lyserge
polyfather anomalous
Over the holidays I undertook a short trip to the Upper Amazon. The goal was to find adventure, go where the wind blows, and see where I ended up - in previous travels this always worked well, and it proved to work well on this trip once again. I spent one week traveling around the Andes, visiting various important spots - the markets, ancient architecture (whoever built some of those megalithic structures obviously were a very intelligent and very skilled people), and lots of fun to boot. I then descended into the Upper Amazon basin, again seeking adventure, as well as a couple of plants that weren't available in the highlands, including mapacho, the preparation made from Nicotiana rusticum, the potent jungle species of Tobacco that contains far greater amounts of nicotine and harmala alkaloids than the Nicotiana tobacum variety used in almost all North American and European varieties of cigarettes. In addition, I wasn't going to the jungle solely to drink ayahuasca, but I did have the name of a well-respected ayahuasquero in the region - I got his name through a very high quality South American vendor whose name, in turn, I got from someone on the Nexus, so ultimately what led me to the monte, the jungle, or at least this part of the jungle, was a connection made through the Nexus. The Nexus has interacted several terms with the concrete aspects of my life, in very positive ways, so thanks again to all who contribute here...I was particularly interested in this particular gentleman, since when I typed his name into google, I found a video interview of him, in his early eighties, where he explained that the first time he drank ayahuasca, in his twenties, the ayahuasca told him, "learn from me, not from other people". I was very struck by what he said, since it implied, first, that he was the "real deal"...a faker would not know to say something like this, that he was a direct apprentice of ayahuasca. In addition, through smoking changa I've had similar encounters with entities, though in retrospect none of these, I believe, were with "Mama Aya", the womanly voice (or 'entity') that appears so powerfully during the ayahuasca session.
Anyways, I ended up in the Upper Amazon basin after a very long, crowded 12 hour bus ride down from the highlands. The transportation in South America is something of its own; public transportation, including buses and taxis (which come in the car, mototaxi or motorcycle-hackshaw, and pure motorcycle varieties), is very inexpensive there, to the point that having a car is unnecessary for the traveler. On arriving in the jungle, early in the morning, I was first struck by the intense heat felt before 7 AM. In addition, there were many mosquitoes and other bugs I wasn't used to, so I wore long clothes. Very hot and sticky.
I asked around in the city for directions to the ayahuasquero's place - all I had was his name and his community - and eventually found out it was a 45-minute combinado ride (like a taxi, but combinados are cheaper since they only leave when the car is full) into the bush, the rainforest. By 11 AM (the sun rises early), I was on my way. The dirt road out to the community was surrounded by trees, bushes, flowers, of all colors. After 45 minutes, we arrived at the community, population probably a few hundred people, with traditional thatched houses mixed with thatched tiendas advertising Inca Kola, a local refresco of choice. I asked for the gentleman's house, and soon encountered his son, who showed me across a small wooden bridge and through some tall grasses, to the place of Don Luis*, curandero, maestro, and expert on plants of the Upper Amazon. I was surprised at the simplicity of the guest houses, the ceremonial house, Luis' house - it was adorned by a couple of portraits of him, very calm and dignified, obviously a well respected man. For a man of obviously great knowledge, wisdom, and power, he was remarkably humble, and for a man of 81 years he displayed remarkable health; where I live even many people in their twenties are overweight or experience myriad related health problems, and by the time people here reach 81, very few of them hold their health as did this man. I already knew, but on meeting him I confirmed that "this man is the 'real deal'". I was soon given a key to the quarters (a cabin with lightly padded beds and mosquito nets), a bowl of rice and cucumbers without salt, and introduced to Austin*, the Turkish fellow who was staying there at the same time. Austin explained that they drank the ayahuasca every other night, and that that night - which coincidentally turned out to be the night of the Solstice, Full Moon, Eclipse, and DMT Nexus SHE - we would be drinking. I didn't expect to be drinking so quickly, but I had begun something of a diet before leaving for the jungle, so I knew that my body was fit for drinking the medicine that night. I retreated to rest, after two long nights aboard crowded and hot buses, then awoke as the Sun sank below the horizon, around 7 PM. Within an hour we would proceed to the ceremonial house, approximately 30 feet by 50 feet, with traditional thatching and no mosquito nets. I mentioned to Austin that I was concerned about the possibility of catching malaria from the mosquitoes, but he reassured me that malaria was very uncommon there, and that the ayahuasca is very powerful antibiotic medicine and could kill the malaria, according to what he was taught. Upon hearing this I was very reassured that I had come to the right place.
