Ayahuasca | Vine of the Soul
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.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts ~ Aristotle
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 res urging 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.
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.
With Love, Compassion and Attention
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 Medicine Weavings 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.