By Joel Johuanchi.

We live lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality os conditioned by out position in space and time – not by our personalities as we like to think. Thus every interpretation of reality is based upon a unique position. Two paces east or west and the whole picture is changed.

Laurence Durrell.

From the very first time my father got me in the path of Ayahuasca, more than eighteen years ago, many people ask me what Ayahuasca means to me.

It is a teacher, mother, doctor, for she teaches, guides and heals us. I’ve been drinking ayahuasca for a very long time, for countless number of times, however I can’t know it all and in fact, I don’t know anything, I am still learning everyday from the teacher that teaches me the things I need to learn and not the other way arround. Every experience with Ayahuasca is very different from the other. I believe that everything, from the smallest and ephemeral thing to the most trascendental are a complete teaching.

Drinking Ayahuasca is a communion to me, a communion that opens the doors to our own reality and to others we are not used to; the notion of space and time are lost during this period. The visions and effects we experience in an Ayahuasca ceremony are processes of learning. When we ask with will, patiente, faith and respect, Ayahuasca protects us and teaches us, she shows us the origins of our ailments. This is the virtue and wisdom held in Ayahuasca. She teaches you what you need, she will heal in you what needs to be cured, she guides you through wherever it is yo need to go.

The things you live in the magical world of Ayahuasca are real, as real as the world we walk through most of our time. In the Ayahuasca world our senses are sharpened so that we can understand our own nature; by entering this realm we can talk to our inner selves an walk other dimensions that are also useful as teachers and guides.

The things that happen in the intimacy of our being under the effects of Ayahuasca are a process of purification for our minds, spirits and bodies; we contact ourselves through a mirror, and this way we assume the responsability we have with ourselves. Transformation can occur during this process.

From the experience I have acquired through the years, I say that this is not about understanding or explaining an Ayuahuasca experience, for the most we try to understand the less we learn. I believe that the experiences in altered states of conscience are not meant to be explained, but to be felt within ourselves. My experiences with Ayahuasca have been diverse. I got the chance of understanding my first Ayahuasca vision after eight years. Everything experienced in an Ayahuasca ceremony has something to teach. In other words: the search of knowledge from a vision, however, in many of my experiences I did not have any kind of visions whatsoever, no extraordinary trips… but despite that Mother Ayahuasca has taught me many things. An spiritual experience gives life to our feelings and opens our hearts, so that we can learn to discover ourselves.

Before I can finnish with these paragraphs, I must mention that for us to drink Ayahuasca, we need to be prepared at a physical, mental and spiritual level. We need discipline, and every discipline requires work, that way we will receive the magic of Ayahuasca in our bodies. We need to get rid of some habits to get into this other world. The Teacher Ayahuasca demands a purified body. I would like to know further details, but I will stop here to continue these paragraphs in other ocation.

From the 27 of June to the 02nd of July

From the 02nd to the 07th of August

Introduction

 

The ancient medicine of the Andean and Amazonian cultures has become a reliable source of wisdom, for it offers many possibilities to treat the different diseases that haunt mankind. We can actually say that the traditional medicine has become the entrance gateway to a magical universe, where not only a profound knowledge of the healing plants is to be found, but also a philosophy of life and spirituality entangled in a holy conception of  the natural elements.  Plants, animals, minerals and man are not considered as lifeless objects, used by us to get some sort of benefit out of them. Mother Nature, known as the most vital and powerful energy, holds life, fertility, productivity and healing for all its beings. There are many hidden energies behind this material realm that act as providers of health, wisdom and good fortune, and help us in our search for harmony and peace. In other words, the plants act according to the will of the spiritual energies that are part of them.

This way of understanding the world will allow us to see “the rational in the irrational, the tangible in the intangible”. Acquiring knowledge from this perspective will have us understand, in a clearer way, the principles of physical health and the human being itself.

Thanks to their unique ecological system, the Andean and Amazonian lands  have given us different plants, animals and minerals, but there is something else they hold; Ancient Cultures in deep contact with the natural elements around them. Both, nature and man together, have been creators of an Ancient Wisdom that has the purpose of healing the body and spirit with the help of the energy within the natural elements. That is why some plants like the coca leaf or “Mamacoca”, Datura, Tobacco and Ayahuasca are sacred.

