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JOURNEY
WITH
AYAHUASCA
The Essential Guide to Having an
Awesome Ayahuasca Experience
Copyright ©2017 by Andy Metcalfe
All rights reserved
A free eBook from Gaia Tree Healing Center
http://gaiatree.center
First Edition
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Contents
CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 4
PART 1 ............................................................................................................. 7
WHAT IS AYAHUASCA? .......................................................................................... 8
AND WHAT IS AYAHUASCA NOT? ............................................................................ 13
IS AYAHUASCA RIGHT FOR EVERYONE? ..................................................................... 17
IS AYAHUASCA DANGEROUS? ................................................................................. 19
WHY HAS AYAHUASCA BECOME SO POPULAR? .......................................................... 23
HOW TO EXPERIENCE AYAHUASCA .......................................................................... 27
HOW TO PICK A SUITABLE AYAHUASCA RETREAT ........................................................ 31
WHAT IS A (GOOD) SHAMAN? ............................................................................... 39
WHAT’S A FAIR PRICE FOR AYAHUASCA, OR SHOULD YOU EVEN PAY? ............................. 41
THE AYAHUASCA DIET ......................................................................................... 45
SHOULD YOU DRINK AYAHUASCA ALONE?................................................................. 49
HOW MANY CEREMONIES SHOULD YOU DO? ............................................................ 51
PART 2 ............................................................................................................53
A TYPICAL AYAHUASCA CEREMONY ........................................................................ 54
PART 3 ............................................................................................................68
INTRODUCTION TO PERU ...................................................................................... 69
HOW SAFE IS PERU? ............................................................................................ 73
TRAVEL INFORMATION ......................................................................................... 76
HEALTH INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 80
GETTING TO PERU ............................................................................................... 82
FLYING TO PERU ................................................................................................. 83
ARRIVING IN LIMA ............................................................................................... 85
IQUITOS ............................................................................................................ 90
OTHER CITIES IN PERU ......................................................................................... 96
PART 4 ..........................................................................................................101
AYAHUASCA INTEGRATION .................................................................................. 102
RECOMMENDED READING .................................................................................. 120
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Introduction
You’ve heard about this extraordinary vision-inducing concoction
called ayahuasca, purported to cure you from most ailments
both mental as well as physical after launching you on an
unparalleled psychedelic journey. You’ve heard that ayahuasca
will lead you way beyond the realms of reality as you know it to a
profound spiritual awareness and sense of oneness with all of
life. But it’s still more than that. It has been an intrinsic part of
indigenous tribal healing and wisdom for as much as 5000 years
and engaging with this as part of a sacred ceremony means we
connect with the tribe once again. Not only do we gain an
expanded understanding of our place in the world, we ‘belong’ to
something greater than ourselves. It’s not surprising that a
tourist boom has emerged. Thousands of people each month
flock to participate in what they hope will be a life-changing
series of ceremonies held in the depth of the Amazon jungle,
with shamans whose lineage goes back generations.
The last fifteen years has seen numbers increase from a trickle
to many tens of thousands of people compelled to learn how this
experience can transform them. They hope it will heal the rifts
which have been caused by a modern society that creates
isolation. People of all ages, backgrounds and from all over the
world are traveling to South America to take this powerful plant
medicine. It’s reputation is such that author Graham Hancock
suggests potential world leaders should only take up office once
they’ve been initiated by ayahuasca and Terence McKenna who
inspired many to follow his lead said in his book The Archaic
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Revival ‘you are not a fully matured human being in touch with
the potential of reality unless you have had a psychedelic
experience’.
Several documentaries have been made about ayahuasca. A
number of Hollywood celebs and famous musicians are raving
about it. And barely a week goes by without some kind of
reference to ayahuasca within the mainstream media.
But even something as sacred as these ancient ceremonies can
get eroded by greed.
A darker side of this booming industry has come to light
resulting in confusion about ayahuasca’s efficacy and a great deal
of trepidation about embarking on an ayahuasca journey to
begin with. Reasons for this include:
- South American countries have a reputation for being
dangerous
- The media has featured several frightening accounts of people
dying from taking ayahuasca
- Bad (or fake) shamans have been accused of witchcraft,
stealing and/or molesting people
- People have lost their minds taking powerful psychedelic
drugs.
None of these points are entirely untrue; however, we believe
that safety issues should not be a huge concern so long as you do
your research and know exactly what you’re getting involved
with.
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The purpose of ‘Have a Safe Journey’ is to help you do just that.
This book does not aim to be a comprehensive guide to what
ayahuasca is and how it works; there are several excellent books
and documentaries that will educate you on that subject.
Our goal is to provide you with enough information so that you
can make informed decisions on how to travel to Peru and have a
safe and reliable experience. While we recognize that Peru is not
the only country where you can go to experience genuine
ayahuasca ceremonies, it is the country which is most considered
the ‘home’ of ayahuasca. The information in this book will also
help you make more informed decisions even if you choose to
experience it elsewhere.
If you decide to participate in an ayahuasca ceremony we hope
this book will add to an unforgettable and possibly life-changing
experience.
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PART 1
Preparing for your Journey
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What is Ayahuasca?
There are many great books and documentaries that describe
what ayahuasca is and how it works, and it is beyond the scope
of this book to go into detail on this particular subject. I will
provide some recommended reading suggestions later in the
book; however, here is a brief introduction to what ayahuasca
is…
Ayahuasca is the name given to a sacred plant medicine that
comes from the Amazon rainforest where the indigenous people
of the jungle have likely used it for thousands of years.
However, ayahuasca is no garden-variety plant medicine. The
effects of ayahuasca are as extraordinary as they are profound.
Most other plant medicines do not heal you by altering your
entire perception of reality!
Working with ayahuasca is an intense, profound, and usually an
incredibly transformative experience that can facilitate deep
healing on all levels of your being – physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual. Ayahuasca is a doorway to inner worlds that allows
us to enter expanded states of consciousness and the experience
of spiritual awakening. For many people, ayahuasca reveals the
multi-dimensional nature of both reality and ourselves, and it
leads us back to the knowledge of what we truly are – spiritual
beings having a human experience.
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The word ayahuasca is derived from two Quechua words
(Quechua is an indigenous language of South America). 'Aya,'
which means spirit, ancestor or deceased person, and 'Huasca,'
which means vine or rope. Therefore, ayahuasca is sometimes
referred to as 'vine of the soul' or 'vine of the dead'.
The history of ayahuasca is relatively unknown, and will always
be uncertain because there are no written records from the
Amazon region from before the time when the Spaniards
invaded. There are only various myths and oral traditions passed
down through generations by the indigenous. However, a
ceremonial cup was found in Ecuador, believed to be well over
2500 years old that contained
traces of ayahuasca, so it has been
used at least that long, and
probably much longer.
Ayahuasca is used in many South
American countries including Brazil,
Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia,
Peru and Bolivia, and by at least
seventy different indigenous tribes
of the Amazon.
Ayahuasca brewing
The ayahuasca brew
From a tangible, material perspective ayahuasca is a foul-tasting
liquid medicine brewed from two plants that grow in the Amazon
jungle. One of those plants is a jungle vine known as Ayahuasca
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(Banisteriopsis caapi). The other is a green leafy plant called
Chacruna (Psychotria viridis), or alternatively another plant called
Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana) can be used instead of
Chacruna (or both together).
The Importance of the Ayahuasca Vine
All Amazonian shamans consider the ayahuasca vine to be the
most important plant of the brew. This is because they
understand it to be the spirit of the vine that provides the
healing and insights, hence why the vine is also called Ayahuasca.
What is truly fascinating about the ayahuasca brew is the
complexity of the chemical interactions that take place to enable
the experience, especially when you consider that so-called
‘primitive’ jungle people discovered it.
The Chacruna/Chaliponga plants contain high quantities of DMT
(dimethyltryptamine), a potent psychoactive compound that
enables the powerful visionary effects common to ayahuasca
experiences. What is unique about DMT is that it already
naturally exists within the human brain, Many people believe
that DMT is created in the pineal gland, which some spiritual
traditions associate with the third eye.
American researcher Dr. Rick Strassman investigated the effects
of DMT by giving high doses to sixty volunteers over five years.
He later hypothesized that the pineal gland releases DMT when a
person nears death and that DMT connects us to the spirit world.
You can read about his work in the book DMT: The Spirit
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Molecule.
However, under normal circumstances, DMT cannot have any
effect when ingested orally because it is destroyed in the
stomach by an enzyme known as Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA).
This is where the chemistry of the vine comes into play. The
ayahuasca vine contains three primary harmala alkaloids – the βcarboline derivatives harmine, tetrahydroharmine (THH), and
harmaline. These three harmala alkaloids are potent inhibitors of
MAO-A enzymes. In other words, they prevent the enzymes from
destroying the DMT, allowing it to pass through the stomach and
eventually into the brain where it produces its incredible
visionary effects.
However, what is not commonly understood is that there is far
more to an ayahuasca experience than just the effects of the
DMT. As stated earlier, all shamans say the vine is the most
important plant of the brew, and not the plants containing the
DMT. A useful analogy I like is to imagine that Ayahuasca is a
cave and that DMT is like a torch beam illuminating the cave.
As a final note, do not let the complex sounding chemistry fool
you into believing the Ayahuasca experience is nothing more
than just chemical interactions in the brain. These chemicals
somehow enable the ayahuasca experience, but they are not the
experience itself. You could say that it is like the physical
components of your computer all work together to enable you to
experience the internet. However, your computer is not the
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Internet – it just allows you to access and interact with it.
Likewise, the chemicals of ayahuasca somehow enable you to
enter and experience the spiritual dimensions of the universe.
You could say they allow you to access the cosmic internet!
Ultimately, it is up to each individual what he or she wants to
believe. It is good to be skeptical, but with an open mind. Even
the most cynical person must soon acknowledge - from their own
experiences, or from the testimonies of countless others, that
there are too many strange experiences that simply cannot be
explained away by saying they are ‘your brain on drugs’.
People report out-of-body experiences, visiting friends and
relatives back home and being able to verify what they
encountered during their spiritual flights. Others report groupexperiences, where people who take part in a group ceremony
all report seeing, hearing and experiencing the exact same
things. Telepathic communication is not uncommon.
Ayahuasca is about healing and spiritual growth. For example, it
has shown incredible success rates in the treatment of old
traumas, like in rape and abuse victims and war veterans with
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some people report the
advantages of ayahuasca when treating cancer and aids and a
host of other afflictions, as well as depression, alcoholism, and
drug addiction. The list is almost endless!
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And what is ayahuasca not?
I’ve seen quite a bit of nonsense written about ayahuasca over
the years so I want to share a few things about what I think
ayahuasca is not.
Not a recreational drug
Ayahuasca should not be considered a drug, or certainly not in
the recreational sense. The dictionary definition of drug is ‘a
medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect
when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body’. Within
that extremely broad sense then you could classify ayahuasca as
a drug. However, calling ayahuasca a drug evokes many negative
connotations in most people. People who work with ayahuasca
like to refer to it simply as ‘the medicine’ because that is truly
what it is. Shamans often refer to it as La Medicina.
I believe that almost all psychedelic substances, particularly LSD
and psilocybin have medicinal and/or therapeutic qualities and
some recent research have begun proving their effectiveness in
treating certain conditions. However, most psychedelic
substances, particularly when taken in lower doses, can also be
enjoyed on a purely recreational level. Many people who take
mushrooms and LSD-like substances often do so to ‘trip out’,
have fun, or enhance their creativity (not that I am saying there is
anything wrong with that!).
No matter what dosage you take, ayahuasca is never a
recreational psychedelic. Even at small doses, it can make you
purge heavily and you may experience loss of physical
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coordination. Ayahuasca is a powerful natural medicine, but
what is it a medicine for?
In many respects, experiencing ayahuasca is often a form of
psychotherapy, but on a much deeper level than even the most
skilled psychotherapist could ever reach. Even an experienced
psychotherapist may have difficulty getting you to look deeply at
feelings, emotions, or events from your past that you may prefer
not remembering.
Ayahuasca, on the other hand, has little difficulty in getting you
to confront all the things that you have been avoiding. However,
you still have the choice of pushing it away and refusing the
insights and healing that ayahuasca offers.
All human beings carry pain with them to varying degrees. We
have all experienced loss, abandonment, rejection, sadness,
bullying, abuse and quite a high number of us have suffered
severe emotional or physical trauma in our lives.
All these painful experiences leave emotional scars on our
being, but unlike a physical scar that remains visible, emotional
scars are invisible and often it’s difficult to see the influence they
still have on our lives. The wounds from our past, if left forgotten
and unhealed, will profoundly affect our behaviors of today.
If you really want to experience ayahuasca, then it is important
to have a willingness to look deeply and honestly into yourself
and be ready to heal the wounds from your past.
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If you’re thinking of drinking ayahuasca because you have read
about some of the incredible cosmic and spiritual experiences
that are often reported - and you quite fancy some of that for
yourself - then you may want to reconsider. It is unlikely you will
get what you want – or at least not straight away.
Not a miracle cure-all
There is no doubt that ayahuasca has assisted in some
remarkable, some would say miraculous, healings. You can find
all kinds of testimonies from people claiming ayahuasca cured
them of cancer, brain tumors and a wide variety of lifethreatening conditions from which Western medicine generally
provides little relief. Yet, not everybody gets the healing they
desire, particularly concerning terminal conditions. So please do
not look at ayahuasca as a miracle-medicine guaranteed to heal
you. You must have no expectations.
