well.

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Looking to connect with folks in seattle

nurseman — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:24:24 GMT

Just off the boat here, looking to meet folks interested in shamanic wisdom and healing plants.

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Icaros posted online

Steve — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:13:28 GMT

A sampling of the icaros, the magic songs, of my plant medicine teacher doña María Tuesta Flores and my maestro ayahuasquero don Roberto Acho Jurama are now online at the Singing to the Plants website, http://www.singingtotheplants.com/listen-to-the-songs/. Enjoy!

-- Steve
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

CAUTION! Miguel Kavlin, shaman acting inappropriately and out of integrity

julia — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 20:43:22 GMT

On June 7, 2007 I attended an Ayahuasca ceremony with Miguel Kavlin in Asheville, NC. The experience I had with Miguel was deeply disturbing and I am choosing to post my experience because I believe it is important that women and communities are aware of Miguel’s tendencies to try to seduce and take advantage of women who are in ceremony with him. I want to make it clear that I am in no way attempting to demonize or bash Miguel. However, there is a serious problem with the way in which Miguel has been and is carrying out his shamanic practices

The Ceremony

To spare the reader all the lengthy details, the short version of what went on between Miguel and me, is that he made advances toward me directly after the ceremony while I was still intensely experiencing the Ayahuasca medicine. While I was incapacitated to the point of not being able to walk about easily and at times was seriously contemplating the possibility that I might never come back to sanity, Miguel constantly played the line between presenting himself as a guide to "help" me through my experience and as a potential lover who was putting the moves on me. He repeatedly encouraged me to "lay beside him," which eventually I did. He then threw his leg over me, as a lover would do, which I turned away from. When he got up to finally help another ceremony participant who had been vomiting for a very long time, he kissed my cheek and said he would be right back, again as a lover would, after which I sat up, disgusted and disturbed. After that he kept attempting to persuade me to lie down again. He began caressing my back and hips to "comfort me." Later, as he was again caressing me around my waist and hips, I realized his hand was on my inner thigh under my skirt, at which point I pushed his hand away aggressively. Eventually, close to day break, I told Miguel that I thought I probably should lie down and that I was going to lie down on the living room couch, emphasizing that I wanted to be BY MY SELF, which I did and at which point he went up to his room.
My experience is not an isolated event, just two days after my experience another woman from my community had a disturbingly similar experience with Miguel. As in my case, this woman also had a second cup of Ayahuasca late in the ceremony and Miguel was conveniently there to "help" her through her experience where he constantly tried to persuade her to "lay" with him and made her extremely uncomfortable.

My Concerns

First of all, it concerns me that Miguel has made and makes advances towards women while they are still under the influence of the medicine, to the extent of having intercourse with them in some cases. For myself, like I said, I was incapacitated in many ways. It was difficult to move. I felt insane. Visions, images and sensations were constantly bombarding me. Throughout parts of the experience I felt extremely sensual and even erotic, which is not an uncommon experience with the Ayahuasca. As far as the erotic nature of the medicine goes, Miguel’s actions glimmer in the light of something akin to using a date-rape drug. Even if this explicitly erotic or sensual element is not present, the space of being altered is a vulnerable and susceptible place to be which seems obviously inappropriate to be putting the moves on someone when they are in a vulnerably altered space.
This brings me to another of the huge factors, which is Miguel’s role as the guide and leading shaman of the whole ceremonial experience. In my situation, his intentions were absolutely blurry between assisting me through an intense experience with the medicine and making romantically/sexually motivated advances toward me.
Since this experience of a role's ambiguity plays into power it brings up the concern that Miguel's actions are a gross exploitation the position of power and status that he holds as a "shaman." Making advances towards women under his guidance takes advantage of the almost innate desire for people to seek special attention and treatment from a teacher, mentor, guide, or leader.
Another concern of mine is the possibility that Miguel has a predatory pattern of how he chooses women to attempt to seduce. Seeing the similarities between my experience and the other woman's from this community is disturbing.
Lastly, I want to mention the disappointment in Miguel for his lack honesty about what he is doing and his tendency to lie about, rationalize and belittle the reality of what he is doing. I have experienced his tendency to say what people want to hear and to say what ever he needs to protect himself and not admit to anything that would endanger his reputation.
In the days following the ceremony I attended, I realized that I needed to have a conversation with Miguel and express to him that I felt his actions with me had been totally inappropriate, had made me uncomfortable and that I felt they were absolutely out of integrity. A lot of my concern was for other women who he might have or would put in a similar situation as mine. On his last day in Asheville, I did end up having this conversation with him. I confronted him straightforwardly with these above-mentioned concerns. His immediate reaction was a defensive, "All I did was hold your hand." I quickly corrected and reminded him of what actually happened. Although he made me feel listened to from that point on and assured me that he "apologized for anything he may have done that had made me uncomfortable," just days later he sent a defensive email to our community claiming that he "did not improperly touch or impose himself on anyone," and that he only "held hands and embraced a couple of us," negating and belittling what had really gone on.
When I asked about other women who, as he put it, he got a "calling" to "hold," he lied and implied to me that he would and had never slept with women directly after ceremonies. He also directly lied to the other woman who he was inappropriate with when asked these kinds of questions about the nature of his other relations with women.

I do not want other women to have to go through what I went through. I feel that women deserve to be warned before contemplating entering into ceremony with Miguel. I sincerely pray that this issue can be resolved, and that Miguel and other shaman’s who are engaging in this kind of manipulative and out-of-integrity behavior can see their behavior and motivation for what it is. I don’t think this is a small issue. I think it is a big issue. I think it is a complete misusage and dishonor of the Mother and of our grandmother Ayahuasca, and of the sacred tradition of ceremony.

From my heart to the community, Julia

posted in Ayahuasca - 169 replies

infinite light, peru

LowKey_Loki — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:19:26 GMT

hi everyone,

i am considering spending some time in peru next year with an organization called Infinite Light. They seem like very good people, but I always hear that there are a lot of fake shamans around Iquitos, so I just wanted to check if anyone had any experience or knowledge of them. The master is Don Eloy aka Luco. It seems they give back a lot to their community and I am inspired to hear about the work they do, but just wanted to see if there are any opinions out there.

Thanks,
Matt

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

New website!

Steve — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:11:51 GMT

I have a new website!

Go to http://www.singingtotheplants.com/ to read all about my new book on shamanism in the Upper Amazon, or just jump to http://www.singingtotheplants.com/blog/ to go right to the blog. The old blog has been completely incorporated. Please let me know what you think -- comments, questions, suggestions all welcome.

I am posting this as a discussion, because I am truly looking for feedback.

-- Steve
http://www.singingtotheplants.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 14 replies

Ayahuasca, property and money: colonial enterprise in development

tucuna — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:52:14 GMT

Some say that buying land for preservation/conservation is a good thing. Some say that charging money for ayahuasca is not a bad thing. I think they are wrong - blissfully ignorant of history and contemporary political developments.

The first part of this was previously posted as a reply to an old thread - and two paragraphs has been added below about money.

Buying land - that is acquiring exclusive rights over land - is a particular European idea, which even with the best intentions of preservation, nevertheless, at any rate, both perpetuates the imaginary of exclusive land ownership and of course turns the piece of land into a commodity (that can be then be bought and sold, - so, should the son of a family suddenly decide that the city is cooler, he sell the land to developers).

It can only be understood, at best, as a short term tactic. As a strategy it is self-defeat - and reflects the processes of land enclosures that defined the transition into capitalism in England and the the consequent conquest of the world. Once turned into a commodity, a piece of land becomes a parcel, a thing, the future of which depends entirely on the owner. It leaves it in the trust of the enduring sincerity of individual humans, who are always imperfect and incomplete - that is why we have communities: we are not very good on our own, sort of helpless and untrustworthy in inter-generational terms. Individual ownership of land can also go to the head of people - and people often change when loaded with cash or power.

That is the very core of capitalism and colonialism: rendering land under the control of individuals, outside the reach of the communities to which it used to belong, collectively, the land where the people belonged and the land belonged to all. It feels empowering, but it disempowers community. Breaks it apart.

Once a commodity, land becomes prone to market changes, recession in the (ayahuasca) economy for instance. Anything could happen - and it does: some community leaders, who have been granted title of a piece of land, sell it for extraction or development. It is a smart tactic by the state acting in private interest to "give" people exclusive landowner rights, because then, and only then, can they _legally_ purchase it from them. In the end, they have nothing, but they were treated with legal respect. It was in the moment of claiming the rights that they were cheated, but were fooled to believe it was a victory. Blindfolded. Individual entitlement is a Trojan Horse, it is black magic, the dark side at play, and we all now what happens if you play with those forces.

My father always said about things like these: It is like pissing in your pants when you are really cold. It makes you warm for a little bit, but then you get really cold.

All that said, perhaps it seems like the only possible way to get things done and preserve some land, here and now, and it does, at first, sound like a good thing when a good family can acquire more land, so that they can keep practicing and preserving, but leaves us with the simple question, as with the original enclosures of land, namely: what about all those Kichwa people (and indigenous peoples elsewhere) who cannot afford to buy land? Are we simply creating an indigenous elite of land owners, while the rest will have to move to the city?

