DECEMBER 2005 OCEAN DRIVE MAGAZINE JUNGLE TRIP ARTICLE BY TRISTRAM KORTEN
East of the Andes Mountains in Peru, on the banks of the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest, I sat one night in a spell-like trance. The moon was bright and nearly full above the jungle’s limber palms and sturdy hardwoods. Its blue light filtered through the bamboo slats of an otherwise dark hut, banding the shaman in front of me as he sat cross-legged on a woven mat. The shaman rocked back and forth, chanting a mesmerizingly simple cadence. I stared until I lost focus. Then my body wilted and lights flitted across my mind. I shut my eyes and let myself fall backwards. Suddenly the crooning stopped. I heard a convulsive heave (a new kind of chant? I thought), followed by a splash as liquid hit one of the plastic buckets laid out in front of each of us.
“ Plants in their botanical, pharmaceutical and spiritual existence may have an immensely more important message for mankind than we ever imagined”
Angelika Gebhart-Sayer. Proff of Ethnology, University of Marburg
Extract from travel journal 05/04 by TANYA ANDREW.
My Ayahuasca experience happened exactly as I had imagined it would, in the right place, at the right time and with the right wonderful people. It began by fasting from lunchtime onwards and taking herbal baths and steams throughout the day to clean and prepare our bodies for the evenings ceremony. It’s important to have an empty digestives system as the brew has a very potent effect on your system. Part of the journey involves being sick, not for everyone all the time, but it is highly likely as the plants purge your system. It takes the Shamans or Vegatlilstas all day to prepare the brew on a fire which consists of the vines of the Ayahuasca plant and the leaves of the Chachuana (psychotria viridis). Is it a drug? It’s a medicinal drug, the shamans use it as a way to heal people, to be in contact with the spiritual world through the spirits of the plants. It stays in your system for about five hours and after this as the ceremony closes you feel absolutely clean and clear, life sparkles in front of you. Which is far from the sensation people can feel in their systems after a night on the party drugs such as alcohol, cocaine or ecstasy. The ayahuasca experience takes you to a different place altogether, the journey is insightful which in turn brings contemplation and enjoyment.During the session there are always a couple of people who are present to assist you if you might need to go to the toilet, they also make sure no one is going to damage or harm their own body in anyway. They also respect an important element of the ceremony which is that those taking the brew remain as a group and don’t wander into the wilderness.
The ceremony is conducted in complete darkness and the visions remain the same whether your eyes are open or closed. We began around a candle, myself, Julio, Antonio, Carlos and Cesar (two vegatlistas and one ayahuascaro) smoking a local tobacco in pipes. The smoke cleanses the body as you blow it over yourself and it’s a tranquil time before ingesting the Ayahuasca. Every brew will be different in it’s potency and every experience different. After drinking the bitter (huasca) vine and (aya) brew we remained there in silence, at this time to me it felt as if there were a plant growing inside my belly. The shamans begin with an Icaros, these are the songs of Ayahuasca, it is the spirit of the plants singing through them. The high pitched sound was unlike any I have heard before and it was very powerful as the plant in my belly grew and spread throughout my entire being. Then comes the vomiting, which in my case never materialised although discussing this at a later with Cesar was probably due to the terrible stomach problems I had been experiencing over the previous weeks and therefore the plant stayed inside to heal me. The Icaros works with the ayahuasca as the journey begins and the visions start. As the songs come to a climax the visions are at their most vivid and alive, so in a way the journey has a wave like pattern to it with the rise and fall of the Icaros. I planned to write down my journey and what I had experienced, however so much happened in that time I felt I would leave out more than I could possibly write.
As it is I’d rather keep the experience close to me, suffice to say it was incredible, a pivotal moment in the understanding and awareness for me of our existence and experience. It’s as if the light and the energy of our planet have been shown to me, everything is so alive and so vivid. Everything is happening everywhere at the same moment. It felt like I was exploring an explosion in space that had been frozen and I was able to float around all the particles and see them intricately before moving to a different part of the explosion to view yet this frozen explosion was in fact my own life that had paused for me to explore and understand. Everything is here for us to see and wonder, it is just our choice how we choose to perceive it. Interestingly the only words I continued to utter through the ayahuascan journey were, “yes, now I understand, thank you”.
