Date: Monday, April 29, 2024
Medicine: Huachuma
Dose: ¾ cup of what Sergey calls “light”medicine to introduce me to it
Experience:
The medicine is very unpleasant tasting, but passes quickly with a piece of fruit to cleanse the palate. Onset of the medicine takes 2-3 hours before peak. It takes about half an hour from drinking until we are settled into our places near the river. It is a quiet and idyllic setting.
Not much happens on this first day. I become familiar with the medicine and realize how gentle it is for me. No fear, no loss of my person. Visuals are light and pleasant. The sound and sight of the river is amazing. Mostly spent the day contemplating the things I think I will be working on as I progress. Beautiful walk home in the late afternoon. Introduced to rapέ (rah-pay), a powdered mix of tobacco and other plants blown up the nostrils by the shaman. This can be for grounding or to further enhance the experience. Closing ceremony is in the maloca.
Dinner is ordered from a nice local restaurant and spent with the other guests. We learn the sharing by the fire in the community living room.
Note: A lot of this is the same every ceremony so I won’t include all details each time.