Category: Retreats
Integration, I am you and you are me
Ayahuasca Cusco – Everyone has a different reason for coming to Peru to experience Ayahuasca, San Pedro and other sacred plant medicines. Some of us need to overcome trauma, free ourselves from bad habits, go deeper spiritually, heal diseases and ailments or find new inspiration. Our practice is in using the plants mother nature intended for our use to heal mind, body and spirit.
Participants want to know how to integrate the medicines, because what it is the point in coming all the way and such a huge undertaking if you go return to your old ways?
This is a common question we receive from our retreat goers here at Shamanic Vida. With Ayahuasca, any imbalances conscious or unconscious rest assured will be brought up for examination by the medicine. This tends to confront our ego and leave it feeling uncomfortable sometimes, no matter how life-changing the experience was.
Here is where the San Pedro comes in. It highlights and restores our truths for us, brings a halo of gratefulness into our lives. We remember to be with our friends and families, the ancestors and parents from which we were created, be grateful for the meals we easily eat, the house we live in and more. The teachings of San Pedro integrate themselves naturally over a long period of time. By doing San Pedro with your ayahuasca retreat in Cusco, the ayahuasca teachings become more concreted into your consciousness.
These two plants together lock-in your ability to carry the momentum forward and make the changes you were encouraged to make.
Transmit the understanding the you in Peru and the you in your home country, are the same person. Respect yourself and your body throughout the process, just like we do here at our retreat center, this helps keep the glow and makes integration far easier.
Trust the unknown, discover, be humble, forgive, celebrate, and love. The medicine shows us the universe and we are all one, so treat life this way.
“Lak’ech Ala K’in” – Mayan: I am you and you are me.
Comparing States of Mind
Ayahuasca Cusco – Anthropologists have often compared shamanic states to yogic states and buddhist meditation states, as the same. While they do have similarities, it is a sad superficial comparison. The shamanic state we will be talking about is strictly the ayahuasca state.
Yogic states are focused on having a still mind connected to a breath. It is attained by extreme inward focus. The outside world and one’s body will no longer exist. This inward state is where the yogi becomes established in their essential nature.
In Buddhism, particularly the practice of Vipassana, one focuses on becoming aware. Every grain and granule are examined, both inside and outside of oneself. This heightens one’s senses and awareness, helping rid one of distractions from the outside world.
During a shaman’s journey with ayahuasca they are in a controlled ecstasy experience. They find themselves in many worlds at once, never losing their sense of self. In this state they have an abundance of energy and sing icaros to connect to the outer dimensions. In the ayahuasca journey, they are less aware of the present world, but able to come in and out of their altered states of consciousness. They are the only state to experience a true ecstasy through out of body experience.
Yogis and Buddhists do not have out of body experience, but rather an inward bliss known as samadhi or in buddhism’s case remarkable levels of perceptual sensitivity. They are unlikely to communicate because they could lose their concentration. The energy they have decreases to bring on a state of calm, the exact opposite of a shamanic state.
At our center for ayahuasca in Cusco, we are focused on both buddhist meditation states and shamanic journeying. However, we recommend practice using any technique either yogic or buddhist. Along with the teachings of the plant medicines. They are a great aid in personal transformations and transcendence both at the center and your home.
Do we choose earth?
An uncertain territory, which is semi-common among experienced ayahuasca drinkers, is the theory that – we choose to come to earth. First, for this to begin to make sense we must already believe in spirits and reincarnations or the possibility of.
In these ayahuasca interdimensional travels, what is talked about most often are a council of spirit guides and a pre-birth plan. In this theory the council of spirit guides helps decide which pre-birth life plan will be the most beneficial for our inner growth.
The idea does vary slightly from person to person from their ayahuasca journey, maybe there are one or a few spirit guides or twelve. Overwhelmingly the understanding is, it was our life, our choice to come here.
Once the birth plan is put into place we forget who we truly are, our goals for coming to earth and the plan set in place. When people begin to experience life on a higher plane they become aware of this plan. Many seek out the help of mediums after their ayahuasca ceremonies to continue this communication with the spirits.
Fully living out our plan could be seen as just simply living your life to the fullest, what we often call finding your path in ayahuasca ceremonies. The theory is an interesting backdrop to the ideas we put into motion by beginning such a large spiritual re-construction.
Ayahuasca could be a catalyst to helping you remember your pathway, the reason you chose to come to earth. It is a new perspective on an old story. Anyone is free to believe that which resonates with them.
Here is an interesting video on the subject with Robert Schwartz
Icaros
Ayahuasca Retreat Peru – Icaros are medicinal songs sung by the shipibo tribe of the Amazon. They are similar to prayers, with melodies full of love and compassion, they are the energy that brings wisdom, connection and healing.
The songs are born from the deepst heart of healers, taught from master to disciple, Icaros are improvized from dreams or visions the shaman recieves during the learning process and after.
First, the melody appears as light airy whistles, then gradually the Icaros manisfest into ancient song. The shamans call on the spirits of other shamans to help sing. These songs are to cure the patients, focusing on what they need, whether that be protection, healing, love or harmony, maybe even a few put together.
When experiencing the Icaros one must stay focused, relaxed and flow with the ancient tunes to recieve a greater connection with the medicine. These songs are comparable to the Mantras of the Oriente because Icaros healing is also done on the astral plane, with vibration and intention.
-by Shaman Pacco
Cutting Energy Cords
All relationships in life have energy cords attached to them. Connecting between chakras, they can be the circumfrence of a finger or as wide as a bowl. Your first energy cords are with your parents and immediate family. As we grow older we form our own relationships outside of the family, first with friends and then with intimate partners. In any healthly relationship, the exchange of energy between partners is equal.
When relationships go astray, it is important to heal the wound of the energy cord. Cords which must be pulled out or mended are normally failed romantic relationships or marriages. By not recieving energy in the relationship and giving energy, one partner will have a deficiency. If the cord is not cut and healed it will continue leaking energy and take longer to heal or may never. Leaving a broken energy cord can cause weakness in ones auric field. Then one may attract the same pattern again, only starting with weaker energy and less to give.
We use energy healing techniques, meditations, ayahuasca, san pedro and other herbs such as yarrow root to help heal energy cords.
When is it appropriate for energy to be cleaned up between people instead of cut? Lets say you had a mutual agreement and are now friends with your ex. Because energy chords are connected between the chakras, it would be okay to have cords between the heart chakra, but not the second chakra where sexual energy and desires are found. So only one cord would be severed and healed. In dealing with difficult family, plant healers, shamans, herbalists, energy workers will tell you, it is necessary to clean up the energy cords, but not to sever them.
Why you may ask? Because it is believed that cutting energy cords creates karma, and if not dealt with in this life you will carry it into the next life and have to deal with it then…
This does not mean you have to have this person in your life, but that your relationship and emotions toward them are healthly for YOU. Often in these more difficult situations between family we call on the power of ayahuasca to help heal you and teach appropriate boundaries.
You may have guessed this, but I will say it anyways, with the power of plants and a shaman you can heal your energy cords. A shaman or energy healer will notice you have damaged cords right away. BUT SO DO YOU!! When we ask participants about a cord needing to be cut, they most always know exactly what we are talking about!
It may seem a little far fetched for some. Have faith in the process and keep your intention, you could be quite suprised at the results. We work with an invisible life force energy and it is not always easy to explain or prove it works, but it does. Our ayahuasca retreats are a safe place to begin healing your past and learning new techniques of meditation and energy healing for setting healthly boundaries in the future.