Cusco: San Pedro - The Little Cup Of Infinity.
"Plant medicine" is genius.
Don't know what that is? In the simplest form, it is using plants as medicine. I've done two ayahuasca tours, and am nearly through a San Pedro tour. Both of these tours are "plant medicine" retreats where we use ayahuasca (a vine that grows in the dense Amazon forest) and San Pedro (a cactus that grows here in the Sacred Valley) to heal the mind.
Both are boiled and made into a tea that we drink. We then meditate while listening to the shamanic healers sing medicine songs. The ayahuasca ceremonies last three to four hours. The San Pedro ceremonies last about eight.
Some call it a "vision quest." Others call it "spiritual healing." And it is that. But I like to think of it as another way to purge the pent up energy inside my mind (which is the gatekeeper to your body), so that I can think more clearly and be more connected to the world.
It is amazing.
I'll write more details about each San Pedro experience (three in total) that I have had this week. But here is a peek at the room where we hold the ceremonies...
This is San Pedro. He looks like apple juice. And also smells kind of sweet. But he tastes like alcohol.
He is gentle and kind. And warm. Like a grandfather.
Spending time with this plant medicine this week reaffirms a lot of things I have learned and known in the past few years about myself. Most of all, he reaffirms for me that the ability to connect with my mind and Self is always there. That ability is infinite. And it is for everyone. We just spend quite a bit of time with cluttered minds and do not realize or recognize the connection.
How silly we are.
Don't know what that is? In the simplest form, it is using plants as medicine. I've done two ayahuasca tours, and am nearly through a San Pedro tour. Both of these tours are "plant medicine" retreats where we use ayahuasca (a vine that grows in the dense Amazon forest) and San Pedro (a cactus that grows here in the Sacred Valley) to heal the mind.
Both are boiled and made into a tea that we drink. We then meditate while listening to the shamanic healers sing medicine songs. The ayahuasca ceremonies last three to four hours. The San Pedro ceremonies last about eight.
Some call it a "vision quest." Others call it "spiritual healing." And it is that. But I like to think of it as another way to purge the pent up energy inside my mind (which is the gatekeeper to your body), so that I can think more clearly and be more connected to the world.
It is amazing.
I'll write more details about each San Pedro experience (three in total) that I have had this week. But here is a peek at the room where we hold the ceremonies...
It's a yoga studio at the retreat center here in the Sacred Valley. You can see the blankets and pillows we lie on.. As well as the instruments the shamans use to sing. The Sun and rain dance on the skylight above as we listen and connect to our minds.
It's lovely.
I spend hours connecting to my internal dialogue after drinking (what another shaman in training calls) "the little cup of infinity."
This is San Pedro. He looks like apple juice. And also smells kind of sweet. But he tastes like alcohol.
He is gentle and kind. And warm. Like a grandfather.
Spending time with this plant medicine this week reaffirms a lot of things I have learned and known in the past few years about myself. Most of all, he reaffirms for me that the ability to connect with my mind and Self is always there. That ability is infinite. And it is for everyone. We just spend quite a bit of time with cluttered minds and do not realize or recognize the connection.
How silly we are.
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