Archive for May, 2011
Interview With Shipibo Ayahuasca Shaman Enrique Lopez In The Amazon Rainforest Of Peru – Part 2
Tell us about the use of Tobacco.
Tobacco is very necessary for a shaman’s work. Smoke protects against enemies and badness crossing your path. Before you light a mapacho you icaro it then you blow the smoke onto your body before the session begins. You can also cure a child of susto fright by blowing smoke over it but babies are very sensitive and if very small they can be made worse cutipado in which case you use agua florida. You can also chant to it and the mother’s milk.
What is your state of mind and vision when you go around to each person before the session blowing?
I am asking the ayahuasca to give every one a good mareacion or vision. The tobacco makes a kind of bridge with the ayahuasca. We normally prefer the cashimbo Shipibo pipe in a ceremony not mapacho cigarettes. It has a strong effect and also calms people when the effects are too strong.
Some shamans drink pure juice of tobacco macerated with alcohol instead of ayahusca. First he drinks and goes off into another world and has a green vision. That means patterns only.
Sometimes the animals and things you see have patterns on their skin. It happens when you sing in Shipibo how do explain this?
What I do when I chant is to call the animals for protection. Otorongos may come near to us but sometimes they get too near and are ferocious and out of control. This can be caused by an enemy who has found a way to harm me. The thick bark and seeds of the Ayauma tree is good to protect against this. You take a vapor bath in it before the session.
Camalonga a seed is good too it returns the harm from where it came and the wrong doer becomes ill. Lupuna and Catauhua are also good against brujeria bad magic. Huayruro is not so much used.
Ajo sacha can be used in protective baths for illnesses like arthritis and as a powerful teacher. It makes you hard working turns around a run of bad luck saladera helps you in fishing and hunting. You can also pour the ajosacha up the nose of the dog to make a good hunting dog. Also loose women pishcotas can be cured with ajosacha.
I left Roaboya in 1998 and went to live in Trujillo to sell healing plants and ointments made from boa otorongo bufeo colorado etc. I found many charlatans there selling any old thing. I worked mainly with banos florales and didn’t use ayahuasca. I also felt a lot of envy from people there and once it made me very ill. I couldn’t walk and was urinating blood so I went to Lima by bus and from there to Tingo Maria where it got much worse and I only just got to Pucullpa to return to my community. I was 24 then. Everyone said it was dano envy and bad magic. I cured myself with Catahua Lupuna and Ayahuma. At the bottom of the saucepan we placed crushed green bottles before adding the plants and barks. When I was well I returned to Lima for a few years and then my wife got a job as a cook at a tourist lodge so that’s how I came to live in Iquitos. My uncle Benjamin who is from Pauyan still works there occasionally. Authors note: Benjamin Ochavano a powerful Shipibo shaman.
How does a Shaman help people who have experienced harmful and negative sorcery?
Enemies can come from anywhere. If I heal someone I undo someone’s dano illness from black magic and that makes me the enemy of the brujo who tried harm or kill the person.
What is it important for an Ayahuasca shaman to know?
A shaman must know how to do three things;
They should know how to bring about the vision.
Second how to bring the effects down again when a patient is suffering.
Thirdly they must know how to close the session.
These are the most important things but there are shamans who take ayahuasca without knowing them.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Howard G. Charing is an international workshop leader on shamanism. He has worked some of the most respected and extraordinary shamans healers in the Andes the Amazon Rainforest and the Philippines. He organises specialist retreats to the Amazon Rainforest. He is the author of the best selling book Plant Spirit Shamanism.
Visit the website for info about our Andean Amazon Ayahuasca Retreats
If You Are Game Adventure Is The Best Way To Holiday!
India is home to an inclusive variety of landscapes including rugged rocky terrains wearing caps of white in the extreme North. There is no dearth of daring jungles and numerous fearless fast flowing rivers rushing across its territory. Generally speaking all hill stations in India are invariably sporting charming stretches of lush green gardens and grassy fields along side rocky cliffs or mountains covered with forests and natural trails within to facilitate long walks. As a result India has ample of opportunities for adventure sports including hiking biking trekking walking mountaineering river rafting and so on.