Development theory and practice is complex stuff, but one thing can be noted in general: if the core tools and techniques involved are of a Euro-American developmentalism kind, then it is crucial to reflect extra deep and take proper pause to think, consult history books, philosophy arguments and anthropological stories.

When it comes to money and commodity forms - well the situation is slightly similar, but simpler. A good question to ask is this: What is, apart from private property, the biggest, most central problem of Euro-American culture (which, like private property, has been imposed on the rest of the world)? MONEY and the COMMODITY form. What Euro-American culture needs healing from is exactly the single-minded consciousness that the "need" for money generates. If ayahuasca is to heal Euro-American culture - and not just be a plaster on the wound of capitalism (see: http://colonos.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/can-ayahuasca-heal-the-crisis-of-capitalism/ ), then it must circulate freely, outside the form of commodities. There can be some sort of token exchange of money, if need really be, but ayahuasca presented as a commodity form as organisers around the world do, is a sad development - a new business model - a treatment of symptoms, not of root causes. In the bigger scheme of things, making cash, making a living on ayahuasca - for foreigners - is a selfish, colonial enterprise. Giving it away for free is the road to liberty. Amazonians are under a lot of pressure and cannot do that - that should be "our" contribution to a culture of planetary healing.

When it comes to doing ayahuasca business in the Amazon - not just back home to rich, bored housewives - there is another thing of which most are terribly ignorant: local dynamics. In the moment you support one shaman, you generate envy and jealousy in all the others - and there are MANY. Picking out a few - the "best", "hand-picked" and so on - is a process of elite building, and that is exactly what the colonisers have always done, since the Roman era: divide and conquer. Organising in the Amazon requires an outspoken collective form where the cash profits does not end in the pockets of individuals, chosen by a foreigner. Without collective form that clearly goes across family and community boundary the end result is the same as with private property above: you have pushed people deeper into the world of individual ownership, accumulation and separation from community - in other words: into our world. Meanwhile, their world is gone, preserved in a retreat centre that only foreigners can afford to attend.

That is what private property and money do.

posted in Ayahuasca - 41 replies

ayahuasca and anger and hatred

Michael SJ — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:21:54 GMT

I´ve read a lot of people talking about rainbows and butterflies and whatnot when discussing their experiences with ayahuasca, but I´ve never heard people discuss what I experienced the other night.

I have a mortal enemy in my real life upon whom in previous sessions I have tried to work on understanding and forgiveness, but the other night when the thought of him came up in my session I was filled with a hatred and rage I have never felt before.

It was so powerful I got up and left the circle, and as I sat outside with my head in my hands I could feel the rage coursing through me and I could see a caustic black and red venom dripping off my body and pooling around my feet. As I saw his face and thought of his family I could see these bloody red flashes erupt from where my vision touched them. This went on for the remainder of the ceremony and I was still feeling odd for several hours afterwards.

I hear of people feeling fear of things they see in their visions, but I didn´t feel any fear for myself, just for those I was attacking. I know this sounds kind of crazy considering the average ayahuasca trip report, but has anyone else had a similar experience?

posted in Ayahuasca - 46 replies

Ayahuasca ingredients bought from Ebay?

Stan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:10:50 GMT

I have been looking around for the best places to buy the ingredients to make my first ayahuasca brew. In my search I have come across this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/AYAHUASCA-COMBO-PACK-HALF-POUND_W0QQitemZ200352527342QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea5f0f3ee&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

So far I have 3 questions.
1.) Has anyone bought ayahuasca ingredients off of ebay before and were satisfied with what they recieved in the mail?
2.) Is what this person is selling exactly what I need to make a high potency ayahuasca brew?
3.) Is this legal?

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

overview on shamanism and ayahuasca

Dan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:00:40 GMT

Greetings all,
I was wondering if anyone can help steer me in the right direction or simply reccommend a book. I am looking for a book that gives a simple overview of the different tribes that use ayahuasca( shipibo,UDV santo daime ,shuar and ect... ) and their differences in beliefs and their differences in approach in using the sacred vine. If anyone knows of such a book i would greatly appreciate the feedback.

posted in Ayahuasca - 5 replies

Ayahuasca Near/In Arequipa, Peru?

theresa marie — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:32:47 GMT

Does anyone know of a good ayahuasquero/a near or in Arequipa - Southern Peru? I have a friend who is traveling and who is there now. He doesn't feel a trip to Iquitos or Pulcalpa is in the cards. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Muchas Gracias!

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

ayahuasca and money

Michael SJ — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:07:50 GMT

There seems to be a big problem with people who are interested in ayahuasca and money.

Just recently we have had several threads where the idea has come up that ayahuasca retreats are somehow a grab for cash but instead should be sacred and be provided free for those intrepid souls who make their ayahuasca pilgrimage here to the jungle.

That´s just silly.

We could do a million mile long thread about the demographics of ayahuasca enthusiasts and the concepts of materialism or capitalism or socialism or whatever, but that stuff is not about the ayahuasca, it´s about the people.

I am here in Tarapoto working with my friend Lucho to build a center for plant medicine and ayahuasca ceremonies. We need money to buy the land and build the buildings and hire the staff and all the million things you need to run a business. I have spent a lot of my own money for the work we´ve done so far but I haven´t asked a centimo in return. Any donations for the ceremonies and dietas go directly to Lucho to cover his expenses and to care for his family.

We have been using a borrowed maloca for ceremonies so far but we will be buying the land to build our own center in February. Just the first phase of the project is going to cost somewhere near $10,000 and I´m headed back to the US for a while to start making the money. You can see where there starts to be a conflict with the idea of free versus me spending $10,000.

But back to the ayahuasca.

Before I drink I set my intention for what I hope to accomplish during the ceremony. I ask for guidance how to make our dream of this center to become a reality and how to best do the work we have to do.

The ayahuasca has proven to be a fountain of motivation plus incredible ideas for the funding, sort of like a little brown cup of distilled Tony Robbins mixed with Richard Branson.

That was the message Saturday night: "Don´t worry about it, brother. We´ve got the coolest, most generous people on the way. You just keep on keeping on and the good things that are supposed to happen are going to happen."

Ayahuasca doesn´t have a problem with money, it just wants it´s work done.

posted in Ayahuasca - 6 replies

Ayahuasca in Ecuador in 2009

wancho — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:03:32 GMT

Dear Tribe members,

I'd like to announce that there is still space for those who would like to learn from the Queen of the plants Ayahuasca in a beautiful setting of the Ecuadorian Amazon, close to the powerful Andes, under the guidance of one of the most powerful and authentic indigenous shamans of the Kichwa (Quichua) tribe - Don Luis Andy Grefa or Don Casimiro Mamallacta.

August 3 - 12, 2009 - 2 spots left on POWER OF THE WATERFALL
September 8 - 17, 2009 - 3 sots left on MAGIC OF THE FOREST
February 8 - 17, 2010 - 8 spots left on POWER OF THE WATERFALL

All the retreats are very unique and different from the Peruvian ones. I also did my best to keep the price down, in spite of the fact that Ecuador is much more expensive than Peru. We work with proper visionary Ayahuasca, under the guidance of true "sabios", those who know, with the help of powerful energies of the nearby waterfalls, underground rivers, caves and huge trees.

http://www.feathercrown.com/index.php?p=ayahuascaretreats

Also you might be interested in Advanced shamanism course in those dates:

October 8 -17, 2009
January 14 - 23, 2010
April 15 - 24, 2010

Apprentices will experience five different ceremonies with five great shamans of the Amazon, learn some of their secrets and attain shamanic strenght. For those with previous experience with Ayahuasca only.

http://www.feathercrown.com/index.php?p=apprenticing

The major part of the money goes to the indigenous families of the shamans who are hosting the retreats. Your contribution helps to overcome the thread of cultural and environmental destruction and help them to sustain their way of life.

I'd be honoured to meet some of you here in the Amazon, and work in authentic setting and with the help of the most interesting healers I met during 1 year of living and exploring the traditions here.

Bowing,

jan *wancho*

http://www.feathercrown.com

posted in Ayahuasca - 66 replies

Ayahuasca / Global Shamanism Resurgence talk and book launch in LA Wed July 8th @ Project Butterfly

Rak — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:46:50 GMT

Hi all,

anyone who's in Los Angeles Wed July 8th please come along I'd love to see you, or pass this on to your networks for people you know that might be interested and able to attend, and help seed the vine!

In Lak'esh

xx Rak

for more info see:

http://www.ayathebook.com/launch.html
http://www.projectbutterfly.org > see events > July 8

Project Butterfly welcomes Rak Razam to Los Angeles for the launch of his new book, 'Aya: a Shamanic Odyssey' [http://www.ayathebook.com].

'Aya: a Shamanic Odyssey' is part journalistic account, part adventure-memoir of Rak's travels in South America and the world of Amazonian shamanism.

What is Amazonian shamanism and why is it important to the world today, as we stand on the brink of environmental change and global transformation? Traveling on a magazine assignment to Peru, "experiential journalist" Rak Razam sets out to discover the answers. He joins a growing movement of Western tourists coming for the legal experience of ayahuasca - the "vine of souls" - a South American hallucinogenic plant that is said to heal, and connect to the divine.