Water, fire, earth and air are the four elements of nature. Let us see them as more than “resources”, so we can be aware that they belong to a higher category, as “purifying and healing elements”, “spiritual resources”, “vital energies”. Every kind of physical or psychical ailment of life is related to the offset of balance of one or more of these vital energies. For us to restore this balance or loss of it, we need the help of specialists, Andean or Amazonian medics that have inherited this knowledge through a spoken legacy. As we can see, this kind of science escapes the grasp of certificates or official degrees, since this science is based on live experience, and has remained alive through the centuries; however, this knowledge has not been shared with everyone, as it has been reserved only for those who have or were chosen to be its bearers, whether by chance, conviction or heritage, as they are entitled to carry that privilege with them.

The Wanamey Group is pleased to invite you to this journey made possible thanks to our course-workshop: INTRODUCTION TO THE ANDEAN AND AMAZONIC MEDICINE

Our goal is to provide you with introductory knowledge with regards to the Andean and Amazonian medicine practiced in Southern Peru, in addition to theoretical and practical tools related to the usage of the traditional medicine.

The course will be delivered by well-known therapists and practitioners of the traditional Andean and Amazonian medicine.

We will provide general information of subjects created to generate a deep relation between the elements of nature and the participants, and that is why our therapists will focus on the delivery of philosophical and practical knowledge.

We ask the participants for a strong will, on a mental and physical level, for the subjects approached will make us feel that this course is mostly a spiritual retreat. Respect for the beliefs of our therapists and fulfillment of given restrictions and diets is something we value and praise.

This Course-Workshop will be held in our Rest House “Inti Wasi”, located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (Andean-Quechua Zone) and at the “Wanamey, Spiritual Growth Center”, located in Pillcopata – Manu Biosphere. As you can see, the Wanamey Group believes that your learning must be closely related to a direct contact with the natural and geographical environment, for that is one the foundations of the traditional medicine itself.

 

Syllabus:

Subject 1: Principles of Spirituality and Andean Wisdom

• Teachings from the flora, fauna and landscape.
• The Andean “misa”, “mesa” or “missa”.
• Offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth)

Subject 2: Introduction to the Andean Medicine

• The reason of our diseases and how they relate to the Sacred Elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire
• Coca Leaves´ Ceremony
• Traditional Healing Rituals and Ceremonies
• Cleansing and Healing Ceremony with the support of the four sacred elements. Note: This is the most complete Healing procedure. It takes at least 2 hours per individual. The reasons for every action the healer has to make are explained live during the process. This can be done with no more than 6 people per day.

Subjec 3: Introduction to the Amazonian Medicine.

• Spiritual Principles of the Amazon
• Initiation and formation to be a Healer according to the Amazonian Medicine
• Usage of medicinal plants for healing and purification

Subject 4: The magical world of the Amazonian Medicine

• Interpretation of the Amazonian Symbolic World
• Connection with the Magical World
• Sacred Elements
• Techniques to heal and provide good fortune

Subject: 5: Master Teaching Plants, sacred and holy ones.

• Amazonian Philosophy  concerning the usage of the Master Teaching Plants
• Diets with Sacred Plants
• The Magical Plants as a disciplined way of obtaining health, power and spiritual growth
• Techniques to diagnose and treat ailments.

Program:

This program has been very carefully arranged, although, for reasons of operational nature, the order of the mentioned activities and specified route might need to be changed. This itinerary must be used as a reference only.

Day 1

7:00 a.m. – Transfer to our Rest House (Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco).

8:00 a.m. – Briefing of the course.

9:00 a.m. – Chat “Principles of the Andean Spirituality and Wisdom”.

11:00 a.m. – Recess.

11:30 a.m. – Chat “Principles of the Andean Spirituality and Wisdom”.

1:00 p.m. – Lunch.

3:00 p.m. – Practice: Ritual, Offering to Pachamama.

7:00 p.m. – Dinner.

8:00 p.m. – Rest.

Day 2

6:00 a.m. – We will ask for permission to Mother Earth so that She might allow us to develop our activities.

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast (Purging diet).

9:00 a.m. – Chat: “Introduction to the Traditional Andean Medicine”.

11:00 a.m. – Recess.

11:30 a.m. – Chat “Introduction to the Traditional Andean Medicine”.

1:00 p.m. – Lunch.

3:00 p.m. – Practice: Cleansing and Healing ceremony with the support of the four sacred elements

7:00 p.m. – Dinner.

8:00 p.m. – Rest.

Day 3

7:00 a.m. – Journey to Wanamey, Spiritual Growth Center (Manu Biosphere).

7:00 p.m. – Dinner.

8:00 p.m. – Rest.

Day 4

6:00 a.m. – Purification Ceremony – Cleansing – harmonization process with purging plants and tobacco (Purging diet).