The India tour packages that focus on adventure for sports enthusiasts span travel locations across Indian margins but mostly target the Himalayas. The tour packages may range from focused adventure sports tours like the Ladakh Trekking Tour River Rafting MotorBike Tour or Jeep Safari to an inclusive adventure tour covering a bit of everything in moderate doses.
The Delhi Leh Delhi trekking trail is conveniently the most sought after trekking tour of India. Tourists on this trail not only get to enjoy a lot of natural scenic beauty but also benefit with many sightseeing opportunities including the many High Indus Valleys monasteries Stok Royale Palace and the Tibetan Camp. Further the river rafting tours are best enjoyed on the holy Ganges river that flows along its path with amazing unparallel rush. The popular river rafting trips for hardcore adventure enthusiasts starts at the Leopard Beach tented camps at Shivpuri.
Motor Bike tour India generally covers Delhi Chandigarh Manali Marrhi Jispa Sarchu Pang Rumtse Tiksey Saspol Lamayuru Leh and back to Delhi. The Jeep Safari however popularly concentrates on the roads between Delhi Shimla Ladakh and back to Delhi. The mixed bag adventure tour is generally comprehensive in nature and includes trekking river rafting skiing and jungle safari.
To know more about Adventure Tour Packages Wildlife Tour packages India
About the writer: Alok Vickram Singh is an Expert Author and has authored many articles on different topics.
Iceland Equals Adventure
Iceland is a little known adventure destination; its a little known destination period lets face it. But if you are like me and really enjoy the outdoors Iceland is a great place to visit. It has so many offerings coupled with a near pristine environment.
Here is a list of some of the adventure possibilities Iceland offers some all year round: hiking trekking snowmobiling glacier hiking mountain climbing ice and rock climbing downhill skiing telemark skiing ocean and freshwater fishing white water rafting adventure jeep tours extreme offroading scuba diving both fresh water and ocean camping and cycling tours. Additionally you can explore hot springs ice and lava caves lave fields geothermal fields bird watching the list goes on.
I will not go into detail on all these activities just the ones I have done myself. First up is hiking and trekking. In Iceland you can opt for easy short hikes half day hikes and overnight hikes. I have even see though not done myself a trek across the entire country that takes almost a month what an experience that would be! I lived in Reykjavik for two years and participated in numerous hikes. Just outside of the capital is Mt. Esjan. This is a fairly easy 34 hour hike up the face of Mt. Esjan with a rewarding uncluttered view back to Reykjavik.
The jeep tours are outstanding and I have been on several. Most will take you in to the backcountry crossing streams really rivers along the way driving on glaciers black sand beaches up tight mountain passes into some of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. On memorable jeep tour I took was to visit several natural hot springs. The whole point of the tour was to bathe in as many hot springs as possible.
I have also done glacier trekking where you have to where crampons and follow a guide to make sure you dont fall into a crevasse. This is one of the most memorable and powerful outdoors activities I did while in Iceland. The colors and surreal beauty was outstanding.
I never personally got the opportunity to do many of the other items I listed but I have spoken with people who have done them all. Of particular consequence is the salmon fishing. Iceland is a worldclass destination for fly fishing and you dont even have to leave the city of Reykjavik. My apartment was about one half mile from one of the best fishing rivers in the country. During the season I would see the salmon grouping up together resting before their next push forward. I would watch the fly fishermen hauling them in.
Iceland as an adventure destination does have some detractions. For one it is fairly remote located just below the arctic circle way out in the north Atlantic. Though it is not as far away as you might think. Flight times from the east coast of the US range from 5 to 6 hours. Secondly Iceland can have very bad weather described as capricious. I would advise traveling there in the high season from May to late August. You can expect temperatures in the mid to high fifties and on a really nice day the temperature can reach 70 degrees. Another big hurdle is Icelands high prices. I read recently that Iceland was one of the most expensive countries in the world. This is especially true for food fuel and lodgings.
High prices potentially bad weather and its remote location aside Iceland is worth it. If you want an adventure almost no matter what kind of adventure Iceland will deliver. Just pick your thrill book your flight and enjoy.
About the writer: Iceland is a great place for adventure vacations and a good allpurpose beginning would be jeep tours or any day tour company that offers a wide curriculum of activities. David Brooks