In researching the mystery of ayahuasca, Razam undergoes his own shamanic initiation, undergoing numerous tests and trials in the jungle and the psychic landscapes the vine reveals. On the way he encounters a motley crew of characters from rogue scientists that conduct DMT-brain scans on jungle psychonauts; brujo-black magicians wielding their psychic darts; and dozens of indigenous and Western shamans that slowly unravel his cultured mind and reveal the magical landscape of the spirit world.

The evening will cover the booming international business of Amazonian Shamanism and the culture shock between the old world and the new. The difficulties presented given the mix of Amazonian shamanism and Western capitalism. And the ineffable mystery and magic of the ayahuasca experience itself, which cannot be commodified, although the West is certainly trying its best!

This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn more and to engage in dialog about plant medicines, shamanism, community and spiritual evolution. We look forward to sharing a wonderful night with you.

Wed JUL 8 :: 7:30pm

To reserve your space for this event please click on the link below::

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6361779

Location::
Project Butterfly Loft
821 Traction Ave #108
Los Angeles CA 90013

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

ayahuasca and phlegm?

Sailin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:53:03 GMT

And I'm not talking about the magical phlegm, or maybe it is, but not in a nice way...

It happens to me a lot when I drink, I keep spitting up strange mucus, and sometimes it feels like it is dripping out my nose, almost like a bloody nose, but i wipe and nothing is physically there. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I am thinking it is maybe the medicine trying to get rid of some kind of lymphatic or glandular infection, I feel it in my lungs and chest as well...during the ceremonies I always feel that it is cleansing, but I have to admit sometimes the next day I sort of wonder if I'm just allergic to something in the brew?

I think I have been fighting a nasty case of candida albicans for quite some time now and maybe this has something to do with it.

So any thoughts, anyone else ever have issues like this? I'm curious to hear about anything gross or unusual people expell during ceremony and what kinds of things they feel are being healed by it.

Gracias

posted in Ayahuasca - 2 replies

PROGRESS TOWARD PEACE IN PERU

CG — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:28:32 GMT

PROGRESS TOWARD PEACE IN PERU

Peru Amazon Peace

Peru's Cabinet chief Yehude Simon poses with Amazon Indians after submitting a proposal to Congress that would revoke two decrees contested by Indian groups in Lima (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Chris Kraul for the LA Times reports: Peru's Congress voted Thursday to revoke two laws enacted last year to open the Amazon to mining, oil and timber development, measures that enraged many indigenous groups and led to a bloody confrontation this month.

Legislators acted at the behest of President Alan Garcia, who went on national television Wednesday to acknowledge that he had committed a "series of errors and exaggerations" in pushing economic policies that spawned a wave of protests by indigenous groups, including road blockades and takeovers of two airports.

According to AMAZON WATCH: Daysi Zapata, acting President of AIDESEP, Peru's national Amazonian indigenous organization welcomed the President's comments and declared: "Today is a historic day. We are grateful that the will of the indigenous peoples has been heard and we only hope that in the future governments listen and attend to indigenous peoples, and not legislate behind their backs."

Zapata said that AIDESEP it is calling on our base organizations and communities to end their blockades and protests while also calling on the government to enter into a good faith and transparent dialogue.

The dramatic shift in the Garcia Administration's discourse is likely due to the unprecedented international and domestic condemnation of the attacks on peaceful demonstrations on June 5 in Bagua. Tens of thousands protested in cities throughout Peru on June 11 in support of Peru's indigenous peoples. Peruvian consulates and embassies worldwide have been the site of repeated vigils and protests. Tens of thousands have sent letters to Peruvian and US government officials. Celebrities including Q'orianka Kilcher and Benjamin Bratt, both part Peruvian as well as Nobel Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu, have publicly condemned the violence in Peru while calling for a peaceful solution.

Leading international human rights bodies including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the International Labor Organization have pressed the Garcia Administration to end repression and uphold the rights of indigenous peoples.

Amazon Watch's Executive Director, Atossa Soltani, reacted to the news with the following statement: "The Peruvian Congress's repeal of the two decrees is a welcome first step in bringing indigenous rights in Peru back to where they were before the decrees were promulgated in 2008. The conflict has become a watershed moment for Peru's policies in the Amazon and has invigorated national debate about deep-rooted violations of indigenous peoples rights. Today's good news notwithstanding, indigenous peoples are likely to continue to be at risk by Garcia's policies to open up the Amazon to extractive industries."

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK ACTION

posted in Ayahuasca - 6 replies

an organized retreat to Peru...

MJ — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:35:21 GMT

Hello, I am organizing a retreat to Peru for two weeks in August. It is a little bit different than some of the other retreats that are offered in that I will also be presenting some workshops. These workshops will be on shamanism and shamanic healing techniques based upon the common principles and practices of shamanism. If you are interested in checking it out, information can be found here:

http://www.myspace.com/plantspiritmedicine

posted in Ayahuasca - 114 replies

Peru~ July 11-27th come join my group! Into the Amazon Rainforest~~~

Asad — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:31:49 GMT

Peru- A Journey into the Heart of the Amazon
“Think Globally Act Locally” a 70's cliché that I heard from Dennis McKenna

Every so often a person has the opportunity that is presented to them to leave behind everything and explore the world. This journey I will be embarking upon will take me into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, wherein I will be networking with like minded souls in the fields of art, healing, music, and planetary sustainability. My intention is to also participate in ayahuasca ceremonies with native elders whom have a vast understanding of plant medicine and shamanic tools to release toxins and blockages from people. My journey will be a total of 17 days. The former 8 days will be at a conference on the outskirts of Iquitos, Peru. This Conference is the 5th year where Shamans, healers, and artists gather to share a collective understanding of the way of shamanism and it's influence and direct correlations between art and healing. So if you feel that YOU are ready to let go and have an experience that can only be directly felt in the jungle, Please do not hesitate to email me at: ayahuascakhan@gmail.com. All of the details and logistics are listed below:

5th International Shamanic Conference in Peru
The dates for the 5th Conference: July 11th thru the 18th. It's from Saturday to Saturday night.

LOGISTICS

$612 if by check/money order or $627 by CC for the conference, including board at the soga-del alma or you can choose to stay at a hostel in Iquitos for a very cheap rate, but I am going to stay @ the Soga-del Alma just to connect with the people there. If we stay the Soga Del Alma it is included in the price. Around $35 per ceremonias includes up to at least 3 ayahuasca ceremonies in the 8 days.
Here is the link to the 5th Annual Shamanic Conference with all the details:

http://www.soga-del-alma.org/conferencesite.html

Those of you who wish to meet for just the retreat in the Amazon River Basin can meet in Iquitos after the conference. The 1 week stay with Percy Garcia at his compound will be $500. You can bring this $500 with you and pay once we arrive. This is an amazing price for 8 days that includes food, transportation, lodging, and several ayahuasca ceremonies. Here is the link to the Healing Retreat Center:

http://diosayahuascasana.multiply.com/journal/item/2

Dates for this above part of the journey are: July 19th-27th

Flight Details

I will be departing out of JFK on 7/10/09 @ 6:17 AM and arrive at LIM at 3:08 PM. We would depart Lima, Peru Monday 7/27 at 4:08 PM and arrive at JFK at 2:35 AM the same day. We can arrange a mutual friend or family member to pick us up from the airport. I just purchased my ticket a few months ago for $430, which is AMAZING! You must purchase tickets asap to get a good rate.

You can contact: Alan Shoemaker @ sogadelalma@yaho.com to receive help in finding the cheapest rates. Also, you will need a roundtrip ticket from LIM-IQT, which he can also arrange for approximately $150. Depending on which part of the journey you will take with me, if you take the entire trip we can correlate the times for: Departing LIM on July 10th @ 5:05 PM arriving in IQT July 10th @ 6:50 PM Flight # LP376 AND Leaving IQT July 27th @ 7 AM arriving in LIM @ 8:40 AM Flight # LP 395 This will give us sufficient time to make our flight back home departing LIM @ 4:08 PM.

Depending on which part of the trip you wish to join me on the prices will vary:

1) Conference: $612 plus $35 per aya ceremonies, potentially up to 3 ceremonies (optional) PLUS FLIGHT- roundtrip from US-Peru and roundtrip LIM-IQT, should be under $700

2) Conference & Retreat: $612 plus $500= $1100, with the ceremonies= $1200 plus flight.

I would also plan on bringing a couple extra hundred dollars for purchasing art from local villagers and for anything else. This is completely optional. The point in going is to
isolate yourself from all materialism and go deep within oneself to release any physiological, emotional, spiritual blockages that one has manifested since birth. All you really
need is yourself and the mandatory funds required to make this journey possible.

As far as health concerns, I personally do not recommend taking any shots or anything like that. If you are worried about Malaria, you shouldn't be.
If you do contract a rare case of this disease they have the proper medication available on SIGHT. You are going to be surrounded by healers and
people who have been doing this for many decades.

I feel like I have covered all the details about this journey, if you still feel unsure about anything do not hesitate to contact me @ ayahuascakhan@gmail.com

This website will answer any possible questions you have about ayahuasca:http://forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/index.php

Much love and I hope to cross paths with you and embark on this journey together!
Ciudate!
-Asad

posted in Ayahuasca - 3 replies

Anyone know anything about Ajos Sacha?

et — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:19:10 GMT

Has anyone out there dieted with this plant? It's been suggested to me...