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Testimonial by M. Twomey :
There are no words that can aptly describe the experience you will partake in as part of a group lead by jungletrips. If you have read this website, and are interested in this type of holiday, my advice to you is to book the trip immediately. First and foremost, the guide - Julio Caesar Nieves Cervantes is a genuine man in heart and soul. His work with the Shipibo, in my opinion, is extraordinary. It is immediately evident that your visit to Puerto Nuevo is indeed a symbiotically beneficial experience for both you and the Shipibo. Julio's efforts to preserve the native culture of the village reaches beyond material benefit and extends outward to the inhabitants through education, self image improvement, and cultural support. During our journey, five Ayahuasqueros worked tirelessly to preserve and renew the villager's knowledge of medicinal plants and traditions. With nearly 100 years of healing experience combined, our ayahuasca ceremonies lead by these five men of knowledge defy my abilities of description as a man of western culture. This was truly a beautiful once in a lifetime experience. I feel truly blessed to have participated in healing ceremonies lead by such caring and experienced men who have mastered their craft.
The Peruvian jungle is indeed a magical place and needs to be experienced in the most virgin of ways, uninterrupted by tourists and money hungry guides looking to exploit the inhabitants and traditions. As an adventurer, person of great curiosity, and studier of native jungle societies, I had concocted a "perfect" trip in my mind prior to my trip. Every single one of my expectations were far exceeded during my weeklong stay, and I can honestly say that I would not only return, but also wholeheartedly plan on supporting Julio and his efforts moving forward. If you have any questions about your pending holiday and wish to contact me, please feel free to email me at twomey33@yahoo.com.
Mark
Boston Massachusetts
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TESTIMONIAL BY DR. C. TEBBS:
Julio asked me to write something about my incredible journey with him to the Shipibo village of Puerto Nuevo on the Rio Ucayali.
I'm saving the full report until I have time to do it justice. I took hundreds of photos and it was the most fantastic holiday of my life (one could really use the term 'pilgrimage'). I was accompanied by my partner, Julio and someone else of fine spirit and we literally connected not only with the vine, the leaves and the
spirits of about 9 other plants added to the brew, but also with the hearts and minds of the people there (especially the children ) despite our language difficulties.
What jungletrips, Julio & the Masha association offers is much more than drinking ayahuasca, it is drinking deeply from the well of the Shipibo tradition, with traditional shamans - yes, healers and proud ones at that, healers sought after all over Lima but happy to take us back to their roots and share with us their knowledge (as much of which it is possible I shall present here at a later date) of hundreds of plants, their stories and songs, in a most beautiful setting. I will definitely be going back. A whole week in the jungle is not enough, but if you go you will not risk anything, because Julio is genuinely committed to these people and they to him, and you will gain a perspective on the vine and its people (who are, sadly, forgetting their mother) that will truly make you think anew. And it is different medicine indeed in that setting, with those songs, with those other plant spirits, and the primal energy of the jungle buzzing all around. And not a New Age doctrine in sight - this is the real thing ladies and gentlemen...as authentic as it gets. If you want to know you have to dare; the vine is calling you.. Plus Julio is a great guide!
It was totally fantastic, well organised, fair, and ethical. Everyone in the village is involved in this, and everyone benefits in some way from the exchange - not just some dollar-hungry shaman.
Go live it!
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TESTIMONIAL BY ARKAN
I write these lines to tell you my little-great adventure in a community called Puerto Nuevo, in Peru, With Julio & the Masha Association. In that way, contribute in the development of a community that deserves to recover the dignity they had for along time thanks to their union with nature, a life system that we should respect and somehow to protect. At the moment of helping this community, and other communities, and this with Julio`s system which is a tourism policy that is ecologic and focused, that is, the limited number of visits and avoiding it to be massive, it is our purpose to get a maximal respect to this places with the less culture shock, but without forgetting the reality of people’s needs anywhere in our planet.