10:00 a.m. – Chat: “Introduction to the Traditional Amazon Medicine”.

1:00 p.m. – Lunch.

3:00 p.m. – Chat: “The Magical World in the Traditional Amazonian Medicine”.

5:00 p.m. – Chat: “Master teaching, sacred and magical plants”.

7:00 p.m. – Dinner.

8:00 p.m. – Rest.

Day 5

6:00 a.m. – Connection Process with Water (Fasting).

9:00 a.m. – Practice: “Techniques to diagnose and treat ailments”.

1:00 p.m. – Lunch.

3:00 p.m. – Preparation for the Ayahuasca Ceremony.

8:00 p.m. – Ceremony with the Ayahuasca or Master Teaching Plant.

Day 6

7:00 a.m.– Reflection on the Ayahuasca Ceremony.

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast.

8:30 a.m. – Journey back to Cusco.

If you want to know how to heal, and how to become a healing presence on this Earth, there is one simple way: that is to know that you are loved. Feel how you are loved. Know that you are absolutely worthy of love. You will never be abandoned, not ever. You will never be rejected, not for any reason. The love that the universe has for you is absolutely without conditions. You do not have to “earn” it. You do not have to “deserve” it. You do not have to “prove” anything. Most important of all, you do not have to doubt your value or importance or worth to this universe. The universe loves you without conditions, without qualifications, and without reservations. The love that the universe has for you is absolutely unbounded. You can never expand your receptivity to this love enough — there will always be a greater love that you can keep opening to. You are absolutely worthy and absolutely accepted and loved and valued and cherished by this universe. This is the essence of healing.

If you understand and accept that you are totally worthy and loved without reservation by this universe, then you will naturally be a channel of this love for others. If you doubt that you are loved, if you doubt that you are worthy of love, if you wonder “Do I deserve to be loved,” then you cannot help but have doubts about other people being worthy of love. If you feel that you have to “deserve” love in order to be loved, then you cannot help but feel that other people must “deserve” love in order for you to love them. If you feel that you may be rejected for your weaknesses and imperfections and the mistakes that you may make, then you cannot help but feel that other people may be rejected for their mistakes and their imperfections and weaknesses. So if you put yourself down as not being totally worthy of love, you re not making yourself a healing presence to others. But by accepting love and its healing power, you become a healer because you make it possible for other people to begin to accept love as well.

You will never be rejected and you will never be abandoned, no matter what mistakes you may make. You can best understand this, perhaps, as the love that a parent has for a child; the true spirit of parenthood is unconditional love regardless of the child’s mistakes in the learning process. That is why some spiritual traditions represent the love which the universe has for you as a parental love, which indeed it truly is.

If you know that you are absolutely worthy of love, then you will have no doubts that everyone you meet is absolutely worthy of love also. If you can truly and fully accept the fact that you are loved without reservation by the universe, then you will know without doubt that everyone else you meet is also loved without reservation, and you will share in that love for them.

So what can be meditate on to become a healer for this planet? You can simply meditate on “I am loved, I am loved, I am loved,” until you DO feel it and know it and understand it and believe it. Your understanding and acceptance of this love can never cease to expand. As your Acceptance of this love expands, your Acceptance of others and of the universe will also expand. When you accept that the universe loves you without conditions and without reservations,
then you will naturally live a love for others that is without conditions and without reservations. YOU are loved absolutely. This love will never be withdrawn. That is the essence of healing.

In the context of this love, don’t allow mistakes to create barriers among you. Be gentle and humble and tender with one another. Be patient with one another’s mistakes. You will all make mistakes. The universe does not reject you for making mistakes. Mistakes, by oneself or by others, are a valuable opportunity to practice your ability to love as God
does, without conditions.

You may be hurt by loving unconditionally, but that is an opportunity to let yourself be healed by the unconditional love of the universe. It is an opportunity to discover that you truly are a strong person, that your spirit can survive and heal no matter what, that there is no test that you cannot survive if you accept the love of the universe unconditionally. The universe has unlimited reserves of love available to heal you. The love available to heal you is limited only by your willingness to accept it, to allow yourself to understand “I AM LOVED.”

And since you are absolutely worthy of love, you have every right to be loved by other people. You help other people to grow in love when you give others the opportunity to love you. Be open to one another’s love. Accept the fact that others DO love you and you DO deserve it. Don’t be afraid to accept love. Don’t be afraid to ask for support. Help one another to be open to the love of all.