Also, you must never expect the medicine to do all the work for
you. There are three components of successful ayahuasca
healing. The first is the ayahuasca, the second is the work of the
shaman, and the third, and equally as important, is you. You
must have a strong willingness to work with the ayahuasca. If you
do not play your part in the process, then you almost certainly
will not get the results you desire.
Not a religion
Real shamanism is not a religion. It is the art of healing and has
nothing to do with the worship of any kind of deity. Having said
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that, shamans will call on spirits, and possibly also on biblical
saints and figures such as Jesus, Mother Mary, and the Holy
Spirit. Integrating Christian figures into the traditional culture is
not strange to the shaman; to him, it is all the same thing.
Foreign-born shamans or Westerners who like to call
themselves that sometimes tend to turn the shamanic ceremony
into a religious-like event. While some people may have a need
for worship of the gods, or religious bells and whistles, it has
nothing to do with real shamanism.
Not a shortcut to enlightenment
If someone ever tells you that he or she is enlightened because
of ayahuasca - slap them! - Just kidding, please don’t use
violence, but at least have a little chuckle to yourself.
I am sure that nobody has ever become permanently
enlightened from drinking ayahuasca. You almost certainly will
not find an enlightened shaman in the Amazon and they have
surely guzzled more ayahuasca than anyone else has.
Ayahuasca can certainly allow you to experience expanded
states of consciousness that may seem profound and
enlightening. Sometimes it may seem like you have access to all
knowledge in the universe and that you are enlightened and one
with God. However, this is always a temporary and perhaps
somewhat delusional state and not something that stays with
you for long after the ceremony ends.
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Is ayahuasca right for everyone?
An idealistic view of many who have healed with ayahuasca is
that if everyone in the world experienced this medicine, we
could all heal ourselves, expand our consciousness, resolve all
the problems of the world, and then live happily ever after.
It is certainly a beautiful idea. However, leaving aside the fact
that there is nowhere near enough ayahuasca in the Amazon for
everyone in the world to experience it, I think it is fair to say that
most people are probably not quite ready to work with such a
powerful medicine. Therefore, it is not something I recommend
for everyone, or at least not for everyone where they are at right
now. Often people grow, develop, and become ready later in
their lives.
If you’re not ready to experience the medicine, it may have some
rather unpleasant and less than positive effects on your psyche.
If you are considering drinking ayahuasca, here are some
questions you may want to consider first. If you answer ‘NO’ to
half or more of the questions, it probably is not the right time for
you to experience ayahuasca.
•
•
•
Have you felt a strong call to work with the medicine?
Do you have a particular reason for wanting to work with
ayahuasca?
Are you aware of emotional wounds, past traumas or
illnesses that require healing? If so, do you have a strong
willingness to heal them – no matter what?
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do you usually cope well with stressful or challenging
situations?
Do you usually welcome change and new experiences into
your life?
Can you be comfortable with, or at least open to, the idea
of temporarily losing control of your mind (and sometimes
your body) for a few hours?
Do you understand that ayahuasca is much more than just
a psychedelic trip or drug experience?
Do you understand that consciousness altering substances
can be medicinal and facilitate deep healing?
Are you free of any religious or spiritual beliefs that may
conflict with you having an ayahuasca experience?
Do you consider yourself open-minded?
Do you try to take full responsibility for your life and your
decisions, instead of always blaming other people or
situations for your problems?
Do you have a desire to find a new or greater purpose in
your life?
Do you trust your intuition?
Have you already done research into the effects of
ayahuasca?
If you answered mostly 'Yes' then you’re probably ready to
experience ayahuasca.
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Is ayahuasca dangerous?
The short answer to this question is simply: No.
In the words of Terrence McKenna, “The only thing you’re likely
to die of is astonishment!”
During your research, you may have come across some scary
stories about people getting hurt or even dying from drinking
ayahuasca. Let me put your mind at ease. Nobody who has drunk
ayahuasca responsibly, free of medications, in the right
environment and with the guidance of a genuine, experienced
shaman, has ever died from drinking ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is not
toxic to the body and, to the best of my knowledge, there has
been no recorded evidence of physical or psychological damage
caused by ingesting ayahuasca in a responsibly held
environment.
Having said that, there have been a small number of deaths and
injuries related to ayahuasca usage. It definitely can be
dangerous if you have certain health conditions, or you are
taking medications contraindicated with ayahuasca. These are
primarily drugs that contain SSRIs commonly used to treat
depression, such as Prozac.
As a precaution, you should not drink ayahuasca if the following
applies to you:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You are taking any kind of antidepressants (for example
SSRIs, SNRI, MAOI - a and b, TCAs Tricyclic, TeCAs and
others) and some pain medications which influence
serotonin. Before experiencing ayahuasca, you should
stop taking MAOIs and SSRIs at least eight weeks before
drinking ayahuasca (it could be less time depending on
the drug and the dosage so you should consult with your
doctor first).
You are taking antipsychotic medication
See a full list of drugs to avoid at ayahuasca.com
You have a chronic heart condition or severe blood
pressure.
You have a history of mental illness, schizophrenia, severe
bipolar disorder and/or suicidal tendencies.
You are currently on – or have recently finished an
antibiotic treatment.
You suffer from diabetes (Some diabetics can drink
ayahuasca safely, but you should discuss this with your
retreat center or shaman).
You have had surgery within the last six months.
You are pregnant – this issue is hotly debated and some
people believe that it is totally okay to drink ayahuasca
while pregnant. Others think it’s not such a good idea.
This is something you should discuss with your shaman
and also use your own intuition.
You should also be very cautious if you suffer from epilepsy.
There is some anecdotal evidence that ayahuasca has been used
to treat epilepsy successfully. However, if you have epilepsy, it is
important someone monitors you at all times during the
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ceremony. The danger is that if you have a seizure while in
ceremony and vomit at the same time, you could potentially
choke on your vomit and die. Therefore, you should not take part
in ceremonies with many people where it will be impossible for
you to be monitored closely at all times.
There are a few other dangers as well, but these are related to
drinking ayahuasca with people who lack integrity, particularly
what we call ‘brujos’ in the Amazon. These are shamans who
essentially work with the ‘dark side’ of the force, and who use
their powers to harm instead of heal.
Although far from a frequent occurrence, there, unfortunately,
are reports of people being robbed, beaten and even raped by
such people. Worse, a few people have died because of their
negligence. For this reason, you should never ever go and do a
ceremony with someone you meet on the street, without any
way of verifying who they are. In places like Iquitos, you may get
many people offering you ayahuasca ceremonies including taxi
drivers, jungle lodges/guides and jewelry sellers in the street.
Please never do a ceremony with someone you do not know or
have no way of reliably verifying.
There are also additional plants that some shamans add to the
ayahuasca brew that can potentially be harmful to some people.
One of these plants is Toé (Brugmansia suaveolens).
Toé has become notorious lately and is perhaps vilified a little
more than it deserves. It definitely can be dangerous, but many
shamans still consider it a master plant teacher like ayahuasca
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and it can heal. However, it is also very toxic. Do not play around
with Toé, it should only be used by people who are serious about
shamanic training. Use it with extreme caution and only under
the close guidance of a genuine and experienced shaman. It
should never be given to first-time ayahuasca drinkers under any
circumstance because it can inflict long-lasting, even permanent,
psychological damage. It can even kill people in large doses. Also,
unlike with ayahuasca, it is possible for people to have dangerous
allergic reactions to Toé.
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Why has ayahuasca become so
popular?
No doubt an entire book could be written to answer this one
question, but I will provide a few brief thoughts.
The wise Indian philosopher and mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti once
said; “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a
profoundly sick society.” Well, it really is a profoundly sick society
that we have created for ourselves. Only relatively recently have
large numbers of people started to see the insanity of it all and
realized their need to heal from it.
From the day we are born, most of us are abused (even
traumatized) to varying degrees by a society that is ultimately
controlled by psychopaths. For most of our lives, chemicals have
poisoned us in our food, our water, our air and even our
medicines. Often, what purports to be healthcare is nothing
more than a scam for the pharmaceutical companies to make
increasingly obscene profits for themselves. Western medicine
generally just treats the symptoms rather than the root cause of
the illness.
Our schools and universities teach and condition us to become
good little corporate worker-bees, but they do not teach us how
to be happy and well-balanced individuals and how to truly look
after ourselves, or even think for ourselves. And if you shine a
light on the messages that the corporate media pounds into our
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brains 24/7, you will find that most of their messages are just as
poisonous to our minds as the dangerous chemicals are to our
bodies. It is a rather grim situation to say the least.
Perhaps worse than all that, most people have become
completely disconnected from nature and have no sense of
spirituality and sacredness.
The light at the end of the tunnel is that people are finally
waking up to all this. They are upset, and looking for answers.
They are looking to cleanse and heal their bodies and their
minds, and they have a strong desire to reconnect with their true
nature and find a deeper sense of purpose to their lives.
The word on the grape(ayahuasca)vine is that ayahuasca can
help with all that, and for most people it really can.
Many people have reported that just a few ayahuasca sessions
were far more beneficial and more healing than many years of
psychotherapy.
Out of places like Iquitos, there is a constant flow, perhaps now
a torrent, of anecdotal stories of incredible healings credited to
ayahuasca. Nobody who works with this medicine has any doubt
that ayahuasca literally changes lives.
A global consciousness shift does appear to be taking place in
the world, and few people would argue that ayahuasca is playing
at least a small role in that.
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People want to truly heal themselves and be whole again, and
they want to know what they can do to play their part in healing
the world.
I think this is broadly why more people want to experience
ayahuasca.
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Where is ayahuasca legal?
Ayahuasca is legal in all South American Amazonian countries
where people use it in traditional shamanic ceremonies: Peru,
Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Brazil.
I am aware of ayahuasca retreat centers in both Mexico and
Costa Rica and I believe it to be legal in those countries, but I’m
not 100% sure.
In other countries, where ayahuasca is imported, things are
often not so clear. In some countries, the ayahuasca plants, as
well as the brew are legal, but the chemical substance DMT is
not. This may lead to confusion about the implementation of the
law. In the UK for example, one person who organized ayahuasca
ceremonies was found guilty of breaking the law on selling DMT
and convicted to jail time. Yet, another person with similar
charges was never even brought to trial.
In some countries, ayahuasca users have found a solution in the
form of organized religion. By registering as a church and
claiming the use of ayahuasca as a sacred ceremony, they remain
protected by religious freedom laws. Two such churches
recognized by some European countries and US states are Santo
Daime and Uniao Do Vegetal (UDV). However, one cannot just
show up and expect to take part in their ceremonies; there is
usually some form of application process and admittance criteria.
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How to experience ayahuasca
If you want to experience ayahuasca, you have several options.
Your choice depends on what it is you’re searching for, and of
course on your available time and budget. Whichever you
choose, always prepare and do your homework. Remember,
there is no shaman school, no certificate or diploma, and
essentially anyone can call themselves a shaman.
Since ayahuasca has gained worldwide attention, many people
have become aware of the money they can make from offering
ayahuasca ceremonies. This obviously attracts all kinds of
elements - the good, the bad and the ugly. Sifting through the
pebbles to find the true gems can seem like a daunting task.
Many people find it a bit scary and confusing. That is why it is
always a good idea to do research online, get references and
read reviews. Fortunately, there are more reliable information
sources available to help you find your way.
Here is a brief description of the main options that are available
to you for experiencing ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca Retreats
This is one of the most popular and safest options. You make a
reservation for a multi-day retreat (usually 7 to 14 days), where
you stay on location at a lodge, usually in the Amazon rainforest.
Everything is included; your transportation (except flights);
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special meals; several ayahuasca ceremonies and possibly other
shamanic or holistic treatments. Accommodations, particularly in
the Amazon, are often modest to rustic, but that is part of the
experience.
Retreats can be very effective and there are several that come
highly recommended. Keep in mind that this is often the most
expensive option, although when considering the value of the
experience (and in some cases the luxury of the lodge)
everything is relative.
I would personally recommend retreats for most people, but
there are certainly other worthwhile options particularly if you’re
a little more adventurous.
Individual shamans
Another option, if you would rather find your own path, is to
come to the Amazon and find a good shaman who works alone.
Talk to the people you encounter and you will soon hear about
their personal experiences. This option is a bit more adventurous
and certainly comes with a few more risks, but it could save you
quite a lot of money. Not speaking Spanish can be a problem, so
take your time finding your way.
Some shamans have their own centers, and can sometimes be
just as expensive as western owned retreat centers, but many
provide ceremonies in their homes at a much cheaper price. If
you work with a single shaman for a period of time, then you are
likely going to get much more personal attention than you would
28
at a retreat center.
Local Ceremonies & Ayahuasca Churches
If traveling to South America is not an option, due to time,
money or other considerations, finding an ayahuasca ceremony
in your own country can be a reasonable alternative. However,
keep in mind that these can be illegal, depending on where you
live.
You can find people running ayahuasca ceremonies in most
major countries in the world, but they may not be easy to find.
Due to the legal issues, they do not openly promote what they
do. Finding where and when these ceremonies take place can be
difficult. It is often a case of knowing the right people, at the
right time. Try befriending the owners of your nearest new age
bookstore or natural healing center and perhaps they can point
you in the right direction.
Keep in mind as well that it is almost impossible to find online
reviews and testimonials for such ceremonies. My suggestion is
that if you do come across someone who is running ceremonies
then you should talk to them beforehand and see what kind of
impression they give you. No matter how desperate you are to
experience ayahuasca, if someone gives you a bad feeling then
my advice is to say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ and walk away.
