About the Medicine
Ayahuasca
In our ceremonies The ayahuasca we use is pure ayahuaca vine and chacruna with nothing else mixed except our songs and prayers. Our medicine comes from the Amazon and also Hawaii. It is prepared by those who have been working deeply with the plants with much reverence and respect. When we are unable to make the ayauasca ourselves, we know everyone who prepares it and only receive it from trusted friends and sources.
When you roam the amazon jungle, among thousands of different species of plants, you very soon realize that Ayahuasca is an incredible phenomena. Out of the 10,000 different plants in the amazon, it is only in combination of two completely different species, that create one of the most powerful psychoactive visionary tools on the planet.
The plant medicine Ayahuasca is a combination of the Ayahuasca Vine and the Chacruna leaf boiled down for days at a time to create a brew that contains visionary and medicinal properties.
Traditionally it is said that only the curanderos were the ones who used ayahuasca in order to gain the ability to see illness, have access to information for patients via physically, mentally, or emotionally.
Very plainly when you ask an old Grandmother or Grandfather what Ayahuasca is, it is a benevolent spirit, a healing spirit that was gifted to us by the Earth herself to help us become well.
It is an accelerator. It is not a magic pill to any degree and we encourage all people to be mindful of anyone who claims this is the case. However its ability to trigger memories, old belief systems, and difficult experiences with the ability to process and move through these things in a safe and ceremonial space.
Shamanism
Connection to all things
Ayahuasca as well as shamanism are re-emerging across the globe. As many are tired of dogmas and spiritless religious ideologies, we are seeking a personal experience with life. Historically the word shaman was a Mongolian term that was adopted by anthropologists to describe the phenomena of healers that existed in every culture across the globe. The word itself has now blanketed across the globe as many feel called to the ancient roots of humanity and returning to learn from the worlds oldest spiritual traditions. Shamanism is a highly complex medical system that draws on the understanding that we are connected to all things.
Regardless of our Ancestry, if we trace back our lineage long enough we will find in our lineage some aspect of shamanism within the cultures we have evolved and grown from. As well as the use of plants and healing is a deep part of our human history.
Shamanism is an ancient part of all of us and it is a system that is re-surging as many are finding themselves disenfranchised and let down by the Allopathic medical model that does not take a look at the different aspects of being, in the contextual framework of illness.
If someone makes choices that are difficult on their spirit. For example, working a job they hate day in and day out and then develop an illness in the body. There is a deep understanding that these choices influence the body, mind and spirit. Shamanism does not distinguish such a difference or separateness and therefore each of these aspects of our being are seen and worked on inside the circle of ceremony.
Shipibo
Shamanic Health Care System
In the Shipibo shamanic health care system, there is a deep understanding of the spirit world and its immense influence on us whether we realize it or not. Holding the position that in fact there are worlds beyond this physical reality and in this world of spirit we do this healing work. Hence its name “Vine of the Soul” or “Vine of the Dead.”
Very fittingly in ceremony we connect with our soul, and let certain parts of our being metaphorically die. And at the same time ceremonies serves as a nourishing space for the spirit to come and be fed with Love and Compassion and Attention. Facing the hidden parts that are in need of healing, witnessing and great love.
Shamanism is based on an understanding that the web of life is in communication with us all the time. And in this reality there are animals and plants, and spirits that are benevolent and are here to support us on this journey. There are also heavier and condensed energies that simply need the space to be released. When one drinks Ayahuasca, these ideas become much more concrete to many.
At Earth Temple Retreats we do not hold onto the idea that one comes to be healed. But that it is a collective process and interactive process of sharing. Within each of us there is a healing force that will support us on our journey forward towards being a whole and connected human being.
Preparation
before attending your retreat
If it is your first time to come and work with the medicine ayahuasca, it is wise to take some steps to prepare yourself for your journey. Though there are boundless lists online about ayahuasca preparation of what to do and not do, here are our suggestions:
Connection
- One of the first things we encourage people to do when they decide to come is to begin communicating with the spirit of ayahuasca. Take a moment to honour this ancient benevolent spirit in some form or another. Take a moment of silence and make an offering of your heart.
- Time and time again we have seen connect in ceremony much quicker and go much deeper as they have allowed for a relationship to begin to unfold.
- As much as western culture likes to pinpoint the mechanics on how things work, when it comes to Ayahuasca Preparation, a lot of these ideas get thrown out the window.
- Ayahuasca is a spirit beyond anything else. And when working in the Amazonian Shipibo shamanic tradition, the spirit world is a very real place to do deep meaningful work.
- Preparing to come and meet with Ayahuasca is a commitment to ones personal work and journey. So take a moment to connect with the medicine before you come on retreat.
Intentions
- We encourage people to sit with their intentions for coming on retreat. To ask the deeper questions and reflect on what it is that has called you forward. At the same time we also ask people to trust the medicines wisdom to guide and show that which needs to be revealed. Even if it plays out not in the ways you expect it to, as is usually the case.
- Intentions are very helpful, but not being too attached to those intentions is very important as it can stop you from surrendering to the process in the way that it needs to unfold in order for deep healing to take place.