You are loved. Feel it. Accept it. Open yourself to it. You are absolutely accepted. You can be accepting of others if you are accepting of yourself; if you want to be a healing presence on this planet, the foundation of that must be the acceptance of your own self.

Unconditional love is the most powerful healing force in the universe, because unconditional love means the love that looks past the surface. No matter how deep the layers of pain, mistakes, distortions, anger, sins, may be on the surface. unconditional love sees the true beauty of the Being that is underneath. When you recognize that you are loved, you can recognize the true beauty of the Being that is beneath all the layers of problems and personality. You can
recognize the unique expression of the universe that is the whole shape of your Being.

And when you KNOW that you are loved, when you FEEL it, when you have truly opened to this most basic truth of your existence, then you can think of another person and FEEL how that person is loved just as absolutely. The universe will never reject that person, and neither will you. Your role in healing this planet is to channel this love to all beings around you, all the hurting beings. You multiply healing power throughout the physical world. Feel the love that flows throughout the universe and overflows among all of you. All of you are absolutely loved. All the universe is loving and loved. This is the essence of healing.

Source: forum.ayahuasca.com

Lucid Dreams could be defined as the art of being aware while you are interacting inside of dreamscape dimension.

Lucid Dream is a term coined by Mr. Frederik Van Eeden.  The word lucid is used to express the qualities of mental clarity and awareness. To have Lucid Dreams is to be conscious and responsive to the wide variety of experiences that can be manifested in the dreamscape-dreamtime dimension. The Seeker must be able to perceive these experiences and be completely conscious that they are not happening on the physical reality, but are manifestations of symbols and realities of another intimate dimension.

It is a source of questioning for the seeker on how to define and distinguish between the experiences of Lucid Dreaming and Astral Traveling as both seem to occur on the extra-corporeal level.  This is a good question, since both experiences manifest during the period where the physical body is supposedly asleep:  both experiences happen when the body is slumbering but the mind is still active.

In Lucid Dreams, the sense of perception is low-grade and may be defined as similar to that in the state of Vigil. In Astral Traveling, the state of awareness touches the super-conscious.  In certain ways, it is very much superior to the lucid experiences within dreamtime, and, therefore, the experiences of Astral Projection cannot be confused with any other.

But the difference between them resides only in physical aspects of these occurrences.  During dreamtime, we have an increase of cerebral activities and these increased activities are accompanied by REM, or Rapid Eye Movement. When awakened during one of the REM dream stages, the person will recognize they were dreaming.

With Astral Traveling, it is just the opposite.  They happen when there are cycles of lower cerebral activities.  This is the time when there is a predominance of delta and theta waves in the brain. During these stages, the physical level of activity is at a minimum:  even the heartbeat slows down. Some believe that is the main reason many people feel a type of paralysis when they experience Astral Projections.  This is called “Projective Catalepsy” and it can be a very scary experience.  If this happens, one should try to abort the experience by consciously making a small movement, such as the little finger in one of the hands.  This is enough for one to recover the functions of the entire body.

The Conditioning of the Mind

Even though by definition to dream lucidly represents a developed ability to be conscious during occurrences of the dreamtime experiences, Lucid Dreaming falls into two different categories: High Lucid and Low Lucid. The difference between these two categories is the level of awareness the dreamer has during the process that the dreamer and conscious understanding that the elements presented are result of their own unconscious mind expressing itself through symbols, and archetypes.

A typical lucid dreamer that is experiencing dreams at a higher level of lucidity knows that everything is a result and projection of their own mind within their inner planes.  The dreamer knows that they are actually dreaming and that there will not be any damage coming from the interactions with the dream. There is a level of independency and detachment in dealing with those elements which does not occur in lower lucid experiences.

In dreaming in the lower lucid stages, the dreamer will not necessarily be aware that all that he is experiencing is a projection of his own mind, and, therefore, some of the occurrences may be felt as threatening and dangerous.

To have a Lucid Dream is to have a very intimate experience that is not necessarily transferable, because it is difficult to explain the existence of an oniric character and relay the level of interaction inside of the dream to others that have not experienced the same level of consciousness inside of themselves.

Why to Practice Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreams open the door for the possibility of a deeper understanding of our psyche and our base of reference.  It is also an enlightened way to experience our fears in order to control and overcome them. Through our lucid dreams we can have a direct contact with our shadow aspects in order to exorcise and heal them.

It is an invitation to interact creatively with the limiting aspects of ourselves; both situations and emotions, and can be very useful as an auxiliary practice to deal with the daily challenges in our lives.

