When thinking about how to describe to people what Ayahuasca ceremonies are (also known as Ayahuasca or Ayahuasca ceremonies), I came up with the idea of using simple images as metaphors. Through this set of simple images, you can grasp important principles of working with Ayahuasca in authentic shamanism.
Ayahuasca – the elixir of truth. But it’s not the kind of situation where you give someone a drink and then learn their secrets, as shown in spy movies. No. In this case, you take the drink yourself and discover the truth. First and foremost, about yourself. Afterward, you may also learn the truth about others: your family, a community of people, or humanity as a whole. But you always start with yourself.
Ayahuasca is not taken to fall into illusions, see hallucinations, or entertain yourself. It’s taken to know the truth and see reality as it is. A significant part of that truth may be unpleasant. Some things may be very difficult to accept. That’s why Ayahuasca should only be taken with an authentic shaman and preferably in the company of people experienced in this practice.
When ceremonies are conducted improperly without a real shaman, Ayahuasca can become a key that opens Pandora’s box. This happens when a person is confronted with a truth or an amount of truth that is hard to accept and live with. In most cases, this can be corrected in genuine ceremonies if the person is willing and able to attend them. They will be helped to adapt. But it’s much better to get it right the first time.
Ayahuasca cleanses both physically and mentally
Ayahuasca – a profound cleanser. It’s well known that it cleanses a person physically through vomiting and more. It also cleanses a person mentally or spiritually. Physically, it purifies deeply, removing accumulated toxins from the body and alleviating the effects of various types of poisoning.
There is now scientific data confirming its effects at the cellular level. I won’t delve into the biology, but I can confidently say that everyone I observe who undergoes Ayahuasca ceremonies with real shamans always ends up looking fresher, healthier, slightly leaner but more energetic.
The same thing happens at the mental level. Since I constantly observe people going through cycles of ceremonies, I see how with each ceremony, various tensions and burdens gradually disappear. Due to the nature of my work, I can literally feel this physically. As a result, after completing a cycle of ceremonies, a person becomes lighter and happier both physically and mentally.
Ayahuasca teaches you how to calm the mind
Ayahuasca – a meditation teacher. How does this happen? It immerses you in a deep trance where vast amounts of information overwhelm you. The stronger and deeper the trance, the more significant these volumes are. If a person remains in their usual chaotic mental state (if you think your mind isn’t chaotic, you’ve never practiced self-observation), it will be extremely uncomfortable. Your own thoughts will tear you apart, frightening and confusing you.
You’ll only find comfort there when your mind quiets down and you enter a contemplative state, rising above your thoughts. Even if you have no previous experience with meditation, the situation itself may push you toward it. And of course, the shaman’s songs, sung for specific participants based on their states and the processes happening in their minds, are extremely helpful in this.
Ayahuasca Ceremony in Shipibo Indigenous Art
Ayahuasca allows you to see the past and the future
Ayahuasca – a time machine. Immersing yourself in a deep trance and finding a balanced meditative state there, you become capable of seeing many things and traveling through different areas of your vast inner world. Among other things, you can travel through time.
Time travel to the past is a journey through your memory. But it’s not the limited memory you usually have access to. It’s a vastly greater volume. It’s the memory of your entire life from the very beginning, often including the prenatal period. But not only that—you can move further into ancestral memory, into collective memory, including the memory of human history. You can learn many important details relevant to you. This is not fantasy. You know it with certainty during the process, and many facts can be verified and confirmed later if desired.
Time travel to the future is the ability to see the existing projects of your future. They are not 100% predetermined, so you can choose, you can influence. You gain a greater degree of freedom in shaping your destiny. I can recall dozens of people who saw their future children in our ceremonies, and now those children have been born. It’s also common for people to see places where they later live or temporarily visit. People often see their future jobs as well.
Ayahuasca can reveal the past and the future
Ayahuasca provides a unique connection to all living things on Earth
Ayahuasca – biological internet. This amazing ability of Ayahuasca has been partially proven scientifically. Some scientists believe that these properties are found in the DMT substance contained in the leaves of the chacruna tree, which is part of the Ayahuasca brew. This substance is present in all biological beings and connects them in some common network. I don’t know how to precisely explain this in biological terms.
But I know how it works in practice. During the ceremony, you feel a special connection with all living things on Earth. You sense animals, plants, people close to you, and even those who aren’t so close. As with the internet, there is an immense ocean of information there. You need to learn how to navigate it: make accurate requests, select the part of the information that is significant for you. Shamans spend decades mastering this. But even a beginner with certain abilities can glimpse and learn something.
Photo from the Odysseia Club expedition
Ayahuasca greatly enhances brain capabilities
Ayahuasca – a brain enhancer. Again, I won’t go into biological details about which parts of the brain it enhances and how. Some of this is already known and described, but research on this topic is still ongoing. I write as a practitioner who has undergone more than a thousand Ayahuasca ceremonies and as someone who has observed more than a thousand people undergoing ceremonies alongside me.
