What is Ayahuasca, Really?

lilly · Site Admin

What is Ayahuasca...Really...?
By Meghan Shannon

The eternal question with an ever-evolving answer. Here is as much as I understand it as of May 12, 2009. Ayahuasca, in its physical form, is a medicinal plant mixture cooked, strained, and drank in sacred ceremony by shamans in the Amazon rainforest for thousands, possibly tens of thousands of years. One can find all kinds of research explaining the long-term benefits of working with the brew, including a permanent increase in seratonin levels (leading to more happy, fulfilling lives), release of various physical ailments (some considered incurable in Western medicine), and release of psychological and mental-related illnesses (such as schizophrenia). Spiritually, this plant is in its own Universe, beyond comprehension levels of most and limited by mere language.

The only thing that separates us from the Spirit World is our bodies. That's what gives our spirits voices, opposable thumbs, and the ability to take thought and turn it into physical action. The body is the vessel that we channel everything through in order to allow us to have this human experience. The Spirit World is not "better" than the physical. Many spirits choose to come back into bodies purely to experience the full gamut of being human...the voice, the touch, the taste, the joy, the sex, the suffering, the soul-satisfaction when one helps another get closer to their true spirit selves. The whole thing is like a big initiation...we are dropped in, memories erased, with a few tools to help us navigate this foreign land. For some, the environment nurtured the navigation tools, such as instincts (gut feelings, strong internal desires, creative ideas, psychic abilities, etc) and those doors remained open. For others, the environment fed into the dense, dark energies of fear and doubt, revering intellect and logic as the highest form of understanding, while putting spiritual skepticism on a pedestal (mostly self-created due to manipulation by religious organizations) and the true medicine of the earth (plants) into a fru-fru "new age" category for vegan hippies. For these folks, the challenge of uncovering the unknown blind spot is even more difficult.

What is not so obvious to most of us is the way the body creates our physical experience, our own world through our eyes. The more dense, heavy energies and entities we knowingly or unknowingly allow inside, the more those energies call the shots in our world. It's tricky, because these energies use our own thoughts and our own voice to speak. How often have you "lost it" in anger, watching words fly out of your mouth specifically to hurt the ones you love the most? The feeling of guilt, fear of losing them, and sadness after you realize what you have done can be unbearable. That is a perfect example of an energy or entity of rage taking over your body, using your voice, and leaving you to clean up the mess. This doesn't mean the person is not responsible for doing what they can to purge and manage these energies, but most people are inherently Light, so anything that's not shining love is something to be purged.

Most of us walk around every day, thinking we are the ones running our lives. But like the anger entity, there are tons and tons of energy patterns, crossed energies and spirits literally along for the ride, hidden inside like internal luggage. Pay attention in your day to what thoughts, ideas, spoken words, and actions within are Light, and which are dark. It is very easy to tell. Confusion, doubt, fear, anger, jealousy, addictions, ego, stress, etc: dark. Clarity, trust, courage, happiness, compassion, freedom, humble strength, balanced flow, etc: Light. If you are reading this, you are Light (because something internal has drawn you to the medicine). And you have a desire to be Lighter, most likely back to your purest self, your True Self (or Higher Self). If you're not blissfully happy, living on life purpose, and flowing in your natural rhythm, there is still more for you to come. Don't let ego tell you since you've done years of spiritual work already, you're done. All that spiritual work may have been preparing you for this for all you know, if you are feeling the draw. This is the big prize at the end (as well as a whole other beginning). Don't let spiritual arrogance block you from the fruits of your labor. You simply don't know what kind of life you are missing (uninformed by the medicine standards) since the baseline to the human happiness level is light years under par. Everything you believe in your heart and soul to be possible, within yourself and the Universe, is real. But it takes all that work to prepare to see it. When you are ready, willing, and truly desiring, enter the world you always knew was there, and watch your physical life morph around it.

This, my friends, is the amazing job of the Ayahuasca medicine. To purge the body of these low frequencies so we can get back to our true selves. As things purge, we rise Light levels (frequencies or vibrations). On the new levels, lay higher Divine wisdom, as our minds are moved out of over-stimulation of the intellect, and into balance to receive Universal teachings. As outlined in yogic tradition, the body must be prepared in a process to handle high levels of Light, otherwise the nerves would fry. From what I understand (but not from personal experience) yogic tradition can also accomplish this same task, though it takes decades of intense discipline and study, and frankly most of the dark entities that plague the West will stop people before they start (based on logistics, time constraints, money, doubt, addictions, etc.) This is why the medicine has begun to bridge itself to the West...because we need help.

Not everyone is prepared to accept this help, but for those who are, those who truly, truly want to know, and are willing to do the work, it has become available to them. Then, of those drawn to the medicine, some will be able to delve deeper into themselves, therefore understanding the world around them, and eventually become Light ambassadors to assist others seeking similar process (in various forms.)
Not everyone will be able to break down the walls of their ego, or release the addictions that they once loved, or simply endure the physical challenges of the purging process.

Some will fold under the Western consciousness, full of fear and doubt, associating ayahuasca with hallucinogenic drugs and witchdoctors. Done with high Light-levels shamans, therefore holding the integrity of themselves and the medicine, ayahuasca is the anti-drug. Not only does is purge the chemical makeup of drugs, excessive alcohol, and sexual exchange, it purges all the dark stuff that got inside the body while those doors were wide open. Ayahuasca is renowned for releasing of addiction energy, applied wherever it applied, including drugs and alcohol.

