| I discovered that Ayahuasca is a medicine, so unlike | | | | real question was behind her initial enquiry, finally she |
| the Western understanding, a medicine which works | | | | said that she was really looking for love in her life, |
| on every level, on the physical and non-physical | | | | and of course, Javier could understand this deep |
| beings, our consciousness, our emotions, and our | | | | desire completely, and was subsequently able to help |
| spirit. It is as if you are drinking not just a liquid brew | | | | her discover and reconcile the inner obstacles, which |
| but imbibing an 'other' intelligence which knows | | | | had been preventing this. |
| exactly what is needed to help you. This is a | | | | In this context, the teacher plants can provide a |
| communion in the true sense of the word, an intense | | | | doorway to great and meaningful insights in the |
| experience of euphoria and ecstasy. A journey of | | | | adventure of personal growth and healing. The |
| deep and profoundly meaningful personal and | | | | growth and healing has therefore to be also in the |
| trans-personal insights , a searchlight on the hidden | | | | physical world, thereby offering the opportunity to |
| thoughts and feelings in the sub-conscious mind, an | | | | reveal our emotions, traumatic and turbulent |
| erasing of the ego boundaries and a merging with the | | | | experiences hidden or otherwise and so these can be |
| greater field of consciousness of creation. | | | | released and ourselves restored. This access to our |
| The was more and more to experience, dieting some | | | | soul companion (our greater selves) , this flowing |
| of the teacher plants such as Ajo Sacha and Guyasa, | | | | omni-present force guiding our life which presents |
| I felt my senses being altered , expanded in some | | | | with what are often called euphemistically "growth |
| ineffable way, and becoming aware of the song, the | | | | opportunities" for us to overcome. The plant |
| very rhythm of the rainforest. There was sound, | | | | teachers can show us these, where we can |
| smells, and sights around me, which I had not been | | | | transcend linear time itself, and we journey within this |
| aware of in my normal everyday waking state. I | | | | eternal now at the very place in time where we |
| could zoom in on smells, and sound, I realised that | | | | experienced such a difficult event or suffered a |
| the rainforest was one entity with the insects, birds, | | | | troubled pervasive period in our life. We can |
| and animals being a part of the totality of the | | | | re-experience this albeit from a different perspective, |
| rainforest. I am in paradise when lying in my | | | | learn what happened, the reasons why it occurred |
| hammock; it is like floating within a living | | | | and the subsequent impact and consequences on our |
| three-dimensional sensorial experience of sound, | | | | life, and then to release any pain and trauma locked |
| colour, smell, movement, and vibration all in harmony | | | | within our being. This release within the Ayahuasca |
| and great beauty. | | | | experience is called 'la purga' our purge, when we |
| The work with the visionary plants not only provides | | | | literally purge this pain from our being, it is not only |
| a philosophical frame of reference for my life so to | | | | the contents of our stomach which are being |
| speak, but is also a path for deep soul healing, and | | | | released but also the deeply stored bile and sourness |
| generates a desire to engage fully and with | | | | in our bodies generated from these difficult events. |
| enthusiasm the world around me. Celestial visions are | | | | The plants offer us the potential for deep soul |
| always very nice and pleasing but they must never | | | | healing so we can become stronger and more able to |
| cloud, disguise, or distract our real purpose to live in | | | | engage fully in the precious gift of life. |
| the full embodiment of being a human on this | | | | Developing a personal relationship with Ayahuasca is |
| beautiful planet and striving to enrich that special and | | | | within a background of an ancient body of practices. |
| unique experience, our 'earth walk'. I recall some | | | | For example, there is a dietary regimen, and |
| years ago when I led a group to the Amazon | | | | prohibitions regarding libidinous thoughts and activity. |
| Rainforest, our initial gathering with our shaman Javier | | | | These considerations need to be respected and can |
| Arevalo so we could all introduce ourselves. Javier | | | | not be ignored if one embarks on a path of |
| was very curious about Westerners, and was | | | | communion with the plant. On observation and study |
| interested in knowing what we were searching for | | | | (also called trial and error), this regime helps us to |
| with the visionary plants. One participant stood up | | | | become more 'plant like', therefore increasing our |
| and said she wanted a clear and definitive | | | | receptivity to the plant-spirit-mind. |
| understanding of the male and female principles of | | | | Many of my visionary experiences with Ayahuasca |
| the universe, the cosmic "ying and yang" as she put | | | | have led to a deeper understanding of my life and |
| it. Well Javier was totally mystified by this question, | | | | the role that various people had played in it. |
| as when I have attended his sessions with local | | | | Sometimes I became those people, lived their lives, |
| people who visit him for a consultation or session | | | | and came to understand why they did what they did, |
| they ask about everyday problems and concerns | | | | what decisions they had to make in their lives. These |
| such as "is my boyfriend / husband / girlfriend | | | | revelatory experiences invariably led to some form |
| cheating on me?", or "why am I unlucky in finding a | | | | of closure with that person, like completing an open |
| job?", "I need help to overcome this disease". Well | | | | chapter, or a profound healing of my relationship with |
| we worked with our participant to explore what the | | | | that person. |