Paradise lost...

It was only one week into the three week Eagle Condor Sacred Medicine Festival but it was time for me to leave.  In many ways I was gutted to be going, this had been one of the most incredible privileges I'd ever received.  However, the reason for my departure far outweighed missing a few ceremonies.  This is truly a time in which dreams can come true.  I intended to see out the festival in style, celebrating with my brothers and sisters... todo es mi familia.

The final night was to see the space being held by a combination of shamans.  Ixá & Bane, Mao Tanka, Kuauhtli, Yatra & Co and Shahuano & his wife Jessica.  The latter, also known as don Javier, I had previously seen in the UK and I was very eager to see him in Brazil.  This man has an impressive story.  He was taught by his grandfather, initially unwillingly.  His training included spending two years in the jungle alone, relying on the forest plants and animals for food.  His grandfather would visit him on occasion and they would drink ayahuasca together.  During one visit they drank the medicine on ninety consecutive nights.  Whilst living there he received his icaros which are outstanding.  He sings with a great force transforming from a small, humble man into some kind of grandaddy surgeon, operating on people throughout the night.  He is well known for his ability to diagnose diseases and treat them effectively.  He is able to address every condition, from cancer &  HIV to depression & anxiety.  He has healed thousands of people including some A-list celebrities like Michael Douglas.

I drank at every opportunity, three or four times asking for large measures.  The ceremony began at about eight and before I knew it was half past four.  Time completely vanished into thin air.  Even now as I write my mind tries to string together a few words into a sentence in a futile attempt to describe events.  What happened was beyond the rational.  There was a sense of the polarity of the universe, opposites held together at the same time.  On this occasion I'm afraid I have to admit defeat, I have come up against the wall of the ineffable.  During those times when I was more present my heart was filled with thanks, spontaneous prayers flowed forth and, looking around the room, I wasn't the only one.  The last week or so had been humbling, inspiring and uplifting. It would need some serious processing to work out what had occurred.  So, as this fleeting paradise is lost for the time being, all that's left to say is 'thank you'.  Thanks to the organisers, the participants, the town and its residents, everyone who's read these accounts and especially my friends, new and old, with whom I have shared some life-changing experiences.  But most of all, thanks to my other half who, in one of those universal polarity paradoxes, has been physically apart from me in space but never more present at the heart level.  Paradise lost, paradise regained.

Experience is the only prophecy of wise men...

At least, that's the view of Alphonse de Lamartine.  The raison d'être of the Eagle Condor Sacred Medicine Festival is the prophecy pointing to this time.  Many traditions suggest that, for the last two decades, we have been living through a pivotal time in human history.  The Prophecy of the Eagle and Condor suggests that deep in the past humanity took two divergent paths.  The 'developed' world went for technological modernisation, the scientific route of the Eagle utilising the brain, the rational and the material.  Meanwhile, 'idigenous' cultures chose the spiritual path of the Condor through the heart, the intuitive and the mystical.  These two opposing yet complementary approaches to life have resulted in very different societies which, in recent decades, have increasingly come into conflict.  There is archeological evidence to suggest Aboriginal Australians began to develop more sophisticated techology but suddenly abandoned it.  One theory to account for this is they realised the more tools they had, they more removed they became from their dreamtime.  It would appear the decision to place more importance on unseen realms, rather than improving only the physical plane alone, was a conscious one.  Not simply the default position of failing to possess the necessary inventiveness to develop technology.

Although the precise dates vary in different sources, the prophecy stated that around 1500 the two cultures would come together and the Eagle would drive the Condor close to extinction.  A cursory glance at any history book provides strong evidence that this was the case, with indigenous cultures in every continent falling victim to the rampant spread of the Eagle mentality.  The result is a world in which the intellect has been developed at the expense of the heart.  Material comfort has never been so advanced but, consequently, there is spiritual impoverishment.  The prophecy states that around 2000 began a chance for the Condor and Eagle to come together once more.  To fly in the sky together and create a new way of life for people on Earth, the best of both worlds.