Blessings,

et

posted in Ayahuasca - 5 replies

Ayahuasca Documetnary "Metamorphosis"

keith — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:15:30 GMT

Hi fellow Tribe Friends,
I just wanted to let you know that the documentary film that I recently completed is now starting the festival rounds and is available through the Metamorphosis website for those that are interested. So far the film has been well received within the Ayahuasca community and the small segment of the general public that has seen it.
Here is the link:

http://www.metamorphosisfilm.com

peace,

Keith

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Prime Minister Yehude Simon to quit, repeal laws

Steve — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:33:24 GMT

Prime Minister Yehude Simon to quit, repeal laws
Today, 12:31 PM
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Peru prime minister says planning to quit after clashes
Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:30pm EDT

LIMA, June 16 (Reuters) - Peruvian Prime Minister Yehude Simon said on Tuesday he plans to quit as opposition leaders demanded President Alan Garcia fire him for failing to avert deadly clashes between police and indigenous groups.

Simon said he will stay in his job leading Garcia's cabinet long enough to persuade Congress to repeal two controversial laws that tribal groups say would speed destruction of the Amazon.

Tribes have said they would call off lingering protests if legislative decrees 1090 and 1064, which they fear would turn the rain forest over to foreign mining and energy companies, are struck down. [ID:nN06294730]. Congress is expected to vote to repeal them in the next few days.

"Obviously, I am going to go for sure as soon as all is calm, in the coming weeks," he said on RPP radio, a day after apologizing to indigenous leaders and saying the government failed to win their support before passing the laws.

In the worst crisis since Garcia took office in 2006, at least 34 people died in police raids ordered 11 days ago to break indigenous blockades of roads and rivers in the rain forest that started in April. Both police and protesters died.

Before the bloodshed, Simon, acting as the government's lead negotiator, pleaded for weeks with tribes to lift their blockades. But he refused to review the disputed laws that were designed to lure billions in foreign investment to Peru.

Since the clashes, the government has backtracked to avert more violence. On Monday, Simon signed a pact with indigenous leaders in which he promised to ask Congress to overturn the laws.

Garcia, whose approval rating is at 30 percent, issued a series of decrees last year using special powers Congress gave him to implement a free-trade agreement with the United States. Tribes say he went too far and wrote laws that undermine their control over land and natural resources.

The government initially said revoking any of the laws would violate the free-trade deal, but Peru's trade minister later said the U.S. government agreed to support any changes if they helped avoid more conflict.

Simon, a former left-wing activist, was named prime minister last October to help Garcia improve relations with groups representing the poor. Left-wing and right-wing opposition leaders have called for his resignation following the fights. (Reporting by Teresa Cespedes and Terry Wade; Editing by Sandra Maler)

© Thomson Reuters 2009.

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

Colosseum

Geert — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:19:29 GMT

This is it.. the time has come.. batlle of the greatest...
A battle of wit, words and wisdom...
Who puts the spell on the other as to make him believe..
that HE... IS... .. THE MASTER OF POWEEEERRRRR!!!!!

Battle one...

anyone who wants to beat me will get their ear pulled...(ouch)
I'm the meanest fiercest bolt of lightning storming at you from Dutch ground..
Pounding streetbricks with my knuckles...
Chewing porcelain on a bull's back in a china shop
I'm here... I'm big... I'm GEEEEEERT......

Who dares to step in the ring with me.... Huh..?!
Anyone...? Anyone...? mmm? mmmm?

Step up... step up...step up to the ring...

posted in Ayahuasca - 52 replies

amsterdam

clancy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:11:02 GMT

http://www.newdesignworld.com/press/story/17003

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

...An Amazonazing Oppertunity...

Jay — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:05:45 GMT

Hi,
we re a new community outside Iquotis Peru
and need help...

we re trying to create a sustainable community
where people can explore entheogens

if you want to come and help with things,
there is room from 1 or 2 people
( shared with me )
we ll work on projects like

building retreat huts and a tree house
landscape designing
dry toilets
pumps
expanding the swimmin hole
caring for the many plants trees
helping the workers with things
like making aqua'genta sugar cane spirits

minimun 1 week stay
a donation for food would be nice
or cook yourself
i m lookin for someone to work with me on projects
especially building

so if you have carpentry skills, great !
if you speak spanish=Awesome !
if your into entheogens...awesome
if you have green skills, awesome
if you want to stay a good while awesome

you can stay in your own tent too
lots of space, big beautiful land
less than 2 hour bus to Iquotis
get to know a really cool Indiginous family
lots of entheogens grow here

please write to my email
jayortner AT yahoo.com
with questions and info about you
we have bi weekly deliveries
i get my email bi weekly or so
so i ll reply asap

thanks
Jay

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Information on the situation in Peru - please read and act!

acudoc — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:33:50 GMT

Dear Pachamama Community,

There is currently a state of emergency in Peru, where the indigenous people
have been peacefully protesting the violation of their territorial and human
rights. On Friday, violent attacks on peaceful indigenous blockades in the
Peruvian Amazon left 25 civilians and 9 police dead and hundreds injured.

Pachamama in Ecuador has played a key role in supporting this movement by
providing important financial, logistical, communications, and legal support
to the member organizations.

Amazon Watch, a close Pachamama ally, is supporting and tracking this
situation very carefully on the ground in Peru and abroad.

We are encouraging people to take action in the following ways:
- Write a personal letter, and activate your networks, to send letters to
the Peruvian Government demanding an immediate cease to the violent
repression and a suspension of the state of emergency. With your help, we
can generate thousands of letters to key decision makers and this can make
the difference. You can use a sample letter at:
http://amazonwatch.org/peru-action-alert.php

- Make a donation directly to this effort. Amazon Watch has set up an
emergency fund to support: a) medical relief for the wounded, b) media
campaigns led by indigenous organizations, and c) legal defense for those
being charged. You can donate on-line:
http://amazonwatch.org/peru-protests.php

Below is the latest news release with more details.

Thank you for your partnership and support.

The Pachamama Alliance Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2009

Police Open Fire on Indigenous Blockade in the Peruvian Amazon
25 Civilians and 9 Police Dead, Over 100 Injured

Garcia Government Criticized for Orchestrating Violent Attack on Peaceful
Blockade While Censoring Congressional Debate on ³Free Trade Laws²

Peru Ministers Under Report Number Indigenous Peoples Dead and Injured

Interviews with Eyewitnesses and High-resolution Photos
<http://www.amazonwatch.org/newsroom/index.php?type=photo> Available Upon
Request

Bagua, Peru (June 6, 2009) In the early morning hours on Friday, Peruvian
Special Forces staged a violent raid on a group of indigenous people at a
peaceful blockade on a road outside of Bagua in a remote area of the
northern Peruvian Amazon resulting in 25 civilians confirmed dead and over a
hundred wounded. Over 600 police attacked several thousand unarmed Awajun
and Wambis indigenous peoples including many women and children and forcibly
dispersed them using tear gas and live ammunition.

Dramatic photos (available on www.amazonwatch.org) of the attack show clearly the police
brutally beating and shooting demonstrators at close range. At 2am police
began to approach the demonstrators as they were sleeping along the Fernando
Belaúnde Terry road. Demonstrators refused to move from the roadblock as
police in helicopters fired teargas grenades and live ammunition.

Eyewitnesses report that police also attacked from both sides firing live
rounds into the crowd as people fled into surrounding steep hillsides, many
becoming trapped. As the unarmed demonstrators were being killed and
injured some wrestled with police, fighting back in self-defense, which
resulted in the reported deaths of nine police officers.

In local radio reports the chief of police claimed that the indigenous
demonstrators were armed and fired first. This claim has been strongly
rejected by dozens of local eyewitnesses including local journalists who
confirmed that Amazonian demonstrators have been entirely peaceful and only
bear traditional spears and in no way provoked any violence. A point
highlighted by the fact that the blockades have been going on for 56 days
without a single incident.

Gregor MacLennan of Amazon Watch who is currently in Bagua gathering first
hand testimonies from blockade participants, local journalists and residents
stated: All eyewitness testimonies say that Special Forces opened fire on
peaceful and unarmed demonstrators including from helicopters, killing and
wounding dozens in an orchestrated attempt to open the roads. It seems that
the police had come with orders to shoot. This was not a clash, but a
coordinated police raid with police firing on protesters from both sides of
their blockade.

There have been many accounts of atrocities committed by the Special
Forces. Some have reported seeing the police throwing liquid on the cadavers
and burning them. Also local residents have given accounts of having seen
police throwing bodies of dead civilians into the river in an apparent
attempt to underreport the number of dead. We¹ve also received accounts that
some of those injured were being detained by security forces and denied
medical attention leading to additional deaths. There are many people
still reported missing and access to medical attention in the region is
horribly inadequate.²

Peru¹s Ombudsman¹s office issued a strong statement yesterday demanding an
end to the violence. Letters condemning the government¹s actions are pouring
in from thousands of Peruvians and international human rights activists and
organizations. Today, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the chair of the United Nations
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues issued a letter expressing ³shock and
deep distress at reports received of atrocities committed² and calling on
the government to ³Immediately cease all violence against indigenous
communities and organizations."

