The Holy Trinity...

The fourth ceremony of the festival was presided over by Nando, another Colombian shaman with many years experience.  Accompanying him was his wife, Kathi, and Akindue, an elder from the Kogi nation.  The temple was a little less crowded than previous evenings, a welcome relief to be able to move about without standing on sleeping pasajeros.  We waited patiently until half past eight when the circle was opened by an address from Nando.  He spoke of the purpose of ayahuasca, how it can help us in our lives, which is the reason we were all gathered.  He suggested the jaguar was contained within the medicine and, by imbibing the tea, we can access the power of this jungle cat.  A powerful hunter, he told us of how the jaguar helps keep the jungle healthy by killing vulnerable animals which may be sick or old.  Similarly, we can use the power of the jaguar to hunt within ourselves, to remove negativities within us that are holding us back.  Thereby allowing us to become the people we wish to become, the people we should become.  

Kathi spoke to the crowd next, a German/South African singer and dancer who has been working to help heal people for most of her life.  She outlined the structure of the evening with the seminal events we would be witnessing and participating in.  A key theme was the polarity found in the universe, the male and female energy.  When in balance, when both are given their appropriate role, there is balance.  When one dominates life becomes disharmonious.  Pachmama was central to her ideas; that we originate from  Mother Nature and everything we need is provided by our planet.  The fact that we are living out of balance, with our focus on money and material 'progess' rather than honouring our one and only life-support system.  To represent the abundance of earth, an altar in the shape of a flying bird had been created from seeds.  These were to remain throughout the ceremony, becoming charged in the energy, before being taken home by all there to plant in the earth of their homelands.  Water was another feature of the evening's work, the life-giving blood flowing in all beings, in the feminine rivers and masculine skies.  The sweet nectar without which we would die.  She spoke of how rivers, seas, lakes and aquifers are becoming polluted through lack of care - how only by honouring  the balance of life can we restore our natural systems.

We drank a mixture of Colombian and Brazilian ayahuasca, supposedly making it more effective as it is a blend of the power of two shamans.  The assembled throng fell silent and waited for the medicine to take hold.  Out of the silence Nando began singing icaros which, for me, was the start of a lengthy period of frustration and anger.  The problem was I couldn't bear the sound of his voice - it seemed nasal and whiny, boring into my skull like a drill.  The melodies were basic and the rhythm monotonous.  The irritation was compunded by the singing of other people in the room trying to sing along to music they didn't know and couldn't follow.  The jaguar metaphor allowed me to step back and see this as a familiar mental addiction, negative reactions to situations which aren't to my liking.  Despite being aware of this habit pattern I couldn't shake the feeling and suffered as a result, self-inflicted misery.

The evening wore on and the mood began to pass, helped by the sonorous voice of Kathi who sang some beautiful icaros.  Another drink was given and the effects became more pronounced.  Considering the evening lasted until dawn, over fourteen hours, I remember surprisingly little.  It seemed my work that night was with a frustration that refused to yield.  This was increased once more when jugs of water were brought in to be blessed and shared between everyone.  As they were carried in Kathi spoke extemporaneously about the preciousness of water and its connection to all life.  My problem this time (like some kind of spoilt child) was every sentence seemed to start with the word 'Somehow...'  The message was good but I couldn't get over this irritant.  It reminded me of trite cliches such as 'At the end of the day'.  I was becoming increasingly grumpy and decided to go within, climbing deeper into my sleeping bag to deal with my childish responses.  As I travelled internally the medicine grew in power. It appeared to be the result of the previous nights' explorations into astral travel, a kind of Schrodinger's cat effect of superposition.  

After some hours the healing circles began.  This was to shift my night in a positive direction, from frustration into bliss.  The woman gathered in the firepit to begin with, sitting around the edge facing one another.  They were chosen to go first as they represent the fertile soil of the Earth.  Without a healthy soil nothing can grow.  The men represent the trees growing out of the earth.  Without deep, rich soils the trees can't put down deep enough roots and are weak.  So, for men to be strong they initially need strong women.  It was suggested to the amassed women that they may wish to remove their clothes on the top half, to expose their breasts.  Nando, Akindue and Kathi began singing powerful icaros, circling the group on the inside and outside.  They used feathers, chacapas, cologne and the human touch to provide the women with healing.  The men in the room watched, danced and sang along in support of the process.  The energy in the room whipped up into a frenzy, like a tornado rising above the fire.  An hour passed before the work was done, the energy subsided and the women returned to their places.  It was the turn of the men.


We sat facing one another in a circle, bare chested.  Some were still, others moving gently to the music.  And the work began.  Kathi moved around the inside of the circle with great power.  She used her voice to sing high trills which vibrated in the ears, an incredible noise.  Using feathers, she extracted negative energy from the men's bodies.  When she arrived at my spot Nando was behind me peforming his own hands on healing.  The two combined had an extraordinary effect on my body.  I could feel it shuddering and vibrating with increasing rapidity.  My spine straightened and Kundalini energy rushed up my spine leaving me feeeling lighter and taller.  Akindue followed spraying me with a herbal water before using feathers to 'clean' my body.  The scene carried on for about an hour with the women circling the men around the maloka, singing and dancing to help the healing.  This was one of the most mindblowing experiences I'd ever had on ayahuasca, astounding.

Yet more tea was dispensed once we'd returned to our places and the night gradually shifted into day.  As the sky paled food was brought in - soup (which actually smelt a bit like vomit).  Blessings were given and the food eaten by the now hungry participants.  A wheelbarrow full of lychees from the garden added to the feast which we enjoyed whilst coming back down to earth.  An unexpectedly powerful night on reflection.  The jaguar showed me my own childish frustration when things don't go my way.  It also revealed an ability to connect to people who aren't actually present.  And the maestros demonstrated powerful healing techniques created by collective participation, supporting one another in our journeys onwards and upwards.