Ayahuasca in My Blood

168 Pages·2010·2.51 MB·English

by  Peter Gorman

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.