Another concern is that the police may bust your ayahuasca
ceremony (this has happened a couple of times). You will surely
29
understand that being arrested while under the influence of
ayahuasca would be a rather unpleasant experience. Please
educate yourself about the local laws and the risks in places
where DMT is outlawed.
Ayahuasca churches: You will find the UDV (Brazil and US) and
Santo Daime chapters in several countries. Also, other
organizations worldwide offer ayahuasca ceremonies. You could
do a search on Facebook, where you will find many groups. As
always, do your research and get references and reviews if
possible.
30
How to pick a suitable ayahuasca
retreat
The safest, easiest, most hassle free way of legally experiencing
ayahuasca is to go on an ayahuasca retreat. The majority of
retreat centers are currently located in Peru, but you can also
find retreat centers in Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and
Mexico.
Ayahuasca retreats come in different flavors and not all of them
will appeal to your taste. Before you potentially splash out a lot
of money, it is important to choose a retreat that is right for you.
Your reasons for wanting to experience ayahuasca should
influence your decision.
For example, are you looking for deep healing? Overcoming
addictions? Shamanic training? Spiritual development? Or are
you just curious? There are many reasons why people go in
search of ayahuasca.
When looking for a suitable retreat, it is important to be aware
of what your intention is and what you hope to achieve. As you
research different retreats, keep your intention in mind and pay
attention to your feelings about the places that interest you.
Your intuition will always be right if you know how to listen to it.
Keep the following questions in mind when researching
different Ayahuasca retreats.
31
- Why do you want to drink ayahuasca? Physical health, mental
health, emotional health, spiritual health/exploration, trying
something new, etc.? Answering this will automatically rule out
some retreats and suggest others.
- What sort of group size do you feel comfortable with? Some
retreats work with small groups of less than ten people. Others
have group sizes of more than twenty.
- What level of comfort do you need? How much are you willing
to pay for that? Again, answering this narrows the options.
- Do you want to be in the jungle or would you prefer a different
type of location, such as the mountains for example?
- Do you want to experience traditional ceremonies with a
native shaman, or does it matter if the shaman is a westerner? A
small number of retreat centers do not use native shamans to
conduct the ceremonies.
- Do you want to be able to speak with the shamans and learn
from them? Will there be someone available to translate the
questions and answers (if you do not speak Spanish)?
- Are there experienced facilitators to guide you through the
process? Good facilitators can help you get the most out of your
experiences.
- What have other people said about the retreats that interest
you? Is the feedback positive?
32
- What other activities/healing modalities are offered?
- Is the center run for profit or non-profit? Do they say what
they do with the money? This issue is important to some people.
- Is the center sustainable?
If you are clear about the answers to these questions, then you
should be able to find a retreat that is right for you. Always do as
much research as necessary and always trust your own internal
guidance and intuition.
Other considerations
Another issue regarding safety during retreats is the
preparedness of the center. Particularly with large groups there
ought to be sitters or facilitators present. These are people who
usually do not drink ayahuasca and who are there to help you
when needed; guide you to the bathroom, or prevent you from
wandering off into the jungle.
A good retreat center must also have an adequate first-aid kit
on hand, as it is not possible to call 911 from the middle of the
jungle.
The best retreat centers support and invest in the communities
where they are located. We must realize that the people here
have long been exploited and abused by the newcomers. We
owe them at least our gratitude for their hospitality, but also our
33
service in helping them develop sustainable ways of living in and
of the natural environment.
Book your retreat in advance
If you want to attend a retreat, particularly in Iquitos, please
make a reservation in advance of arriving in Peru. Many of the
best retreat centers sell out many weeks and sometimes months
in advance. Recently I’ve noticed what seems to be an increasing
trend of people arriving in Iquitos without having a reservation
and then look for a retreat to join. You may get lucky, and
sometimes retreat centers do get last minute cancelations.
However, if you have to choose a center simply because they
have last minute availability and not because it is the best center
for your needs then you probably won’t have the best
experience.
How to find reviews and feedback
Whether you choose to attend an organized retreat or prefer to
work with an individual shaman; it is important you do your
research and feel comfortable with the decision you make. Here
are some places where you can find feedback and reviews:
Useful Websites
As with almost anything these days, the best place to do your
research is the internet. There are some websites that may
34
provide information about any center or shaman you are
considering visiting.
These include:
Retreat Center’s own website
Many retreat centers publish testimonials on their own
websites. Obviously, they will be very selective about what they
publish and it is possible they can make up reviews, but I would
hope that centers would only publish genuine testimonials.
Ayahuasca.com forum http://forums.ayahuasca.com/
The ayahuasca.com discussion forum has been around for over
ten years and it is the largest and most active online forum on
the subject of ayahuasca. There is a wealth of information here
on all aspects of ayahuasca and forum members are generally
very helpful.
Reset.me http://reset.me/
Reset.me is an information resource and online community
founded by Amber Lyon, a former CNN journalist. She has since
become an advocate for using natural therapies, including
psychedelic plant medicines, for healing depression, anxiety,
stress, PTSD, addiction, and other health conditions, as well as
enhancing spirituality and well-being. Her website contains an
online community and discussion forum that is becoming
increasingly popular.
Trip Advisor – http://www.tripadvisor.com/
35
A small number of ayahuasca retreat centers are listed on Trip
Advisor, but not many.
Facebook http://www.facebook.com
Several Facebook discussion groups about ayahuasca are very
active and frequently used by people seeking recommendations.
The most popular group is:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ayahuascaworld/
Ayahuasca Review sites
Several review sites have sprung up over the years. Many of
them list most of the ayahausca retreat centers and allow people
to leave reviews. Review sites that are available at the time of
publishing include:
Aya Advisors - http://ayaadvisors.org/
Open Mind Trips - http://openmindtrips.com/
Retreat Guru - http://retreat.guru/be/ayahuasca
Ayamundo - https://www.ayamundo.com/
Should you trust online reviews/testimonials?
Yes and no. Your intuition can play an important role when
analyzing reviews and testimonials. It is important to be as
skeptical of the bad reviews as well as the good reviews. Even in
36
the supposed ‘spiritual’ world of ayahuasca, it is not unheard of
for jealous idiots to try to harm the reputation of their perceived
competition.
Furthermore, people sometimes attend retreat centers with
completely unrealistic expectations. They may not have done
their homework properly, and as a result, they did not have the
kind of experience they wanted. Then they go online and
complain. These are all factors to consider when reading reviews.
Ethnobotanical Stewardship Council (EBC)
One organization that is making an
effort to bring some order to the
chaos is the Ethnobotanical
Stewardship Council. They have
started a project called the Plant Dialogues, which aims to
“establish best practices on the safe use and sustainability of this
plant medicine”.
Joshua Wickerham is the founder of this non-profit organization
dedicated to assuring the sustainable and safe use of traditional
plants, and enriching the communities who work with them. One
of their goals is helping you to find good, reliable ayahuasca
retreats.
Joshua Wickerham does not want to go so far as to give specific
recommendations. His organization has established a so-called
“Ayahuasca Agreement”; an ethical code to which participating
ayahuasca centers can subscribe voluntarily, which sets a
standard for safe and sustainable use of the plants, and that
37
requires them to provide community support.
The Ethnobotanical Stewardship Council points out that one
should take into account that there are cultural differences. One
example is that there are different conceptions of inappropriate
touching. What some westerners may interpret as nonconsensual intimacy may not be meant as such. During
ceremonies, a shaman may touch people in various places as part
of the healing; even put his lips on certain body parts to suck out
bad energy. If you are unaware of and unprepared for such
practices, it may lead to misunderstandings.
Their website is http://www.ethnobotanicalcouncil.org/
You can see an interview with Joshua Wickerham by Amber
Lyon,
on
the
subject
of
ayahuasca
safety
at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF9GywvaFB0
38
What is a (good) shaman?
An Amazonian shaman is a healer, a medicine man, a doctor.
And although they work as a bridge between the physical and
the spiritual worlds, you should not look at them as spiritual
gurus or holy priests. Even though they may seem to have superhuman abilities, they are still just human beings who often have
the same flaws and imperfections as we do.
So please understand that there are reasonable and
unreasonable expectations you can project onto a shaman. Just
do not put them on a high pedestal and expect them to act like
saints.
It is hard to say what makes a good shaman, but there are a few
clues you can use to determine if a shaman is worthy of your
time and money:
In my opinion, a good shaman:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Is motivated only by healing and never uses their power to
harm others.
Should not charge extortionate fees or be solely motivated
by financial gain.
Never or rarely drinks alcohol.
Is open and honest about the way he/she works.
Does not abuse their power or get involved in power games.
Never takes advantage of the opposite sex and does not get
sexually involved with their patients.
39
•
Should seem humble, and not have an inflated ego and not
boast about having special powers.
Is never pushy or use any kind of manipulation to get you to
work with him.
Will not tell you that he is the ONLY shaman that can
possibly help you.
•
•
When to run!
It may be difficult to judge a shaman when you first meet him. A
friendly exterior may hide darker ulterior motives. Never feel
obligated to remain with a shaman if you begin to feel he or she
is not the person you originally thought they were. Look out for
these warning signs, and run if you need to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Evidence of using brujeria or dark magic
Always looking for ways of charging you more money
Appears drunk sometimes
Always secretive about the way they work
They seem to take a sexual interest in you or others
Seems manipulative and engage in power games with you
or others
They continually inflate your own ego.
40
What’s a fair price for ayahuasca, or
should you even pay?
The subject of money, and payment for a ‘spiritual service’, can
be an incredibly divisive topic. It is a complex issue and opinions
vary widely; however, I have read many opinions online where I
think the writer has little knowledge of the culture here in Peru.
While doing your research, you may occasionally come across
people stating that real shamans don’t charge money for their
ayahuasca ceremonies and healing, and if they charge money,
then it means they’ve become corrupted. This is not true, or
certainly not in Peru.
There are essentially two types of shamans in Peru. First, there
are the tribal shamans who are truly indigenous to the region,
and who still live with their tribes deep in the Amazon jungle.
They usually have little or no contact with outsiders.
Tribal people have little use for money although that’s not to
say they have no need for it. Sometimes they do trade with
outsiders and buy modern tools and weapons.
Few people will ever have the chance to drink ayahuasca in an
authentic tribal setting. If that is what you want to experience,
then good luck with that. It will not be easy to achieve and it will
probably cost you quite a lot of money for transport and jungle
guides to get you there. Then there is no guarantee these
shamans will want to include you in their sacred ceremonies, or
41
even let you into their village!
The other type of shaman in Peru is the meztizo curandero.
Meztizo means ‘of mixed race’ and it is what most Peruvians
have become over the last five hundred years since the Spanish
invaded. Only a relatively small number of Peruvians can say they
are 100% indigenous, most are meztizo.
Meztizo shamans evolved primarily out of the rubber boom
period in the late 19th century. When the rubber tappers became
sick, they usually did not have access to doctors. They often
relied on the indigenous healers in the region to heal them from
their sickness.
Some of these rubber tappers later apprenticed to the
indigenous shamans and became shamans themselves. They
used their knowledge and abilities to heal others. Over time, the
meztizo shamans became the village healers for the thousands of
small villages that were forming all around the Amazon basin in
Peru.
The meztizo shamans have always performed their services for
payment. It may not always have been a monetary payment: it
may have been in the form of food (such as chicken or fish),
supplies, or whatever the patient was able to offer. However, the
patient was always expected to give something in exchange for
the service the shaman provided. Reciprocity is an important
spiritual concept, particularly in Peru, so please remember that,
next time you want to argue that ayahuasca should be free.
42
What would you be giving back exactly?
Almost all the shamans you are likely to meet in Peru are
meztizo shamans (or Shipibo shamans, who are indigenous but
have adapted to modern life in Peru). They do what they do to
make a living – it is a job for them as well as a spiritual calling.
Many have large families to support, they have houses and bills
to pay and they need to make a living like everyone else.
Therefore, asking for payment has nothing to do with
corruption; it is the way things have always been for them. If you
do not agree with it, then simply do not come here. Although it is
fair to say that some shamans have certainly become corrupted
by money, wealth and fame.
The question then arises; what is a fair payment? It is all relative
and that is for you to decide. Most shamans operating in their
own home will charge between fifty and one hundred soles
(approximately $15 to $33) per ceremony. The shamans that
own their own healing centers will sometimes charge more
(usually between $35 and $65 per ceremony).
The various retreat centers charge the most money and it is
here where much of the controversy lies. Some of the ayahuasca
retreat centers in Peru do charge a lot of money and are clearly
targeting wealthy people because their prices are out of reach
even for the average westerner.
Ultimately, it is for each individual to decide what they agree
43
and do not agree with and what they feel comfortable
supporting.
It is worth considering that the amount of money charged is
perhaps far less important than what then happens to the
money. If most of the money is flowing into one person’s bank
account and making them rich, then that is certainly not very
cool. If, on the other hand, the money is put towards worthwhile
causes that benefit the local communities, the Amazon, or
something else important, then that is a positive thing to support
because more people benefit.
Not all retreat centers are expensive and providing you can
afford the air fares to Peru, you should be able to find something
that is within your budget. Experiencing safe and authentic
ayahuasca ceremonies in Peru certainly does not have to cost the
earth.
44
The Ayahuasca Diet
You have probably come across several mentions of the
ayahuasca diet in your research. But what is it all about, and is it
necessary?
There are essentially two diets with regards to ayahuasca, but
often they get lumped into being the same thing.
