Ayahuasca in My Blood PDF
Preview Ayahuasca in My Blood
AYAHUASCA IN MY BLOOD 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming by Peter Gorman CoverImagebyM.C.Escher(Snakes,1969) PhotoBackcover:PeterGorman,left,withJulioJerenaandLynnChilsonin2002”(Photoby Pasha) BookDesignbyJohanFremin IllustrationsbyMorganMaher CopyrightbyPeterGorman,2010 FirstEdition,PublishedbytheGormanBenchPress,2010ISBN#:978-0-557-46920-8 eISBN:978-1-25714-542-3 Allrightsretained Tomysons,ItaloandMarco,andmydaughter,Madeleina ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THISBOOK wouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheexpertandkindhelpofalotofpeople. AtthetopofthelistismyteacherJulioLlerena(Jerena)Pinedo,amanwhounderstood ayahuascaondeeplevels.HeiscloselyfollowedbyMoisesTorresVienna,myjunglesurvival teacherandfriendformanyyears,whosharedhowtoliveinthedeepgreenwithme;byPablo, anindigenousMatsesheadmanandcurandero—healer—whoknewmoreaboutplantsthan anyoneI’veeverencountered,andwho,despitelanguagebarriers,impartedagreatdealof Matsesloretome.AndthenthereisBerthaGrove,amedicinewomanfromtheSouthernUte tribeoutsideofDurango,Colorado,whoallowedmetoparticipateinseveralhealing ceremoniesthere.AndLady,Julio’sdaughter,whoknewthemedicineneededtokeepmefrom losingmylegafterapoisonousspiderbiteoutinthejungle.AndJulio’sson-in-lawJuan,andmy long-timefriendJhonnyJavaandmywholePeruvianteam:Ruber,George,Sidalia,Gasdalia, Mauricio,MaBel,Kay,German,CorinaandmyformerwifeChepaandhermotherLydiaand fatherDemetrio.AndmyfriendsLynnChilsonandBillWeinbergandLarryLavalleandChuck Dudellandmykidsandahostofotherpeoplewhopushedmetolearndespitetheodds.Of course,thereisMorganMahertothankalso,forhiswonderfulillustrations. AndthenespeciallyJohanFremin,whothoughtthesestorieswouldmakeagoodbookand backedthatupbymakingitso. GLOSSARY AGUADEFLORIDA —FloridaWater.Aninexpensiveorange-scentedcologneusedbyhealers throughoutPeruasaholywater. AYAHUASCA—A Quechua wordmeaning“vineofthesoul”or“vineofthedead,” ayahuasca is oftencolloquiallyreferredtoas“vineofthelittledeath”becausetheuserfeelsasthoughhis egohasdissolved,ordied. Ayahuasca isalsoknownas caapi, natema, pinde,or yagé in variouslanguagesbytheindigenousgroupsthatemploythebeverage. Thestandardpreparationof ayahuasca involvesthesimmeringofcrackedsectionsof Banisteriopsiscaapi vinewith Psychotriaviridis—chacruna—leavesoveraperiodofseveral hours,duringwhichblacktobacco(Nicotianarustica)smokeiscontinuallyblownintothe mixture.InEcuador,leavesofthe Diplopteriscabrerena arefrequentlyusedinsteadof Psychotriaviridis.Variousadditionalplantproductsarefrequentlyaddedtothebrewingof ayahuasca,mostfrequentlythebarkofthe capirona (Calycophyllumspruceanum),the catahua (Huracrepitans)andthe lupunanegra (Trichiliatocachana)trees.Barkscrapedfrom therootsofthebushknownas chiricsanango (Brunfelsiagrandiflora)isalsocommonly added. Most ayahuasqueros selecttheadditivestheywillusebasedontheirmedicinalpropertiesand theneedsoftheirclients. Ayahuasca isusedasasacramentbyanumberofsmallreligiousgroups,includingthe Uñiaode Vegetal andthe SantoDaime churchesthatoriginatedinBrazil. AYAHUASQUERO—Ahealerwhoworksprimarilywith ayahuasca. BRUJERIA—Theactions,generallynegative,takenbya brujo. BRUJOANDBRUJA—Ahealerwhohasfallenoffthepathofhealinganduseshisorherabilitiesto castspellsforspite,envyormoney.Anegativesorcererforhire. CAMALONGA —Seedsfromtheyellowoleander, Thevetiaperuviana .Theyarethoughttobe abletoprotectonefrombrujeria.Theyaregenerallyputwholeintoabottleof aguardiente alongwithmaleandfemalecamphorpieces,andmaleandfemalechoppedonionandgarlic fromthemountainsandcoastofPeru.UtilizingelementsfromallthreeregionsofPeru—the coast,mountainsandjungle—isthoughttobeparticularlyeffectiveagainst brujeria. Curanderos whocurespecificallywith camalonga arecalled camalongeros. CHACRUNA—Psychotriaviridis.Thestandardleavesutilizedwiththe B.caapi vinetomake ayahuasca.Maleleavesonlyareused;theyaredistinguishablebecausetheyhavetiny protrusionsneartheirtipontheundersideoftheleaf. Ayahuasca issometimesmadewith