Source: www.humanityhealing.net

It is a common belief in the Amazon that the doctor, mother and teacher Ayahuasca embodies the spirit of nature. It is told that in the western flow of the Amazon basin 700 different ways of cooking Ayahuasca can be found; therefore each of these villages have different ways of understanding her. This ancient knowledge is entangled to the collective conscience of these groups and it is also passed on by one generation to the next. According to researchers of the Amazon, the use of Ayahuasca is approximately 500 years old.

Shamanism and Ayahuasca are a disciplined way of obtaining health, power and personal growth. We need to know that Ayahuasca is not limited to work in one realm only, but in a magical world, in a dimension in which we receive the help from the spirits: a realm full of beauty and harmony. The only thing we need is a mind free of prejudice. This magical-religious dimension works from this point of view: that the irrational things are rational, and that the invisible things are visible.

How to cook Ayahuasca?

Every Amazon Shaman has his own way of cooking Ayahuasca. They usually say that it is her who tells them how to cook it, thanks to the visions they have during the sessions.

This is one way of preparing it:

Collect the Vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) and the leaves of the bush called Chacruna (Psychotria Viridis). These two plants must be collected in a full moon date, early in the morning for a fasting person. 22 pounds of Ayahuasca are needed. Peel off the bark and then grind it so the vine gets softer, that way it will cook faster. 2 pounds of Chacruna are added; you could also add some leafs of Datura spp (known as Floripondio or Toé in the Amazon), coca leaves, or tobacco. Boil the substance using 50 liters of water. The process of cooking is enhanced by the Shamanic chants, known as Icaros in the Amazon, and tobacco smoke. Both of these procedures invocate the spirit of Ayahuasca and the spirits of nature and, as told by Shamans, Icaros add power to the beverage.

The 50 liters of water evaporate, leaving us 2 liters of Ayahuasca. The beverage must have a viscous contexture and a red-ocher color.

How to use Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is used as medicine, purifier and teacher. We call her Doctor because she heals, Teacher because she teaches and Mother because she guides. She grants Knowledge and Vision.

The Medicinal Properties of Ayahuasca are not only spiritual, but physical. Requirements need to be met in order to drink Ayahuasca; such as mental, physical, emotional and spiritual preparation. A proper diet is very important; fast for 24 hours before the ceremony, the stomach needs to be empty, for vomiting during a session is a common thing. Do not ingest liquor, drugs, spicy food, sexual abstention for seven days before the session is also required.

Ayahuasca will take you into her magical world. She will give you whatever it is she needs to give you, she will teach you whatever it is she needs to teach you, she will heal in you whatever it is she needs to heal in you. Ayahuasca is not about a mere chemical relation, but a deep magical one. In order to understand Ayahuasca we need to learn to feel her magical dimension by, as told by Shamans, using our hearts and not our heads. Every experience with Ayahuasca is different to others.

No one has ever died after drinking Ayahuasca, but caution is needed; we cannot allow  ourselves to be led astray by curiosity or the exaggerated virtues that some others grant to these shamanic arts, for every one of us will have a unique experience with Ayahuasca.

Joel Johuanchi

www.wanamey.com

 

Program: Spiritual Retreats and Ayahuasca Diets in Cusco

 

Wanamey carries out “Spiritual Retreats and Diets with Ayahuasca” in Cusco for four days. The participants will have the opportunity to know and experience the goods of the Amazonic traditional medicine, especially those of Ayahuasca, the mother plant; this way, the participants will initiate their personal journey to harmony, physical, spiritual, mental and emotional health.

The retreats are designed for those who want serious and reflexive links with the Master Healing Plants. The participants must have deep motivations to heal their bodies and discover the path to self growth and spiritual balance. We ask the participants for will, patience and faith, for it is through these principles that we will reach a harmonic relationship with Mother Nature, so we can grow with “Our feet on the ground and our heads in the sky”.

The retreats are carried out with no more than five people at the same time. These retreats imply integration, consultations and personalized guidance. We demand discipline and commitment before and during the retreat, especially with the given restrictions about food (low in salt and sugar), the fasting and resting hours.

Objectives of the Spiritual Retreat with Ayahuasca:

• Physical and spiritual cleanse
• Lineament of our spiritual body
• Treatments for ailments in general
• Personal evolution – self-discovery
• Induction to relaxation through self-observation of our being
• Techniques to surpass and to conquer our fears, phobias and states of panic
• Discover the reasons of our ailments and how to heal ourselves

During the Spiritual Retreat the following activities will be developed:

Purification rituals with plants and tobacco, the plants will be drunk and the black tobacco powder will be blown into the nostrils of the participant.