As I walked in the house, I was again impressed by the simplicity - Luis wore very simple clothes, no fancy props - only a candle, a simple chair, a cup for drinking, and the 1 liter soda bottle containing the watery brownish liquid. After Austin and I both sat down, Luis proceeded to pour out a cup of the medicine, blew several puffs of tobacco smoke over the cup, then offered it to Austin, who drank the small amount of liquid quickly, but evidently it was quite nasty! Luis repeated this - poured a cup of the ayahuasca, blew tobacco smoke over it, then offered it to me. I scooted up to where he seat, took the ayahuasca, smelled it (surprisingly sweet, almost like Chinese vegetable noodles), then drank. It had an underlying hint of sweetness, though with a strong bitterness; obviously it contained significant quantities of alkaloids, but again, it was surprisingly sweet, "Dulce". I returned to my pad, in the center of the house, and Ignacio blew out the candle. Darkness and silence overtook the room. After perhaps 45 minutes of sitting and laying there, Ignacio began shaking the "rattles", made of dried leaves of a certain fan-like plant found in the area, as if to call in the ayahuasca. As he shook the rattles, a thunderstorm brewed, and we were soon in the midst of a very heavy jungle downpour. At this point, Ignacio asked how we were, and I replied "Bien", and "No estoy barracho"...(I'm well and I'm not ayahuasca-drunk). Ignacio poured us both a second cup, and once again I drank, surprised at the sweetness of the ayahuasca.
Within 10 minutes, I purged; the vomit had the consistency and smell of the ayahuasca, but whereas I drank a mere two 3-4 ounce cups of the medicine, I vomited at least 3-4 cups worth of purge, as if the ayahuasca had absorbed toxins or other bad contents in my stomach/system and expelled them. After the purge, I felt much better, and laid back, in the dark and silence, with rain on the outside. At this point, a strange thing happened: the ayahuasca took effect, with a beautiful woman appearing in my vision, with her body coming out of what appeared to be a vast ball of radiant light inside of the Earth. The woman beckoned me with her forefinger, inviting me into this brilliant ball of light inside the Earth. This "beckoning" was familiar with the alien beings commonly encountered during changa sessions, but the vast ball of light was unfamiliar. I feel at this point I could've "gone with" the woman, inside that ball of light, but was too fearful at the time. Going into this ball of light, I feel, would leave what I refer to as "me" as no longer intact. I would be dissolved, and at this point I did not feel comfortable taking this plunge into death and rebirth. I continued there, laying in my pad, fully aware of my body but immersed in a DMT-like space of closed-eye patterns, jaguars, birds, flowers, colors. Later, a second woman appeared, this one cloaked in a black cape, with an appearance like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. Luis later mentioned the two aspects of ayahuasca - the good and the bad - and I interpreted these visions as the two aspects of ayahuasca revealing themselves in visual form.
At a couple of points I felt immersed in what Shpongle so aptly describes as a "Divine Moment of Truth", enshrouded in a sort of state of marriage with the Way or Truth of the Universe at that time, free of the usual anxieties and concerns that plague my day-to-day being. I soon got up and moved closer to Luis, to converse with him; unfortunately I could only understand maybe a quarter of what he says - I am not fluent in Spanish and in addition, he spoke a dialect that was very difficult for even native Spanish speakers to understand. He talked about the first time he drank, about how the local people feel about the ayahuasca - he says they do not know about it, and have accused him of practicing witchcraft or black magic - he insists he takes part in none of that 'mischief', but tells me there are brujos, sorcerers, who are pure evil, on the more isolated other side of the river.