Chaliponga—Diplopteryscabrerena leavesinsteadof chacruna. CURANDERO—Atraditionalhealerwhomayworkinanynumberofmodalities.Hemayhealwith plants,byutilizing ayahuasca or SanPedro or Toé,heorshe(thecurandera)mayworkwith smokeorstonesorseveralotherthings.Alltraditionalhealersareconsidered curanderos or curanderas. EG-HEALER—Oneoftheoddest,andnodoubtoldesthealingmethodsinPeru,egg-healing involvesa curandero whopassesaraweggoverhisorherpatient’sbodywhilechantingand blowingblacktobaccosmoke.Agoodegg-healerissaidtobeincommunicationwiththe unbornspiritofthechickenwithintheegg,andrequeststhatthatspiritabsorbstheillnessof thepatientintoitsunformedbody.WhileridiculoustoWesternersonthefaceofit,egg- healingsareconsideredavital,medicalpracticebyPeruvians. FLOWERBATH—Amonglowlandhealersitisthoughtthatnegativity,whetheritbephysicalor spiritualinnature,hasapresencethataffixesitselftopeople,likeablackgobofether.Inthe traditionof ayahuasca useintheregionofPucallpa,severalhundredmilessouthofIquitos, curanderos aretrainedtomakebathswithavarietyofflowerswhichcaneliminatethat negativityfromtheirpatients. ICARO—Thenameforthesongssungorwhistledbycuranderosduringtheirceremonies.Many curanderos innorthwestAmazoniasaythattheylearnedtheirsongsdirectlyfromthe ayahuascaorotherplantsduringceremonies,andviewthemasgiftsfromthespiritsofthe plants.Othertraditionspassthesongsdownfromonegenerationofhealerstothenext. LAPURGA —Thedeepvomitingproducedby ayahuasca. MAPACHO—Thenameforboththevariousblack Nicotiana speciesoftobaccogrowninthe Amazon—mostoften Nicotianarustica—aswellasthecigarettesmadefromit.Thetobacco(a genusofthe Solanaceae family)isusedbothasamedicinalandspiritualaid. MAREADO—Tobedizzyorlightheadedornauseous.IncolloquialuseinPeru’sAmazonitsignifies drunkenness,particularlytobe ayahuasca-drunk. MATSESINDIAN—AlsoknownasMayoruna,theMatses,alongwiththeircloserelations,the Matis,MatsisandMarubo,liveintheborderregionofPeruandBrazil,primarilyontheGalvez, AltoYavari,Lobo,andBlancoRivers.TheirlanguageisinthePanoanlanguagefamily.Until recently,theywereknownforthestrikinghash-marktattoothatcircledtheirmouthsandran uptheircheeksnearlytotheirears.That,alongwithwearinglongbamboosplintsintheirnose (women)orupperlip(men)gavethemthelookofajaguar.Intheirbeliefsystem,lookinglikea jaguargavethemtheabilitytohuntlikeajaguar.Thetattooinghasceasedoverthelast20 yearsforallbutthemostremotecommunities. MESTIZO—ASpanishtermindicatingapersonofmixedblood,specificallysomeonewithboth EuropeanandAmerindianbloodlines. PALOSANTO—Awillowytree, Burseragraveolens,palosantomeans“holywood”or“saintwood” inEnglish.Smallpiecesofthetreeareburnedasfragrantincensethatisusedthroughout CentralandSouthAmericatoclearnegativeenergyfrompeopleandspaces. SACHA—Anindigenouswordthatsignifies“ofthejungle”or“jungle-like”,or“similarto”.Atapiris calleda sachavaca,or“junglecow,”forinstance,andthemedicineplantknownas sacha jergon issonamedbecauseitsflowerandbulblooklikea jergon—apitviper—readytostrike. SACHAJERGON—AtuberwhoseLatinnameis Dracontiumloretense ithaslongbeenused throughoutthePeruvianlowlandsinconjunctionwith uñadegato (cat’sclaw)asageneral tonic.Duringthepastseveralyearsithasalsobeenusedasanadjuncttherapy,alongwithcat’s claw,inthetreatmentofbothAIDSandcancers,notonlyinPerubutinU.S.hospitalsaswell. SHACAPA —Aleaf-bundlerattleusedthroughoutAmazoniaduringhealingceremonies, particularlyduring ayahuasca ceremonies. SHAMAN—A curandero whoseworkincludescontactwiththespiritworld. SHAMANISM—Arangeoftraditionalbeliefsandpracticesconcernedwithcommunicationwith thespiritworld.Apractitionerofshamanismisknownasashaman.Thewordoriginatesamong theTunguspeopleofSiberia,butnowincludesanysysteminwhichspirit-worldcommunication isvital. SOPLA—Theactofblowingafinelineofsmokeoramistfroma curandero’s perfumesor medicines.The sopla’ing isdonewiththeintentionofcleaningorclearingnegativeenergy fromapersonorspace. TOÉ—Alsoknownas datura,itisadrinkmadefromanyofanumberofplantsfromthe Solanaceae (Nightshade)family,specificallythosefromboththe Brugmansia and Brunfelsiagenera.Verypowerful,verytoxic,theleavesarefrequentlyaddedtothe