The Ayahuasca Ceremony
The ayahuasca ceremonies are central events in our retreats, and that's where most of the shamanic work is being done. However, the medicine stays with you and is processing for a long time after your retreat is finished (up to 1 year).
In a week you will complete 4 ayahuasca ceremonies (or 8 if you're staying for two weeks), and it’s important that you see them as a sequence rather than individual sessions. During your stay you will get more information on how to prepare and tune in before the ceremony. Our ceremonies are performed by Don Benigno and/or his team who come from a long lineage of curanderos and vegetalistas (shamans).
The ayahuasca ceremony is considered sacred and the temple and its rules are to be respected.
Around 8 PM, before the ceremony starts, we all gather in the temple for a short meditation to calm down our minds and to tune in. It will be dark, only a few candles lit, the smell of palo santo and the sounds of nature.
You will be placed on a mattress where you can sit or lay down during the ceremony. Here you have time to think about your intention one last time before starting the ceremony.
When the shamans arrive to the temple, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions that you might have. You will also get a short brief on the ceremony rules, and get to know who is facilitating and helping in the ceremony for the night.
The shamans will then go around and check each participants energy field sometimes by putting a hand on the top of your head (crown chakra). The shaman will decide your dose based on how he felt your energies were and previous experience.
If it's your very first time with ayahuasca, you will get an introductory dose.
The introductory dose is a very small dose to observe your reaction. In the following ceremonies, the dose will usually go up gradually. The gradual increase of the dose allows you to slowly and safely step into the experience and establish a connection with the plant before the ceremony starts. When the Shamans are preparing the bottles we get some time to calm down our minds and to tune in. It will be dark, only a few candles lit, the smell of palo santo and the sounds of nature.
Salud Maestro
The ceremony begins. The shaman takes the bottle of medicine in his hands, blessing it with sacred ícaros — ancient songs and whistles that call upon the spirits of the plants. With each note, the medicine awakens.
One by one, the participants receive their dose. When the shaman comes to you, this is your moment to recall your intention — let it shine within you one last time. Then, release it. Empty your mind and prepare to surrender to the current of the medicine.
When you are ready, look at the shaman and say softly:
— Salud, Maestro!
He will answer:
— ¡Que Dios te bendiga!
Then drink.
Find a comfortable position. Breathe deeply. Let go of your thoughts, your expectations, and your doubts. Surrender to Mother Ayahuasca, and allow her spirit to flow through you, carrying you into the mystery, the healing, and the vision that awaits.
Singing to the plants (Ayahuasca Icaros) & Mapacho tobacco
When all participants has received their individual dose of medicine, the shaman will turn of the candles and wait some time before he starts to sing icaros (Healing songs).
The icaros have special connections to the plant spirits (the shamans allies) and are called into the temple to assist and help the shaman to heal a patient during the ceremony. The songs are also guiding our journeys, and they are a very good rope to hang on to during challenging moments.
Through the icaros, the shamans are controlling the energies in the temple, and can work on each patient individually and will assist participants from their altar when running into blockages or challenges in their journeys.
During the ceremony, the shamans will alternate singing and whistling with silence and natural sounds. They will also use the mapacho tobacco smoke during the ceremony.
The Chakapa is an essential tool for the Shamans. A brush, a broom, a rythmic and energetic instrument.
Our Maloka illuminated by stars.