There were no wide-eyed tourists here. These people were seekers. They'd done enough research to know that we couldn't quite know what we were in for. Travel agents don't suggest this sort of thing.
The group I would be spending the next 9 days with had gathered in the foyer and I was the last to join them.
We loaded into two vehicles and drove for a couple of hours. Then we paired into mototaxis to a place on the Amazon river's edge. From there we changed vehicles again, like a Bond movie chase scene, into a speedboat. That was another couple of hours to a small, wooden jetty. It was here that we first met Zach, the founder and organiser of this retreat.
At this stop we climbed some steps at a remote police station where our passports were registered. I made a baño stop here for a number 1. I was already midstream when I noticed on the nearby wall a spider the size of my hand. I continued urinal etiquette and didn't make eye contact.
This last leg of travel was by longboat to a wood and thatch constructed jungle lodge. Here we were on a tributary of the Amazon, surrounded by pristine wilderness. No electricity, running water or phone signal. An oasis from the tentacles of the grid.
La Familia Medicina is a family run and donation-based ayahuasca centre. Ayahuasca is a powerful plant medicine used for at least the last thousand years by shaman for healing and spiritual purposes. Under the right circumstances, it can rock anyone's world and world view from the foundations and below. This camp had a nurturing approach to guiding the way.
The ayahuasca brew is prepared over the course of a day and is a combination of several plants. Chacruna leaves contain dimethyltryptamine (DMT) which is a neurotransmitter significant enough to be worth that many syllables.
DMT occurs naturally in a vast number of plant species and is also produced in trace amounts by the human body. The leading theory for its origin is the pineal gland (third eye), and it's activated during sleep. It's believed to be what makes dreams weird and visual.
Interestingly, the namesake of the brew (and from a shamanistic point of view, the more important plant) is the ayahuasca vine. This acts as a MAOI inhibitor, which allows the rich DMT source to travel from the stomach to the brain without getting mugged by the liver. It allows the doorway between the waking and dreaming world and is said to provide the healing aspect of the medicine.
The drinking of ayahuasca is not something to be done just for the experience. Physically, it's quite unpleasant. For the mind, emotions and spirit, it will likely tear your shit apart and then difficult inner work is required to put things back together. From stories I'd known previously, the payoffs can be profound.
Zach explained a concept that had been passed on to him about the difference between western and shamanistic medicine. Western medicine makes you feel better almost immediately, and then can cause illness in the longrun. A shaman's medicine makes you ill right away, then leaves you feeling great in the longterm.
Appart from Zach and Scott (his musically gifted volunteer assistant), the rest of the camp staff are an extended family. The intended atmosphere of the camp is a family environment and these were genuinely kind Peruvians. I was immediately comfortable in their presence.
Our first activity was the enjoyment of a large home-cooked meal. Then rooms were assigned, an orientation provided, then a Q&A about what was to come.
There was no ayahuasca scheduled today but we did have a tree bark ceremony at sunset. A tea was created and sourced from specific trees in the nearby jungle. This was so that the plants would "grant protection". My critical mind found a hammock to rest in for the next few days and I thanked the tree spirits as I drank. The taste was not unpleasant.
As the sun went down, the volume increased from beyond the dense undergrowth/overgrowth that surrounded the lodge. The constant chorus of varied and unidentified sounds made a theme change via those on the night shift.
Tomorrow, the internal rollercoaster ride begins.
The group I would be spending the next 9 days with had gathered in the foyer and I was the last to join them.
We loaded into two vehicles and drove for a couple of hours. Then we paired into mototaxis to a place on the Amazon river's edge. From there we changed vehicles again, like a Bond movie chase scene, into a speedboat. That was another couple of hours to a small, wooden jetty. It was here that we first met Zach, the founder and organiser of this retreat.
At this stop we climbed some steps at a remote police station where our passports were registered. I made a baño stop here for a number 1. I was already midstream when I noticed on the nearby wall a spider the size of my hand. I continued urinal etiquette and didn't make eye contact.
This last leg of travel was by longboat to a wood and thatch constructed jungle lodge. Here we were on a tributary of the Amazon, surrounded by pristine wilderness. No electricity, running water or phone signal. An oasis from the tentacles of the grid.
La Familia Medicina is a family run and donation-based ayahuasca centre. Ayahuasca is a powerful plant medicine used for at least the last thousand years by shaman for healing and spiritual purposes. Under the right circumstances, it can rock anyone's world and world view from the foundations and below. This camp had a nurturing approach to guiding the way.
The ayahuasca brew is prepared over the course of a day and is a combination of several plants. Chacruna leaves contain dimethyltryptamine (DMT) which is a neurotransmitter significant enough to be worth that many syllables.
DMT occurs naturally in a vast number of plant species and is also produced in trace amounts by the human body. The leading theory for its origin is the pineal gland (third eye), and it's activated during sleep. It's believed to be what makes dreams weird and visual.
Interestingly, the namesake of the brew (and from a shamanistic point of view, the more important plant) is the ayahuasca vine. This acts as a MAOI inhibitor, which allows the rich DMT source to travel from the stomach to the brain without getting mugged by the liver. It allows the doorway between the waking and dreaming world and is said to provide the healing aspect of the medicine.
The drinking of ayahuasca is not something to be done just for the experience. Physically, it's quite unpleasant. For the mind, emotions and spirit, it will likely tear your shit apart and then difficult inner work is required to put things back together. From stories I'd known previously, the payoffs can be profound.
Zach explained a concept that had been passed on to him about the difference between western and shamanistic medicine. Western medicine makes you feel better almost immediately, and then can cause illness in the longrun. A shaman's medicine makes you ill right away, then leaves you feeling great in the longterm.
Appart from Zach and Scott (his musically gifted volunteer assistant), the rest of the camp staff are an extended family. The intended atmosphere of the camp is a family environment and these were genuinely kind Peruvians. I was immediately comfortable in their presence.
Our first activity was the enjoyment of a large home-cooked meal. Then rooms were assigned, an orientation provided, then a Q&A about what was to come.
There was no ayahuasca scheduled today but we did have a tree bark ceremony at sunset. A tea was created and sourced from specific trees in the nearby jungle. This was so that the plants would "grant protection". My critical mind found a hammock to rest in for the next few days and I thanked the tree spirits as I drank. The taste was not unpleasant.
As the sun went down, the volume increased from beyond the dense undergrowth/overgrowth that surrounded the lodge. The constant chorus of varied and unidentified sounds made a theme change via those on the night shift.
Tomorrow, the internal rollercoaster ride begins.
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