The trip to the jungle started as an amazing journey in a boat across the Ucayali river, with two great English friends which I expect to see them back very soon, anyway, surrounded by nature we arrived to the community, where everybody were waiting for us. During our visit, we had the opportunity to take these amazing baths in order to develop and grow love, good luck and health by mixing plants thanks to ancestral knowledge, we also walked in the jungle so we could meet people from other tribes, and much surprises that I can’t reveal now, although I will mention our meetings with the “ayahuasca”, where we had a real encounter with ourselves and nature, real magic that took us until a incredible level and adding the fact we were with real shibipo healers that with their singing took us in a magic trip with the plant’s spirit and all life elements and other dimensions.
If we add this event with all the knowledge about medicinal plants, collaborating with the process of getting the necessary plants, and what I personally consider is the most important thing: the wisdom we got as much in the method process they follow (such as the plant they add and their effects, in order to improve vision or to get protection, and other benefits), as all the advices they gave us from their experiences that turned out to be enrichment for us, my buddies and I.
Thanks Julio & shamans!
We need to move on all together to improve our ties we had with nature, and one of the first step we have to give is maintain and preserve all the amazonic culture, therefore its ancestral knowledge about healing plants, so all the wonderful wisdom arrive to us in the most pure way possible.
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Testimonio de Pablo Rubio Borja
Madrid (España)
Finales de febrero comienzos de marzo de 2007, cuando concluía la estación de lluvias en la selva baja amazónica peruana. Este fue el periodo elegido para nuestro (yo y mi compañera Montse) mágico encuentro con la madre naturaleza en su máxima expresión, y Puerto Nuevo, a unas nueve duras horas en bote a contracorriente por el Ucayali desde la ciudad más próxima, Pucallpa, fue la comunidad indígena de la etnia Shipibo que nos recibió y alojó con una imborrable sonrisa durante toda nuestra estancia.
Aunque resulta difícil encontrar las palabras apropiadas para relatar un viaje de tal belleza y contenido espiritual, que seguramente marca un antes y un después en el viajero, se puede afirmar que se trata de una experiencia que no dejará indiferente a nadie que se aventure a adentrarse en ella.
Los viajeros que buscan esta aventura se pueden sentir atraídos por la experimentación con la ayahuasca, el espiritual brebaje que facilita visiones, o por el acercamiento y conocimiento de algunas plantas medicinales selváticas, como también pueden estar motivados por la toma de contacto con la flora y fauna selvática tropical, o simplemente por el conocimiento antropológico de la elemental forma de vida, en total armonía con la naturaleza, de las veinte familias shipibas que pueblan la aldea. En nuestro caso, todos estos elementos tenían el mismo peso y eran el fin para saciar nuestro apetito de nuevos conocimientos.
En lo que se refiere a la ayahuasca, que nadie tema que se trata de una potente droga que anula el consciente y te deja sin voluntad, al menos en la forma y dosis que la hemos tomado nosotros, pues el buen hacer y cautela de Julio Nieves "Julius" -impulsor del viaje y del Proyecto Masha que ayuda al pueblo de Puerto Nuevo- y de los shamanes César, oficiante de la ceremonia, Don José y Segundo, como apoyo del primero, evita sorpresas desagradables.
La vivencia bajo los efectos del mágico brebaje es muy personal y puede diferir de forma sustancial de unos a otros "pacientes" ya que influirá la predisposición de cada uno, su misticismo, el estado de ánimo, así como la tolerancia a las drogas. Pero lo que es cierto es que la consecución de visiones no implica el abandono del lado consciente, y su efecto purgante se antoja que sólo puede ser beneficioso.
Además de los estudios científicos llevados a cabo con la ayahuasca que corroboran su inocuidad, intuyes que la toxicidad del brebaje ceremonial, preparado tras horas de cocción de la liana denominada ayahuasca -el efecto purgante- mezclada con hojas de chacruna -que produce las visiones-, no puede tener efectos nocivos al ver a Don José, un viejito shaman de 84 años que lleva tomándola desde los 12 años, con una agilidad y locuacidad envidiables que más quisieran para sí una buena parte de los mayores de cualquier ciudad desarrollada .
