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from "Divine Moments of Trump", Stella Strzyzowska Guillen
Wisdom of the Purge, Part II AyahuascaNavigationPreparation

Wisdom of the Purge, Part II

In Part I of this post, we explored the many ways purging can manifest with ayahuasca, along with some tips for when things seem stuck. Here we continue with further esoteric mysteries of La Purga: In an essay titled "Ayahuasca and the Grotesque Body," anthropologist Stephen Beyer notes the split that many Westerners seem to carry into ayahuasca ceremony, between our extremely high expectations of fantastical visions, and the dirty work of vomiting. We find vomiting wretched and miserable; we…
Jan 1, 2022
Pablo Amaringo - Three types of sorcerers - purging
Wisdom of the Purge, Part I AyahuascaNavigationPreparation

Wisdom of the Purge, Part I

La Purga, "The Purge," is one of ayahuasca’s names in the Amazon, highlighting a most notorious aspect of its reputation. The ayahuasca vine is strongly purgative—indigenous people sometimes drink it simply to induce a good cleanse. The bucket is thus an essential element in most ayahuasca ceremonies, unless you are free to vomit on the ground. In this "Ode to the Bucket," I will explore some legendary aspects of the purge. I’ve heard people say “I don’t like to vomit,…
Dec 13, 2021
Ayahuasca What to Know
10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Drinking Ayahuasca AyahuascaIntegrationNavigationPersonal ExperiencePreparation

10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Drinking Ayahuasca

Here are some details I might have wanted to know before my first cup of ayahuasca five years ago. (Despite the not-knowing, it’s all worked out perfectly okay.) 1. It can change your life, big time. And for the better, which is why a lot of people are turning to it. But the scale and pace of transformation can rock your world. Sometimes it opens up Pandora’s Box (I’m thinking of repressed memories here), in a way that dramatically alters…
Jan 26, 2018
What to Bring to Ceremony AyahuascaNavigationPreparation

What to Bring to Ceremony

Along with bucket, blanket, red-light flashlight, and something white to leave on your mat so you can find it when you’re coming back from the bathroom in the dark: Let's start with intention: This serves as focal point and compass needle for your session. It can be specific and complex (“Help me release my anger at my ex-wife; show me what right relationship might look like; how can we handle the kids’ schedule?”) or as simple as “Show me what…
Sep 30, 2017
About Ayahuasca AyahuascaNavigation

About Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a potent psychoactive brew made by cooking the ayahuasca vine (banisteriopsis caapi) with the leaf of the chacruna shrub (psychotria viridis) (sometimes other plants are used in the admixture.) Drinking it generates a powerful, prolonged internal experience, stimulating profound emotions and spiritual insights to a depth and degree that many people find life-changing. Its strongly purgative effects (vomiting, diarrhea) are considered a crucial part of the cleansing process. An ayahuasca journey can be a psychological deep dive into…
Apr 6, 2017