 Our destination in March is Iquitos, Peru. Iquitos
is the largest continental city that cannot be reached overland. (We
have so far chosen to fly, though you can travel by riverboat.) The
remarkable Amazon is herself a force to connect with. The jungle
is an awe-inspiring manifestation of Mother Nature. And the medicine
tradition which has arisen among the peoples who live here is thoroughly
grounded in the balanced abundant-but-deeply-coherent force of Nature.
Specifically, there is an alliance between the jungle's plants and the curanderos who have learned of them, and from them. In March we'll be working with don Ricardo Amaringo. Don
Ricardo has over 20 years of experience as a traditional curandero and
ayahuasquero. He is one of the most skilled Shipibo healers of his
generation, having refined his skills through intensive dieting and
arduous work under his master, well-known Shipibo maestro don
Guillermo Arevalo. Ricardo has now developed a profound knowledge of
medicinal plants, traditional Shipbo ayahuasca ceremony and icaros
(traditional healing songs). If you are new to the world of indigenous plant curandismo,
it will be good to realize that "plant spirit medicine" is not just
about ayahuasca. In fact, the medicine people who are most respected are
those whose specific skills are broadest. This requires years of
experience with many different plant species,and, of equal importance, a
great diagnostic capacity. There is a sort of alliance between the
curandero and the master plant - ayahuasca - which is the basis of this
tradition. In ceremony, the curandero sees what the problem is,
and based on years of familiarity with up to 200 different medicinal
plants, he will often prepare and administer these to help with your
specific needs. It is don Ricardo's reputation which draws us to his
center.  The staff of the retreat center also includes co-owners, Joe Tafur, a California MD, and Canadian artist Cvita Mamic, who are skilled
at guiding through the processes initiated in these ceremonies. Cielle
and Jeffrey will also be available for both group and individual
sessions each day. We have each enjoyed a few dozen ceremonies with this
medicine, so we'll be able to offer some perspective; our primary focus
has been on the release of old, no-longer-useful patterns of thinking,
feeling, being -- with a view to helping you to "process" and step
forward from those restrictions and to thus open into your true self,
the One you are here to become. A big lesson for us has been that there are limitless karpays, empowerments,
just as there are limitless forces and structures in Nature. Mama
Ayahuasca is a wise old healer and sage. As we step forward to connect,
to fully engage in the work we need to do, she is generous with her
energetic gifts. If you
are feeling it’s time to take a real step forward in your inner work, or
if you are being called by the plants to seriously deepen the medicine
path you walk, there is room for you in on this journey.  Further details, click here  |
Ayahuasca Retreat - Amazon jungle > Your questions answered about our Ayahuasca healing Retreat >