Nuestra experiencia se trató de una toma de contacto con la espiritual ayahuasca en dos sesiones, con un paréntesis de dos días, sin que el día después aparezca una temida y previsible resaca, sino todo lo contrario, ya que si durante la ceremonia, que se hace con la complicidad de la noche y con los espectaculares sonidos selváticos propios de las horas de oscuridad, se ha logrado una "mareación" que te conecte con los espíritus de la planta (momento de las más insospechadas visiones), al despertar al día siguiente el participante presentará síntomas de energía y buen humor.
Las plantas medicinales, entre las que se encuadra la ayahuasca, están presentes en la cultura de este pueblo indígena, y de otros de la región amazónica, desde tiempos inmemoriales y por ello las cultivan en jardines.
El uso de algunas de ellas está demostrado empíricamente que es eficaz para ciertas dolencias o enfermedades, tal como lo atestigua la enfermera de la comunidad de Puerto Nuevo, que pese a su formación convencional nos comentó que en ocasiones tiene que derivar a algunos pacientes a los shamanes para su sanación.
Respecto al pueblo hospitalario de los Shipibos, qué decir de una afable gente que te observa como si quisiera captar algo que no se ve a simple vista, sobre todo los niños, y que destaca por su timidez, educación y amabilidad. Desde luego sólo se puede hablar excelencias de este pueblo, con el que no hace falta apenas comunicación verbal dadas sus limitaciones con el castellano.
En todo momento, ya sea en Puerto Nuevo, Dos de mayo o Sharara, los shipibos en estado puro, es decir aún no maleados por el turismo y la civilización, rebosan simpatía y hay incesantes muestras de gratitud por nuestra presencia. Los niños te ofrecen frutas para estar únicamente a tu lado, sin esperar nada a cambio, aunque algunos productos de la civilización consumista como golosinas, galletas... les pueden avivar aún más las sonrisas.
Es curioso que a este pueblo, que parece haber renunciado por completo a su pasado guerrero, le gusta posar para las fotos, pese a que serán muy pocas las veces que se vean reflejados en esas instantáneas para las que posaron con orgullo,. Nosotros tuvimos el privilegio de ser testigos durante nuestra estancia en Puerto Nuevo de la entrega, en un impensable acto solemne en el que intervinieron las autoridades, de un material escolar para los niños de Puerto Nuevo, aún en vacaciones estivales, que fue adquirido con parte del dinero pagado por el viaje a la organización, y también tuvimos el honor de intervenir de forma destacada en el acto de inauguración de las nuevas cabañas de alojamiento para los viajeros y de la cabaña de ceremonias del poblado, por lo que algo nuestro perdurará en esas magníficas tierras regadas por el inmenso Ucayali.
Los alimentos que tomamos estaban preparados de forma colectiva y organizada por las mujeres de la comunidad, y las comidas se hacía en un pequeño comedor colectivo del centro del poblado. Siempre eran alimentos sencillos y saludables -la base es el pescado-, pero sin renunciar a unos condimentos y vegetales autóctonos de sabores muy agradables ya descubiertos por algunos reputados chefs, que comienzan a incorporar a sus recetas y cartas.
En cuanto a la flora y fauna existente en esta zona de la selva baja peruana , se aprecia el brutal deterioro provocado por la presencia del hombre y las incontroladas talas sin planes de reforestación, y cada vez es más difícil, aunque no imposible, ver caobas y cedros, monos y aves de gran colorido, o los delfines de agua dulce. Lo que si está asegurado es la presencia de la gran diversidad de mosquitos (zancudos) existente.
Quiero aprovechar esta ocasión para dar unas sinceras gracias, además de a Julius, a César, Don José, Segundo, Carlos (que actuó como guardián en la sesión de ayahuasca), Ángel (el "motorista" del bote), a toda la población de Puerto Nuevo y, sobre todo, a nuestros magníficos amigos residentes en Lima, Esther y Ángel y sus hijos Hanna y Ryan, que nos brindaron la oportunidad de hacer este inolvidable viaje. A todos ellos los llevamos alojados para siempre en nuestro corazón.
Salud