Purification rituals

Purifying baths based in aromatic and medicinal plants

Ingestion of infusions of medicinal plants

Two ceremonies of Ayahuasca will take place. “Ayahuasca is called Doctor because she heals, Teacher because she teaches and Mother because she guides. Ayahuasca grants power, knowledge and wisdom.

We will have chats about the “Traditional Amazonic and Andean Medicine”

Preparation Diet

“Shamanism and Ayahuasca are disciplined and strict methods to obtain healing, power and personal growth”.

In order to learn from the Master Healing Plants, our bodies will have to be purified and harmonized. The participant must fulfil the following recommendations seven days before attending the Retreat:

Reduce the excess of sugar, salt and red pepper in their food

Do not eat meat, specially red meats and pig.

Do not drink coffee or sodas

Sexual abstention

The consumption of drugs and alcohol before and during the Retreat is forbidden

Consider the following counter indications:

Menstruating or pregnant women and people with heart problems cannot be part of the ritual of Ayahuasca.

Before being part of our Retreats, you must fulfil the following requirements:

Have mental, physical and emotional growth

Send a letter explaining your desires of being part of the Retirement

Fill out your Personal Information Sheet

We’ll be waiting for you to communicate with us.

Darikiking Alejandro Jahuanchi, Amazon Shaman.

The meeting was on a Monday morning in January, in a small room of an old apartment in La Reyna. There he was, on his bare feet, Alejandro Jahuanchi, the Shaman that came from Cusco to work for a moth with a group of people; mostly psychologists interested in learning from his millenary wisdom, that allows him to heal the ailments of the body and soul. A short man, covered in a white cloak, was wearing something that, under the profane conception we all carry in our heads, could be called ornaments: a crown of multi-colored feathers and a necklace made of stones hanging a parrot.  “These are the clothes we use to protect ourselves. We have the same category of a priest, and priests always need a special cloak. We use the feathers to close the doors of the patient’s mind, to achieve the psycho-magical trance needed for shamanism; this necklace absorbs negative energies. If the patient’s energy is negative, this necklace will absorb it, it also rids me of the sick. And the parrot is the symbol that protects me.” And so, with such great simplicity, for someone that is not used to the city-life, Alejandro answers all of the questions that, rudely try to reach a grasp of the secrets of his profession. Ignored or underestimated for years by western culture, his art comes back to life in this revival of end of century.

Part of the Wachiperi ethny, Alejandro lives in a small village called Kcosñipata – Pilccopata, “Manu Biosphere” Cusco – Peru. The village receives the name because of the fog produced by the forest, present most of the time. There he used to work as a teacher at a school; meanwhile he prepared himself through studies of the philosophy of his ancestors and serving the community with the Shamanic arts. One day, a group of American anthropologists appeared in the place and noticed his wisdom, from then on he began to change his life and career, limited until that moment to the Paucartabo Province, in Cusco.

Invited by Shamans, healers and Spiritual Groups, he has travelled Miami, Dallas, Oregon and California. His fame reached The White House, where he has given conferences for two years in a row. “I’ve worked mostly with ecological groups, we talk about techniques to protect nature”, he states. He has also travelled part of Spain “for all of the students of the Spiritual Healing learn through books, they don’t have natural teachers”. He has been in Chile twice, the first time in 1995, thanks to the discovery Eduardo Labra made.

What is the goal of this second travel of yours? – I came to have an interview with the people; I want to know what their situation is, as for traditions and goals. There is an enormous amount of people that is under a constant search, everyone needs to escape this dreadful reality and I came here to help them in this search. We are all sick of physical and psychical issues. We might need to establish a Wachiperi colony in Santiago to control the situation.

How did you begin your career, who gave you the title of shaman? – Time and space are our teachers; we acquire experience from the things we have lived. The space we have lived in has taught us valuable things. This kind of knowledge is not learned at school or from other shaman, I have acquired wisdom through my ancestors. That is where my roots are. I am part of the seventh generation of my shaman ancestors, some of them have been great masters.

What is shamanism about? – It consists in acquiring wisdom, relying on the energies of nature: earth, fire, air and water. The shaman is a foreshadower that deals with the spirits of nature, but I don’t understand the word “shaman”, for it is not used in my language.