The ayahuasca safety diet
As you may recall, the ayahuasca vine is an MAOI, which blocks
an enzyme called monoamine oxidase, which breaks down
excess tyramine in the body. Tyramine is an amino acid that
helps regulate blood pressure and it is found in many different
foods. However, if you eat foods containing tyramine while
taking an MAOI, tyramine can reach dangerous levels in the
body. This can potentially lead to a sudden spike in blood
pressure, to stroke, brain hemorrhage, and theoretically death.
Therefore, I would recommend avoiding foods high in tyramine
for about 24 hours before drinking ayahuasca. Now, it is
extremely unlikely, perhaps impossible that anyone would die
this way. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no
reported deaths from drinking ayahuasca after eating foods high
in tyramine. It is more likely that you would get a severe
headache.
45
Foods that contain tyramine include:
Fermented foods like soya sauce/Tamari, soya bean paste/curd
(like Miso or Tofu), beer, vermouth, wine, aged/mouldy cheese
(cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss cheese, blue cheese), yeast, mature
avocado, eggplant, figs, grapes, pineapple, plums, raisins, prunes,
broad beans, fava beans, lentils, peanuts, dried milk, sour cream,
yogurt, buttermilk, chocolate, Vegemite and sauerkraut.
For a more complete list see:
http://www.forums.ayahuasca.com/viewtopic.php?t=14761
The shamanic diet (or dieta)
Shamans from the Amazon say that by eating certain types of
food and avoiding others, we begin the process of cleansing,
which enables our bodies to become far more sensitive to
working with the plant spirits. This is undoubtedly true to anyone
who has experienced a proper shamanic dieta for themselves. It
is important to remember that shamanic knowledge is practical
knowledge. It is not based on belief; it is based on what has been
tested and what works.
If you really want to get the most out of your ayahuasca
experience, I recommend following the shamans’ advice. This
means avoiding the following foods and activities:
46
- Hot peppers or anything spicy in general
- Onions or garlic
- Salt (a small amount is usually ok)
- processed sugar
- Caffeine or any kind of stimulant
- Pork
- Oil or fried foods
- Sexual stimulation, including masturbation
In the jungle, the foods that you’re allowed to eat are limited
mostly to plantain, potato, yucca, rice, some chicken, and fish.
If you are starting the diet back home, it is fine to eat a greater
variety of fruit, vegetables, grains and pulses. Just keep your diet
simple, natural and organic as much as possible, with no spices
or stimulants.
Yes, it is hard for most people, but it is an excellent exercise in
self-discipline, and not giving into what the ego craves. It also
demonstrates to the spirit of ayahuasca that you’re taking the
work seriously. Therefore, you should stick to the diet if for
nothing more than showing respect for the sacred journey you
are about to embark on.
You should start the diet at least 24 hours before you drink
ayahuasca; however, I strongly recommend you start three to
five days before. One week is even better.
You may read or hear reports from people who say the diet is
unnecessary and that it makes no difference. That may be true
47
for them. However, in my experience of running retreats, the
majority of people who stick to the shamanic dieta as much as
possible do tend to have deeper and more powerful ayahuasca
experiences.
If you’re in a position to work with ayahuasca on a long-term
basis, you can always experiment with the diet and find what
works best for you. However, if you are coming to Peru for what
might be a once in a lifetime experience, you should do
everything possible to increase your chances of having deeper
and more powerful ayahuasca journeys.
48
Should you drink ayahuasca alone?
In most countries, you can legally buy both ayahuasca plants
(vine and chacruna) from online stores, so that in theory you can
brew the ayahuasca yourself. However, is it ever a good idea to
brew ayahuasca and drink it on your own?
This is another controversial topic within ayahuasca circles. Some
people (including many shamans) will say that it is irresponsible
and dangerous to drink alone; others have had very positive
experiences going alone.
The fact is, if you spend much time browsing the forums at
http://forums.ayahuasca.com/, you will find reports from many
people who have had success brewing their own ayahuasca and
reporting very positive experiences.
Personally, I do not recommend it, but I am not here to tell you
how you should live your life.
A few years ago I facilitated a private group of people on an
ayahuasca retreat who were all self-professed ‘psychonauts’.
They were all very experienced users of various poweful
psychedelics but had never experienced ayahuasca. Most of
them had such powerful experiences with ayahuasca that by the
end of the retreat almost all agreed that they would never
recommend anyone drink ayahuasca without a shaman present.
I believe you should only ever consider it if you already have a
49
great deal of experience with other psychedelic plant teachers.
Always have a sitter present – a person who stays completely
sober - who can watch over you and help should you have any
problems. Never drink ayahuasca completely alone until you
have had plenty of experience with a sitter. You can find a lot
more helpful tips and advice at http://forums.ayahuasca.com/
Keep in mind that ayahuasca is used by the shamans to open a
gateway and enter the spirit realms. A shaman knows how to
protect himself and the people in his circle from unwanted
contacts and invasions from negative entities. You will
understand that this takes experience and skills that require
many years of training. Remember that by drinking alone, or
without the guidance of an experienced shaman, you may open
yourself up to influences and energies that you cannot control
and that you have little defense against.
50
How many ceremonies should you do?
The number of times you should drink ayahuasca varies for each
individual and largely depends on the reason you want to drink.
If you wish to experience ayahuasca because you’re curious or
mainly for personal growth reasons then I recommend that you
take part in at least three or four ceremonies, ideally within a
relatively short period of time such as a week or ten days.
Ayahuasca healing is always a process and very few people
receive the healing or insights they need from just one
ceremony. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to feel little
effect during their first one or two ceremonies.
The first two ceremonies often serve to purge and to cleanse
the body, while preparing you for the full benefits of ayahuasca
later on. You may experience fewer visions and/or revelations.
This is one reason why it is important to start the shamanic diet
about a week before you drink ayahuasca for the first time
because it is a powerful way of beginning the cleansing process.
Often people are surprised by the fact that they hardly feel any
effects the first few times they drink. They say; “If ayahuasca is
so powerful, why aren’t I feeling anything?”
The reason is simply that ayahuasca is a spiritual experience.
The intensity of the experience has little to do with chemical
51
interactions or the size of the dose. If the spirit of ayahuasca is
not able to enter you fully, then you will not feel many effects,
no matter how many cups you drink. This is simply because of
your own energetic blockages, which can sometimes take a while
to work through and clear.
For a small percentage of people, the initial cleansing process
can last between five and ten ceremonies. They will experience
very few effects at all, apart from purging perhaps. However, the
majority of people will have a powerful experience by their
second or third ceremony.
If you want to work with ayahuasca to heal from serious health
or emotional/trauma based issues, or long-term addictions then
you may need much longer than just a week and a few
ceremonies. If possible, you should consider giving yourself
several weeks or even a month or twp of intensive medicine
work to give yourself the best chance of receiving the healing
you need.
Please be aware that there are never any guarantees regarding
what kind of experience you will have with ayahuasca. Each
ceremony is different for each person who takes part and it may
even be that you do not get any results at all. It is hard to say
what the reason for this is; you just have to trust in ayahuasca to
do (or not do) what is right for you at the time.
52
PART 2
The Ayahuasca Journey
53
A Typical Ayahuasca Ceremony
It can be useful to know a little about what to expect from a
traditional ayahuasca ceremony in the Amazon, so here is my
rough guide to what happens during an ayahuasca ceremony.
The following information relates to traditional mestizo
ceremonies from the upper Amazon. There are many indigenous
tribes that use ayahuasca and they may have different customs,
rituals, and ways of conducting their ceremonies. Also, there are
also several religions such as Santo Daime that use ayahuasca as
a sacrament and their ceremonies are usually very different to
shamanic ceremonies.
Where do ceremonies take place?
Ayahuasca ceremonies in the Amazon usually take place in
either the shaman’s house or a ceremonial maloca. A maloca is a
large jungle hut that is often octagonal or decagonal in shape,
with a high sloping thatched roof that reaches its highest point in
the center.
If the ceremony takes place in a house, participants are typically
given a chair to sit on during the ceremony. If it is in a maloca,
you are usually provided with a small mattress to sit or lie on.
Most Ayahuasca retreat centers have their own ceremonial
maloca, which, depending on their size, can usually fit between
ten and thirty people in a circle.
54
The Diet
First, you should prepare well in advance of the ceremony, by
keeping to a rather strict diet. You will find a detailed description
in the diet chapter. This diet helps you to cleanse your body, but
also helps you to focus mentally and spiritually on the experience
ahead.
Do not eat after lunchtime on the day of the ceremony, and do
not drink any water less than one hour before the ceremony
starts.
Plant Baths
Before the ceremony begins, some shamans will ask you to take
a plant bath, particularly when you visit a multi-day retreat. The
plant bath will usually happen an hour or two before the
ceremony starts. These plants provide additional energetic
cleansing and/or spiritual protection while in the ceremony.
Arriving on time
Traditional ayahuasca ceremonies always take place after dark.
In the upper Amazon, it gets dark rather early because of the
close proximity to the equator. It is always dark before 7 pm and
the length of the day is almost the same all year round.
55
Most ceremonies start between 7 pm and 9 pm, but some
shamans prefer to start even later. A ceremony will typically last
about four hours, and sometimes much longer.
It's good practice to arrive at least thirty minutes before the
ceremony begins. This gives you enough time to find a place in
the room and enter a state of deep relaxation before you begin
your inner journey.
I strongly advise against engaging in meaningless chatter for at
least an hour before the ceremony begins. Use this time to relax,
center yourself and focus on your intention.
To enter a relaxed state of mind, you may find it helpful to
meditate or practice meditative breathing exercises. Practices
such as Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qi gung can also be very useful. Use
whatever works best for you.
What to take with you
Most importantly, you should always take a torch (necessary for
getting to the toilet) and a bottle of water to rinse your mouth.
Sometimes it is worth having an extra layer of clothing like a light
sweater. This is because the effects of ayahuasca can sometimes
make you feel cold and shivery, although these effects usually do
not last very long.
Most ceremonies ban manufactured/chemical cigarettes but
56
you are always allowed to smoke mapacho so take plenty with
you, plus a lighter if you wish to smoke.
Drinking the Ayahuasca
Once everybody is in their place and the shaman is ready to
begin, it is time to drink the ayahuasca. Each person in the room
will take turns to sit in front of the shaman and drink a cup of
ayahuasca.
When a person goes forward, the shaman will pour a dose of
ayahuasca into a ceremonial cup. The shaman will usually intuit
the dose needed for each individual. First-timers are sometimes
given a smaller dose than more experienced drinkers. The
shaman will then blow mapacho smoke over the cup and he
might also put his own intention or prayer into the cup and/or
sing an icaro before handing it over.
After receiving the cup, you should focus your intention into the
medicine before drinking it down. The medicine tastes foul, as
you have probably heard, so drink the ayahuasca as quickly as
possible (as you would a shot of tequila). The quicker you can get
it down, the easier it is and less likely you will vomit it straight
back up again.
When you have drunk the ayahuasca, you will return to your
place in the room and the next person will go forward until each
person in the room has drunk their dose. The shaman will usually
drink last.
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Protecting the space
One of the principle roles of the shaman during a ceremony is to
protect the space and everyone in it. This is why, for
inexperienced people at least, it is important to drink with a
genuine shaman. Without the protection of a good shaman,
you’re more open and vulnerable to negative energies and
spirits.
Once everyone in the room has drunk the ayahuasca, the
shaman will usually go around the room and blow mapacho
smoke over each person, primarily over their crown chakra and
over their hands. Mapacho is pure jungle tobacco and is a very
powerful and sacred plant medicine/spirit. The mapacho smoke
acts as protection from negative energies and spirits.
After the mapacho blessing, it is time to turn out all the lights.
The rest of the ceremony will take place in total darkness.
Sacred Songs
Some shamans will start chanting their icaros almost
immediately after turning off the lights. Others will wait until
they begin to feel the effects of the ayahuasca, which can be
anything from around fifteen to thirty minutes after drinking.
Some shamans will sing their icaros throughout the entire
ceremony without stopping while others may take breaks from
singing and sit in silence for long or short periods.
Icaros are sacred songs or chants that are given to the shamans,
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by their teachers or directly from the plant spirits. Each icaro has
a particular purpose. Some icaros call in different spirits for
healing or protection, while others intensify, or even reduce the
ayahuasca visions. However, most icaros are for healing.
Feeling the effects
I don’t like to write much about what people can actually
experience on ayahuasca because everybody experiences
ayahuasca in their own unique way. The spectrum of experiences
you can have on this medicine is vast and no two ceremonies are
ever quite the same. You could drink ayahuasca ten times and
have ten completely different experiences.
You can find many ayahuasca ‘trip reports’ online and they can
be fantastically exciting to read; however, I recommend that you
do not read many, or maybe not even any at all. The more you
read about other people’s experiences, the more expectations
you may develop about what your own experience will look like.
It’s important not to have expectations because they can easily
get in the way of your actual experience. If you’re constantly
judging what you think you should be experiencing against what
you’re actually experiencing, you will likely miss out on valuable
lessons that ayahuasca is trying to give you.
So, what I typically recommend to people who are drinking
ayahuasca for the first time is to forget everything they have ever
read, heard, or watched about ayahausca. Go into the experience
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with a blank slate and have no expectations or pre-conceived
ideas about what will happen to you (This can be difficult, I
know!).
What I will say is that most people will start to feel the effects of
the ayahuasca between 20 and 60 minutes after drinking.
However, sometimes the effects can come on much more rapid,
or sometimes they may take longer.
You may experience some uncomfortable physical effects, like
nausea, or intense hot or cold flashes. These unpleasant physical
effects usually pass; however, it is common to feel a lot of
nausea during your first one or two ceremonies. This is just
something you have to live with.
