Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a sacred brew traditionally used by shamans of Amazonian tribes for spiritual and healing practices.
The name comes from the Quechua language: aya means “spirit” or “soul,” and waska means “vine,” which can be translated as “vine of the spirits” or “vine of the dead.”
This brew is used for deep self-exploration, healing, purification, and connection with Spirit.

Traditional Ayahuasca consists of two main components:

• Psychotria viridis or Diplopterys cabrerana — plants containing DMT (dimethyltryptamine), a powerful psychoactive substance referred to by scientists as the “Spirit Molecule.”
• Banisteriopsis caapi — a vine containing beta-carbolines (harmaline, harmine), which act as MAO inhibitors (MAOIs). These allow DMT to be absorbed by the body when taken orally.

DMT is a natural psychedelic that exists in microdoses in the human body as well. The pineal gland is capable of releasing this substance and does so during birth, death, and moments of life-threatening danger, when a person desperately needs connection with the Creator or higher consciousness.
So for humans, these states are, in a way, natural — even familiar.

MAOIs inhibit the enzyme that would normally break down DMT in the stomach, enabling the molecule to reach the brain and induce an altered state of consciousness, often accompanied by visions and profound psycho-emotional processes.

Preparation and Ritual Significance

The preparation of Ayahuasca is a sacred ritual process carried out in full reverence for the Sacred Medicine. Shamans carefully select the plants and brew the vine and leaves in water for 6 to 9 hours, accompanied by prayers and intentions. Each shaman has their own unique methods and additions, including mapacho tobacco and other healing plants that enhance or guide the brew’s effects based on a specific request for healing.

Very often, Ayahuasca is brewed within the tribe for a particular person and their specific illness, making it a unique composition tailored to that individual’s healing. This is not merely a decoction — it is the energy of the plant and the spirit that merges with the one who drinks it.

The ceremony takes place at night, accompanied by icaros — special shamanic songs that open the space and guide participants through their inner experiences. The shaman conducts the ritual by communing with the spirit of the plant and holding the ceremonial field in protection, helping participants to safely journey through altered states of consciousness.

Symbolism and Spiritual Aspects

In Ayahuasca journeys, the spirit of Pachamama — Mother Earth in Andean cosmology — often comes through. She is a beautiful, healing feminine energy that reminds us we are all her children, unconditionally loved, and that the whole Universe was born to give us space to live. All life on Earth is a manifestation of her living, loving, endlessly creative power.

One of the main totems of Ayahuasca is the serpent, and many participants encounter her. She symbolizes wisdom, transformation, rebirth, and deep knowledge. In ritual songs, the serpent is called maestro de los caminos — “teacher of the paths” — because like the vine itself, she twists and winds through unknown trails, leading to great revelations.

The Jaguar may also appear in visions, as a guardian and guide through the shadowy corners of the subconscious.

The Eagle has long been a sacred shamanic symbol — a sentinel at the upper border of the astral plane, who will only allow you through into higher realms when you are ready. It is a very good sign to see an eagle in a dream or in waking life before the ceremony — it may mean that this time, you will be taken far and high.

Ayahuasca herself is often experienced as a living spirit — Ayahuasca Madre, a Teacher Spirit, feminine in essence, gentle but deep and precise. She will guide, teach, and cleanse. She is the Grandmother of the Universe, Abuelita, who has known our souls since their creation and can open the memory of the Soul — showing the journey through stars and incarnations.

The Healing Process

The healing in a journey begins with purging — vomiting, sweating, trembling, tears. These are not side effects, but the ways in which the body and energy cleanse themselves from accumulated negativity — toxins, blocks, and emotions. You see, before the sacred love of the Universe can be poured into you, the vessel must be cleansed.

Sometimes the purge happens more than once during a ceremony, or only at the end — when Ayahuasca finally reaches the root of the issue and pulls an energetic blockage from deep within the subconscious that has been causing illness. In each case, you will know and feel what has been pulled from you — and give deep thanks for the great honor of being cleansed by Abuelita herself.

On a psycho-emotional level, Ayahuasca brings long-buried wounds, pain, and repressed memories to the surface. With the support of the ceremonial space and your intention, they are released and transformed — freeing you from karmic knots and illusions. These intense moments of the journey are repaid many times over when the feeling of crystal-clear inner purity arrives — something you may have never known before.

The healing power of Ayahuasca is as simple as the light of day: it is LOVE — the universal language of our cosmos, painfully familiar and understood by every being within it.
“Only Love heals,” says Pachamama when she reaches another soul wound to pour it full of her endless, healing elixir.

Visions and Experiences

Ayahuasca brings vivid, saturated visions: sacred geometry, fractals, ancient symbols, journeys through other worlds, encounters with spirits, beings, ancestors, animals. Even in the visuals alone, you begin to understand how far beyond your normal consciousness this presence goes!
It is a direct contact with Higher Intelligence, putting on a symphony in your honor — playing with you through rays of light, funny images, cosmic landscapes and flowing forms, pulling your attention ever deeper…

It is not uncommon during a journey to be placed on an operating table, where unseen beings perform surgery on your body, repairing your earthly “suit”. And you, fully aware in the moment, dissolve into infinite gratitude — experiencing first-hand what Sacred Medicine truly is.

For seasoned psychonauts who are no longer afraid of infinity, Ayahuasca may offer a Cosmic Opera trip — when space opens into pure flight, and the previously unseen beauty of Creation reveals to you the perfection of its design…

You never know what your next experience will be:
Will you return into your body for a dialogue with each organ and a review of your relationship with your physical form?
Will you be reminded of a past life to help you relive and understand your current patterns?
Will you be given a chance to cry out everything that has been stored up — or laugh at your own mistakes?

No one knows what awaits you. You will arrive at that one point in the Universe where no one else has ever been — your unique trip.

Long-Term Effects

Ayahuasca doesn’t work only during the night of the ceremony. It initiates processes that may continue for months — in dreams, in emotions, in choices and actions. The outcome depends largely on how a person integrates this experience into their everyday life.

After ceremonies, people often report:

• reduced anxiety and depression
• increased empathy and sensitivity
• clarity about their path
• renewed connection with the body and nature
• deep love for themselves and others
• closure of old cycles and the beginning of new ones

The effects of a single Ayahuasca retreat may continue unfolding for six months or even longer.
The Spiritual Power you invite into your life continues to guide you — sending signs, dreams, and visions.
Those who are especially sensitive may remain connected to the Ayahuasca energy flow for a long time.