Under Ayahuasca’s influence, the human brain acquires abilities that are usually inaccessible. It becomes capable of exerting powerful effects both internally and externally. It becomes able to heal serious illnesses.
In fact, all the remarkable healings performed by shamans during ceremonies, which I’ve witnessed, have always occurred through the patient’s brain. The person was always a participant in the process, sometimes without fully realizing it. But I’ve also seen many confirmations that in this state, we can influence people remotely, especially those with whom we are closely connected. I’m writing about strong positive influences.
But I must also note that this brain enhancement can work for destruction, both internally and externally. This is why there are brujos (sorcerers) who use Ayahuasca for entirely different purposes. In their case, it’s a partially conscious choice.
The problem is that many self-destructive processes are already running in our minds that we aren’t even aware of. It’s not so much in the brain as in the psyche. The brain simply physically manifests it as a conduit for our mental processes. That’s why the ceremony must be guided by an experienced shaman.
It’s crucial that cleansing and awareness of certain processes occur before other Ayahuasca properties manifest. This process cannot be left to chance. It’s even more dangerous to attend ceremonies led by brujos. They can amplify the negative focus of attention both inward and outward. Around such people, you may sense a cloud of dark energy. Unfortunately, not everyone has developed vision and intuition to perceive this.
Ayahuasca helps you understand yourself and the world around you
Ayahuasca – a tool for understanding. From the properties listed above, you can already guess how Ayahuasca aids in understanding yourself and life in general. I’ll just add that during Ayahuasca ceremonies, the process of understanding occurs extremely intensely. Some insights come to us directly; others enter as densely packed blocks of information that can unfold over months or even years after the ceremony cycle. Some of what you see is forgotten. A special meditative practice is needed to recall it in detail. But if a person has the desire and motivation, they will remember.
There is no limit to what a person can learn in shamanic ceremonies during deep trance. This is an ancient universal method of understanding that modern humanity has largely forgotten. People once used this in various cultures, including the ancient inhabitants of Athens.
Ayahuasca – a creativity activator. After ceremonies, people often note an awakening of creativity within themselves. Some start painting, others get into music, singing, dancing. Many people start writing. Those already in creative professions find special states of inspiration. People begin applying creative, unconventional approaches in business. And some simply start noticing more of life’s beauty in its many forms.
Ayahuasca – your personal fitness coach and nutritionist. One of Ayahuasca’s lessons, in most cases, is some adjustment to a person’s lifestyle. Ayahuasca doesn’t provide theories about proper nutrition or a set of necessary exercises. But it begins to communicate internally what foods are harmful or beneficial, what habits are beneficial, and which are destructive. This is always individual but almost always occurs. Typically, after a strong cycle of Ayahuasca ceremonies, people partially revise and adjust their lifestyle. Some do it more, others less. Undoubtedly, its influence is aimed at health and longevity. Shamans live significantly longer than the average members of their tribes.
Photo from the Odysseia Club expedition
What Ayahuasca is not: It’s not a drug and not entertainment
In conclusion, I want to clarify what Ayahuasca is not. There is a set of misconceptions about it that have formed recently.
Ayahuasca is not a drug. It doesn’t create addiction. There is no physical dependency or desire to repeat the process. The process is physically unpleasant, especially at first. The taste of Ayahuasca is unbearable for some people. Psychologically, the process is more akin to hard work, which you typically don’t want to do until you see the results. Most participants in my expeditions return because they see results they like. The process itself appeals to very few. It starts becoming enjoyable for experienced people over the years because they adapt to it and quickly extract benefits.
Ayahuasca is not entertainment. Approaching shamanic ceremonies with that mindset is not advisable. At best, a person will be disappointed. But they can also be severely frightened. You must consciously choose this initially as an experiment, then as a method for self-improvement, healing, and understanding. Those who view Ayahuasca as one of the elite’s recreational psychedelics are greatly mistaken. People who dabble in psychedelics or, worse, drugs often receive very harsh lessons from Ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca is not a cure-all for all troubles and diseases. Lately, I’ve noticed that some Amazonian plants and animal extracts, including Ayahuasca, are being marketed as panaceas. This is always done by ignorant people who are looking to make a quick profit. I’ve seen promises to cure alcoholism, heroin addiction, and advanced-stage cancer in a single ceremony. This is very irresponsible behavior that discredits the tradition. Usually, these people take others to popular pseudo-shamanic centers where they are taught to advertise their services in this way.
Can you die from Ayahuasca?
People often ask whether Ayahuasca can kill them or send them somewhere from which they won’t return.
Ayahuasca cannot do this. Even if someone drinks more than they need, they will vomit; the process may be intense and long, but it will still end after a few hours.
Ayahuasca is called the vine of death not because it kills people, but because it can show what death is and what it means for us. This can be an essential lesson. Ayahuasca doesn’t kill us physically. But people can. If they give you an entirely different brew under the guise of Ayahuasca, containing toxic plants and substances, it can be very dangerous.
That’s why selectivity is crucial in such matters. You must carefully choose where and with whom to undergo shamanic ceremonies.