Releasing a society stigma (like the "Ayahuasca is a drug" example) is just one of the many belief systems that will need to be transcended. If a person is not able to start with an easy one like that, the medicine will naturally filter out those who are simply not prepared to understand the levels that will be coming. There is no judgment because not everyone has a desire to know all of this. This is the "Red Pill" in the Matrix. Choosing the blue is not bad, it is simply a choice. For those who desire to know, this may be the clearest, fastest option. It may even be simply too fast for some, in turn they will be drawn somewhere else for their training. You don't yell at a toddler for not being able to walk yet. Things move when the person is ready. Still skeptical? Don't let that block you. Because what if I'm right? The possibilities are too good not to at least find out for yourself.

The purge is what makes the Ayahuasca unique. That's why it works so fast. Because it is physically pulling this stuff out of your body. You can do all the energy and spiritual work you want, but until these dark entities physically leave the body, you are still walking around struggling against them. You may have gotten a pretty good handle on them, but it's so normal you don't know how much energy would be freed up if they weren't there. Certain types can be released without a medicinal purge, but not all. Entities and energies are hidden all over the body. For Westerners, the vast majority are in the mind. The medicine basically takes apart your brain and puts it back together, the way it came in when it was new. This is why some call it the Vine of Death/Rebirth...you get to reboot the physical body, pure, but this time as an adult. People simply don't know what they are missing out of life, because so few people in the West had access to, and have actually been able to delve into to this "secret doorway". Luckily, the shift is here. Relief is here. People who want to get back to real life, in the way they always knew in their souls existed, welcome home. We don't have to wait until we die to get there.

The purges can be challenging, make no mistake. Often (but not always) the person feels the energy or emotion as it is leaving the body. Purging fear = extremely scary. Purging doubt = thinking all these shamans are out of their minds and this is some kind of cult. Purging ego = getting triggered by the guy with the bigger ego during the day of the ceremony. Purging overactive mind chatter = exhausting thought spirals. Physical purges (vomit, diarrhea, gas, hot/cold temperatures, yawning, sweating, vibrating/shaking, crying, abnormal breathing, fidgeting) are all catalysts that the dark energy attaches to (either the physical liquid, gas or breath) to get out. It is the much more efficient than energy work alone (though most people feel extreme energies as well). Not only do challenging purges move out darkness fast, they train the body and mind to be able to endure the physical world. The big picture keeps stretching, allowing person's world to look more manageable. The body is strengthened, allowing for higher tolerance levels for life in general. And the dark energies are purged, giving the person a cleaner slate.

Your Higher Self, the medicine spirits, and God all work together to prioritize the healing for each person individually. They look for the most debilitating issue in your world that you are physically ready to purge, and continue in that order. For some, they will need to see the Light at the end of the tunnel before they even start. They may have a couple of amazing ceremonies before the purge begins. Others won't feel the effects for several ceremonies, while the medicine works to break through their walls, also testing their faith and trust (or sparing them from seeing something they can't handle). Others will get their egos handed to them in full-on boot camp style. Others get the nurturing mother they always wanted. Most get a combination of all of these, depending on what they need at the time. Complete entities can be purged in one ceremony, but for more ingrained belief systems and crossed energies, they tend to happen layer by layer. As mentioned before, the body can only handle so much stretching to new Light levels in one night (and once the purge is out, the body moves closer to its natural state: happy, healthy, humble, wise, and Light.

Once the purge is complete, the medicine trains on management skills. Management is learning how to keep those entities out, and not feed the ones that have not yet been purged. This is the physical practice of staying connected to the medicine, and what you are learning from it, outside of ceremony (of course, there really is no "outside of ceremony!") This training allows you to take back authority over your body and your life, with a strong line in to the Divine to keep check of your integrity and guidance. Naturally, as a person takes in the plant medicine, the Light spirits are in the body (to remain forever). Therefore the longer a person pursues the Ayahuasca path, the more medicine they have in their body. This medicine can be used to channel, learn divination, heal, see, etc, all without the need to physically be in ceremony. Psychic and healing abilities increase the more medicine one has. Divine wisdom is not something that needs only to be accessed during ceremony hours.

Which brings me to the next point: understanding. The levels of Divine wisdom and understanding are simply beyond words. Often people have to stop reading books while in apprenticeship because they find it is tainting their direct learning. These will soon be some of the people writing the books. Sometimes the wisdom is clear and given, other times it is simply there when you need it (and it's new to you too!) Having access to these kinds of answers makes you stop asking so many "intellectual" questions. It all comes clear in its due time. Patience is the first rule of apprenticeship, while being prepared to hold on tight for the lightening-fast ride.

So what is Ayahuasca? It is the key to the doorway of REAL LIFE. For people who want to walk the integrated balance between the physical and the spiritual worlds, enjoying and appreciating who they truly are, without judgment, without fear. For those who want to experience life's FULL GAMUT, and are ready, willing, and able to accept the challenge. You know who you are. And if you don't, but you want to be, break through just enough walls to get yourself at the doorway. There is a physical world right here that is very different than you think. It's everything you ever thought it could be. Your inner hits were right...you KNEW it was real. Whatever the challenges, follow the call. It is SO worth it.

Lots of Love YaÂ´ll!
Peace:)

Meghan
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Check our next Ayahuasca retreat:
http://www.natures-blessings.org/retreatPeru.htm
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