Carl Jung talks about these opposing views of life.  He talks of the way science tries to classify and measure, creating averages and standards against which humans are judged.  This creates sociopolitical systems in which humans are seen as cogs in a machine, each with a prescribed function in society.  The individual human is lost in this interpretation, often subject to rules and laws that they didn't agree to and that they don't always understand.  Although more difficult, it is important to recognise the individuality of humans, each person being more than a number.  This intuitive approach allows a more complex understanding of life and the human condition.  A good example is healthcare which has become a profitable industry in recent years.  Pharma companies push their drugs onto people to deal with all kinds of mental and physical symptoms.  They don't look at the underlying cause of the condition which means it will continue to manifest.  A holistic view on all levels is needed.

Indigenous cultures have maintained an intimate connection with the land that supports them materially and spiritually.  This is slowly becoming manifest in the world of the Eagle as more people show an interest in their life-support systems.  Growing food for example.  Two decades ago most allotments in the UK were lying unused.  Now there are lengthy waiting lists for almost every site.  People are more interested in how and where their food is produced, what is being added to it and what happens to the land it is grown on.  The spiritual dimension is also becoming more popular with once exotic practices like yoga and meditation being commonplace in many people's lives.

Similarly, whilst it is important for those in Eagle nations to recognise a spiritual dimension, it is also necessary for indigenous cultures to understand the workings of the industrialised world.  Considerable amounts of natural wealth have been lost as the land rights of native peoples have been ignored in the face of  advancing industries.  Forests, minerals, water and air have all been denuded over the years and will continue to be so unless indigenous people can understand the ways of business sufficiently to protect their way of life from exploitation.

So, the prophecy is one of optimism.  It doesn't mean turning our backs on either world.  We need both the advanced technology of the Eagle mentaility balanced with the spirit-Earth connection of the Condor mindset.  If the Condor were to dominate over the Eagle we would lose many of the benefits of modern technology.  If the Eagle continues to suppress the  Condor as it has we will degrade our planet to such an extent that our quality of life will be seriously impacted upon.  This prophecy isn't something that happens to us, it is something we must bring into reality ourselves.  As the Hopi say, 'We are the ones we have been waiting for'. 

Allowing myself to be a little critical, I have to say the festival organisers missed an opportunity here.  The conference entitled 'The Condor Eagle Prophecy' invited everyone along to discuss the ideas in the presence of the shamans.  What a great chance to raise awareness of the positive message of hope contained in the prophecy.  However, poor organisation meant the conference wasn't quite up to the mark.  The shamans present didn't really explain what the prophecy was in detail, the evidence for its existence and what it means for humanity.  They didn't go into how we could return to our home countries and make a positive difference, or how the systems of control in society could be influenced for the greater good.  Not enough stress was placed on protection of indigenous cultures and their natural resources.  After an all-too-brief address by each shaman we were shown a very lengthy slideshow of images from an indigenous festival.  Interesting but a little unstructured, lacking a focus.  The speakers could hardly be heard over the noise from the kitchen and the people showing the images were setting up whilst the shamans were speaking.  Small points perhaps but if we don't get this change right - if we miss our opportunity - there's a lot at stake.  A clear, strong, united message needs to issue forth.  A message of inpiration and hope, one that provides practical advice on how we can change for the better.  How we can change ourselves through working with the plant medicines and how we can change our world through the way we live with one another and through our relationship to the natural world.  Let's leave the final word on the flight of the Eagle and Condor to Ol' Blue Eyes...

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.

Bane's marvellous medicine...

With the eagle and condor now fully in flight, the third ceremony saw the appearance of Ixá and Bane.  There's no mistaking the authenticity of these characters, they personify the archetypal image of Amazonian shaman.  Representing the Kaxinauá tribe, Ixá is the Pajé, or tribal leader, with Bane following in his footsteps for the coming generation.

The temple was slightly less crowded but still full of people keen to be part of another ceremony in a different style.  After a couple of hours waiting, the tension slowly building, the maestros arrived and took their place at the far end of the maloka.  They were five in all, dressed in very impressive outfits, each headdress utilising more feathers than a Bernard Matthews farm produces in a year.  One in particular looked like a character from 'The Last of the Mohicans', an imposing figure, naked from the waist up with a huge array of black and white feathers cascading down from his head.  Truly from a different world.

The circle was opened with some blessings and prayers, the spectators growing still and silent.  Two queues formed of people eager for another taste of the marvellous medicine.  Once all thirst had been quenched people sat in their places and became increasingly peaceful.  After a period of silence Ixá began singing his icaros.  These simple songs came one after another with lots of repetition, little hesitation and no deviation from their intended purpose.  Gradually they worked with the ayahuasca now flowing freely in the bodies of the pasajeros.  As the medicine grew stronger it played with my visual perception, causing the surroundings to shimmer before me.

