Shamanism

Shamanism is any practice where a person journeys into an unseen world, or spirit world, and returns with unique knowledge. Shamans also sometimes use their powers to influence and manipulate the seen world, such as luring prey into traps, or inflicting harm upon their distant enemies.

Most often in psychedelic communities, shamans will use the transformative powers of psychedelic plant medicines to venture into the unseen spirit world and return with healing magic, or knowledge of the future.

Shamanism is a highly diverse practice and the specifics will vary depending on the culture in which it occurs. It often goes hand-in-hand with animistic belief systems, where every part of our world has an inner life or spirit, and shamans are capable of venturing into the hidden world of interrelationships between these beings.

The Beginner’s Guide to Healing with Peyote

What is Peyote? Lophophora williamsii also known as peyote is a small, flowering, spineless cactus that is native to North America. It grows as far north as Southern Texas in the United States, where it is found specifically, in portions of the Rio Grande Valley, and as far south as San Luis Potosi in Mexico.…

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The Uncensored Guide to Preparing for Ayahuasca Ceremony

ayahuasa ceremony preparation guidelines

Ayahuasca is a powerful plant medicine long considered sacred by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. It is a hallucinogenic tea that is made typically from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (commonly called ayahuasca) and the leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub (commonly known as chacruna), although it might also be made with the leaves of…

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So You Want to Be An Ayahuasca Shaman?

Let me guess…You drank ayahuasca, had a life-changing experience, and now you want to be an ayahuasca shaman… so that you too can wake people up. You develop a plan to bring back medicine from the jungle and / or bring people down to Peru. You tell everyone you meet about your earth-shattering ayahuasca experience,…

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Does Shamanic Snuff Cause Cancer?

Hapé – pronounced ha-PAY (and also known as rapé, rapeh, or hapeh) – is a sacred shamanic snuff you blow up your nose. It has been used ritualistically by tribes in the Amazon basin for thousands of years for healing, social and spiritual purposes. Hapé is made of powdered medicinal plants, often with a tobacco base,…

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How to Have an Amazing Magic Mushroom Trip – in 9 Easy Steps

Magic mushrooms have been used by indigenous peoples around the world for healing, prayer, and divination for at least 10,000 years. Their sacred ritual use has been captured in 6,000 year old rock paintings in Spain, 7,000 – 9,000 year old cave paintings in Algeria, and effigies, motifs, and statues Central America. In the 1960s,…

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Should You Drink Ayahuasca Alone?

Ayahuasca is one of the strongest, wildly potent psychotropic substances in the multiverse. She can catapult any brave soul who gobbles down her tea into a tirade of terror so intensely convincing, death can feel like a blessing. There are a bazillion tales of massive breakdowns caused by Ayahuasca on the web, and yet many…

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Yawanawá – The People of the Wild Boar

The Yawanawá is a group belonging to the Pano linguistic family which, nowadays, occupies the Gregório River Indigenous Land. Its community is, in fact, a conjunction of people that includes members from other groups: Shawãdawa (Arara), Iskunawa, Rununawa, Sainawa, and Katukina. This configuration is the result of a dynamic common to many Pano

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Ayahuasca & the Soul Quest Adventure of a Lifetime

After nearly one year of wildly visionary journeys with my medicine family, in 2004, I decided to travel to the Brazilian Amazon, hoping to connect with the indigenous shamans and experience the living tradition of ayahuasca, in a culture with an unbroken history of working with the sacred plant medicine. I was also burnt out from nearly a decade of nonprofit work and hoping to receive some insight from drinking

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6 Reasons Symbiosis is the Ultimate Gathering for Modern Shamans

I’ve been going to Symbiosis Gathering for years; Symbiosis and Burning Man are the 2 transformative festivals that have had the most powerful impact in shaping who I am and defining my culture. Whether it’s through discovering new favorite musicians, or being mesmerized by the incredible light shows emanating from beautifully-designed stages, to being astounded…

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