Ayahuasca pt. 2

The deed is done.

Last night me and my adopted little brother, Jan from the Netherlands (pronounced Yaun), went to Pisaq, Peru with a Shaman to take Ayahuasca. It's very important to mention though that Jan has very atheistic views about life and the existence of a supreme being or God.

Before we left to Pisaq, we were given guides on how to meditate using breathing to make the most use of the Ayahuasca. We were told that any information or enlightenment gained under the Ayahuasca can be obtained solely through meditation as well. Ayahuasca just helps speed up the process of meditation and allows you to focus and understand your subconscious better.

It takes about 30 minutes to feel the effects of the medicine. While waiting for the medicine to work we were told to mentally say everything that we were thankful for in our lives.  Next, starting with our mother, we were supposed to say everything that we were thankful for from her and then apologize in detail for any wrongdoings we had done - followed by our father, siblings, extended family, enemies, and then ourselves. Finally, when finished that, we were told to ask or state our purpose for taking the Ayahuasca and what you hoped to achieve (all in our mind, by the way). As this blog is about me and this ceremony is very personal, I won't go into great detail as to what Jan experienced and had asked for, but I do think his experience was very interesting.

Next, we left to Pisaq.

The rules.

First the Shaman took us to a small room with a fireplace and blankets everywhere. He gave us, what I think was, rose water to sprinkle on our hands and head. The ceremony was held primarily in Quechua (the language of the indigenous people before the Spanish conquest to the Andean region) and very little Spanish.

Then, the Shaman told us the rules. He told us that he would be singing and playing instruments to help guide us. We were to keep our eyes closed during the entire ceremony. This part was crucial and he kept repeating it. Someone else had told me before this experience that opening your eyes would allow bad spirits to enter you. Our Shaman never told us that though. The Shaman then showed us a cigarette. When there was a bad spirit near us he would blow the smoke on us to make the spirit go away. Smoke was only blown on me once.

When he gave us the drink, we were to place one hand over the top to cover it, and then say in our minds, but with our hearts, what we hoped to accomplish through the ceremony.

The effects would last for 2 hours.

Lights out.

With the lights off, the shaman lit one candle.

I was first. He gave me the small glass of dark brown gritty liquid. I put my hand over it and asked for wisdom and more internal force in accomplishing my dreams. With that, I took my hand off of the glass and took it like a shot. I can only describe the liquid as tasting how I would perceive "shit" to taste like, with added soy sauce. Jan then did the same.

The Shaman blew out the candle. With our eyes closed, we silently gave thanks while the Shaman began to sing and drum. I cried a little bit as thoughts of people came to my mind and I apologized, and puked a tiny bit. With the music and sounds of corn husk and drums I saw birds, bats, and butterflies, but nothing more. Jan, however, was violently puking for a good portion of the first hour.

After about two hours. the Shaman turned on a tiny flashlight and asked us what we saw. I was confused. I didn't realize how much time had passed and really had not seen anything. I have to admit, thinking that the ceremony was over and not having puked much from this "cleansing" medicine, I thought, "I most not have needed much cleansing after all. Yay me! :D" Jan told us that he had seen and spoken to his parents, seen a few bad images, and finally, Pachamama* and someone else who he could only describe as God or the Universe. <--hahaha the atheist sees God and Pachamama! He said that when seeing Pachamama he was overfilled with happiness and that, in reference to his question, she had told him to just enjoy life.

*Side note: I don't know if I had mentioned Pachamama in another post but, Pachamama, or Madre Tierra in Spanish, is the Quechuan word for Mother Earth. The Incans venerated Mother Earth because without her, obviously, none of us would exist or have the food and items we need to sustain ourselves. There are depictions of Mother Earth all throughout Cusco. An old tradition that many people here still practice is giving Mother Earth a portion of your food or alcoholic beverage (by just pouring some on the ground) before consumption. It's a symbol of respect and thanks for the items in which you're about to partake.

Take 2.

After telling the Shaman that I had not seen anything, he gave me half of another glass of the Ayahuasca. This time he played shamanic singing from the radio. Again, in the pitch darkness, I said my thanks and apologies. Again, I cried. This time I cried harder as a childhood face came to mind that I apologized to. Next, I puked. A lot! With every apology and sorrow, I puked. I must have had a lot of toxins in me after all :/.

Again, time flew by and before I knew it, the Shaman turned on his small flashlight. My head was spinning and my stomach was queasy. Jan and I were ready to sleep. Standing up, I felt like the room was shaking and I would collapse. I still felt heavily under the influence and so I rushed to bed to lay down. I was a little disappointed that I had not seen much of anything though.

Everything is going to be alright.

As I laid in bed, it was somewhere between sleep and consciousness that I first saw her.  I knew it wasn't a dream, because I was fully aware of where I was, the time of day, and what was happening. It even felt different from anything I had ever seen in a dream before.

I will never forget what I saw because it was probably the happiest I have ever felt in my life to see someone. I saw Pachamama. She was radiant and beautiful; covered in a long marvelous, and if I remember clearly, golden robe with various vibrant ornaments. She was looking down with a glowing smile, at her many children; us. I then showed her what I wanted in life and what I wanted to do. I told her I was a little frustrated with myself because I feel like it's taking so long to get me to where I want to be. She then told me that everything is alright and that everything will continue to be ok as well. I am going down the right path. I felt as though she was proud of me for just trying and that I should keep going and not give up. I had only seen Pachamama for a short time but I remember, as I looked at her beautiful shining face, I felt there was another powerful presence there as well. Smiling, I went to sleep, hoping to catch another glimpse of Pachamama. I didn't.

Would I do it again?

Yes! It's actually recommended that you take the Ayahuasca retreat for 3 consecutive days. The first day for ridding yourself of toxins and cleansing your body and mind. The second day for purifying your heart and mind; and the third day for enlightenment.

Would I recommend it?

Definitely! I think it's a great way to amplify meditation and understand what your subconscious mind is trying to convey; especially if you have anxiety, depression, troubles with sleep, bouts of extreme emotions, or other mental ailments.

Here's a picture of where we were. :) The red circles are the instruments that the Shaman played. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory.