Tag: #entheogens
Books on building relationships with plant spirits
Ayahuasca Books – We want you to be able to continue your way on the new spiritual path you are walking after your retreat. If you find yourself enthralled with the experience and yearn to learn more read, find your niche in this realm and dig deeper into your being, into the plant spirits beings, other dimensions and more. See how far you can get and do not forget to come back, implement your new ideas and communicate with us what you learned. Our list is somewhat short and sweet, it is in no particular order our scratch pad from a meeting, let us know if we are missing any essentials!
- Tibetan Book of the Dead by Graham Coleman
- Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Handcock
- The Secret Teachings of Plants by Stephen Harrod Buhner
- The Field by Lynne McTaggart
- The Earth Has a Soul by CG Jung
- Plant Spirit Healing by Pam Montgomery
- Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom in Native American Herbalism by Stephen Harrod Buhner
- The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth by Monica Sjoo
- Plant Spirit Medicine: A Journey into the Healing Wisdom of Plants by Eliot Cowan
- Inner Paths to Outer Space by Rick Strassman
- The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner
- The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby
- The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tomkins
- Foods of the Gods by Terence McKenna
- DMT the Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman
The discovery of ayahuasca!
These two plants grow in close proximity in the amazonian region. Where there is an ayahuasca vine, you will find a chacruna plant near by. But, there are a massive amount of plants which also grow in this same region near ayahuasca vines that do not combine to bring about a hallucinatory experience. Every plant in the region has a use and the tribes people grow up learning the medicinal properties of plants before they ever learn to read and write. This is an essential part of their survival and often implemented into the language they speak. Because of this we can deduct that the knowledge was passed down verbally in songs, like icaros. Anthropologists have estimated they began taking ayahuasca some 5,000 years ago. It is possible, but not likely, an accident of the brewer. So then how did these, so called, primitive people know?
Let us imagine they were not primitive people, they held a knowledge vastly different from our own. They could feel plant energy. For those of us who have closer relationships with plants and entheogens, this is easier to understand. If you lived in not just a jungle, but the amazon jungle, reading plant energy is part of your survival toolkit. There are plants in the amazon that can easily kill a human, there are plants that can save your life. If other animals can sense what plants are beneficial to them, why not humans? The tribes believe the plants have spirits and that you can hear the plants, they are living things just like anything else. By listening to the plants on a profound level, it is believed they were able to speak with the spirits. The spirits came to them and told them how to use the plants to heal.
Then there is the theory where humans are not insightful to their surroundings and the idea to mix chacruna leaf and ayahuasca together came from an outside source. Depending on who you speak to this could mean gods or aliens told the people to mix the plants. Who it was depends on the perspective of the storyteller. It is fun to speculate how such an important life saver in amazonian medicine came to be.
It is an important teaching in letting things be as they are. We may never know how exactly ayahuasca tea came to fruition, but we do know we are grateful for it, that is most important. This medicine saves lives and brings forth great positive personal change. It is fair to say there is no other entheogen like it.
Suffering severe anxiety and paranoia and how ayahuasca can help.
Ayahuasca Cusco = Anxiety – is a paralysing disease. It affects our minds, bodies and hearts in a way no other subjective problem can. Being stricken by paranoia on top of anxiety is a debilitated life. People who get lost in this pattern can feel hopeless, depressed and sometimes suicidal. It is important to take swift action to liberate yourself and begin to live with calm energy.
Ayahuasca works on three levels your mind, body and spirit. First, it begins by cleansing your system, the body, of toxins built up from years of not eating right and putting a strong master plant such as cannabis in your system for recreational use. Once it has finished there, it moves onto your mind. It finds the roots which cause this anxiety and paranoia, and at that point it reassociates your minds triggers. The roots are rewired to activate a different part of your brain, a new calm understanding.
From there ayahuasca will work on your spirit giving you what you need to liberate yourself from the endless cycle you were in and the courage you need to change. Ayahuasca is a strong master plant and will help wash away the negative effects caused by cannabis use. Intention is key, the ayahuasca will do hard work on your body, but you will have to put in effort on your part as well. Wanting to learn to love and respect the plants we have been given by mother earth is important in this particular recovery. A plant is not just a plant, plants have spirits, if we misuse them we suffer.
This is not a problem to be ashamed of as it is becoming quite common. Not all plants pair well with all types of people. The sooner you can come to an ayahuasca retreat the better. You will find your center again and begin living peacefully with your spirit and all spirits around you, free from the clutches of anxiety and paranoia.
*We recommend a ceremony of San Pedro along with ayahuasca in these particular cases.
Why is it important to follow the ayahuasca diet?
Ayahuasca Cusco – The ayahuasca diet you follow beforehand becomes a reflection of how you will consider and absorb the teachings of ayahuasca. It is important to have a clean vessel to receive the ayahuasca. Many of the foods we have listed off the diet are because they are harsh on your system. In fact ayahuasca is a harsh plant for your system and for this reason used in special ceremonies, not everyday. It is important it does not have to compete with other strong plants, foods or medicines to absorb in your system.
When this competition occurs the ayahuasca has to do extra work on your physical body. This may cause more nausea than normal, diarrhea, extreme heat or cold. It depends on the person. The emotional, mental or physical work the ayahuasca is going towards needs for your system to be clean first. For this reason we give an herbal cleanse on the first day, but it is in your best interest to follow the diet beforehand.
Following the diet is easier than it may sound at first and you will reap the benefits without knowing what you are avoiding. It is respect for the plant as well and beginning to work with the plant before you arrive is entirely in your benefit.
Giving back after and ayahuasca retreat…
Ayahuasca Cusco – We ask if you are interested in giving back that you do by being conscientious when you return to your country. This we believe whole heartedly is more important than putting money into any organization or charity. What the world needs is good people doing good deeds. Find something that can help make a difference in your community or one closeby, change starts at home with you. Continue on a path to serve others in any way you can. It is as simple as maybe seeing trash on the ground and picking it up or helping your elderly neighbors.
Be conscientious in consuming. Mother earth is essential to our survival and the survival of earth’s creatures. Try to minimize your consumption in every way you can. True happiness does not come from new clothes, cars or homes. The light is inside you and the more you practice a spiritual discipline the more you will understand the difference between need and want.
Eat a healthy diet for your body and mind. Support local organic. If you eat meat, eat quality and be sure to give your gratitude to the animal who gave you its life. A small positive gesture can go a long way with your intention.
Grow spiritually and intellectually. Never stop learning. Spread knowledge where you can, but do not be forceful. Take the time to listen to others. Do not rush your life. Breathe in the fresh air and enjoy life for its simple pleasures.
You can tell people whom you think may benefit from an entheogenic experience, about the retreat, but try and leave out specific details of your experience. This tends to generate an expectation and it is better for everyone to go into their retreat ceremonies with a clear mind, free of expectations.