If you are not feeling any effects after about 90 minutes, then it
is usually fine to approach the shaman and ask for a second cup
of ayahuasca.
Typically, most people will feel the effects of Ayahuasca for
between three and six hours. Usually, the first two hours are the
most intense.
Learning to love the Purge
Occasionally I get emails from people asking me “I really want to
experience ayahuasca but I hate puking. Is there anything I can
do to stop myself from puking?”
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I understand why some people have a major resistance to
puking. For some people, their only experience of puking is when
they have been horribly ill, maybe as a young child, and so they
always associate puking with having a horrible sickness.
But you just have to accept that there’s no way to stop yourself
from purging on ayahuasca and nor should you want to. Purging
is a major part of the healing and cleansing process. Ayahuasca
purging not only cleanses the body, but also the mind and the
spirit. It is truly a holistic purge and possibly one of the most
cathartic experiences you will ever have in your life. Do not fight
it; work with it and allow it to happen. Purging can help you eject
all kinds of toxins from your total being.
The only time you should resist puking, if you can, is during the
first thirty minutes of the ceremony. The ayahuasca needs a bit
of time to enter your system. Puking too soon may lead to a less
intense experience.
Also, do not expect your first one or two ceremonies to be superintense or life altering. The first couple of ceremonies are often
quite mild for some people. This is because we often have many
energetic blockages that need clearing before we can go deep
with the medicine.
Sometimes I see people being very disappointed after their first
one or two ceremonies because they did not get the intense,
mind-blowing effects they were expecting and hoping for. As I
have said before, it is important to have no expectations and be
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patient with ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a medicine and she needs
to eliminate your blockages before you can go deep. This process
can take awhile for some people, but most people will break
through by their third ceremony.
Tips for having the best possible journey
There are three tips I can give you for having the best possible
experience with ayahuasca.
1) When you first go into ceremony, forget everything you have
ever read or been told about ayahuasca. Put it all out of your
mind and have no expectations about what you will experience.
The spectrum of experiences one can have with ayahuasca is so
incredibly vast, that the idea that anyone can have an
expectation about what an ayahuasca experience is going to be
like is just absurd. Expectations are for beginners and they can
ruin your experience, so drop them.
2) This is related to expectations as well, but don’t obsess about
having visions; the medicine works in many different ways. Not
everybody has visions, or certainly not all of the time. Many
shamans will tell you that it is not about the visions; that they
are usually not important. What is truly important are the
revelations, realizations, and the healing that you experience.
3) Let go and surrender to the medicine. It’s perfectly ok and
natural to be feeling a bit of fear, but try and relax - trust the
shaman, trust that you’re safe and can’t be harmed, and most
importantly - trust the medicine. Ayahuasca experiences only
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become difficult when you try to resist what’s happening. So
resist nothing, surrender, let go. If you can manage that, you will
have great ayahuasca journeys.
Dealing with Difficult Experiences
Let it never be said that working with ayahuasca is easy. It could
be one of the hardest and most challenging experiences of your
entire life – and then some!
If you’re expecting to spend each ceremony surfing waves of
cosmic bliss, then you’re probably going to be in for a rather rude
awakening. Sure, ayahuasca is able to deluge you with more love
and bliss than you can handle, but first she likes to make you
work. And that work can be very, very challenging!
As I already stated, the best thing you can do is just surrender to
the experience, no matter how hard it may be. However, if your
experience becomes too challenging and you feel like you wish it
would all just stop; there are a few things you can do to help get
through these sticky patches.
First, remind yourself that you are safe and that you trust the
medicine. This can sometimes help more than you could imagine.
Know that no matter how negative, scary, or challenging the
experience feels, it is just a part of the healing process and you’re
going to come through it and be ok. Remember that just like
every other experience you have had in your life, this too shall
pass.
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It can be helpful to sit up straight (if you’re not already sitting
up). When lying down, you are in more of a submissive position.
Sitting up can make you feel more present and in control of the
experience. Also, take slow deep breaths and just focus on your
breathing. Another thing that can help is to focus intently on the
icaros the shaman sings.
If your visions turn dark and scary, know that you are protected
and that your visions cannot harm you. They have no power over
you. It may sometimes help to take a deep breath and blow them
away. When visions get dark and scary, it is usually just a visual
manifestation of the negative energies you’re releasing. Be
grateful the ayahuasca is doing her work.
Finally, if all else fails, ask for help from a facilitator, if there is
one. If need be, they will alert the shaman, who is equipped to
help you through and to steer your experience in a more positive
direction.
Ceremony Etiquette
It is important to remember that all participants in a ceremony
are equal and that you are not more or less important than
anyone else. Therefore, you should have the same respect for
everybody else’s healing journey, as well as your own. To keep
distractions to a minimum, I encourage you follow these few
simple rules while in ceremony.
1) Do not speak to other participants during the ceremony. The
exceptions being if you need to ask a facilitator for help or if
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you need to speak to the shaman about something
important.
However, that’s not to say you must always be completely
silent. During a powerful ayahuasca experience, you do not
always have total control of your actions. Through the
process of releasing stuff you may feel uncontrollable urges
to laugh, cry, shout out, talk to yourself, or the spirits. This is
generally okay for short periods, but if people are
excessively noisy and disruptive for a lengthy period, the
facilitators or the shaman will usually intervene and try to
quiet a person down.
2) Do not attempt to help other people, particularly if there are
dedicated helpers in the ceremony. It is not your job to
provide assistance to others. It will only serve to distract you
from your own journey, as well as possibly distract the
person you think needs help. Very often, people may sound
like they need a lot of help but in reality they’re fine and
going through an important process. Interrupting that
process would be very unhelpful. Good shamans are always
aware if people genuinely need help or not, so let them do
their job.
3) If you need to use your flashlight to visit the toilet, always
point the light downwards and cover the light with your
fingers as much as possible. Never shine a bright light
directly in someone’s eyes – it’s a very unpleasant
experience.
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4) Never leave the close vicinity of the ceremonial space. Some
centers may have strict rules about not leaving the maloca
at all; others may allow you the opportunity to go outside
and gaze at the stars. If that’s the case, then never ever
wander far. So stay within spitting distance - this is for your
own safety.
5) Most ayahuasca centers have a rule against smoking
chemical cigarettes, but smoking mapacho is always
allowed.
Closing the ceremony
The shaman will close the ceremony when he feels it is safe to
do so, and when his presence in the room is no longer necessary.
This is typically four or five hours after the ceremony starts.
Usually, the shaman will close the ceremony with some form of
thanksgiving prayer. The shaman may formally declare that the
ceremony is over, or he may just get up and leave.
It is important to maintain silence in the room after the
ceremony has ended. Some people in the room may still be
experiencing strong ayahuasca effects and will not enjoy being
distracted by other people's conversations.
If the ceremony takes place in a maloca, you can usually choose
to sleep on your mattress, or you can go back to your bed in
whatever accommodation is provided.
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PART 3
Travelling to Peru
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Introduction to Peru
The second part of this guide is about traveling to Peru in South
America, and particularly to Iquitos where the vast majority of
ayahuasca centers and shamans are located. As I stated earlier, I
recognize that Peru is not the only place you can experience
ayahuasca, but it is the only place I have a great deal of
knowledge and experience.
I do not wish to claim that Peru or Iquitos is the only place you
should consider. There are many good centers and excellent
shamans in other locations too.
Peru
The number of people who visit Peru has increased dramatically
over the last decade. One reason for this is the worldwide
attention for Machu Picchu after it was declared one of the New
Seven Wonders of the World, which coincided with the 100th
anniversary of its rediscovery in 1911.
Although the impact on tourism was not nearly as significant
when the Amazon Rainforest was declared one of the Seven
Natural World Wonders, making Peru the only country in the
world with two World Wonders, one must conclude that it did
have some effect.
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At the same time, the number of people who visit the Peruvian
Amazon annually in search of the cleansing and healing qualities
of ayahuasca has increased in recent years as well. More and
more people take the next step on the road to spiritual growth
and healing, which also offers new opportunities to introduce
visitors to the wonder and the overwhelming beauty of the
Amazon rainforest.
Of the thirty-two climate types that exist worldwide, Peru has
twenty-eight. This makes Peru one of the most extraordinary and
fascinating countries in the world to visit. The three cities of
Lima, Cuzco and Iquitos and their environments could not
possibly be more different:
Lima is a world-class metropolis on the coast, with nine million
inhabitants. It has a mild climate. It never rains there, which
makes for somewhat of a stuffy, dry atmosphere. Lima has a nice
city center, with Miraflores and Barranco as the jewels in the
crown.
Cuzco, located high in the Andes Mountains, the second highest
mountain range in the world. Cuzco was the ancient capital of
the vast Inca Empire, whose cultural heritage draws millions of
visitors from all over the world. From Cuzco, you can explore the
Sacred Valley of the Incas and of course Machu Picchu.
Iquitos, capital of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, has no Inca
history, but has a fascinating history and cultures all of its own.
The remnants from its rise as an international boom town during
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the late 1800s – a winning streak that ended in the 1920s – can
still be found all over town, with the famous Iron House, an
original Eiffel, at its very center.
These differences highlight the incredible diversity of Peru as a
country. It has a 2,000-kilometer coastline; it has vast,
uninhabitable deserts; Huascarán, its highest mountain peak,
reaches well over 6,700 meters; and the Peruvian Amazon
Rainforest, where the Amazon River is born, has the highest
biodiversity on the planet and is home to ten percent of all
species on Earth. One could spend a lifetime in Peru and still not
have enough time to explore and experience all of its fascinating
nature and cultures.
The Amazon Rainforest
While the previous century has seen the destruction of more
than two-thirds of the world’s tropical rainforests, the Amazon
Basin of northern Peru has the best-preserved rainforest in the
world. Ten percent of all species on Planet Earth live here. It has
the highest biodiversity of any place on Earth, with an average of
750 plant and tree species per square kilometer. For example,
there are 2500 species of butterflies here, 880 species of birds,
and more than 3000 species of fish. The Amazon is home to
legendary creatures like the pink river dolphin, the caiman, the
anaconda and the jaguar. More than 300 species of monkeys
reside in the Amazon rainforest.
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The Amazon River itself is the mightiest river on earth. It
discharges more water into the ocean than the next seven
greatest rivers combined. It contains one-fifth of all the fresh
water on earth. It drives its own climate system and plays a
significant role in the world’s climates.
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How safe is Peru?
Occasionally I receive emails from people that say something
like: “I really want to travel to Peru, but my friends and family
have warned me that it’s a dangerous place for tourists and that I
will probably get kidnapped or killed! Is this true?”
Absolutely not. The truth is that Peru is generally a very safe
country for tourists to visit and very few visitors experience any
problems here. Peru is one of the most popular tourist
destinations in all of South America, attracting well over 3 million
visitors per year.
Violent crime and murder rates are incredibly low in Peru. You
are far more likely to be a victim of violent crime in many cities
within the United States than in any part of Peru.
In 2011, a Mexican study (recently updated) listed the 50 most
violent cities in the world (based on murder rate per capita).
Four of those cities were in the United States. The top 20 were all
Latin American cities (mostly Mexico & Brazil), and none of them
was in Peru.
Therefore, this is not something you should lose any sleep over.
However, one thing that is quite common in Peru is opportunistic
theft. Pickpocketing can be common in some areas particularly at
markets. If you leave a bag or something unattended for even a
minute, then the odds of it being there when you get back are
quite low.
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As long as you take sensible precautions, just as you would in
any unfamiliar place, then it is unlikely you will become a victim
of crime. Here are a few tips for enjoying a crime-free visit to
Peru:
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Don’t wear expensive jewelry or watches. Keep anything of
high value hidden from sight. Even better, don’t bring valuable
stuff with you.
If you have more than one credit or debit card, then don’t keep
them together in the same wallet. If one card does get lost or
stolen, you will hopefully still have a backup. Do the same with
cash if you carry large amounts.
Don’t carry large amounts of cash. ATMs are everywhere so
there’s no reason to carry large cash amounts unless you don’t
have an ATM card.
Don’t leave your luggage unattended at any time.
Don’t use the money changers (people who change money)
who work on the street. They may give you fake money, or use
sleight of hand techniques to give you less than they are
supposed to.
Don’t help out a stranger who wants to change a large bill for
smaller ones (the bill will often be fake).
Carry a photocopy of your passport and any other travel
documents.
Don’t get too drunk or high (if coming to experience
ayahuasca, you shouldn’t be using alcohol or recreational
drugs anyway).
Don’t go wandering outside of safe neighborhoods, particularly
at night (research the safe areas or ask the locals).
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Get travel insurance that will cover the loss of any expensive
items you might want to take with you, such as cameras,
tablets and smart phones.
Make sure a friend or family member is aware of your
itinerary. If you don’t have an itinerary, then agree to stay in
regular contact.
Don’t ever go with anyone you meet at the airport, in a taxi, or
on the street who offers you an ayahuasca ceremony.
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Travel Information
Money
The currency of Peru is Nuevo Soles (PEN). However, many
hotels and a few shops and restaurants will accept US dollars.
I recommend arriving in Peru with some local currency or take
some out using an ATM at Lima airport. Do not use the currency
exchange kiosks at the airport because they usually give you
terrible exchange rates.
There are many ATMs in every large town and city where you
can withdraw money using a credit or debit card. Most ATMs
allow you to withdraw both $USD and Nuevo Soles, however I do
not recommend withdrawing $USD unless you have a specific
reason. Most ATMs will limit you to withdrawals of between
$300 and $400 per day.
