iv expirienced traditional icaros during ayahuasca ceremonies.
i am not one to speak with any real authority regarding the extent of their purpose or power though, all i have are my limited expiriences through which to observe. i was very curious at the time about the purpose of icaros but was dealing with a bit of a language barrier.
expiriencially i found them to be somthing like a paddle rowing a canoe. ...a rhythmic and consistant force guiding the boat down the river. i found that in particularly difficult or overwhelming moments of my trips, the icaros had a way of keeping things flowing, they reminded me to keep moving. they could bring me to my center by reminding me of my center.
i also got the sence that the icaros held alot more power and intention than i was capable of recognizing from my level of understanding at that time. they held this mystique that left me feeling as though the main purpose of the icaros were to resonate on the other side. but i dont really know what an icaro trully is. its one of those things that i observed and realized i do not understand. if nothing else they are certainly very beautiful sounds to listen to.
in the ceremonies i was attending, the icaros were usually directed at specific individuals, members of the community who had come to request a healing or blessing. he would sing to them, pray for them, then send them on their way and address the next patient. somtimes there was more to it, but it was basically the icaros that were the medicine for the sick.
one expieince i had with the icaros:
after my 3rd ceremony i spoke to the shaman i was working with about how i felt like i wasnt recieving the full potential that i felt ayahuasca had to offer me. i was not finding much depth from my first few expiriences, but my dreams led me to believe there was more.
i told him it felt as though i were trying to see in the dark, i was undergoing the expiriences and felt as though much were happening around me and within me, but nothing was clear. i had no real visions..."no luz". he asked if he could sing for me. then he sang some icaros to me and blew mappacho smoke over me. I went home, slept, came back 2 days later for another ceremony not really thinking much of the prayers he had sung.
well, that particualr ceremony ended up being quite an intence one, to put it lightly....it was my first full break through, one that hit so hard and hurt so deep that the only natural responce was a total abandon. i can say that i had got what i had asked for.