The experience became more intense as the music began to move my body automatically, bypassing the mind's control.  People nearby were either sitting or lying on the floor, the energy of the icaros being less vigorous than the previous ceremonies, more hypnotic.  After some time we were asked to stand and approach the centre of the temple.  Holding hands we were guided through some icaros which we all sang as one.  Raising our hands together with one line of the song and dropping them with the next.  A really special moment for everyone judging by the ear to ear grins on the faces before me.  "It's like an ayahuasca hokey-cokey," observed my good friend.  This was followed by the ayahuasca conga, everyone being connected by placing their hands on the shoulders of the person in front.  The line of people snaked through the temple this way and that to the beat of the drum.  "Should be called the anaconga," the same friend remarked before continuing her stand-up set by suggesting it was like an ayahuasca Butlins' camp.

With the medicine ebbing from our systems the delivery of more medicine was announced.  Again the queues formed and I joined one, keen to feel the medicine more strongly.  As I approached the front of the queue I saw the medicine on offer wasn't ayahuasca but ra-pe, a powdered mixture of plants including tobacco which is taken as you would snuff.  Although I'd had this before I wasn't a fan.  It burns the nose, makes me sneeze and then blocks my sinuses for about an hour.  However, it was too late to turn back so I crossed my fingers and sat before the shaman.  Through his special pipe, he delivered the dose into my nostrils one after the other with a little blow.  The ra-pe shot through my nasal cavity and hit the back of my throat.  The burn kicked in as I wended my way back to my place.  Sitting at the side the medicine began to take hold.  The burn began to fill my head with a fuzzy sensation.  A bit like having static in your mind, a field of quantum potentiality.  It was difficult to take but at the same time felt great.  After swaying for about five minutes I realised the ra-pe was working in conjunction with the ayahuasca.  My stomach began to churn and, without warning, its contents began to fly up my gullet threatening to cover my neighbours unless I could escape.  Luckily the maloka had low walls and I was able to hop outside just as the spray began to issue forth.  I staggered a little way into the trees before the full purge came.  Crouching,  holding a tree for support, I delivered the gastric soup directly to the roots of a delicate little plant.  We quickly became friends as it soaked up the vomit and had its leaves covered in snot sprayed out of my nose in a succession of sneezes.  It felt amazing to be sick, I could feel ayahuasca in my body cleaning me, absorbing the negativity and discharging itself back to the earth.  Is it normal to actually enjoy throwing up?

A little while later, when I could finally inhale through my nose once more, another glass of ayahuasca was given.  Again the power of the medicine grew as more music was played.  Strong songs using guitars, drums and rattles gave the temple the feeling of a tribal setting.  As if we were actually in the jungle - ancient and sacred.  The heavy atmosphere caused one guy to kick off, not one of our contingent this time.  A large guy at the other side of the maloka suddenly began shouting at someone else.  "Respect the ceremony!" he demanded in Portuguese.  I'd no idea what this other person had been doing but, strangely, the target of this outburst had been saying the same thing to don Javier, an incredible maestro, only the previous night.  Instant karma!  The only other person who appeared to have a really difficult time was an English girl who, when waiting for a cup of ayahuasca, had a frog jump onto her cheek.  Naturally this freaked her out considerably and she spent the rest of the evening being comforted by friends and healers.  Animal magic.

Bane's box of tricks had one more surprise in store - eye drops.  One of the shaman made his way through the temple administering the drops to everyone's eyes.  Closed at first, the drops were placed on the eyelids before opening to allow the liquid to cover the eyeball.  I've no idea what was in that solution but it burnt like crazy.  Tears were streaming down people's cheeks, they were blindly staggering around with hands pressed to their faces.  A little like a crowd of protestors immersed in tear gas, everyone took the pain whilst it slowly diminished.  The eyes were left feeling clear and bright.  Shamanic Optrex.

Shortly after three the ceremony was brought to a close by once again forming a circle and singing together.  A lovely end to another great night.  The general consensus was that the evening hadn't been quite as good at Mao Tanka but still powerful.  Strong, clean medicine and lots of purging.  A walk home in the dark was followed by a collapse into my tent, my mind once again flooded with awe and gratitude.

It's been a hard day's night...