NOTE: If you choose to bring foreign currency (US dollars only; it
is hard to change Euros in Iquitos and impossible to change
anything else), please make sure that your bills are in mint
condition. Most financial institutions and business will not accept
dollar bills that are damaged, or even overly used.
Do not use the money changers in the street, these men are
very skilled at sleight of hand and ripping you off (or sometimes
give you fake money). Don’t think it won’t happen to you.
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Languages
The main language of Peru is Spanish. Please be aware that very
few Peruvians speak English, so it is always worth your while to
learn at least a few basic phrases to help you get by. There are a
plethora of free and paid websites to help you learn Spanish. Plus
many great books and audio courses that you can buy from any
good bookstore.
However, even if you do not speak a word of Spanish do not
worry about it, as it is more than possible to get by.
The Climate in Peru
Peru has three major distinctive areas; the coastal desert, the
Andean Mountains, and the Amazon rainforest. It has a 2000kilometer coastline and the second highest mountain range in
the world. Of the planet’s thirty-two different climate types, you
will find twenty-eight in Peru.
Mountains
Cuzco is located in the Andes Mountains, at 3300 meters above
sea level. When you arrive, you will immediately notice the thin
air. Some people may experience altitude sickness, especially at
even higher altitudes. Please include a couple of days just to get
accustomed to the height and the lack of oxygen.
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The daily average temperature in the mountains is about 20°C
(68°F) all year around. However, the temperature can drop
dramatically in the evening and often be very cold. June, July,
and August are the winter months here, so make sure you dress
appropriately.
Jungle
The Amazon rainforest is very hot and humid, but usually not
unbearably so. However, it can take a few days for people to
acclimatize, particularly if you’re coming from a cool and dry
location. Nights in the jungle are sometimes cool, but rarely cold.
The average temperature (about 28⁰C / 82⁰F) is pretty much the
same all year round. Between December and June, there is more
rain than average. However, rain showers are usually relatively
brief. On average, it rains heavily once every two or three days.
Coastal Areas
The area between the coastline and the mountains is mostly
arid desert. There is almost no rain during the entire year.
However, between April and November, the sky is frequently
overcast and this can cause dramatic temperature drops. Lima
can be quite cool, particularly around July where the
temperatures average 17°C/62°F by day and 11°C/52°F by night.
The hottest months of the year are between December and
March where temperatures can reach a very pleasant 28°C/82°F
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by day and 18°C/64°F by night.
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Health Information
Health Insurance
If you come to Peru, I recommend you get travel health
insurance. This is simply because if an accident happens, or you
get a severe illness, you may require professional treatment. The
cost of healthcare in Peru is relatively inexpensive and the quality
is reasonable within the main cities. However, the hospitals and
clinics here will usually not treat you, unless either you have
health insurance, or you can pay money up front.
Pharmacies are everywhere in Peru and you will find one on
almost every block within a city. You can buy virtually any kind of
medication you need over the counter and a doctor’s
prescription is not required.
Vaccinations
If you’re part of the growing number of people who are against
vaccinations, then there is good news. There are no compulsory
vaccinations to enter Peru, so you are not required to have any if
you do not want to.
However, if you believe in the effectiveness of vaccinations and
want to be safe, some vaccinations are commonly
recommended. These are Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Yellow Fever
is recommended for some parts of the Amazon but if you are
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coming to Iquitos, it is not necessary. You may also want to
consider a Tetanus booster.
Should you take anti-malaria medication?
While it is possible to get malaria in the Amazon, it is actually
quite rare, particularly on short trips. You will not find anyone
who lives in Iquitos who takes anti-malaria medication, but
backpackers and travelers passing through briefly often do so, on
the advice of their doctors back home.
Ultimately, the decision rests with you, but keep in mind that
anti-malaria medication sometimes has nasty side effects and is
better not combined with the ayahuasca medicine.
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Getting to Peru
How to travel to Peru
Unless you live in another South American country then the
only realistic way of getting to Peru safely is to fly here.
When should you arrive?
If you’re attending a retreat, you should arrive on location (i.e.
Iquitos) at least one day before your retreat starts. If you are not
on a tight schedule, two or three days before your retreat would
be ideal. That would give you time to relax, get over your jetlag
(particularly if you are traveling from outside the Americas) and
even enjoy some of the local sights.
Staying in Peru is generally quite cheap and you can find decent
accommodation for less than twenty dollars a night. If you stay at
a hostel, prices can be as low as six dollars a night.
The best websites to find accommodation are TripAdvisor,
Booking.com and HostelsWorld. Also, do not forget to check out
AirBnB. Here you can find very affordable places to stay, often at
prices lower than any hotel or hostel. At time of publication,
there are almost five hundred places in Lima listed on AirBnB,
some for as little as eighteen dollars per night.
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Flying to Peru
Currently, almost all international flights to Peru arrive in Lima,
the capital of Peru, on the west coast. Unfortunately, flights to
Peru can be quite costly, particularly from Europe and Australia,
but if you shop around and book early, you can sometimes find
some great deals
The time of year that you fly can also affect the price. The most
expensive months are usually between June and September. The
best flight deals are usually between November and April.
Flying from Europe
The main airlines that fly directly from Europe to Lima are KLM
(via Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam), LATAM, Air Europa and
Iberia (via Madrid). Air France also flies to Lima from Paris. There
are sometimes good deals on flights that go via North America. I
find that KLM often have the best flight deals during certain
times of the year (Usually between October and May). Also,
British Airways now fly to Lima directly from London a few times
per week.
Flying from North America
For flights from North America check out Spirit Airlines, JetBlue,
American Airlines, Delta, Continental and Air Canada. Flying via
Panama with Copa airlines can also be cheaper sometimes.
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Flying from Australia / New Zealand
There are currently no direct flights between Australia/New
Zealand and Peru. Most people fly here via Buenos Aires in
Argentina, or Santiago in Chile. Flights from these countries
usually cost more than $2000.
Plane Tickets
It is recommended that you have a return ticket or at least a
future ticket to some other country when you enter Peru. While
it is not common, the immigration officers do sometimes ask to
see proof that you will leave the country. If you cannot provide
proof, they have the right to deport you at your own expense.
Expedia.com and Kayak.com are good sites to find and purchase
flights.
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Arriving in Lima
Most international flights from around the world arrive in Lima
in the evening, sometimes very late. This may mean you will have
to spend your first night at a hotel in Lima (unless you want to
sleep in the airport).
Visas
Typically, if you’re a citizen of any Western country, including
the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia and
New Zealand, you do not need to apply for a visa to travel to
Peru. You will be provided with a tourist visa when you arrive
and go through immigration (make sure you fill in the form that
you will be given on the flight).
If you are from any other country, you should check with your
local Peruvian embassy to find out if there are any visa
requirements.
The standard tourist visa they give you is usually ninety days,
but people have been known to receive only thirty days. A six
month (or 183 days) visa is also available on request, but they
may sometimes ask questions about why you want to stay so
long.
If you are planning to stay in Peru for more than thirty days, you
should ask for at least the 90 days or 183 days visa.
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When you get your passport stamped, you will receive a small
white piece of paper that was part of the immigration form you
completed while on the plane. It is crucial that you do not lose
this piece of paper. Keep it very safe because you cannot leave
the country without it. However, if you are unfortunate enough
to lose it, you can buy another for a small fee when you leave the
country.
You can find more information about Peruvian visas at:
http://www.expatperu.com/vrequirements.php
Leaving the Airport
If you’re staying a night in Lima, then you should book your
Lima accommodation before you arrive in Peru and ask them to
arrange for a taxi pick-up at the airport. Make sure that you have
the address of your hotel written down. If you arrive late and the
taxi driver is not there waiting, you can go with one of the many
registered taxi drivers that are waiting in the arrivals section of
the airport. The taxi drivers waiting inside the airport are safe to
go with.
Lima is a huge city with a population of over nine million
people. Like any city of that size, it has a higher crime rate and is
a little more dangerous. You need to be far more safety
conscious in Lima than in any other Peruvian city.
Do not wander around late at night, and make sure you always
know where you’re going. Lima is not a good place to be getting
lost on your own, particularly at night. Also, be careful getting
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into taxis. Only use licensed taxis that are booked by your hotel
to ensure your safety. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for
careless tourists to be robbed by shady taxi drivers in Lima.
If you are staying in the district of Miraflores or Barranco, the
taxi from the airport should cost about sixty soles (about twenty
dollars).
Things to do in Lima
If you enjoy sightseeing in foreign countries, Lima is a
fascinating city that is worth a day or two of your time. There are
several great museums, excellent shopping and quite some
world-class restaurants.
Here are a few links containing information about the top
attractions in Lima
Trip Advisor – Activities in Lima
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294316-Activitiesc42-Lima_Lima_Region.html
Time: Lima: Ten Things to Do
http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,
1977548,00.html
Lonely Planet – Things to do in Lima
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/lima/things-to-do/topthings-to-do-in-lima
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Places to Stay in Lima
I advise that you stay in either the district of Miraflores or the
district of Barranco. Both areas are close to each other and are
affluent parts of Lima. Both areas are generally safe for tourists
to explore.
If you’re not an experienced traveler then in my opinion,
Miraflores is the best district of Lima to stay in. Miraflores is a
clean, modern and generally safe area that is home to most of
the expats living in Lima. However, it is further away from the
airport than many parts of Lima and you need to allow at least
thirty to forty-five minutes of travel time by taxi (and much
longer, if you have to travel during rush hour periods).
Finding Accommodation
There are several websites that make finding reliable
accommodation simple. Here are some of the best:
Trip Advisor - http://tripadvisor.com/
Hostel World - http://www.hostelworld.com/
Booking.com - http://www.booking.com/
AirBnB - https://www.airbnb.com/
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Domestic Flights from Lima
From Lima, you can take several daily flights to the main
ayahuasca destinations of Peru. You can find flights online from a
variety of airlines to:
•
•
•
•
•
Iquitos
Tarapoto
Pucallpa
Cuzco
Puerto Maldonado
NOTE: Keep in mind that LATAM is the dominating airline, but
that they charge foreign travelers up to 200% more than they do
Peruvian nationals. Traveling with other airlines can sometimes
save you hundreds of dollars.
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Iquitos
Iquitos is completely
surrounded
by
the
Amazon rainforest, and
the only way to get here
is by boat or by plane.
Unless you are an
experienced
traveler
The Amazon River, as seen from the plane
with a love of adventure,
taking the boat is not
advisable. It usually takes about four or five days from either
Yurimaguas or Pucallpa. The food provided on the boats is often
pretty bad and not something I recommend straight before an
Ayahuasca retreat. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you fly
to Iquitos. The direct flight takes about 100 minutes from Lima.
There are currently four domestic airlines running daily flights
between Lima and Iquitos. These are LATAM, Star Peru, Peruvian
Airlines and Avianca.
You can book your flights all the way to Iquitos using a travel
agent or flight-booking website such as Expedia. However, please
be aware that almost all travel agents and flight booking
websites use LATAM and Avianca as the airlines for the Lima to
Iquitos leg of the journey and they both have the highest prices.
If you are on a tight budget and want to save money, then
explore the option of only booking your international flight to
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Lima with your travel agent and then booking your flight from
Lima to Iquitos separately with Peruvian Airlines or Star Peru.
Usually the best deals are with Peruvian Airlines, where you can
sometimes book a round-trip from Lima for as little as $120
(average price is about $150 when booked inside Peru).
Here are the websites for the Peruvian domestic airlines:
•
•
•
•
Peruvian Airlines – http://www.peruvian.pe
Star Peru - http://www.starperu.com
LATAM – http://www.latam.com/
Avianca - http://avianca.com/
NOTE: Please be aware that some airlines do not make clear
whether there is a stopover in Pucallpa or in Tarapoto. You may
get the impression you’re booking a direct flight to Iquitos, and
then accidentally get off the plane too soon. A direct flight takes
about 100 minutes, while a flight with a stopover can take up to
250 minutes.
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Arriving in Iquitos
When you arrive at the airport in Iquitos, you will need to take a
taxi to the city center. The ride takes about twenty minutes. It is
wise to make a hotel or hostel reservation before you arrive so
that you know exactly where you are going. Taxi drivers will
often try to recommend other hotels (where they get a
commission). Just say a polite but firm 'no' to their
recommendations and insist they take you to where you want to
go.
Mototaxis in Iquitos
There are two types of taxis in Iquitos. There are car taxis and
motorcycle taxis (like the Tuk-Tuks common in Thailand). These
motortaxis will usually charge you 10 to 15 soles (about four to
five dollars) to take you to your hotel. From the airport, the car
taxis are generally 25 - 35 soles.
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Hotels in Iquitos
Here are a few of the hotels and hostels I can recommend:
Hotels
La Casona
Camu Camu Hotel
Hotel Marañón
Amazon Apart Hotel
Nativa Apartments
La Casa Morey
Hostels
La Casa Chacruna
Flying Dog Hostel
Places to Eat in Iquitos
I hope that you will be sticking to
the ayahuasca diet in the days
before your first ayahuasca
experience. This can be quite
challenging while you are traveling,
but don't worry too much if you’re
forced to stray a little, such as if you
Dawn on the Amazon Café
need to eat airplane food covered
in salt! Do avoid ham and pork, though.
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Once you arrive in Iquitos, you should have no problems sticking
to the diet. Several restaurants and cafés have ayahuasca dietfriendly menu options.
The two most popular are Dawn on the Amazon Café, which you
will find on the Boulevard one block away from the main Plaza,
and Karma Café, which you will find on the road between the
main Plaza and the Boulevard. Both of these cafés are owned by
good friends of the ayahuasca community and serve delicious
food at reasonable prices.
