Ayahuasca Pilgrimage?

Robert Tindall

As a writer on ayahuasca shamanism, and a leader of small groups down to the rainforest to encounter the practice of traditional medicine, I have watched the rising of the phenomenon labeled "ayahuasca tourism" with apprehension. (more)

Singing to the Plants

Stephan V. Beyer

Some of them will drink ayahuasca, and some will not; some will drink for vision, and some for cleansing. Some drink in order to see the face of the envious and resentful enemy who has made them ill.... All are here for don Roberto to heal them. (more)

The Way of Light: A Healing Journey with Ayahuasca

Rak Razam

So there I am sitting in the dark, exposed to the naked raw emotion of true love as Maria sings to me, and when she is finished there's a pregnant pause like she's waiting for me to speak. For a second my tourist reflexes kick in and I think she wants something, dinero, that I've been drawn back to the level of buy and sell. But she doesn't ask for money. That's not what the mother does. (more)

Adventures with Mazatec Mint: Exploring the Mind-Bending World of Salvia Divinorum

David Jay Brown

A number of researchers think that salvinorin A, the potent dissociative psychedelic compound found in this perennial herb from Oaxaca, may have applications as an antidepressant, an analgesic, and as a therapeutic tool for treating drug addictions, some types of stroke, and Alzheimer's Disease. (more)

Prolegomena to a Guide for the Emerging Yoga Shaman

Allowah

A shift is happening in the yoga world in connection to shamanistic practice, particularly the use of plant sacraments like ayahuasca.  Finally the older generation of yoga teachers who have used ayahuasca for decades are speaking about it more openly. (more)

Evolver Spores: Shamanic Panic

Daniel Pinchbeck

A Quest to Heal HIV with Ayahuasca Shamanism

Robert Tindall

Amazonian medicine has been ahead of the biotech companies for years, and there is now documentation of traditional healers successfully curing cases that Western medicine had been powerless to treat. But can shamanic medicine function outside of its traditional matrix? (more)

Cosmovision: An Aya Odyssey

Rak Razam

The ayahuasca vine has spread her tendrils across the world and a genuine archaic revival was underway. My bags were packed; South America beckoned, and the ancient mysteries of the rainforest awaited. I wanted in on it. (more)

The Blue Kachina Dance

Peter Deane

Water In Her Eyes briefly danced with me, and for a moment there was a balance. I then played my Cree flute as the winds became stronger and the electrical grid system was knocked out. All the T.V.s were off. People were out talking to their neighbors. They were all helping each other out. From the old, to the young, I never had seen such a beautiful sight. (more)

Heaven and the Hummingbird

Morgan Maher

In this interview, author, healer and psychologist Ross Heaven explores the magic and mystery of San Pedro, its relationship with ayahuasca, and the cross-cultural use of plants for healing. (more)

Divine Voyeurs: Salvia on YouTube

Rak Razam

Salvia divinorum, also known as "Diviner's Sage," has been called "the most powerful hallucinogenic known to mankind" by enthusiasts on the net. So how does it feel to be on salvia with a camera phone in your face? In the post-Jackass, reality-TV generation nothing is sacred. (more)

Teotihuacán: Arguelles' Vision Awakes

Stephanie South

Following a life-changing vision at age 14, atop the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico, José Arguelles began a lifelong journey to discover the underlying mathematics and prophecies associated with the Mayan calendar.
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Romancing the Spirit Vine: A Talk with Margaret De Wys

Adam Elenbaas

A battle with cancer led Margaret De Wys to Ecuador to sit in traditional Ayahuasca ceremonies. After miraculous healings she began an apprenticeship and life-altering romantic relationship with the shaman who healed her. In this interview, Margaret De Wys discusses her story and her new memoir, Black Smoke. (more)

Memories of Mr. Trippi; The Trauma of an Urban Shaman

Brian George

My supernatural weapons were in storage. A wind preceded the philosopher's stone, whose energy had been hidden behind the two hands of a clock. My teachers were concerned about my psychological health. I did not dare to obey. A more frightening voice had also issued ultimatums. (more)

Wood, Metal, and the Story of the World

Charles Eisenstein

Everywhere I go, I meet people who express an irrational desire to grow some of their own food, to build their own houses, to get their hands back in the dirt. Now it is time to fall in love with the world. (more)

Medical Materialism, Shamanic Healing, and the Allopathic Paradigm

Shawn Tassone MD

The call to indigenous shamanism is similar to the vocation of the Western medical professional. But medical training can disconnect the trainee from the larger community. Shamanic practice brings the trainee back to his or her healing roots. (more)

Into the Green Underworld (Part 2 of 2)

Daenin Tejeda

"What if we were in a big council and the crows and the wolves and the plant spirits and the gemstone guardians and the ancestors all gave a blessing and offered guidance in how to use fire to create community and peace and connection?" (more)

Into the Green Underworld (Part 1 of 2)

Daenin Tejeda

Although I had never smoked marijuana myself, I noticed that partakers of this plant became susceptible to foreign entities. I decided to investigate, and followed the smoky wisp spirits into the green underworld. (more)

Will the Real Ayahuasca Tourists Please Stand Up?

Adam Elenbaas

Having drunk in nearly 25 Ayahuasca ceremonies with four different shamans from three different countries on two different continents, I still do not feel capable of defining what makes an Ayahuasca ceremony "medicinal" or "authentic." (more)