Indigenous peoples have vowed to continue protests until the Peruvian
Congress revokes the free trade decrees issued by President Garcia under
special powers granted by Congress in the context of the Free Trade
Agreement with the United States.

In the past two weeks, the Constitutional Committee of Congress has ruled
that legislative decrees 994 and 1090 were unconstitutional. The Peruvian
Congress was scheduled to debate the revocation of decree 1090 again on
Thursday, however, Garcia's political party, for the third time, prevented
the debate preferring instead to attack the peaceful blockades. The
government Ombudsman office has filed a legal action with the constitutional
tribunal regarding the unconstitutionality of decree 1064, which affects the
land rights laws in Peru.

Garcia has rejected several congressional debates on the decrees, opting
for violent attacks and brute force that will only worsen this conflict. It
is outrageous that the ministers are now attempting to blame the victims for
this incident and cover up the number of indigenous people dead,² said
Gregor MacLennan.

The protests have provoked national debate about government policies in the
Amazon that ignore indigenous peoples and encourage large-scale extractive
industries in Amazonian lands. Indigenous peoples assert that new laws
undermine their rights and open up their ancestral lands to private
companies for mining, logging, plantations, and oil drilling without their
consultation or consent.

AIDESEP, the national indigenous organization of Peru presented a legal
petition yesterday for "precautionary measures" to the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights requesting intervention to prevent more
bloodshed. Orders for the arrest of leaders of AIDESEP, including Alberto
Pizango who is being charged with sedition, were put in effect on Friday.
A coalition of human rights and environmental organizations are urging the
Garcia Government to stand down and cease violent confrontations by the
military and calling for solidarity demonstrations at Peruvian Embassies
around the world. There were demonstrations on Friday at the Peruvian
Government missions in San Francisco and Washington, DC. More are planned
next week.

For Background information see www.amazonwatch.org
or www.aidesep.org.pe.

Media Contacts:
In Bagua, Peru: Gregor MacLennan + 511 - 993 916-389
In the U.S.: Atossa Soltani 202-256-9795 atossa@amazonwatch.org

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

Antipodes of the Mind - Ayahuasca - An Interview with Prof. Benny Shanon

Jan_Irvin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:05:56 GMT

Podcast #34 - Antipodes of the Mind, An interview with Professor Benny Shanon.
www.gnosticmedia.podomatic.com
www.gnosticmedia.com

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew that is traditionally used by indigenous cultures in the Amazon basin. The brew is made with the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria veridis - and other ingredients may or may not be added - including the very dangerous and deadly Datura. The brew also contains MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) and DMT - the most powerful psychedelic drug on earth - which is also a natural neurotransmitter in all mammalian brains.

If the Ayahuasca experience were charted by a leading psychologist, what would the scientific research on its effects show? How do psychological studies on Ayahuasca differ from anthropological studies? What happens when the full-blown psychedelic experience with Ayahuasca is brought toe to toe with science? Can it be proved that the Ayahuasca experience real? Or is it only a culturally induced hallucination? Does Ayahuasca merely provide a single type "experience," or do the experiences progress through multiple uses? What if the experience of this mystical substance could be described in great literary detail that exceeds that of Aldous Huxley's Doors of Perception?

Today I interview Professor Benny Shanon, professor of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel. Benny Shanon holds the Mandel Chair in Cognitive Psychology and Education.

Born in Tel Aviv, Shanon studied philosophy and linguistics at Tel Aviv University and received his doctorate in experimental psychology from Stanford University. He is author of the 2002 book Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience published by Oxford University Press.

Benny Shanon is known for his controversial theory that the patriarch Moses was under the influence of hallucinogens when he received the law. Specifically, he believes that a psychedelic cocktail similar to ayahuasca may explain Moses's vision of the burning bush: "In advanced forms of ayahuasca inebriation, the seeing of light is accompanied by profound religious and spiritual feelings".

Order Antipodes of the Mind: http://astore.amazon.com/gnosmedi-20/detail/0199252939

Download:
http://gnosticmedia.podomatic.com/enclosure/2009-06-08T02_22_03-07_00.mp3

posted in Ayahuasca - 8 replies

Ayahuasca Tourism

Cyclura — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:12:28 GMT

Hi!

I am new to this tribe. I also wanted to get some opinions on what you all think about taking one of these tours to Iquitos in Peru.

I have a long history of use of entheogenic plants. The one that has taken me the furthest is San Pedro. I firmly believe that you do not need to travel great distances to get lessons from the teachers, but I also have always wondered how valuable such experiences would be. I have looked around the Internet and have talked to a couple of guides. I have always been quite interested in the cultures down there and have always thought that an experience with one of the shamans would be very valuable.

It seems to me that the plants are the best guide, sometimes serving as the shamans themselves, but I am particularly interested in Ayahuasca which I have never communed with and am considering being guided through it.

I have talked to the Blue Morpho tours and they were actually very pleasent. I also talked to Jaya Bear, but got a rather bad vibe from here. This was about 4 years ago. I told her that I used cannabis for a back pain problem. She was very anti-cannabis. I realize that Ayahuasca and cannabis do not mix and was not intending to mix the two, but she seemed to think all cannabis users were "recreational and irresponsible". I felt her tone was somewhat hateful towards cannabis which I think is a rather harsh attitude. Cannabis may not mix with ayahuasca, but it does have good medicinal qualities.

I am starting to get turned off by the whole thing. There is a guy named Martin Ball who was advertising a tour he is giving the summer in Peru using Ayayhusaca and San Pedro, but he admits to never having been to Peru. He is also, well, rather egotistical:

Here are some links to Martin Ball: http://www.entheogenic.podomatic.com/
http://www.martinball.net/

I would never pay this guy to do this kind of thing. He seems to think he is somehow the voice of God and only his reality is true,yet I am wondering how many of these American guides are like this? How does one differentiate from the honest people and the rather delusional ones?
Thanks

posted in Ayahuasca - 59 replies

Ayahuasca Tourism

David — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:57:20 GMT

Here is an article on Ayahuasca Tourism I found while poking around:

http://www.realitysandwich.com/will_real_ayahuasca_tourists_please_stand

I found it interesting and somewhat enlightening...

D

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Sacharuna Clinic Center - Employment Opportunity

sacharuna — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:20:08 GMT

We are looking for a suitable person to work with us for a position of:
Organization Manager for our Recreational & Spiritual Guests. What we require from this person is:

a) English language abilities
b) Spanish language abilities (at least basic and communicative Spanish skills, being capable to translate for English speaking guests)
c) previous experience of a long jungle stay and being adapted to that environment
d) fascination, dedication and knowledge about ayahuasca / healing subjects as well as previous personal experience in this field
e) previous stay and familiarity with the city of Iquitos and Peru
f) internet / computer / telephone skills
g) management skills (especially to lead a team of workers inside of our property)
h) positive outlook on life and desire of personal spiritual development with shamanic tools as ayahuasca and willingness to learn about medicinal plants and healing, share the knowledge with guests

The duties of our Recreational Organization Manager are basically to take care of our Guests, concretely meaning:

• greeting our arrival guests at the airport and depending the arrival time, accommodating them in the city or taking them directly to our jungle Center
• coordination of ceremonies with shamans
• coordination of shopping and food preparation with our kitchen team
• responsibility to maintain the cleanness of our property and individual houses of our guests

What we offer is:

• own house with bed and shower on our property
• monthly flat rate payment with opportunities for bonuses
• opportunity to study and take part in healing ceremonies directly from “our” shamans

Sacharuna Clinic Center
Iquitos, Peru

url:
http://ayahuasca.pe

e-mail:
ayamind@gmail.com

posted in Ayahuasca - 1 reply

another report in the media on a trip to peru to drink ayahuasca

clancy — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:13:25 GMT

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Have-You-Ever-Taken-Ayahua-by-Alexander-Zaitchik-090525-632.html

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Article on the challanges of filming a documentary on Ayahuasca in the steamy Amazon!

keith — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:32:18 GMT

Here is a link to the article I wrote regarding the filming of "Metamorphosis", a feature documentary on Ayahuasca Shamanism.

http://www.livinginperu.com/travel-761-amazon-living-dream-independent-filmmaking-amazon

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Screening of documentary "Metamorphosis" in NYC - Saturday, June 20th

keith — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:35:57 GMT

Hi Tribe,
just wanted to let all of you know who reside near NYC that I will be having a preview screening of the film at "The Wild Project" at 195 East 3rd st., Saturday, 7:30 p.m. on June 20th. If you want further details, please sign up for my mailing list at www.metamorphosisfilm.com

Hope to see some of you there!
peace,

Keith

posted in Ayahuasca - 2 replies

going to Iquitos, seeking advice

Dzikus — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:29:28 GMT

I'm planning to go to Iquitos later this year for 2 weeks for very specific healing. I'm considering two options:

1) two weeks with Percy Garcia, or
2) one week with Percy and the other with someone else - ideally one-on-one or small group sessions, wouldn't mind roughing it more than a bit to bring down the cost

Which one do you think would be the best, and if 2), whom would you recommend?

My command of Spanish is limited but I can learn it if it can help.

Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks.

posted in Ayahuasca - 11 replies

Rare recording of Richard Evan Shultes

acudoc — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:56:41 GMT

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/05/11/audio-of-richard-eva.html

part two is here:

http://www.archive.org/details/RESchultesHallucinogenicPlants

posted in Ayahuasca - 6 replies

5th Conference Flights

alan — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:45:36 GMT

We're booking lots of flights now, Lima to Iquitos roundtrip. most are for the Conference in July. It would help streamline the many emails and pm's if we received this information right up front: Your name as it appears on your passport, passport number and country of issue. what date and time you arrive into Lima and, being that most all flights arrive too late to make a connection to Iquitos same day/night, do you want to wait it out till the 4am flight or do you want a hotel and take the next day's afternoon flight to Iquitos. And what is the return date on your international flying out of Lima.
Thanks!

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

DMT and Death Experiences

Wed, 20 May 2009 15:26:33 GMT

http://vineofsouls.blogspot.com/

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Blending Traditions - Using Indigenous Medicinal Knowledge to Treat Drug Addiction by Jacques Mabit, M.D.Share

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:33:39 GMT

Abstract

Ancestral medical practices are based on a highly sophisticated practical knowledge and view the controlled induction of non-ordinary states of consciousness as potentially beneficial, even in the treatment of the modern phenomena of drug addiction. These ancestral practices stand in contrast to the clumsiness with which Western peoples induce altered states of consciousness. Drawing from his clinical experience in the High Peruvian Amazonian forest, the author describes the therapeutic benefits of the wise use of medicinal plants, including non-addictive psychoactive preparations, such as the well-known Ayahuasca tea. Within an institutional structure, a therapeutic system combining indigenous practices with contemporary psychotherapy yields highly encouraging results (positive in 2/3 of the patients). This invites us to reconsider conventional approaches to drug addiction and the role of the individual's spiritual journey in recovery.

The Backwards Approach
Moving beyond the strict position that the final objective of drug addiction therapy is complete abstinence, the Western world has responded to its failures and limitations by considering the possibility of merely reducing risks. The notion of substitution, as in methadone therapy for heroin addiction, indicates a certain tolerance towards altered states of consciousness. In this model, which treats these states as "inevitable" in some sense, one would now be satisfied with limiting their negative secondary effects. In the face of a Puritanism resigned to an almost constant failure, this attitude opens new possibilities in treating drug addiction. It now seems thinkable that drug addiction is an attempt, certainly clumsy and sometimes extremely dangerous, of self-medication. Users may be responding to a real need to escape the constricting mud of a dry and devitalized lifestyle, one lacking exciting perspectives or room to blossom.

Some take this new tolerance of drug use further, for example by proposing to ravers that they learn about the drugs they consume, the risks that they run, and the best way to avoid the negative consequences of their conduct3. In this model, the drug user is considered a thinking and consenting subject, who is invited to take responsibility for his actions. The "repressive machine" that tends to substitute itself for the subject, making his decisions, revoking his responsibility, and, in the end, reinforcing an internal pattern of dependence, gives way to an approach which appeals to the user's intelligence. This model accepts the authenticity of the user's quest, even if it is often unconscious, for a true liberty that can be confused with caprice.

While this attempt at finding meaning by exploring new realms of consciousness can be chaotic and confused outside of a controlled setting, it is reminiscent of more purposeful undertakings among traditional peoples. In fact, one finds the induction of altered states of consciousness for the purposes of initiation and therapy in all traditions. Such experiences, always guided by a ritual frame, often depend upon a fine understanding of the animal and vegetable substances that serve as their catalysts. One may also affirm that, sometimes, the same substances that serve as the "remedy" in indigenous cultures are the "poison" in Western society. Hence the coca leaf, which is well integrated into daily life in the Andean world, becomes a highly addictive cocaine-based paste when taken out of context. Similarly, cannabis, poppy, and tobacco may generate either remedy or poison according to the mode of consumption and the context of ingestion.

It is noteworthy that biologists observe that all animal species consume natural psychoactive substances with great eagerness when possible (Siegel, Ronald, 1990). In fact, Siegel considers this conduct a fourth instinctual instance of animal biology, as if life tends spontaneously towards a broadening of perceptions and a concomitant amplification of consciousness. It becomes difficult, then, to extract man from this vast biological movement that embraces all animal life.

Indigenous Knowledge
Our observations in the Peruvian Amazon yield a supplementary fact: not only do the natural psychoactive substances used by indigenous peoples not generate dependence, they are utilized to treat the modern phenomenon of drug addiction. This changes the way we understand toxicity; the Western obsession with "substances" (drugs) is replaced, or at least accompanied by, the concepts of the set (the subject, including genetic predispositions, life history, and preparation) and setting (ritualized or not). Indeed, psychoactive substances may be a treatment for "drug addicts," a fact that still seems paradoxical or impossible even to the specialists in question. And yet, the facts speak for themselves.

This phenomenon also works for ethnic groups strongly affected by substances such as alcohol, which represents for them, inversely, an imported product removed from its context. Hence, the healers of the Peruvian coast treat their alcoholics through the ritual use of the mescaline cactus with a high rate of success (around 60 per cent, after five years) (Chiappe, Mario, 1976). The Native North Americans reduce the incidence of alcoholism on their reservations considerably and quite rapidly by reviving their ancestral practices, including the ritual use of peyote and tobacco (Hodgson, Maggi, 1997).

The ritualization of induced modifications of consciousness, with or without substances, establishes a universal symbolic frame within which these experiences acquire significance by allowing the individual to inscribe himself within a model of cultural integration. In indigenous groups, then, such experiences frequently accompany rites of passage, particularly at adolescence, permitting the youth's appropriation of the discourse, images, and myths generated by the community. It is evident that the fundamental lack of cultural consensus in our fragmented post-modern society, along with the desacralization of the lived interior and exterior, and the disappearance of all authentic rites of passage, leaves us without the means to integrate experiences of altered states of consciousness into our daily lives. In other words, the drug user sets off randomly with neither compass nor map, often finishing badly.

These considerations lead to the following conclusion: not only must we no longer take a position of passive tolerance toward an inevitable consumption of psychoactive substances, but, on the contrary, we must actively explore the coherent therapeutic use of psychoactive substances without the outcome of dependence. Even more broadly, we must be open to every induction of altered states of consciousness through diverse methods (such as music, dance, fasting, isolation, breathwork, physical exercise, pain, etc.) This calls for the application of therapeutic techniques that create both a space of temporary containment and an authentic symbolic frame which, as in the indigenous ritual space, integrates therapists and users. Traditional peoples also teach us that substances consumed in their natural form, used with respect to the body's digestive natural barriers (that is, orally), do not induce dependence, in spite of their powerful psychoactive effects. The risk of toxicity is also lower because their active principles are similar, if not identical, to the neuromediators naturally secreted by our bodies. In case of overdose (which is generally difficult to produce given the extremely disagreeable flavor of the beverages), these substances are eliminated naturally by vomiting. This self-regulating phenomenon provides for safe prescription and is an integral part of the expected effects of ingestion, as well as those of purgation-detoxification (hence their special role in the domain of drug addictions). The context of ingestion requires rigorous dietary, postural, and sexual regulations. In the course of successive ingestions, sensitivity increases instead of creating a habit. As a result, the doses gradually decrease: their use in addiction therapy is not, then, a simple substitution.

It is remarkable that no visionary natural substance is addictive. Visions seem to be the proof of sufficient cortical integration, of a metabolization of the symbolic charge revealed during the experience of altered consciousness. Entheogenic substances (also misnamed hallucinogens) are hence among the best of those that may be used in a therapeutic setting. This has already been attempted in psychotherapy (LSD, MDMA, Harmaline, DMT, etc.), but generally without an integrating symbolic framework (or ritual space), without engaging the therapist in the method, with synthetic or semi-synthetic substances or extracts, and through processes of assimilation that violate physiological barriers (i.e., injections).

Ayahuasca
This highly psychoactive ancestral beverage is situated at the heart of both the empirical medicinal practices of Amazonian cultures and, recently, of explorations into the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants, in particular in the domain of psychopathology, including drug addiction therapy. The pharmacological sophistication of this preparation reflects the high degree of understanding of the Amazonian peoples, who are proven to have discovered Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) at least three thousand years before Westerners. Tryptamines and beta-Carbolines, the major active principles of Ayahuasca, are present in many natural secretions as well as in the central nervous system (pineal gland) (Mabit, Campos, Arce, 1993).

The entheogenic or visionary effects of this beverage have been hastily called "hallucinogenic," stigmatizing a compound which could be a significant topic of research. Its potential as such risks being dismissed by the academic community due to a stance less indebted to scientific rationality than to society's collective fears. We have argued that the images stimulated by the use of Ayahuasca in a therapeutic context symbolically manifest the content of the unconscious. Moreover, these images are not without an object, whether it be psychological or otherwise, which differentiates them completely from the "illusions without object" that are by definition "hallucinations" (Mabit, 1988). The exploration of the unconscious through Ayahuasca permits the rapid extraction of extremely rich and highly coherent psychological material, which can then be worked through with various psychotherapeutic methods. Visions, like dreams, indicate the beginning of an integration at the superior cortical level. The effects of Ayahuasca are not merely visual, but embrace the entire perceptual spectrum, as well as the non-rational functions tied to the right brain and to the paleoencephal or so-called reptilian brain. The patient's clinical experience fosters the development of not only the projective but also the integrative functions of symbolization, enabling the progressive readjustment of personality structures. These explorations touch cross-cultural psychological depths and, hence, may be applied in extremely broad and varied contexts of human life.

