BootsnAll Travel Community

I posted this in the Central / South American area and haven't gotten any responses yet. Hopefully, better luck here.

Anyone out there done Ayahusca?
If so, where?
How'd you find your shaman?
What did you think of your experience?

Thanks.

"It's a Lifestyle"
- me

I don’t know anyone that has but herd it is some strong stuff, will lay you out for days!
Try fasting and meditation it is a trip too and it is free. Not jugging but every thing you are looking for tripping is in you.
I have done my share of drugs and they always led me back to the place I started, looking for a peace.

Sun -

it is strong stuff, but not the type of thing that puts you out for days. i have read two books about it and it is intruiging. it isn't a drug in our sense of the word. it is created by combining a vine found in the jungle with another plant that acts as an MAO-I inhibitor (and thus creating the visuals). it has been used throughout their (indigenous tribes) history as a spiritual tool and to me that holds a real value. it isn't something for everyone, nor something to be done often, but definitely peaks interest in me.

"It's a Lifestyle"
- me

I have a few hippie friends that were into all into the chemistry and I have read about indigenous encounters and the learning that was found. But with any really strong drugs you may not come back as you started, I had one trip that I did not know if I was going to make it out of and that changed my mind to opening those flood gates. I strongly believe the vales that separate this world from the next can fall away when in a tripping mindsets.
But you don’t have to take my word for it good luck.

Duffy, I am reading Carlos Castaneda have you ever picked up one of his books?
I think you would like it he is tripping in the desert with this old Yuqui Indian Don Juan. Think it might be up your alley. I did not want to sound judgmental about you quest for a different way of thinking through Ayuhusca. I guess it comes from my own past that I worn others away from such powerful substances. I think the average drug user is in it for escape not a reevaluation of reality. What do you think? Where does recreation become addiction? A little is good a lot is better is the mentality I see in most people!

i started to read one of castenada's books and didn't really get into it. i have been meaning to get his 1st book and start em again chronologically.

for drugs...i agree and disagree.
1 - some people absolutely do not have the mental capacity for it.
2 - if used for escape will not be beneficial
3 - running away from problems will only make them harder to deal with in the future

but
i do think there are some positive aspects to certain drugs. it definitely can change the way you look life, your perceptions and certain situations. the changes may or may not be good. i guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. i genuinely appreciate the affect some substances have had on my world view. one drug in particular, i believe has enabled me to recognize the need for compassion in life.

i have definitely done my fair share and my interest in ayuhusca is on a spiritual level. it is not an 'escapist' mentality in this instance. if i was looking for that effect, i think i would choose a variety of other substances before ayuhusca. either way, i appreciate the cautionary words and didn't take offense.

On the spiritual taking of Ayahuasca, do it!
If you have a spiritual mentality, and have previous drug experimentation under your belt you can only benefit from testing your grip on life and perceptions of reality.
Remember you create your own reality, so what you are seeing and doing is as real as everyday life for everyone else!
I find shamanism/spiritual experimentation with ayahuasca is not totally confined within peru and other parts of the amazon regions. For me a trip is something i go on alone, after brewing up my own ayahuasca mix, meditating and saying a chant/prayer. I find ethanol extraction of the raw material best for reducing the amount of liquid to be drunk, this eases the need for vomiting, as the alkaloid taste is like nothing on this planet!
Good links and help is available from:
http://www.jewelledforest.com / co.uk (i can't remember)
http://www.spiritgarden.co.uk
http://www.erowid.com

A friend of a friend who trekked off into south america came across a shaman, who smoked loadsa weed with him and then mixed him up a variety of unknown plants, from what he tell me it sounds like ayahuasca of some kind. He spent the best part of a day sat in a little brown hut on a toilet tripping his nuts off seeing faces of aztec style gods coming at him in clouds, shoutin "weak little english boy!", sweating prefusely, then shitting till he passed out. He would then awake and the same shit would go down again for hours. He has me in stitches everytime he tells me of his adventures.

Sounds fucked up to some i know, but it sure can be mind expanding shit.
So back to my original point, go for it man, but if abroad be sure ya know ya stuff and know what ya getting, and just let go!

Happy Trippin'

I took ayahuasca last summer in Colombia. I had friends down there who are a part of a small group of people trying to promote its traditional use (believe it or not some people brew it up for recreational purposes). I had a truly amazing time. I think I could have actually taken more, but that's not to say that I wasn't tripping harder than I ever had in my life. I definitely felt very safe and connected. I got a little sick, but by the morning, despite a total lack of sleep, I felt like a million bucks. As far as a cleansing ritual goes, it definitely worked. I've done fasts as well and had much the same result with ayahuasca. I'd do it again in a second, and imagine I'll seek it out for the rest of my life as a means of cleansing and reconnecting.

I'm curious to see if any others out there have tried it as well.

I had Ayahuasca in Peru and in Switzerland. In Switzerland it is a modern Shaman who does it, which obviously is a bit, well, controversial. In Peru, you'll find quite a few Shamans who'll lead you through a trip....but you'll have to look around for yourself, as I believe drug-tourism would result, if they'd be named in the internet.

As for strong. Depends on your previous experiences with psycho-active substances. I had stronger impressions on LSD than on Ayahuasca. However, we all know that these things strongly depend on your mind and I generally have a believe that chemical substances are stronger than natural substances (yeah, it's all chemistry, but you know what I mean), just because it's purer. This believe might very well influence my perception of the drug.
I always felt very comfortable with Ayahuasce and it definitely won't knock you out for days. As always, take it with somebody around, best obiously with a Shaman, as he can influence your perception.

Take care and enjoy.
Adrian

"Breaking Open the Head" by Daniel Pinchbeck is a very interesting book. It´s all about the use of natural psycheldics by indigenous people. Ayuhuasca is talked about and one that sounds even more intense in Africa, but i forget the name of it right now.

I would highly recommend "Pharmacotheon" by Jonathan Ott. It provides scientific, social, and historical contexts for a myriad of various entheogenic substances. It's catagorized by chemical make up and so links different related substances and their synthetic derivatives. I found it highly informative and a good resource for anyone interested in these things.

im interested in one of the questions originally posted

how did you find your shaman?

the more i can learn about the worlds religions, the happier ill be. although i do not prescribe to any, i technically prescribe to all. shamanism isnt something that really exists in the US anymore. in south america, it is more prevalent, but how would one actually find someone like that?

My Colombian friends are very connected to the shamans. In this case, he was a 90 year old man who they had brought in from the Amazon area specifically to do this ceremony. We all chipped in for his travel costs.

In Peru, I had the potential opportunity again, and it was through locals who were a part of the culture. Unfortunately it fell through, but it's my experience that the use of ayahuasca is common enough in the Amazon basin that the opportunities are there if you take time and look. The few other people I know who stumbled across it were travelling solo and meeting locals. Certainly no one in the hostel will "hook you up."