Then what is the name of a shaman in your language? – We are called Watopakeri, which means prophet or foreshadower. Every village in the Amazon has curanderos or healers. In Peru, we divide healers in three categories: the Paco, that lives in the mountains and has a deep connection with the Andean Spirits, the Shamans that live in the coast of my country and the Kuracas live in the Jungle; they are healers as well. Shaman defines all of these categories because that word is widely used nowadays.

How do you apply wisdom in Shamanism? – We have to take care of ourselves, of our formation as shamans, that implies being disciplined and follow a special diet. Our lifestyle has to be better than the others’. We need to have enough health, freedom and serenity, because without any of those things I can’t be free. It is not the knowledge that makes me shaman, but my being. These tree skills allow a shaman to have the strength required to enter someone’s body and expel their sickness. A certain level of spiritual purity is required to expel that negative spirit.

Are there items of magic or witchery in your activity? – The Shaman is a magician, but he should never harm others, he should save lives instead. I’m sure there are shamans that practice black magic, but we know how to choose between evil and good. I don’t use the evil, I always use the good. The evil is not made by us, it is to be found in the items and the evil Shaman uses them according to his intentions.

So you do use western-medicine elements and witchery? – Yes, for us to heal someone we need to use four elements: earth, water, fire and air, and amongst these elements we find the plants and animals, those have to be taken into the patient’s body as a medicine. The plants are collected from the jungle, and either as a tea or juice, these are ingested by the person. Another technique used to heal is the psycho-magical method of shamanism through the Master Teaching Plants like Ayahuasca, Datura, Coca and Tobacco; which consists in drinking the plant’s vital energy. For that purpose, we have some sort of pharmacy in the Spiritual Growth Center, meant to heal psychically, magically and spiritually.

At this moment in the conversation, the intervention of a friend of his becomes necessary; it is Eduardo Labra, who has seen Alejandro’s Healing sessions in the past. “When he says that the jungle is his pharmacy store he is right, for through that millenary knowledge, and deep states of meditation he achieves, he can identify the type of plant and dosage required to heal a sick person. Beside this there is physical work that involves massages and is similar to a therapist’s job. Alejandro Jahuanchi does not do the same thing twice, he always treats people differently, depending on what it is he feels in their presence. Through prayers and meditation he physically cleanses a person; this is actually helpful for the medicinal treatment”.

What are the energies you talk to in your prayers? – I have to focus on love and truth; those are forces that allow us to create the power of the mystery of the Great Spirit. We believe that there is an enormous power in all of us, that power is not over controlling, but selfless and extremely kind. We have never believed in that power that will judge and punish us all; I judge and punish myself according to my actions. Therefore, we work with the power of mystery, that cannot be seen, and with the force of nature, visible for all of us.

How many sessions do you need to treat a person? – Only one is enough, because the visions that I receive from that person’s mind, allow me know understand the way their spiritual body works and based in that information I know what to do so it can be tuned up with his physical body. This might be hard to understand, but thanks to the deep relaxation state that I provoke in the patients I am able to heal them

Do people come to you because of physical and psychical ailments? – People come to me because of both, and these ailments are not to be taken lightly. People that live in big cities suffer from ulcers and cancer, psychical ailments are usually found in these kind of the patients. They are disoriented, open to anxiety and stress they feel that someone is running after them and that’s when the ghosts emerge. Anxiety haunts them because they do not reach their goals, and it harms them psychically; that is why I balance their life and tell them that their time has not come yet, they are opening the doors before there is someone or something that can enter.

Do you talk to people or act only through that trance? – I talk to them and then make them have a conscience test right away, I ask is they have done bad things to others, I make them realize the difference between good and band and that is because of the worries in their minds. Then, I induce myself into a trance, so this person can receive the energy of the four elements and then, finally, I evoke the levels of space; that is where the spirits from above, timeless and spaceless act for the patient. Then I make the patient see images that sometimes are from animals, rivers, rocks and trees; that is where the connection with the two forces (male and female) lies. The feminine energy belongs to the earth, the male one is an expansive force, and belongs to the stars.

What are the most common ailments currently? – The material belongings are the thing that hurt man the most in a civilized country, their goal is to have a good life, there is competition to have everything, people holds on to material luxury and not to spiritual luxury.

What is your message to mankind? – Let yourself satisfy with what you have, you have to work, of course, but no more than that you are capable of. Mankind needs to stop, our minds are hectic, our physical body is tired and our emotional body runs too much. If we overuse any of the bodies that are part of our existence we will end before intended, before living our three phases in life.

