Monday, November 28, 2011

Sorry, but Another Person Asked Something About Ayahuasca

Sorry to all the people who want just family stuff and recipes. I get people who ask about ayahuasca and I think it's important to answer them as best as possible and today was one of those days when several people got in touch. I only wrote once about sapo, so here's something about Ayahuasca. This fellow D., wrote to say he'd read my book, appreciated it, but wondered about doing ayahuasca. Wondered whether his demons might not come out. Wondered whether Ayahuasca would just beat the shit out of him for no reason. Here's what I wrote in response:

Dear D.:Thanks for writing. Thanks for reading the book. Thanks for the good feedback.
Ayahuasca can be tough. You have to be soft and tough back. If she's the equivalent of a 100 foot impossible to climb mountain, you become a 2000 foot glacier to earn her respect.
I've never know Ayahuasca to pick on people. Will she go to dark places to root them out? Yes. Will she push you to change? Yes. Will she bully you for no reason other than that she can? No. She, like life, will give you opportunities to grow. Some of them are very freaking difficult. But none are beyond what you can handle, even if, at some given moments, you panic when dealing with them.
That's where, in my mind, a good curandero comes into play. He/She sees what you are going through and when they think you've had enough, they use their icaros, songs, to pull you out of the pain, the panic, the spiral. They are the ones who invited the spirits; they are the ones who can tell the spirits that the party is over and it's time to go. At least the good ones can.
So don't be afraid. Wary, yes.
Ridiculous, but I've a February trip coming up that includes some people who have some experience and a few people in your boat. All will come out better for it. All will be taken care of. And if one or two of them have demons come out, well, with a little spiritual help, my team and I will get those to either reconsider their positions or we'll dump them into the red room for a bit of a makeover. We don't like bully spirits on my trip.
If it is time for you, then join. It ain't cheap, but it's the real deal and I'm giving you the chance/choice. If not now, then you'll find something when you're ripe for it. You'll be fine. We're all scared to enter those realms. We'd be foolish not to be. But knowing you have someone who will get you through, the curandero, allows you to get through it much more easily.
Hope that helps.

3 comments:

Jude said...

The thing I love about this blog is the mix of family stuff/recipes, along with the posts about Ayahuasca. I think it shows that Ayahuasca, or other sacred medicines, are not something that you just go off and do in an exotic location. Rather the insights and healing you receive are something that gets integrated into life, and hopefully makes you a better, fuller person. That's the way it's worked for me anyway.

Unknown said...

Your response was very thoughtful. I have attended numerous sessions in Mexico with the Church of Santo Daime. Definitely, Mother Ayahuasca can kick you bottom. I asked, and received, a cure for skin cancer in one particular session. This IS transformative stuff.

Unknown said...

I have just published a book, Counterpoint to Reality, that discusses my ayahuasca sessions in Mexico. Anyone interested in knowing more about this incredible process can find it at amazon.com.