The Visionary World Of Ayahuasca - Plant Spirit Shamanism In The Amazon

Ayahuasca - Plant Spirit Medicine of the Amazonexperience. Purification and cleansing of body, mind,
"We are not talking about passive agents ofand spirit in a shamanic ceremony can be the
transformation, we are talking about an intelligence, abeginning of a process of profound personal and
consciousness, an alive and other mind, a spirit, whichspiritual discovery and transformation. This process
of course we have no place in our society. Nature iscan continue indefinitely even if one never drinks
alive and is talking to us. This is not a metaphor."Ayahuasca again. One thing is sure, and that is that
Terrance McKennaevery person gets a unique experience. We believe
From earliest times it has been recognized thatthat by seriously looking at the way Ayahuasca is
knowledge goes beyond sensory awareness or theused we can improve our life experience and benefit
rational way of understanding the world. Entering intomore from this medicine.
a communion with the Plant consciousness or Spirit isAyahuasca is the jungle medicine of the upper
a way that can take us directly to an experienceAmazon. It is made from the ayahuasca vine (
that can show us that there is no such thing as anBanisteriopsis Caapi) and the leaf of the Chacruna
inanimate object. Everything in the universe is alive,plant (Psychotria Viridis). The two make a potent
possesses an awareness, and has a spirit.medicine, which takes one into the visionary world.
It offers a significant challenge for the rationalThe vine is an inhibitor, which contains harmala and
Western mind to come to terms with the plant spiritharmaline among other alkaloids, and the leaf contains
consciousness, and a leap of imagination is required tovision-inducing alkaloids. As with all natural medicines, it
incorporate the 'otherness' of the plant. The magicalis a mixture of many alkaloids that makes their unique
world to which we are transported by plants is notproperties. For example, Peyote, the cactus used by
accessible through the verbal rational mind butthe North Native Americans, is said to contain 32
through dream language or an expansion of theactive alkaloids, so when one of those alkaloids,
imagination. Thus dreams and the power of ourmescaline (LSD) is synthesised in a laboratory,
imagination act like doorways and allow us to be incontrary to popular opinion, the result is not at all the
communion (in the true sense) with the plant spiritsame.
consciousness.The oldest know object related to the use of
For many people, drinking ayahuasca is the beginningayahuasca is a ceremonial cup, hewn out of stone,
of a process of profound personal and spiritualwith engraved ornamentation, which was found in
discovery and transformation. This process canthe Pastaza culture of the Ecuadorian Amazon from
continue indefinitely even if one never drinks500 B.C. to 50 A.D. It is deposited in the collection of
ayahuasca again. One thing is sure, and that is thatthe Ethnological Museum of the Central University
every person gets a unique experience.(Quito, Ecuador). This indicates that ayahuasca
After being virtually ignored by Western civilizationpotions were known and used at least 2,500 years
for centuries, there has been a huge surge ofago.
interest in Ayahuasca recently. There is a growingAyahuasca is a name derived from two Quechua
belief that it is a kind of 'medicine for our times',words: aya means spirit, ancestor, deceased person,
giving hope to people with 'incurable' diseases likeand huasca means vine or rope, hence it is known as
cancer and HIV, drug addictions and inspiring answersvine of the dead or vine of the soul. It is also known
to the big ecological problems of modern civilization.by many other local names including yaje.
Spirituality is at the centre of the Ayahuasca