The Shaman Alejandro Jahuanchi died in 1998

In the Edo time, 200 years ago, every time an earthquake shook the land in Japan it was told that the Namazu was stirring beneath the Earth. Nowadays, in the XXI century, many oceanographers, seismologists, and biologists try to find the scientific reasons of these catastrophes.

In Japan, the population is ordered and disciplined. Everything in this society is based under a Sintoist point of view; the oldest belief of the country that shares ground with Buddhism. Sintosim is system of beliefs that were born in the South and extended throughout these lands before the VII century, when the ideas related to Buda started to enter Japan from China.

According to studies carried out in 2009, there are around 107 million of Sintoist, besides of the 98 million Buddhists, three million Christians and 10 million share other beliefs. Even though this sounds contradictory, this fact makes us aware of the coexistence between Buddhists and Sintoist. The Japanese are Japanese and, at the same time, Buddhists.

Many researchers say that Sintoism is not an actual religion, since there are no doctrines or specific prayers.

Sintoism is expressed through different branches. For many, its practice is related to the worship of nature, whose elements are considered to be divinities. Having a Polytheist profile, it is believed that there are around 8 million of gods and the main ones are older expressions, such as rocks, mountains and millenary trees. Maybe in this conception of nature the origin of a spirit tolerant towards nature and other faiths can be seen.

The Japanese have learned a lot from those 20 enldess seconds the Kobe earthquake lasted, that 17/01/95, in the southern part of Hyougo. The earthquake reached 7,2 degrees in the Richter Scale and provoked 6434 deaths. Despite of the pain created by this new catastrophe, last Friday, almost no one has blamed Nature. Mother Nature is not Mad. This is how the testimonials cast through TV and social networks say.

The Japanese population would never consider this tragedy as a work of Nature, that would have wanted to harm human beings, as if it was punishment born in the Christian thought. We always coexist with Nature.

In ancient times, the spirit of Sintoism was diversity. The country had to be as one and everyone had a mission to accomplish in society. Harmony was an Endeavour. Subsequently, as fruit of this harmony, that behavior unified, everyone started to act in a uniform manner. The diversity that derived in this harmony became a circle, symbol of unification.  The goal was to copy the best. Being Japanese is just like being any other person. Never Stand Out.

This circle can be translated as solidarity. This harmony in Japan is called Wa. This is, in a way, a contact point with Christianity, where the goal is to help our fellowman. After this tragedy, we all have to act as wheels for the Japanese society to improve and thrive.

The autor of this article, born in Hiroshima, is a Japanese Literature and Mythology Teacher.

Tomoko Aikawa – For LA NACION

We’re finally back home from our adventure in Peru! I’ve attached the comics that I drew after the ayahuasca. Even though the 2nd experience was more challenging than the first for me, I think overall the process was a good one. It’s been hard going back to normal food, our stomachs were in rough shape after we left you but I think we’re starting to come around. Let me know if you want any other response – I’ll remind Andrew to email you as well.

long story short, I did a ayahuasca in south america about a month ago and drew some comics about it. Wellll my shaman (awesome guy!!) put those comics on his center’s website. SWEET.
Thank you for everything.

Ayahuasca is not a fugitive pleasure, seedless venture or adventure for Wiracochas.

Ayahuasca is a door, not to escape, but to enter this and other natures, to walk the endless provinces of night.

The light of Ayahuasca does not explain things, but reveals misteries.

Ayahuasca irrigates the unknown lands, and that’s her way of enlightening.

Whenever needed, Ayahuasca is the edge of a Stone knife.

Separates the body of its soul

If a soul is sick, Ayahuasca rids it of its shell, denies the contact with it.

Ayahuasca shoes the origin and location of the sickness, and will whisper to us the chants and Icaros needed to expel it.

And if a body is sick, Ayahuasca does the same.

She separates the body from its soul, so it cannot rot the soul.

She also shows the roots that connect the spiritual body with the material soul: distant, separated, until flesh can reincarnate in the very heart of health.

And all of that, that is apparently nothing, is everything.

There are gifts, powers, commands, roots, and beverages.

Barks that are useful for this and that, certain types of rain that can be drunk and certain kinds of stones

How to use and prepare them? Ayahuasca knows.

This is what she teaches us, but only if the body and soul deserve it

Every time you know how to call Ayahuasca, with urgency and respect, there is no mistake, no miracle, not before, not after Ayahuasca.

There are things we deserve to know, there are things we deserve to ignore. Everything is about deserving.

Every time you call on Ayahuasca, and done correctly, everything is possible.

For even the ashes turn into water when a thirsty man kisses them