ayahuasca preparationtoincreaseboththepotencyanddurationofthepsychotropiceffect.Aparticipant willknowif datura leaveshavebeenaddedtothe ayahuasca ifhisorherlips,fingersand toesgonumb.AnherbalistfriendfromLima,Dr.SolomonMelchorArroyo,hasclassified severalusesofvarious datura preparations,includingdivination,futureseeingandthe stealingofaperson’swillpower,whichhasledmanyPeruvianstospeakof datura as“theplant ofthedemon.”InColombia,andBogotáinparticular,certain datura preparationsareusedon unsuspectingtouristswhichleavesthetouristawakebutsusceptibletosuggestion.Thereare manystoriesoftouristswhohavegonetothebankandwithdrawnalloftheirmoneyunderthe influenceof datura andwhohavenorecollectionofitthefollowingday. Medicinally,various datura preparationsareusedfortreatingfever,swollenjoints,muscle cramps,rheumatism,snakebite,yellowfever,infectionsandanumberofotherdiseasesand symptoms.Additionally, toé isfrequentlyusedby curanderos asadiagnostictool,muchthe samewayayahuascaisused. UÑADEGATO—Uncariatomentosa isawoodyshrubthatgrowsalongthebanksoftheAmazon anditstributariesthroughoutlowlandPeru.Itgetsitscolloquialname, uñadegato,cat’sclaw, becauseofthesharp,claw-likeappendagesthatgrowonitsbranches.Extractsfromtheplant, bothliquidandpowder,havelongbeenusedinPeruasageneraltonicandforrelieffrom rheumatism,arthritisandbursitis.IthasbeenusedasanadjuncttherapyforAIDStreatment throughoutPeruforseveralyears,asoneofitsbeneficialqualitiesistosharplyincreaseT-cell levels.Mostrecentlyithasbeenusedasanadjunctmedicineinthetreatmentofcancersby suchhigh-profileclinicsasNewYorkHospitalandtheMayoClinic. VIROTÉ—Invisibledartsshotatone curandero fromanotherwiththeintentofdoingharm.The actfallsintothecategoryof brujeria.The virotés canbesentfromlongdistances. INTRODUCTION AMONGTHE indigenouspeoplesoftheworld,thereareseveralplantsconsideredtobe,in essence,masterteachersofthehumanrace.Severalplants,inparticulararesaidtopossessthe abilitytoallowahuman,ontheiringestion,toexpandhisorherperceptionandtotemporarily accessotherlevelsofrealitynormallyprohibitedtoallbutvisionaries,thedying,theveryyoung andthoseinmomentsofextremestress.Amongtheseis Brugmansiagrandiflora,alsoknown as datura or toé,thetrumpetedflowersofwhichpossesstheabilitytotransportmanto worldsbeyondimagination—thoughfewarestrongenoughtouseit. Lophophorawilliamsii, peyote,istheancientcactusofnorthernMexicoandtheSouthwestUS.Itscousinis SanPedro, Trichocereuspachanoi,thecactusoftheIncaandbeforethemthepeopletheyconquered, bothshape-shifters. Amanitamuscaria isamushroomsopotentthatSiberianshamans ingestedit,thenofferedtheirurine—filledwiththepowerofthemushroombolsteredand balancedbythespiritoftheshaman—tothemushroom’sdevoteestodrink.Alsoamongthem are Ibogatamarinth,theWestAfricanplantteacher,and ayahuasca—alsoknownas yagé, natem, hoasca,dependingontheregion—thevisionaryandcurativevineoftheAmazon. Thisisthestoryofmyexperiencewith ayahuasca overaperiodof25yearsasitsstudent. ThefirsttimeIexperiencedacupofthefoul-tastingteaIhadnoideaofwhatitwas,how importantitwastothepeopleofAmazonia,orhowmylifewouldchangebecauseofit.That firsttimeitwasjustsomethingtotry.Butsomethingextraordinaryhappened,somethingthat drewmebackforasecondcupthefollowingyear.Thenathird.Witheach,thevineexposeda littlemoreofherspirit,andwithitIwasleddeeperanddeeperintomyconsciousness.Ihadno ideathatwhatlayaheadofmewouldtakemebeyondthelimitofbearablefear,teachmeto heal,helpmethroughthebitterandpainfulbreakupofmyfamily,andfinallyputmeback togetheragain,justasIwas,butsomehowcompletelydifferent.Icansaythatduringthose25 yearsIhavevisitedcountlessworldsandspenttime,oftenawestruck,withunimaginable entities.IhavebeentickledbyinvisiblehandsfromotherworldsuntilIwasrenderedimmobile fromjoy.IhavebeenattackedbyforcesIdidnotknowexisted,andoncewasgiventhegiftofa momentofabsoluteunconditionallove. It’sbeenanincrediblejourneyoftheheartandoneI’mthrilledandhonoredtohavebeen allowedtotake. Thebestpart,ofcourse,isthatmyschoolinghasjustbegun.
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