PLANT MEDICINE HEALING
Inner Flight Retreat
How is an Ayahuasca Ceremony?
Various indigenous cultures connect with Ayahuasca in the Amazon basin. They use this plant for spiritual, medicinal, and cultural purposes. Each culture has its way of celebrating an Ayahuasca Ceremony.
At the Inner Flight Retreat, Shipibo-Conibo maestros led the Ayahuasca ceremonies. This ethnic group is originally from the Peruvian Amazon.
In our retreat, the Ayahuasca ceremonies start at approximately 11:00 p.m. and finish around 5:00 a.m. In the Shipibo-Conibo culture, the ceremonies are performed with the least possible amount of light.
So, according to the maestros, the participants can access the depth of their being.
Now, let’s talk briefly about the most common tools that Shipibo maestros use in a ceremony.
I will share with you, what I have identified in my path alongside the plants.
Tools used in an Ayahuasca Ceremony
ICAROS
The Shipibo maestros use the icaros as their primary tool in an Ayahuasca ceremony.
Icaros are sacred and ancient songs of the Shipibo-Conibo language. Consequently, the maestros can invoke the power of the jungle plants. In this way, the participants receive energies of harmonization and healing.
In addition, icaros are also used to call other forces of nature, such as guardian animals and the four elements.
MAPACHO
In the Peruvian jungle, the mighty mapacho is the traditional and organic tobacco. Within the Shipibo-Conibo tradition, the spirit of tobacco serves as a primary guide.
The sacred mapacho is utilized to cleanse and safeguard the energy of the ceremonial space and individuals. Furthermore, it serves as a diagnostic tool for gauging the energetic status of participants.
As the master plant that facilitates connections with other plants, tobacco is crucial. Through songs and prayers, the maestros connect with the spirit of tobacco.
AGUA FLORIDA
Agua Florida is a cologne made from essences and flowers. This tool is used to harmonize the energy of the people it applies to. In addition, it brings serenity to the participants during their journey.
Also, it helps them to connect more harmoniously with the spirits of the plants. In this way, people can receive healing energies more profoundly.
Agua Florida helps to calm the mind and thus access meditative states.
Now, let’s look at a topic that interests many. What does it feel like during an Ayahuasca ceremony?
Effects of Ayahuasca during a ceremony
After ingesting Ayahuasca, the brain wave frequency starts to change between 15 and 50 minutes. This leads to an expansion of consciousness and relaxation of the body. Consequently, there is an increase in the sensitivity of all the senses. The participant can perceive peace of mind and body while extrasensory, intellectual, and creative abilities get expanded.
The interaction between Ayahuasca and the body facilitates the gradual pacification of the mind. As a result, anxiety and fears are reduced, and the nervous system gets balanced.
Maestros use Ayahuasca to diagnose the condition of patients, leading to more efficient treatment of physical, mental, and spiritual illnesses.
During a ceremony, Ayahuasca works on different levels:
- Physical: the participants can experience a detox purge. As a result, Ayahuasca can untie knots blocking the person’s energy. Also, the participants could feel Ayahuasca getting rid of old energetic configurations and creating new ones within the body.
- Emotional: different emotions can surface as this level is reached. This offers the possibility to heal old wounds, forgive, love, and feel deeply grateful for life.
- Spiritual: at this level, people could experience the visions that connect them with the world of nature and the invisible. Also, messages from cosmic guardians could be received.
The secret to having a harmonious ceremony is to allow Ayahuasca to do its job without interfering. As a patient with his doctor, you must put yourself in her hands.
Soon we will share recommendations for, before, during, and after attending an Ayahuasca ceremony.
With much love.