What I found unique about my first time drinking ayahuasca was not the DMT effects - Divine Moments of Truth, and distinct DMT-like visuals. However, here, for the first time, I felt the strong female voice of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is described as a female by all of the shamanic practicioners I'm aware of, and my experience was no different. My first encounter with her showed her to have multiple aspects - both 'good' and 'bad' - but primarily good. The good aspects are no less than divine, able to connect one with powers far greater than one's own; "entheogenic" is a most accurate word for this aspect of ayahuasca. The bad aspects - well she's apparently very jealous, particularly with what foods are in one's stomach when the ayahuasca enters, whether one is having sex, and so forth. This was the first out of what would be five sessions of ayahuasca in the jungle. Delicious! Reports to be continued...
*I've changed the names to protect the innocent. If you'd like the name and location of this simple yet masterly ayahuasquero PM me.
Anyways, I ended up in the Upper Amazon basin after a very long, crowded 12 hour bus ride down from the highlands. The transportation in South America is something of its own; public transportation, including buses and taxis (which come in the car, mototaxi or motorcycle-hackshaw, and pure motorcycle varieties), is very inexpensive there, to the point that having a car is unnecessary for the traveler. On arriving in the jungle, early in the morning, I was first struck by the intense heat felt before 7 AM. In addition, there were many mosquitoes and other bugs I wasn't used to, so I wore long clothes. Very hot and sticky.
I asked around in the city for directions to the ayahuasquero's place - all I had was his name and his community - and eventually found out it was a 45-minute combinado ride (like a taxi, but combinados are cheaper since they only leave when the car is full) into the bush, the rainforest. By 11 AM (the sun rises early), I was on my way. The dirt road out to the community was surrounded by trees, bushes, flowers, of all colors. After 45 minutes, we arrived at the community, population probably a few hundred people, with traditional thatched houses mixed with thatched tiendas advertising Inca Kola, a local refresco of choice. I asked for the gentleman's house, and soon encountered his son, who showed me across a small wooden bridge and through some tall grasses, to the place of Don Luis*, curandero, maestro, and expert on plants of the Upper Amazon. I was surprised at the simplicity of the guest houses, the ceremonial house, Luis' house - it was adorned by a couple of portraits of him, very calm and dignified, obviously a well respected man. For a man of obviously great knowledge, wisdom, and power, he was remarkably humble, and for a man of 81 years he displayed remarkable health; where I live even many people in their twenties are overweight or experience myriad related health problems, and by the time people here reach 81, very few of them hold their health as did this man. I already knew, but on meeting him I confirmed that "this man is the 'real deal'". I was soon given a key to the quarters (a cabin with lightly padded beds and mosquito nets), a bowl of rice and cucumbers without salt, and introduced to Austin*, the Turkish fellow who was staying there at the same time. Austin explained that they drank the ayahuasca every other night, and that that night - which coincidentally turned out to be the night of the Solstice, Full Moon, Eclipse, and DMT Nexus SHE - we would be drinking. I didn't expect to be drinking so quickly, but I had begun something of a diet before leaving for the jungle, so I knew that my body was fit for drinking the medicine that night. I retreated to rest, after two long nights aboard crowded and hot buses, then awoke as the Sun sank below the horizon, around 7 PM. Within an hour we would proceed to the ceremonial house, approximately 30 feet by 50 feet, with traditional thatching and no mosquito nets. I mentioned to Austin that I was concerned about the possibility of catching malaria from the mosquitoes, but he reassured me that malaria was very uncommon there, and that the ayahuasca is very powerful antibiotic medicine and could kill the malaria, according to what he was taught. Upon hearing this I was very reassured that I had come to the right place.