After the observation for fifteen years of more than eight thousand instances of Ayahuasca ingestion under specific conditions of preparation, prescription, and therapeutic follow-up, we can affirm that the ingestion of these preparations has a wide range of indications, with a total absence of dependence. The expansion of the perceptual spectrum, which simultaneously engages body, sensations, and thoughts, permits the de-focalization of the ordinary perception of reality, thus allowing the subject to confront his habitual problems on his own and from a new angle. The intense acceleration of cognitive processes which accompanies this process may permit the subject to conceive of original solutions that fit his unique personality and situation.

The Center: A Pilot Project
Our ignorance in regard to the controlled induction of altered states of consciousness could greatly benefit from ancestral medical knowledge. The master healers of various traditions are ready to transmit their heritage to those willing to learn and to embark upon a path of initiation. Six years of teaching beside Amazonian healers has led us to develop a therapeutic method using the controlled modification of states of consciousness. Our system is based on ancestral techniques involving medicinal plants and natural methods of detoxification, sensory stimulation, and sensory deprivation. This pilot project attempts to combine ancestral knowledge with contemporary psychotherapeutic practices, working under the guidelines of ethical considerations and the requirements of the Western mentality.

The program, in which no method of coercion is exercised, accepts groups of no more than fifteen voluntary patients. The location is a five acre park bordered by a river, just outside the city of Tarapoto, in the Peruvian High Amazon, in the piedmont of the Andes (Mabit, Giove, Vega, 1996).

The therapy is based on a three-part method which includes the use of the plants, psychotherapy, and community life. The guided experiences of altered consciousness generate psychological material which is subsequently discussed and evaluated in the psychotherapy workshops and then directed towards expression in community life. In reverse, everyday activities supplement the therapeutic sessions (with or without plants).

The initial use of purifying, sedative, and purgative plants reduces withdrawal syndromes, rendering any return to prescription medication during the stay unnecessary. Then, the psychoactive plants intervene, powerfully facilitating the psychotherapy. From the brief sessions to the eight day isolation in the forest with rigorous rules pertaining to food, sex, external contacts and daily activities, each ingestion of psychoactive plants is governed by specific conditions. Each session is also facilitated by a trained therapist, and clearly inscribed into a precise and rigorous symbolic frame, which improves the chance of success for the session and its subsequent integration into the subject's life.

These techniques permit the exploration of buried memories and the re-emergence of censured situations or events. These "revelations" both relieve the addict's conscience and motivate him to face his sickness. A temporary reduction of critical functions and discriminations facilitates the cathartic expression of emotions. These experiences, with the help of psychotherapeutic work, may then correct the defective formation of the subject's emotional expressions and ideals. By plunging under the veils of ordinary consciousness and unblocking the paths of access to the deep Ego, this exploration of the subject's interior universe brings out rich material, in contrast to these patients' often insufficient symbolization. During the subsequent sessions, the subject will learn to translate and to interpret this material in order to explore subsequent dreams on his own. Dream life is stimulated by these practices, also benefiting the patient. One also observes an acceleration of cognitive processes and an amplification of the attention-span and of the depth of mental concentration. The clearly defined context, supplemented by a carefully regulated lifestyle, invites the resident to implement the knowledge obtained by this work. Hence, the space constitutes a laboratory in which the residents are at once the observers and the subjects of their observation. The medicinal plants play the central psychotherapeutic role, while caretakers offer guidance and security. The users are guided into liminal, or symbolically transitional, experiences in which they visit their interior gods and demons. These experiences simultaneously involve the subject's psychological state, the whole range of emotional sensations, and the spectrum of his psychological perceptions. In these experiences, existential questions may come to light and demand an engaged response. The guided and cathartic process can help the individual to transcend his or her ordinary mindset and access somatic memories. In the best cases, the individual is able to transcend the Ego, which can allow a healthy deflation of the Ego, a reconciliation with human nature, and an acceptance of our modest inscription in time and in matter, which is nevertheless exciting because of its perceived meaning. In other words, this is a process of initiation; it is a semantic experience which carries meaning that can respond to the chaotic and disorderly quest of the drug addict, which may be seen as a path of counter-initiation or as a savage initiation (Mabit, 1993). This therapeutic method does not, then, simply focus on abstinence, but also offers an adequate alternative. This alternative method, which respects altered states of consciousness, is able to respond to the drug addict's quest by furnishing it with clear ends and with non-dangerous means to reach them. This process supposes an internal structural change which goes beyond the palliative of a simple external behavioral change, which is never totally satisfying and most often ineffective.

The duration of the stay is, in general, nine months, and the follow-up is ideally two years. The centre has received patients of all social and cultural origins. The techniques, which mainly demand self-exploration through the senses, do not require any analytic verbalization or integration, which represents an enormous therapeutic advantage. One may even say that these experiences of altered consciousness give access to ineffable, inexpressible trans-verbal spaces, which are as much pre-logical or infra-verbal as they are ecstatic or supra-verbal. Here, the local alcoholic peasant meets the European college student dependent on pot, the urban bourgeois who functions on cocaine, the dealer addicted to a cocaine-based paste, or the delinquent pathological liar who smokes crack. To the contrary of what certain theorists say, the exploration of the interior universe by these methods does not require that either the therapist or the subject belong to the native culture of these practices. Rather, these practices give access to personal intra-psychical symbols which remain coherent to the subject and which touch depths that could be called transcultural by virtue of reaching universal psychological complexes (love, hate, rejection, abandon, fear, peace, etc.). At the same time, the accompanying psychotherapy allows the patient to better understand the experience of the session, to integrate it, generate new questions, and enrich the following session. We have now mastered these techniques ourselves, and we make use of them with patients from cultures other than our own. They are accessible to any Western therapist willing to fulfill the requirements of their long apprenticeship.

Results
Since its founding in 1992, the center has received more than 380 patients. One study has just been made (Glove, not yet published) of the first seven years of activity (1992-1998), examining drug addicts or alcoholics having completed at least one month of treatment and with at least two years of time out of the clinic - a sample of 211 courses of treatment (175 first-time patients and 36 returning patients). Note that the results of this study do not include data on the 32% of patients who leave during the first month before the first ayahuasca session, when the treatment is not yet considered to have started. 28% reached the sixth month of treatment, and 23.4% finished the entire treatment.

Two-thirds of the patients consumed mainly a highly addictive and debilitating cocaine-based paste. 80% consumed alcohol alone or in addition to other drugs. More than half of the patients (53.5%) had already tried treatment, one-third of which had tried psychiatric services. For 49%, the gateway drug was alcohol, and for 42%, cannabis. The average age was thirty years and the average duration of consumption of psychoactive substances at the time of entrance was 12.5 years. At 31.3%, with a tendency to augmentation, the index of retention (percentage of prescribed exits out of total exits) gives proof of the relative acceptance of this therapeutic method. The voluntary exits make up the majority (52%) compared to prescribed exits (23%), runaways (23%), and the rare expulsions (3%).

The evaluation of the results integrates qualitative givens, as well as the incidence of abstinence or relapse due to poor prognostic criteria. One should note that the patients leave free of any post-residential medication. In addition to evaluating the relation to addictive substances, especially those that the subject consumed before, we consider personal evolution (internal structural change), the indications of social and professional reintegration, and the capacity for familial restructuring. According to these criteria, we may distinguish three categories:

"good": favorable development, problems apparently resolved thanks to a true structural change manifested upon several life levels.

"better": favorable development with evident structural changes, but vestiges of the original problem still present.

"same or bad": relapse of consumption of substances, although often more discrete, no convincing structural change, frequent abandonment of substances for alcohol.

Out of the total, then, 31% were "good" and 23% "better," while 23% were the "same or bad" and 23% unknown. With hindsight, we can affirm that about 35% of those who have lost contact with the Center are, in the end, "good" or "better" (that's 8% of the total), which means that about 62% of the patients have, in the end, positively benefited from the follow-up of the model proposed at the center. When one only takes into account the sample of the patients with "prescribed exit," (those who have completed the entire program) the positive results are raised to 67%.

When the patients relapse or simply re-offend, 55.5% return to the center and 26% find other local practitioners of traditional medicine, which demonstrates their high opinion of this approach. When this occurs, purgative plants are more solicited than psychoactive plants. This choice demonstrates the absence of dependence on the psychoactive substances.

This method, officially recognized by the Peruvian authorities, has expanded into a number of programs including educational programs (for students), psychiatric and anthropological research, and outreach (written and audio-visual media, and seminars for personal development).

Conclusion

The mere repression of drug consumption represents a simplistic approach to the problem, with demonstrated ineffectiveness as a therapy. We may well call it illogical and even immoral since it omits the substances that are currently the most deadly (alcohol and tobacco). In addition, the accelerated development of new substances on the market outstrips any repressive attempt at control and relegates the game of penal interdictions to failure. We are hence condemned to approach the problem under another angle, whether we want to or not. Similarly, if harm reduction and substitution only indicate proof of failure and a last-ditch effort of pure social convenience, they are also, in our view, reprehensible and morally dubitable. This is because they consecrate a tacit rejection of healing, and the officialization, in a manner of speaking, of a population of second class citizens tolerated for lack of a therapeutic alternative.

