Two of my fellow mouse users have expressed the same concern, namely, what is the purpose and what is the goal we are seeking, as collaborators on this mighty blogosplat. Funny, it never occurred to me. I have always been this spontaneous and perhaps that is why so many people get irritated by me. "That's fine for you," I'm accustomed to hearing, "but that doesn't appeal to me."
I've been having fun on facebook but it isn't really designed for longer blurbs and rants. I just thought if we had a community blog we could post to it and see what comes of it. At least we'd have a readership of four that way.
We all have the same tic-tocks going on in the background, at exactly the same speed, but the stuff that fills our bags is different. If we look at the stuff and talk about it, my guess is we would be interested in each other's bag. That could be like the stuff itself, or the reflection on the stuff or the symbolism of the stuff or the creative outcome of the process, which comes from observing the stuff.
For instance, I know I'm interested in Reya's day as a bodyworker and her various applications of the mystery arts. Rick has been reinventing himself as a producer for these last few years. He just went out and bought an expensive camera one day and started loading up on recording equipment. Danny came out of nowhere but it hit me like an early spring rainfstorm when I tuned in to his life.
So I figured, we can write about it and then maybe "bounce" off of each other. Gives our fingers something to do, while we're waiting for the phone to ring.
I filled up three little notebooks on my last six week trip to Peru. I've told people how magical it was. The experiences were really unlike anything in my life until then. In the future, my plans are to spend a lot more time down there. But I've barely even reviewed my notes, let alone done any serious writing about it.
I'll start here by saying why I went. It started about two years ago, that I remember the jungle first inviting me. There was a very interesting artist who I'd met on the internet. She lives in Puerto Rico and I'd seen one of her computer paintings. It was so full of primitive and raw passion. We started exchanging pleasantries and eventually more personal information. It was months before I learned that her soul mate and lover had died in a motor cycle accident about one year before.
She was a very spiritual person and probably because of losing her lover in the prime of her own young life the big questions about why and what for and who am I and what now seemed to haunt her to the point of fully consuming her.
From someone, I don't think she told me, she learned about Ayahuaska and she changed drastically after having a ceremony. She started from that point, finding peace within herself and in the world. "What is Ayahuaska?" I soon asked or perhaps I didn't even ask, but just googled it the moment I saw her words.
And from the exact moment that I started reading about it, the jungle (La Selva) started whispering to me--come. Come to me. And it was a woman's whisper. A mother's call.
In my spare time I would do more research about Ayahuaska. Lots of scientific journals, lots of adventure travel experiences. You don't have to go to Peru or even South America, though that is where the plant is from. For instance, my friend had it locally in a ceremony, in which the Shaman was in Puerto Rico with the "brew."
Later I discovered it was the jungle calling me, but at the time, I thought it was the plant. It was a non-ending invitation, which included dreams, even dreams of my father. I knew eventually there would be a plane ride but the details weren't something that bothered me too much.
After months of research I stumbled one day onto information about the 4th Annual Conference on Shamanism, in Iquitos, Peru. After doing some initial fact finding and checking my calendar, I wrote to the organizer and explained that I wouldn't be able to be there for the first few days and "anyway," I explained, "I don't care so much about the conference."
I was just sure there would be people there who I was suppose to meet and things would take care of themselves. So right after vacation last year, I flew to Peru. No hotels booked, without knowing Spanish, just an address for the conference.
That first trip went very well and it was a big adventure. It was way too short though and the full meaning of the four ceremonies I had with 4 different shaman (those who work with Ayahuaska are called Curenderos, which is really a more specific kind of medicine worker) was just sort of a chaotic mumbo jumbo in my head. There was a lot there. I knew that. I just hadn't grasped what the Spirits were trying to tell me. In my own way, I felt as if I hadn't properly prepared for the significance of the experience.
When I arrived back in Missouri, all I could think about was getting back to Peru. I wanted to go study with only a few Curenderos and I wanted to have some focussed intensity to the study. It took quite a few things to happen to create the opportunity to return in the same year.
For instance, I knew if we didn't get the house sold, I wouldn't go. I knew if a few windows weren't opened within my work schedule, I couldn't go. But I set a date. October 1. I said, if all things are worked out by then, I'm gone. If not, can't go. About 2 weeks before October 1 the planets lined up and I called my wife Anne and said I'm booking the flight, tell me now to not go or forever hold your peace. "OK," she said reluctantly, knowing I planned to be gone for 6 weeks, "if you're sure it is necessary."
And boom. I booked it.
Just now the phone has rung in my office and I'll end this first installment. The picture of the man I'm smashing the vine with is Orlando. I worked with him in the jungle for 3 weeks, learning about plant medicine but also with him as my healer. He works very hard and takes his craft very seriously. He's been doing it for over 30 years.
I'll just give you a taste by saying that his work mostly involves the Spirits which surround us. His purpose is to protect his patients. He had grave concern, with me, especially about certain bad spirits. More later--
ciao.
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