As I walked in the house, I was again impressed by the simplicity - Luis wore very simple clothes, no fancy props - only a candle, a simple chair, a cup for drinking, and the 1 liter soda bottle containing the watery brownish liquid. After Austin and I both sat down, Luis proceeded to pour out a cup of the medicine, blew several puffs of tobacco smoke over the cup, then offered it to Austin, who drank the small amount of liquid quickly, but evidently it was quite nasty! Luis repeated this - poured a cup of the ayahuasca, blew tobacco smoke over it, then offered it to me. I scooted up to where he seat, took the ayahuasca, smelled it (surprisingly sweet, almost like Chinese vegetable noodles), then drank. It had an underlying hint of sweetness, though with a strong bitterness; obviously it contained significant quantities of alkaloids, but again, it was surprisingly sweet, "Dulce". I returned to my pad, in the center of the house, and Ignacio blew out the candle. Darkness and silence overtook the room. After perhaps 45 minutes of sitting and laying there, Ignacio began shaking the "rattles", made of dried leaves of a certain fan-like plant found in the area, as if to call in the ayahuasca. As he shook the rattles, a thunderstorm brewed, and we were soon in the midst of a very heavy jungle downpour. At this point, Ignacio asked how we were, and I replied "Bien", and "No estoy barracho"...(I'm well and I'm not ayahuasca-drunk). Ignacio poured us both a second cup, and once again I drank, surprised at the sweetness of the ayahuasca.
Within 10 minutes, I purged; the vomit had the consistency and smell of the ayahuasca, but whereas I drank a mere two 3-4 ounce cups of the medicine, I vomited at least 3-4 cups worth of purge, as if the ayahuasca had absorbed toxins or other bad contents in my stomach/system and expelled them. After the purge, I felt much better, and laid back, in the dark and silence, with rain on the outside. At this point, a strange thing happened: the ayahuasca took effect, with a beautiful woman appearing in my vision, with her body coming out of what appeared to be a vast ball of radiant light inside of the Earth. The woman beckoned me with her forefinger, inviting me into this brilliant ball of light inside the Earth. This "beckoning" was familiar with the alien beings commonly encountered during changa sessions, but the vast ball of light was unfamiliar. I feel at this point I could've "gone with" the woman, inside that ball of light, but was too fearful at the time. Going into this ball of light, I feel, would leave what I refer to as "me" as no longer intact. I would be dissolved, and at this point I did not feel comfortable taking this plunge into death and rebirth. I continued there, laying in my pad, fully aware of my body but immersed in a DMT-like space of closed-eye patterns, jaguars, birds, flowers, colors. Later, a second woman appeared, this one cloaked in a black cape, with an appearance like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. Luis later mentioned the two aspects of ayahuasca - the good and the bad - and I interpreted these visions as the two aspects of ayahuasca revealing themselves in visual form.
At a couple of points I felt immersed in what Shpongle so aptly describes as a "Divine Moment of Truth", enshrouded in a sort of state of marriage with the Way or Truth of the Universe at that time, free of the usual anxieties and concerns that plague my day-to-day being. I soon got up and moved closer to Luis, to converse with him; unfortunately I could only understand maybe a quarter of what he says - I am not fluent in Spanish and in addition, he spoke a dialect that was very difficult for even native Spanish speakers to understand. He talked about the first time he drank, about how the local people feel about the ayahuasca - he says they do not know about it, and have accused him of practicing witchcraft or black magic - he insists he takes part in none of that 'mischief', but tells me there are brujos, sorcerers, who are pure evil, on the more isolated other side of the river.
What I found unique about my first time drinking ayahuasca was not the DMT effects - Divine Moments of Truth, and distinct DMT-like visuals. However, here, for the first time, I felt the strong female voice of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is described as a female by all of the shamanic practicioners I'm aware of, and my experience was no different. My first encounter with her showed her to have multiple aspects - both 'good' and 'bad' - but primarily good. The good aspects are no less than divine, able to connect one with powers far greater than one's own; "entheogenic" is a most accurate word for this aspect of ayahuasca. The bad aspects - well she's apparently very jealous, particularly with what foods are in one's stomach when the ayahuasca enters, whether one is having sex, and so forth. This was the first out of what would be five sessions of ayahuasca in the jungle. Delicious! Reports to be continued...
*I've changed the names to protect the innocent. If you'd like the name and location of this simple yet masterly ayahuasquero PM me.
Thank you for sharing!
I first experienced ayahuasca in the Peruvian Amazon and feel very lucky to have been able to experience that. I have a friend who is setting up a centre in Brazil by the Amazon, and post uni I will definitely be getting involved with this.