And I've been working like a dog.  Or at least that's how I felt once the interminable ceremony was over.  Mao Tanka was the captain for the second flight of the Eagle Condor.  A shaman of Colombian origin with many years experience in the Amazonian Putumayo tradition.  He was a sight to behold, possessing an energy which burst from his body in dance and song.  A brilliant shaman and performer, he held the space throughout the ceremony with great skill, charisma and humour.  Again we arrived early, this time in our Shipibo clothing, but space was at a premium, a sell-out crowd once more.  But our little clan of Gringoes had grown and we managed to make our presence felt amongst the international crowd.

The temple had been prepared with great care for the ceremony ahead.  Opposite the main entrance, beyond the central fireplace, an altar had been created.  This painstaking work must have taken many hours of patient care to install.  The entire design had been created using the dark red earth which forms the soil in these hills.  This had been formed into a small circle for embers from the fire used to burn incense and natural offerings such as cedar wood and palo santo. Next to this crucible was a larger circle studded with flowers.  In the centre was a large Andean cross which housed a huge crystal which seemed to emanate its own energy.  The whole design was lined with jewellery made from the glass beads used by Amazonian artesans. The entire construction pointed like a giant arrow through the temple to Mao Tanka sitting at its head surrounded by the many tools of his trade; ayahuasca, San Pedro, incense, flowers, feathers, a staff, various liquids and snuff.  His hat, a fedora with a huge trail of feathers hanging from the back, was particularly impressive and endowed him with considerable pulling power (so I was told).

The temple gradually filled as we approached take off at half past seven.  Some new faces, some returns from the first night's ceremony, all crammed in like sardines.  Mao entered with his group of musicans and Kuauhtli, a Mexican shaman who would assist during the evening.  The circle was opened with an address from Kuauhtli.  He spoke of the Eagle Condor Prophecy of the traditions of the Americas.  It is said that a time will come when the different tribes will come together to form one Tribe of Many Colours.  The eagle of the north will fly with the condor of the south.  When the plant medicines come together the two birds will form  one entity that will take to the skies.  The beating of its huge wings will create a wind that will blow across the lands of the Earth causing humanity to wake from its slumber.  A slumber in which we have been living out of balance with nature and with each other, a slumber from which we will awaken to a new future of humanity where we will learn to live in harmony with the planet, one nation under one sky.  We all felt very privileged to be part of the realisation of the prophecy.

Mao began the proceedings with one of several addresses to the gathered throng.  Each of these was delivered with aplomb, at times serious, at times lighthearted.  Initially he reminded us of why we had gathered together, the whole evening was dedicated to prayer.  Prayer to whatever higher power you choose to believe in, to the human race, to Pachamama - the intended target of the prayer is less important than the feeling it generates within.  A feeling of gratitude for all we've been given, of love for all life, of hope for the future.  At times during the ceremony I would find myself having an amazing time but unsure of the purpose.  This suggestion that the evening was essentially one enormous prayer was very helpful.  It reminded me of the distinction between an enjoyable night at a club or concert and the more sacred motivation involved with plant medicines.

The ayahuasca was placed in the altar and blessed by Mao using icaros and tobacco.  It resembled crude oil, thick and glossy.  We queued patiently to take our turn, necking the sweet, acrid liquid before returning to sit.  As night fell we sat in silence as Madre Ayahuasca began to take hold.  It's always different for every person and also every time for the same person.  Thankfully, for me it was another very powerful night.  The medicine began to manifest in a shimmering of the surroundings.  Mao's singing, which seemed to flow from his chest like a resonant drum, helped the medicine grow stronger.  Not only a talented singer he also played other instruments including the harmonica, drum and some kind of straw in glass jars used to imitate birds.  He was never still for long, often leaping up and frantically jumping around to the rhythm.  Clearly enjoying himself, he had everyone in the palm of his hand.  At times he would raise the energy with great rapidity and then lower it to a state of solemnity and reflection.

The music throughout the night was utterly mindblowing.  The guitarists, drummers and choir that accompanied Mao were astounding.  They would play their instruments in such diverse styles moving from fury and power to tenderness and delicacy in a way I've rarely seen.  Some songs were so uplifting the whole room would be jumping and singing along in a frenzied vortex, an open expression of joy, without reserve.  The floor was also opened up to other musicans, of which there were many.  They would often state where they were from - originating in all four corners of the Earth - before titillating the crowd with exquisite a capellas and instrumentals which left us all speechless.  Interspersed with these performances were people who wished to speak, to give thanks for something in their lives.  Moving stuff.