Things to do in and around Iquitos
Some of the most popular destinations you
can visit are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pilpintuwasi - Butterfly Farm and Animal
Orphanage
Belén - Jungle Market and Floating City
CREA - Amazonian Manatee Rescue Center
Quistococha Park – Lake, beach, zoo and botanical garden
Bora Village - Native Community
Amazon River Tour – Pink river dolphin spotting
Fundo Pedrito – Caiman and paiche farm
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Safety in Iquitos
Iquitos is generally a very safe city to walk around, even at
night, but you should always take the usual sensible precautions
to stay safe. Do not walk around by yourself late at night. Don't
be flash and wear expensive jewelry. Never leave your luggage or
bags unattended as they can disappear in the blink of an eye.
Always keep everything you don't need with you locked in your
hotel room.
However, even though Iquitos is a relatively safe city with low
violent crime rates, incidents do happen. Since ayahuasca has
become so popular, and local people see an opportunity to make
money, it, therefore, attracts people with less than noble
intentions.
Please be aware of your environment at all times and take the
usual sensible precautions you would anywhere else.
If you become the victim of a crime, always file a report with
the police. There is a special unit called the Tourism Police,
located on the eighth block of Sargento Lores Street. Take
someone with you who is fluent in Spanish to explain what
happened. You may also need a copy of the police report for
your insurance.
Another option is to report the incident to the Tourism Bureau
(iPeru). It is located on the first block of Napo Street and there is
usually someone here that speaks English.
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Other Cities in Peru
Besides Iquitos, there are several other cities in Peru where you
can experience ayahuasca. These include:
Tarapoto
Tarapoto is also located in the Amazon rainforest of northern
Peru, where the jungle meets the Andes. It has a beautiful
location surrounded by hills and mountains. The average
temperature is around 80˚F (24˚C), year round.
Flights to Tarapoto
Currently only LATAM and StarPeru fly to Tarapoto from Lima.
The flight takes about an hour.
Here are the websites for the Peruvian domestic airlines:
•
•
Star Peru – www.starperu.com
LATAM – www.latam.com
It is possible to reach Tarapoto by Bus although it can take 24 to
26 hours. One company is http://www.tepsa.com.pe/
Pucallpa
Pucallpa is located at about 500 kilometers south of Iquitos, in
the Ucayali Province, Amazon rainforest. Average high
temperatures hover around 86˚F (30˚C) year round. Most of the
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Shipibo population lives close to Pucallpa.
Flights to Pucallpa
LAN, StarPeru and Peruvian Airlines fly to Pucallpa from Lima.
The flight takes less than an hour.
Here are the websites for the Peruvian domestic airlines:
•
•
•
Peruvian Airlines – http://www.peruvian.pe
Star Peru – http://www.starperu.com
LATAM – http://www.latam.com/
A direct bus from Lima can easily reach Pucallpa, although it
takes about 18-20 hours. One bus company is Tepsa, which can
be booked online through https://www.busbud.com/
Puerto Maldonado
Puerto Maldonado is a city in Southeastern Peru in the Amazon
forest 55 kilometers west of the Bolivian border, located at the
confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers. It is also
quite close to Cusco.
Here are the websites for the Peruvian domestic airlines:
•
•
Star Peru – http://www.starperu.com
LATAM – http://www.latam.com
A regular bus service connects Puerto Maldonado to Cusco and
97
takes about 10 hours. Bus companies include Tepsa and Civa and
again can be booked through https://www.busbud.com/
98
Cusco
Cusco is located high in
the Andes Mountains of
southern Peru. Due to the
immense interest in the
ancient Inca culture and
particularly in the citadel
of Machu Picchu, it is by
far the most popular
Machu Picchu at dawn
tourist destination within
Peru, with over two
million visitors per year. This has had its impact on the city, which
thrives economically and almost exclusively caters to tourists.
Cusco is more expensive and less authentic than most other
cities in Peru, but it can have a magical atmosphere.
Flights to Cusco
There are more than 20 flights per day from Lima to Cusco. The
airlines include:
•
•
•
•
Peruvian Airlines – www.peruvian.pe
Star Peru – www.starperu.com
LATAM – http://www.latam.com
Avianca – www.avianca.com
There are also many bus companies operating between Lima
and Cusco. The journey takes about 20 hours. Some companies
can be booked through https://www.busbud.com/
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Arriving at Cusco Airport
When you arrive at Cusco Airport, please keep in mind that the
air is much thinner here. Take your time walking, retrieving your
luggage and finding a taxi. You may feel like you’re running out of
breath if you do not take your pace down a notch or two.
At the airport, you will need to take a taxi into the city, which
will take about ten or fifteen minutes. It is advisable to make a
hotel or hostel reservation before you arrive so that you know
exactly where you’re going.
Hotels in Cuzco
Hotels in Cuzco are generally a little more expensive than in
other parts of the country, but using TripAdvisor and AirBnB, you
will find decent places for as little as eleven dollars a night.
There are dozens of excellent hotels and hostels in Cuzco, as
well as some lodges and apartments. A little research will find
you exactly what you want.
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PART 4
The Journey Home
101
Ayahuasca Integration
My purpose for writing this book was to create a guide that is
genuinely useful for people interested in experiencing ayahuasca
for the first time. There’s one important topic left to cover and
it’s a topic I have rarely seen mentioned in other books or
website articles. It is the subject of integration.
In a previous chapter I said that working with ayahuasca is very
challenging for many people; however, the actual medicine work
is only one part of the challenge. The other part of the challenge
is going back home and integrating your experience within your
normal daily life. For some people, this can be seriously hard
work.
Despite the challenging nature of the process, ayahuasca
retreats are often profoundly beautiful, consciousness
expanding, heart-opening and life-changing experiences that you
wish will never end. You can find yourself deeply connecting with
a beautiful group of people on a similar wavelength, and you
may feel like you want these people in your life forever, because
you know that very few people back home will be able to
understand what you have just experienced. How can you
possibly explain to your friends back home that you have just
spent time communing with a powerful and sacred plant
consciousness that has healed you, nurtured you, taught you,
and opened your heart to profound love.
The idea of going home after all that may feel a little
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depressing!
The bright, natural colours of the jungle and feelings of deep
love and serenity give way to a dull and grey jungle of a different
kind. You may start to feel like you have not actually gone home,
but landed on an entirely different planet!
Nothing seems natural and everyone around you seems
stressed out and unhappy. Yet they refuse to listen to your kind
words of advice on how to relax and trust in spirit. Nor do they
seem remotely interested in your amazing tales of the jungle and
the spiritual realities you experienced with the medicine. In fact,
they look at you as if you’re the one who has gone completely
stark raving mad.
“What’s wrong with these stupid people!? Why can’t they get
it!? Help! Get me out of here!” is a common cry from people who
have returned home to the madness that is western civilization.
You may also have a hard time adjusting back into your job if it
is not something that brings any joy or meaning to your life. Who
wants to spend 40+ hours a week doing work that serves nobody
except corporate masters who make all the money and provide
no benefit to the world? If ayahuasca didn’t show you the futility
of that, it won’t be long before you figure it out for yourself.
Now of course not everyone will struggle after ayahuasca. If you
already live close to nature, and/or have a close circle of friends
who are also on a conscious/spiritual path then integrating back
into life outside the jungle probably won’t cause you any serious
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problems. Your friends will hopefully be keen to hear all about
your stories and they will at least somewhat be able to relate to
your experiences. If you loved your job before the retreat, then
you will most likely keep on loving it after you get home.
However, if you are someone who already feels alienated in
western society, have a job you hate, and you lack supportive
friends who share your spiritual yearnings, then your feelings of
alienation and loneliness may become more intense upon your
return home.
So how do you avoid struggling with all that and start to thrive
after your ayahuasca experience?
I do not claim to have all the answers here and I don’t claim to
be an expert on ayahuasca integration. However, I do have some
suggestions that I believe will be useful to many people. Much of
it is just common sense.
1) Give yourself time
You should realize by now that life after ayahuasca can be quite
a challenge for some people, at least initially. Ayahuasca can
suddenly make you the square peg to ‘normal’ life’s round hole
(if you didn’t feel that way already).
You cannot simply go back to how you once were, and you
probably would not want to anyway. Just accept that you may
feel a little disorientated and confused when you get back home
and that it may take some time to find your bearings again.
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If you have the luxury of time then I strongly advise that after
your retreat you do not immediately fly home and go back to
work within 3 days, particularly if you have a stressful job you
dislike.
Try to give yourself at least a week to relax and integrate your
experience and then get back into your routines at a slow and
comfortable pace.
2) Start a Daily Spiritual Practice
“When you feel a peaceful joy, that's when you are near
truth.” ― Rumi
After experiencing several ayahuasca ceremonies, most people
report feeling a deeper connection with God (or source, spirit,
oneness – whatever you wish to call it). In fact, for many people
ayahuasca is their first genuine experience of the divine. With an
expanded consciousness, many people report feeling a profound
sense of peace, indescribable bliss and a deep love and empathy
for all life. Yes, ayahuasca can turn you into a bit of a hippie but
that is surely a good thing!
Sadly, these incredibly positive feelings do not last forever and
they can begin to fade quite fast – unless you consistently
nurture them. So, how do you do that?
The most sure-fire way is to develop a daily spiritual connection
practice. I cannot tell you what this is for you exactly, because it
105
can be different for each person and you need to figure out what
works for you. It essentially entails finding a practice that helps
you feel more connected to a benevolent divine presence, or just
the wonder and energy of life.
A few ideas that might help you do this include:
- Meditation
- Mantras
- Yoga, Tai Chi or Martial Arts
- Dance
- Prayer
- Drumming
- Being in nature
- Gardening
- Watching a sunset
- Listening to a beautiful piece of music
- Reading or writing poetry, or journaling
- Playing with your children, or spending quality time with a
loved one.
All of these things and much more can be gateways to the
divine, but they will not all work for everyone. Experiment with
different practices and find out what works best for you. Do not
expect that any of these methods are going to give you a
dramatic peak experience in the way that ayahuasca can, but
they can certainly connect you to the gentle, benevolent hum of
source energy.
When you have found what works for you, then my suggestion
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is that you do that thing every single day, or as often as you can.
Probably the best time for most people is first thing in the
morning because otherwise we tend to get distracted by the
events of the day. So set aside time every day to connect with
the divine and make that time sacred. I suggest at least 30
minutes a day.
3) Be mindful of what you eat
'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.'
― Hippocrates
I’m sure you understand that eating a healthy diet is physically
beneficial for your body. However, did you know that the foods
you eat can also have quite a profound effect on your moods,
your concentration, and your mental & emotional health?
Eating junk food puts many toxins in your body and leaves you
feeling lethargic and crappy much of the time. If you’ve gone
through a few heavy ayahuasca purges then you will have
eliminated many of these toxins from your body, but do you
want to put them straight back in again?
If you want to stay feeling positive – on all levels of your being,
then it’s important to eat healthy foods. And by healthy foods, I
refer to unprocessed foods that are locally sourced (when
possible), fresh, natural and ideally organic (including meat).
I won’t tell you that every bit of food you put in your mouth
should be healthy. Most of us have our guilty pleasures we don’t
107
want to give up (like pizzas, burgers, beer, ice-cream… whatever).
However, I do recommend using the 80/20 principle. If 80% of
what you eat is healthy and good for you, then you can allow
yourself your 20% of guilty pleasures without worrying about it
too much.
In summary, my recommendation is to take a good look at your
diet. If most of what you eat is unnatural, processed food then
begin taking steps to change that as soon as you can. It’s a sad
reflection of our world that it’s often a lot cheaper to eat junk
food than food with positive health benefits. So expect that your
grocery bill may increase. However, try to see it as an investment
in your health and not an expense.
4) Choose your friends carefully
“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where
you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently
allows you to grow.” ― William Shakespeare
As they say, you cannot choose your family but you CAN choose
your friends. I think that is important to remember.
Unfortunately, there are many deeply negative, even toxic
people in this world and perhaps some of these people are your
friends right now. Now of course we need to stay compassionate
towards these people and understand that their negativity is
almost certainly the result of many unhappy events or traumas in
their lives that they have not healed from.
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We may also desire to try and help or ‘rescue’ these lost souls,
but that is almost always a lost cause. You can never help people
until they are truly committed to helping themselves. That’s a
painful lesson for many of us to learn.
Regularly socializing with negative people is usually going to
result in you feeling unhappy, stressed and low on energy, and so
I recommend reducing these types of social interactions to an
absolute minimum.
A useful exercise that I recommend is to write down a list of all
the people you socialize with on a regular or semi-regular basis.
Then next to each name, write a few words about how you
usually feel after interacting with each person. Do you usually
feel happy, inspired and uplifted by that person? Or, do you
generally feel unhappy, stressed or completely drained?
My advice is to spend a lot more time with the people who
uplift and inspire you and a lot less time with the people who
drain you!
After doing this exercise, you may realize that what you really
need are some new friends! Unless you live in small town out in
the middle of nowhere, then this should not be as difficult as you
imagine. However, you might just have to step outside your
comfort zone a little and start meeting new people.
Look for events in your local area that will attract like-minded
people. This could include lectures, workshops, conferences,
meditation/yoga groups, or even local retreats. If you have a
109
local
new-age
bookstore
or
conscious
cafe
(i.e.
organic/veggie/vegan/juice bar, etc.) there are often notice
boards advertising events, classes, and workshops. Also, make a
point just to hang out at those places because you will find that
you will often meet interesting like-minded people just by being
there.