Ayahuasca Diet
- Once on retreat with us, all food served will be a menu that is in line with what is most easeful on the system and best for ceremonial Ayahuasca work.
- All food is healthy, mindfully created, as well as gluten-free.
- Your physical ayahuasca preparation before retreat is up to you. However we encourage you to begin preparing 2 weeks before hand if possible.
- For more on Foods check out our Foods Page.
- If you have questions about any of these suggestions, please just ask!
Pharmaceutical Medications
- If you are on any type of Pharmaceuticals it is best to come off of them unless otherwise suggested by your doctor.
- Pharmaceutical forms of birth control. All women on birth control are asked to stop taking it simply for the duration of the retreat. It is encouraged that women come off of birth control 2 weeks before hand if possible.
Sexual Activity
- We suggest participants only engage in sex in committed loving partnerships and no casual sex at least 2 weeks before hand. The reason for this is because sexual energy is a very strong powerful energy and when people have sex their energy fields merge.
- With plant medicine this energy can magnify and so its best to just be mindful of the type of sexual energy you engage with prior to attending retreat.
Note on SSRIs
- We are unable to take anyone on any form of SSRI medication. This includes anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, and anti psychotics. SSRI medication is not safe to take alongside ayahuasca and can cause permanent damage to the pineal gland in some cases.
- For those on mild forms of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication we have had many people come work with us who have weaned themselves off before retreat and not returned to their use post medicine work.
- For anyone with a serious diagnosis and mental health history or any form of demanding health concern, mental or physical, we recommend one on one work for this with certain curanderas/curanderos. More personalized and attentive care is needed and a group setting is not the right environment for this.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is our ayahuasca made from ?
Traditional Recipe of only the pure vine and leaf. Ayahuasca Vine and Chacruna Leaf. { banisteriopsis caapi & psychotria viridis }
How many people attend one retreat ?
We understand the importance of a tight strong container, and provide intimate retreats for groups of 10-15 participants.
My lifestyle is too busy to accomodate all pre-dieta observations. what should I do ?
If you can eliminate one thing from your diet please remove Pork !
Safety Protocols & Options
- Extensive First Aid kid on site at all times, including medication for altitude as well as oxygen tanks.
- There will always be someone on staff with first aid training and CPR training.
- Private hospital no more than 1 hour away from the retreat center.
- Staff at the retreat Center including 1-2 Security Guards at night.
- Two facilitators on staff at all times.
- Groups are never larger than 15 participants resulting in a high ratio of support available.
- Taxi available at all hours if needed.
- Doctors within the town below less than 20 minutes away.
- All those coming who are on any type of medication, or arrive with pre-existing medical conditions have been screened by our medical intake.
- We do not allow anyone to come who is currently taking SSRI medication as it is counter-indicative to Ayahuasca.
- Ayahuasca is brewed traditionally, with only the Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna Leaf.
Food
Ayahuasca Diet
Once on retreat with us, all food served will be a menu that is in line with what is most easeful on the system and best for ceremonial Ayahuasca work. All food is healthy, mindfully created, as well as gluten-free. Your physical Ayahuasca preparation before retreat is up to you. However we encourage you to begin preparing 2 weeks before hand if possible.
Foods to eliminate prior to retreat
- Highly processed foods and foods with chemical additives.
- Sugar, Cheese, Dairy
- Pork and Red meat
- Heavily fermented foods
- The reason for eliminating processed foods, and most importantly fermented foods (This means no soy, or soy milk, no miso, cheese, tempeh, tamari, beer, wine etc.) is because of the high Tyramine content in these foods. This accompanied with the medicine can raise blood pressure and create a hypertensive state. So please, begin cutting these things out.
- No Pork, No Alcohol, No Drugs at least 10 days before ceremony. The cleaner your system is, the more ease-full it can be for the medicine to work.
- Also the more you begin to eliminate these things the easier the medicine will be on your body physically. So be gentle with your pre-ceremony commitments. There is no written law here. These are merely suggestions and we have found them most helpful in the long run.
Ayni
Ayni is a Quechua word that describes an intimate relationship with life. It translates more or less to exchange of energy. That in order for life to maintain balance there is always the sacred relationship of exchange. When you take or partake of something you must also offer and give. With the understanding that with all things there must be a proper exchange in order to be in right relationship with life. For many westerners this translates to money. But Ayni is a way of being. It means offering to a plant before you harvest, it means singing a song to the water before you drink it. Ayni is more of a way of being, a way of thinking, a way of seeing.
Sacred Relationship
Ayni honours life as a sacred relationship. That when you take you give, and when you give be open to receive. With this medicine work we are always reflecting how to stay and live in balance and be in the practice of Ayni. We regularly invest in reforestation projects in replanting Ayahuasca and Chacruna as more and more it is being harvested without a focus on replanting. We also regularly donate to project managers and initiatives taking place in the Shipibo community of Paoyan, including school rebuilding, medicinal gardens, medicines for the local clinic and women’s health. For many Shipibo families their artisania is the only income that feeds their families.
Our Vision