We drank ayahuasca collectively three times throughout the ceremony which lasted over fifteen hours.  Some serious stamina was needed from everyone there as the night wore on and night slowly gave way to day.  The strength of my experience ebbed and flowed, my consciousness drifting between clear awareness of my surroundings and journeys to altered states.  Again and again I would drift off only to be brought back by the music.  After each song we had a period of silence in which I could feel ayahuasca intimately present in my whole body, a reassuring presence teaching and protecting me.  Changing my very nature at a cellular level.  Prayer was never something I have been very comfortable with but ayahuasca taught me how to pray.  For me it's simply a sense of gratitude.  To allow a state of thanks to flood my being and dwell in it.  Silently expressing thanks in all directions, not to anyone or anything in particular.  Thanks for my body which takes so much abuse, thanks for my mind, the Earth and all she gives us, my family, friends and the chance to be a part of the miracle that is existence.  And thanks to the universe for recently delivering someone very special into my life.

Surprisingly there were children present at the ceremony.  About a dozen of them ranging from about a year to eight years old.  The smaller ones had a spot of ayahuasca applied to their third eye by Mao, the older ones had a little taste.  My previous conditioning popped the thought, "That can't be right, giving kids ayahuasca," but this is the residue from some western conditioning that ayahuasca is a drug.  It's not.  It's a medicine, a teacher, a protector.  People who take it invariably benefit.  It is non-addictive, in fact it is used to help cure many addictions.  For those who still feel they would like to label these natural gifts as drugs I suggest delving into the vast research and literature on the subject.  These kids had an amazing night.  They were naturally perfectly behaved, no coercion needed.  The youngest, at a lull in the ceremony, picked up a rattle and began singing like a miniature shaman.  The hearts of all in the temple melted.

On the whole most people had a good journey, it's a difficult situation to have a tough time as it's so crowded and public with not so many helpers available for the huge numbers.  A guy I was with was unsure whether he wanted a second cup.  On asking him why he told me he was worried there were dark things from his past that would surface.  This feature of ayahuasca, to reveal past traumas, is common and one  thing that people find difficult.  Abuse, neglect and pain that we bury deep inside festers and manifests physically or mentally if not addressed.  Ayahuasca allows the release of hidden trauma leaving the person lighter and healthier, but it's not easy.  My friend bravely took another glass.  He then began to dance in an increasingly frenzied manner.  After some time he began having thoughts associated with the shifting  consciousness, how some people are expecting this shift at some point in the future.  He was convinced the evolution was occurring there and then and he wanted to let everone know.  He began shouting to the amassed crowd, "Wake up!  What are you waiting for?"  This went on for some time before he began asking , "Who am I offending?  No one can offend me, it's not possible!"  His energy became increasingly intense and he actually began hitting me round the head with some force.  I thought this was hilarious but must have been a little distressing to those nearby as they asked him to stop with some concern.  He calmed for a while before bubbling up once again during a French lullaby being sung by a north African girl.  When he began shouting out again he was gently escorted out where he was helped by friends and healers.  It took some time to pass and he seemed regretful once he realised what had happened.  However, everyone experienced in plant medicines has seen this kind of thing before.  These deep-seated trumas often come out in vigorous, sometimes agressive ways.  It is essential to allow this expression, to release it from the person leaving them healed.  These situations are always dealt with using understanding, forgiveness and tolerance.  This is how the plant medicines heal.

As the sun rose we summoned up the energy for one more round of medicine, San Pedro this time to welcome the sun.  We had a small amount which brought a little clarity to the mind, a calming after the storminess of ayahuasca.  As the brightness grew we were given a little food for breakfast before walking home together.  The day was spent rejuvenating with my fellow pasajeros before dinner in the evening.  On our return to the hostel we witnessed a strange natural phenomena.  Lightning could be seen in clouds which seemed to encircle Alto Paraíso.  Weird lightning as the sky above us was completely clear, stars aplenty.  There was no rain, no wind and no thunder - not a sound.  The owner told us that this electrical activity is a result of the huge concentration of crystals found in the rocks of these hills.  Very strange indeed.  I suppose a town with a main street called Kundalini Avenue is bound to have a few odd happenings!