Also, check out websites such as Eventful.com, and
Meetup.com to find events or groups of like-minded people.
There is often more going on than you think, and you can always
find opportunities to make new connections, but sometimes you
have to put in a little effort into finding them.
Finally, keep in regular contact with the people on your retreat.
Many of the groups I have worked with have set up private
discussion groups on Facebook where they can keep on sharing
and supporting each other long after the retreat ends.
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames”
― Rumi
5) Change your job/career
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day
in your life.” – Confucius
How do you currently feel about your job/career/business? Do
110
you enjoy doing it? Does it inspire you? Or, do you do it for no
other reason than the paycheck and security it provides?
Most people will spend approximately one-third of their adult
lives at work. That is a serious chunk of your life. If what you do
does not inspire you in any way, if you don’t enjoy it, and if it
usually feels like a chore then you’re going to be miserable and
stressed out for the rest of your life.
After experiencing ayahuasca, most people feel deeply inspired
to live a life of purpose particularly relating to how they make a
living.
Now I certainly do not recommend that you go home and
immediately quit an unfulfilling job or career. We all need to eat
and pay the bills and it is perhaps not realistic to think you can
leave your job and immediately find something new that inspires
you.
However, I recommend making it a priority in your life to find
something you love doing that will also pay the bills – even if it
takes you a few years to get there!
You might need to take some risks, you might even fail a few
times – most self-made millionaires have been bankrupt at least
once in their lives! In fact, most people who are successful at
anything will tell you that they failed several times before they
achieved their success. Accept that failure and rejection are
often part of the journey to succeeding and living the life of your
dreams, so embrace it and don’t fear it. Stay committed to
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achieving your dreams and never give up.
If you continually play safe, then you’re likely condemning
yourself to a lifetime of drudgery and feeling uninspired!
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life
you imagined.” ― Henry David Thoreau
6) Consider changing your location
“It matters where you are. The space we choose dictates the
richness of the life we have and the quality of the characters
who bump up against us.” ― DeDe Wilburn Church
Do you feel like you have completely outgrown the place where
you live? Do you feel you have exhausted the opportunities to
meet new people and/or find a more inspiring way of making a
living?
Perhaps you need to move on. There is a whole world out there
for you to explore and experience. Don’t be afraid of it!
Most people spend their entire lives living in the town or city
where they were born. That is not necessarily a bad thing,
particularly if the place and people consistently inspire you.
However, many people stay simply because of fear or misplaced
loyalties.
Moving to a new location will almost certainly take you out of
your comfort zone, but in my opinion, that is a good thing. One
112
of my favorite quotes that I continually remind myself of is “life
begins at the end of your comfort zone”.
Personally, I think that everyone should spend at least some
part of his or her life living in a new location and ideally part of a
different culture - because the amount of growth that you
experience is tremendous and usually life changing.
Many people thought I was crazy when I made a sudden
decision to leave everything and move to Peru. However, it
turned into the greatest experience and greatest adventure of
my life – and it’s still ongoing.
I’m sure moving to this part of the world is a little extreme for
most people and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for everyone.
However, I do recommend that everyone travel as often as they
can afford. Whether that be within your own country or abroad
and I’m confident that at some new place your soul will whisper,
‘this is home’.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” ― Helen Keller
7) Regularly spend time in nature
“Nature is a great healer of the soul. When we are immersed
in nature, we tend to slow down and find a deeper connection
with ourselves and the world around us.” ― Frederic Laloux
After ayahuasca, most people report feeling a much deeper
113
connection with nature. I think this is partly to do with the
effects of the medicine and partly to do with just being in the
jungle for an extended period of time. Rarely do people have
such an intense and prolonged exposure to nature without the
distractions of phones, television, and the internet etc.
You will soon realize, possibly for the first time, that being
surrounded by nature has immensely positive effects on your
being.
Various scientific studies have also found that nature has
positive healing effects. It has been linked to improved attention
spans, increased levels of serotonin (the neurotransmitter that
makes you feel good). It also increased activity in the parts of the
brain responsible for empathy, emotional stability and love.
The Japanese have a relatively new type of therapy they call
Shinrin-yoku, which means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or
"forest bathing". It has become a cornerstone of preventive
health care and healing in Japanese medicine.
Research by Japanese scientists has proven that the benefits of
Shinrin-yoku include:
•
•
•
•
•
Boosted immune system functioning, with an increase in
the count of the body's Natural Killer (NK) cells.
Reduced blood pressure
Reduced stress
Improved mood
Increased ability to focus, even in children with ADHD
114
•
•
•
Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness
Increased energy level
Improved sleep
Just as impressive are the results people experience as they
make this part of their regular practice:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Deeper and clearer intuition
Increased flow of energy
Increased capacity to communicate with the land and its
species
Increased flow of eros/life force
Deepening of friendships
Overall increase in sense of happiness
Learn more at http://www.shinrin-yoku.org/
Therefore, my advice is to stay connected with nature –
surround yourself with nature at least once per week if you can.
This should be possible wherever you live. Even if you live in the
middle of a big city, there should be parks you can visit.
Anywhere where there are trees and flowers and plants will do,
but if you can get out into the wilderness then even better! Just
do it!
8) Keep learning & Stay Inspired
“There are few things more pathetic than those who have lost
their curiosity and sense of adventure, and who no longer care
to learn.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley
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Ayahuasca is known as a plant teacher for a good reason. This
incredible medicine really does have endless wisdom and can
continually provide us with lessons and inspiration.
However, my feeling about ayahuasca is that she doesn’t really
teach us anything new. She simply reminds us of what we have
forgotten or refuse to look at.
Ultimately, all answers are within ourselves and so it’s
important we don’t become dependent on only using ayahuasca
as a teacher. Most people will never have regular access to
ayahuasca and so it is important we learn to be our own teachers
and that we connect with our own innate wisdom. Find your
‘guru’ within.
If at first you have trouble accessing your own wisdom then
make it a daily practice to read the wisdom of others until you
integrate it within your own being and it becomes yours.
Keep reading books that challenge you, that cause you to think
and question everything, or that just provide gentle reminders to
your soul.
Timeless spiritual classics such as the Bhagavad Gita or the Tao
Te Ching are good places to start. The poetry of Rumi is also
something that helps me connect with God and wisdom within.
At the back of this book I’ve included a list of books that I’ve
found to be the most useful over the last twenty years.
9) Live with love and gratitude in your heart
"It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same
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moment." ― Naomi Williams
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot
today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little,
at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t
die; so, let us all be thankful.” — Buddha
While ayahuasca can have a great many amazing lessons for us,
in my mind it usually all boils down to a few very simple things. If
I had to encapsulate all the lessons I’ve received from ayahuasca
into a few short words, it would be something like – “Love is all
that matters. Life is incredible and truly a gift. Live with peace,
love and gratitude.”
It really is that simple. Unfortunately, our mind likes to disagree
with that and insist it’s far more complicated. Your mind can
easily find a thousand different problems with everything and
provide you with unlimited reasons for why you should be
unhappy and ungrateful.
Being conscious of how negative your mind can be, and
overcoming the constant negativity, can take a lot of work. It is
perhaps the most important work you will ever do if you want to
live a happy and fulfilling life.
Sometimes you just have to tell your mind to shut the f― up!
Make some time every single day to focus on gratitude and what
you appreciate about your life. If you’re reading this book then
you’re probably not a starving African or living in the middle of a
war zone. You undoubtedly have many blessings in your life,
comforts and things you can be truly thankful for. If you focus on
gratitude, you will feel better.
However, don’t take my word for that. Several scientific studies
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researched the effects of gratitude. Studies have found that
People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice
and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more
positive emotions. They feel more alive, sleep better, express
more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune
systems.
“Love calls - everywhere and always.
We're sky bound.
Are you coming?”
― Rumi
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The End
Thank you for reading this far. I sincerely hope this little guide
has been useful to you – whether you choose to experience
ayahuasca, or not.
Ayahuasca is incredible medicine, but it’s not for me or anyone
else to say whether you should experience it or not. It’s a
decision only you can make. I hope this book can help you make
a better and more informed decision.
Whatever you decide to do, and wherever you decide to go…
Have an awesome journey.
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Recommended Reading
Many books are available about Ayahuasca and I have not read
many of them. Of the books I have read here are my
recommendations:
Ayahuasca Guides
Ayahuasca: Soul Medicine of the Amazon Jungle by Javier
Regueiro
If you only read one book about ayahuasca healing, then make
it this book. Javier provides a brilliant guidebook on how to
approach ayahuasca healing and get the most benefit from your
experiences with the medicine.
The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook: The Essential Guide to
Ayahuasca Journeying by Chris Kilham
I found this to be the best overall guide on the subject of
ayahuasca. Chris Kilham aka ‘The Medicine Hunter’ has done a
fantastic job of condensing all his knowledge on the subject into
a highly readable guidebook.
Shamanic Plant Medicine - Ayahuasca: The Vine of Souls by
Ross Heaven
British shaman and seasoned author Ross Heaven provides a
useful and highly readable introduction to the subject of
ayahuasca.
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Personal Experiences with Ayahuasca
The following books document personal experiences with
ayahuasca:
Ayahuasca In My Blood: 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming by
Peter Gorman
Long before the first ayahuasca retreat center was built, Peter
Gorman was leading groups into the Peruvian jungle to
experience ayahuasca. Peter is a professional journalist and a
brilliant writer, and this highly readable book captures some of
his most memorable experiences from 25 years of working with
the medicine.
Ayahuasca Medicine: The Shamanic World of Amazonian
Sacred Plant Healing by Alan Shoemaker
If Peter Gorman started ayahuasca tourism, I think it can be said
that Alan Shoemaker popularized it. Alan is an American, who
has lived in Iquitos for 20+ years and is the organizer of the
annual Ayahuasca Conference. This is his story.
Fishers of Men: The Gospel of an Ayahuasca Vision Quest by
Adam Elenbaas
This is Adam Elenbaas’s account of how ayahuasca helped him
to gain self-acceptance and spiritual understanding and cure
himself of crippling depression and self-destructive habits.
Aya Awakenings: A Shamanic Odyssey by Rak Razam
Australian journalist Rak Razam originally came to Iquitos to
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cover the Ayahuasca Conference for a magazine but ended up
writing an entire book about his experience. He also went on to
make a brilliant ayahuasca documentary called Aya Awakenings.
Shedding the Layers: How Ayahuasca Saved More Than My
Skin by Mark Flaherty
A true account of the author’s efforts to cure himself of severe
eczema using ayahuasca.
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Useful books about spirituality & personal
growth
Here are some books that I’ve found to be helpful over the last
twenty years.
The Untethered Soul – Michael Singer
The Mastery of Love – Don Miguel Ruiz
The Breakthrough Experience – John DeMartini
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself – Dr. Joe Dispenza
Path of Least Resistance – Robert Fritz
Soulcraft – Bill Plotkin
Ishmael – Daniel Quinn
Original Wisdom – Robert Wolff
The Way of the Superior Man – David Deida
Spiritual Bypassing – Robert August Masters
The Power of Modern Spirituality – William Bloom
Lucid Living – Timothy Freke
The Mystery Experience – Timothy Freke
Biology of Belief – Bruce Lipton
The Field – Lynne McTaggart
The Holographic Universe – Michael Talbot
Food of the Gods – Terrence McKenna
The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
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A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
Bringers of the Dawn – Barbara Marciniak
Living the Law of One 101 – Carla Rueckert
Tao Te Ching –
translation)
Lao Tzu (I prefer the Stephen Mitchell
The Bhagavad Gita (I prefer the Eknath Easwaran translation)
The Kybalion – 3 Initiates (free download here)
Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation - Andreas Moritz
Spiritual Fiction
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah – Richard
Bach
Way of the Peaceful Warrior – Dan Milman
The Celestine Prophesy – James Redfield
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About the Author
Born in 1975, Andy’s originally from Leeds, England and he
started walking a spiritual path from the age of 19 when he first
encountered books such as The Celestine Prophecy and books by
Carlos Castaneda. He has studied under William Bloom one of
the UK’s most well-known and loved spiritual authors and
teachers. Other influences include Stuart Wilde, Don Miguel Ruiz,
Terrence McKenna, and countless others.
In early 2009 an inner voice instructed Andy to move to Peru
and he listened and has been living here ever since. In 2011 he
co-founded the Ayahuasca retreat company Ayahuasca
Satsangha before moving on to establish his own companies
Outer Travels Inner Journey and Gaia Tree.
Outer Travels Inner Journeys
Outer travels Inner Journeys is a spiritual
travel company offering transformational
retreats and adventures. Founded in 2013 by
Andy Metcalfe it began with the now wellestablished retreats and tours in the
mystical lands of Peru, South America with
the awareness that travelling to sacred places in the world can
accelerate our spiritual growth and transformation.
Current retreats and tours include:
Peru Pilgrimage to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu
Peru Odyssey a 24-day journey of Peru’s sacred places and
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natural wonders, including a 7 day ayahuasca retreat.
Future tours are coming shortly and may include Nepal, Bhutan,
India, Italy and Bali.
You can book your retreat or adventure at
outertravelsinnerjourneys.com
Gaia Tree
Gaia Tree Healing Center offers an
immersive jungle environment to connect
deeply with these sacred plant teachers for
deep healing – offering authentic, quality
retreats at an affordable price. Connecting
with powerful, humble and heartfelt
indigenous Shipibo shamans – we create a
space for deep, long lasting healing to
occur. Having been on this journey of transformation, we
understand the space needed for processing and integrating the
insights and experiences that Ayahusca will take you on.
Find out more at http://gaiatree.center
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