The high degree of diffusion of the drug phenomenon in the 50's and 60's was born of the contact between a few intellectuals with traditional peoples, and, in particular, of North Americans with Amazonian Indians (Ginsberg, Leary, Alpert, etc., -- see Leary, Metzner, Alpert, 1964). These intellectuals believed that they could appropriate ancestral knowledge while only retaining the physical substance, reducing "the approach of the gods" to the consumption of an active principle, playing neurochemists like apprentice sorcerers (see Leary's delirious work, 1979). This oversimplified view of substances and their potential has generated a terrible drama. The phenomenon of substance addiction is characteristic of Westernized societies and continues to be practically unknown in indigenous populations or among peoples free from prolonged Western influence.

By approaching this ancient knowledge with respect and careful study, it seems possible to reinstate an authentic relation with the Mystery of Life by returning to true paths of initiation. By validating the legitimate quest of the drug user and redirecting it into a structured, meaningful experience, perhaps we may avoid the lax defeatism of the "anything goes" attitude as well as the rigid and useless bellicosity of "everything is forbidden."

Bibliography

Chappe, Mario. 1976. The use of hallucinogens in psychiatric folklore. Boletin de la Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana (Bulletin of the Panamerica Sanitary Office), 81 (2): 176-186.

Giove, Rosa. 2002 (to be published). The liana of the dead to the rescue of the life. Contradrogas (Anti-drug) ed., Lima 200.

Hodgson, Maggi. 1997. From Alcoholism to a new life: the eagle has landed. In: Indian communities develop futuristic addictions treatment and health approach, Institute of Health Promotion, Research and Formation, Alberta, Canada, 139, 11-14.

Leary, T. 1979. Graine d'Astre, Cosmos Ed., Canada, 204.

Leary, T., R. Metzner, R. Alpert. 1964. The Psychedelic Experience, First Carol Publishing Group Ed.

Mabit J. 1993. Amazon shamanism and drug addiction: initiation and counter-initiation. In: Revue AGORA, Éthique, Médecine et Société (AGORA Review, Ethics, Medicine, and Society), Paris, 27-28, 139-145.

Mabit J., J. Campos, J. Arce. 1993. Considerations surrounding the ayahuasca concoction and therapeutic perspectives. Revista Peruana de Neuropsiquiatría, Lima, LV (2), 118-131.

Mabit J., R. Giove, J. Vega. 1996. Takiwasi : The Use of Amazonian Shamanism to Rehabilitate Drug Addicts. In: Yearbook of cross-cultural medicine and psychotherapy, Zeitschrift für Ethnomedizin (Journal of Ethnomedicine), Publishing House for Science and Education, VWB, Berlin, 257-285.

Mabit J-M. unpublished. Ayahuasca hallucinations of the warriors of the Peruvian Amazon, Working Paper 1/1998, French Institute of Andean Studies, Lima, 15 p.

Siegel, Ronald. 1990. Intoxication, Pocket Books, New York, 1990, 390 p.

Sueur C., A. Benezech, D. Deniau, B. Lebeau, C. Zizkind. 1999. Hallucinogenic substances and their theraputic usages - Literature Review, Revue Documentaire Toxibase (Review of Drug Abuse Literature), 66 p.

posted in Ayahuasca - 14 replies

Aya specific instructions

Celeste — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:31:31 GMT

Hi all,

I took ayahuasca for the first time about a month ago.
My first time was an explotion of information about my life; how I was treating myself and others and an array of instructions on what to do and how to live my life.
I should move out of the place I'm in asap and got instructions on exactly where to move (what area) and with whom to live with.
I have been looking for a place matching the specific instructions that I saw in my vision but as of yet no luck. In fact so far no ad has matched the description of aya. I'm getting quite frustrated.....

My question to you guys is: how do you deal with so specific instructions? Has anybody received similar specific instructions? How does it work? Somebody told me aya does not take society or money into account.

posted in Ayahuasca - 17 replies

the possibility of dependence on Aya

et — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:58:03 GMT

I began drinking almost 7 months ago. After my first ceremony I went back monthly for more healing, more visions, more downloads of wisdom and more reprogramming. These past 7 months have been super intense to say the least.... I'm now feeling a call from somewhere within to allow myself to step back and allow myself to live a little more lightly over the summer than I have been since Halloween night. The intense confusion and sense of being torn by the idea of not taking part in ceremony for the next few months has thrown me for a total loop. I'm at a loss and am wondering whether this might mean I've become psychologically dependant on her? Any thoughts on this?

Namaste,

et

posted in Ayahuasca - 4 replies

Amazonian Shamanism Conference FLIGHTS

alan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:52:57 GMT

Just booking more flights today and if you can manage to get your international booked, roundtrip to Lima... I can book the LIma to Iquitos for you at $141 USDs total... That's an incredible price but it won't hold too long.
Just write to me at alanshoemaker@hotmail.com
I need your passport number, name as it appears there and country of origin. Then I need the date and time you fly into and out of Lima to return home. And if you want to wait 3 or 4 hours in the airport to catch the early morning flght to Iquitos or if you wish to take a hotel in LIma and get some sleep, then fly the next afternoon to Iquitos. I tell you this as Peru makes it so that most all flights arrive late at night, making it nearly impossible to make a connection to anywhere in Peru until the next day.

posted in Ayahuasca - 8 replies

Ayahuasca Documentary "METAMORPHOSIS"

keith — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:38:40 GMT

Hi Tribe,
just wanted to let everyone know that the film has been accepted to it's first festival in the U.S., the Breckenridge Film Festival in Breckenridge, Colorado, this June 11th - 14th. If any tribe members are in the area, I would love to see you there. Here is the link to there site:
http://www.breckfilmfest.com/home/index.php
I also just added a button to sign up for further information about the film (future screenings, dvd release), if anyone is interested. The link is:
http://metamorphosisfilm.com/METAMORPHOSIS/Contact%20METAMORPHOSIS.html

thank you to everyone who has supported this film!
peace,

Keith

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

Screening "METAMORPHOSIS" this July at the 5th International Amazonian Shamanism Conference in Iquitos, Peru.

keith — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:56:04 GMT

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that my feature documentary on Ayahuasca - "METAMORPHOSIS" will be screening at the Amazonian Shamanism Conference this July. Hope to see some of you there.

peace,

Keith

http://www.metamorphosisfilm.com

posted in Ayahuasca - 3 replies

Clear Green Liquid

David — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:57:40 GMT

I'm re-reading "Wizard of the Upper Amazon", Bruce Lamb's wonderful book about Manual Córdova and his life in the Amazon. The ayahuasca in his stories is described as a "Clear Green" liquid. I wondering why there is such a discrepancy between the brown semi-thick liquid I'm a familiar with having never seen Clear Green ayahuasca.

He also stresses the importance of preparing it in an earthenware pot. Why does everyone use the aluminum pots rather than earthenware? Just because of its ruggedness?

Thanks,

D

posted in Ayahuasca - 21 replies

...Starting a Community in Peru...

Jay — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:02:56 GMT

Hi Everybody,

My friend & I plan to buy land
& start a little farm in Peru in Jan '10.

We'll own individual pieces of land right next to each other,
share some common costs & enjoy the spirit of community.

I’m especially interested in Entheogens
And hope to eventually host Retreats, Ceremonies and things…

A few more of my interests include:
Dzokchen (meditation), Music, Art, Medicinal Plants,
Permaculture, Farming, Exploring, Celebrating…

If your interested in our community,
Please send me a message.
I’ll be in Peru in June.

Best Wishes,
Jay

posted in Ayahuasca - 27 replies

Ayahusca as a healing path: Q/A evening

Suchness — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:38:46 GMT

When
Friday, May 15, 2009 7:00 PM 20090516T020000Z
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/transformation/calendar/10063921

Details
If you are curious about the Amazonian healing path of Ayahusca and would like to ask questions directly with a number off individuals who have gone to Peru and experienced this powerful transformational medicine, then this is the night for you.

We will gather pot luck style, share food and direct experience.

Bring a dish and your inquiring mind.

posted in Ayahuasca - 0 replies

I´m in Peru now and doing an Ayahuasca retreat.

Spyrel — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:24:49 GMT

I´m keeping a travel blog if anyone is interested you can read about my journey at www.shutterstarr.com/blog
I´ll be updating it every couple days.

posted in Ayahuasca - 10 replies

Sushi as proper diet prior to ayahuasca intake.

Geert — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 05:36:53 GMT

I was wondering if sushi would fit as a proper diet prior to the intake of ayahuasaca.
As it's main ingredients are fish (tuna, salmon a.o), seaweed, rice, avocado, cucumber, wasabi, sesameseeds. .
In all cases (sushi forms) the ingredients are fresh and unmanipulated,
I remember reading somewhere that some ayahuasceros diet contains only soft boiled fish and vegetables. Proteines and vitamins.
I don't know.
It feels perfectly right to me, easy to make and delicious. .
I could survive on sushi solely and feel fresh and healthy.
What do you think.

posted in Ayahuasca - 34 replies