The world is in a crisis. Economically, environmentally, (mental) health and unfortunately many more. That is why people are looking for answers. To escape the feelings of unease and suffering. But where do I start and what are powerful tools to use?Ancient plant medicine can be the answer to many of todays problems. Most famously Ayahuasca but there are many ways to explore. In this podcast we will talk about Ayahuasca, its healing powers and about all the questions about this fascinating topic. Juan Fernando Rivera is a philosophy professor at two different universities in Medellin and has been studying and sharing the Medicine Ayahuasca for over 10 years. Oliver Glozik is an entrepreneur from Europe who is now operating an Ayahuasca retreat center in Medellin Colombia. Together they talk about their experiences with the medicines and how it has positively affected their journey.
Before drinking Ayahuasca it is important to get ready. Ayahuasca preparation, diet, mental state of mind and everything else you need to know before drinking Ayahuasca you will find in this video.
You are about to embark on an Ayahuasca retreat / ceremony. So it is important that you prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally.
What you cannot do:
Anti depressants
hard drugs
heart disease
Everything else medically related you should consult with a doctor.
The more you prepare the bigger the more impactful the ceremony will be to you.
With Ayahuasca you can go incredibly deep, but on the other side, but also depends on your willingness to go deep. And preparing accordingly can be a difference of a potential life-changing experience or you staying with surface level things.
How much preparation do you need before the ceremony
In Germany the shaman shared with me to do it for 2 weeks, here in Colombia we advise 1 week. If you can do more, that's great too.
I want to start with the mindset first, as I believe it to be more important
Finding an intention
Why do you want to drink Ayahuasca?
can be very specific
Can be broad
healing in general, growth
Learning whatever I need to learn
If you have many things on your mind, it is good to go with a broad intention
Also throughout the week of preparation you
Leave out artificial stimulation
Social Media
Porn
Coping mechanism
Visiting sports sides
Sugar
You will be a lot more irritated throughout the week
because the things you normally suppress are now coming to the surface…
It will be easier for you to release them in the ceremony.
Your ceremony starts when you make a decision to drink Ayahuasca
There will be a part of you who doesn't want to do it
And it will start to self-sabotage you to not go to the ceremony
It is the ego trying to protect you and is afraid of change. Knowing that will help you to be able to categorize that voice. And that it is not necessarily beneficial
Start doing things that connect you with yourself,
take a walk in nature
take a bath in a lake or river
Meditate, do yoga
So you do something for your mind, body and soul
Diet
Personally, I don't think it is that big of a factor
Three days before, try to eat with a diet low in red meat, dressings (garlic), nuts, dry meats.
On the day of the ceremony, eat lightly, avoid citrus fruits, meat and dairy. Eat frugally.
Are you ready for Ayahuasca? You might have heard a lot about the powerful transformations that people go through with Ayahuasca. Understandably the next question is, is it for me as well…?
In the past I would be quick to answer that question with yes, however over time there are certain things that I realized are important to consider.
There are a couple of questions you should be asking yourself:
How I you feel when I am thinking about Ayahuasca?
Do I think it would be beneficial for me?
Do I know a place where you feel safe doing it?
And most importantly:
Am I ready to take the step within?
A lot of times fear is holding people back from drinking Ayahuasca… Is this the case with you?
Personally I don't ever think it is a good idea to make decisions based out of fear…
That hinders our growth… And you might have made a decision based on fear in the past… How did that work out for you?
Reasons to not drink Ayahuasca:
You have a medical condition / medication which is contradicting to Ayahuasca
When you want to do it, because somebody else tells you it is good
Because you want to prove something to somebody (even yourself))
Because you want to see some mandalas
Because you want to collect an experience / it is the opposite of a recreational experience.
Because you want to meet women / men in a different social setting.
Because you want to enhance your ego by making the experience.
Good reasons to drink Ayahuasca:
When you understand the limitations of your current self and you want to transcend them
deal with emotional pain
Forgive somebody
let go of anxiety
let go of overthinking
Gain more compassion
become the best version of yourself .
What would be your reason for doing Ayahuasca? Maybe you have also done it, how has it helped you?
Cannabis is one of the most consumed substances in the world. I believe it is important that when consuming something we understand what it is and what it does to the body and spirit.
So in this video we will take a deeper look into cannabis and I will also share my journey with this plant.
In the shamanic world Cannabis is considered a powerplant. It can amplify different intentions. So if you want to relax, recover your body, cannabis can help you with that.
If you want to be more creative, Cannabis is also very helpful in that regard.
If you want to expand on ideas, you can connect or think further.
Playing and listening to music can be more joyful as well…..
So there are a lot of positive elements about this plant….
At the same time Cannabis is considered a Diva, and if you do not have a directional, intentional approach to Cannabis it will start to backfire. It will start to play with your attention. You will start to think, ah, I can do this while I am high. And you start to smoke more than is actually helpful. And it will start to consume you… So it is very important to be very intentional and directional when smoking.
When you do not use cannabis consciously it can be that you will start using it as a coping mechanism. We all have certain things that we run away from. And running away from them is a lot easier than facing them. And Cannabis is great for stuffing down your problems. In that moment they dont exist and you can “enjoy” the moment…
But you are not solving the problem, you are actually making it bigger by not looking at it. by neglecting it.
What is your experience with this plant?
Is it possible to stop the emotional pain?
Is it possible to be free of the things that bring us down..
How do I stop the emotional pain?
First it is important to understand where the pain is coming from. Most of the time it originates from a sort of trauma. And even if your parents are together, you had nothing major happen in your childhood, you probably still suffered through some sort of trauma. In a way trauma is emotional pain which is too much to handle.
It can be:
Because reality is very subjective, especially as a child.
Societies adive on how to deal with our problems is a lot of times: “I want you to deal with your problems by becoming rich”. And “I would rather cry in a Ferrari than in a Honda.” Which makes sense, however I would prefer to not be run by emotional pain which happened years ago.
So what is a good way to stop the emotional pain.
The first step is to accept it. We all have things we regret, we wish would be different. But they are not. So the more we want it to be different, the bigger our resistance is to reality. And the resistance is what keeps the suffering alive.
You might think, I cannot accept the aweful things that happened to me. Should I just let people walk all over me? However this is a big misconception.
Acceptance is actually a very powerful state. Because you are not trying to fight reality anymore. You accept reality the way it is. And now you can say, what can I do to improve it.
Who do I need to reach out to… What conversation do I need to have… What is the elephant in the room that everybody knows is there but nobody is talking about…?
And by doing those steps you can actually start to resolve your problems.
By forgiving yourself and others. And through this the healing starts and the emotional pain starts to stop.
What comes from acceptance is compassion and understanding. And on the next step is even gratefulness. Being grateful for your trauma, for the bad things in your life. Because they forced you to become uncomfortable, to grow, to level up…
And I know this is a very big step, to be grateful to the person who cheated on you or who hurt you…. And that is not the step that you need to take.
The first step is accepting reality the way it is, and that will already liberate so much in yourself.
This is my personal experience on how to stop emotional pain?
What methods are you using to stop emotional pain? To cope with reality which sometimes can be very painful.
Feel free to share them in the comments.
What is spirituality for you? It is a word thrown around a lot these days. It triggers people and also different labels are put around the subject. So do I have to perform rituals and follow the moon cycle and astrology to be spiritual? You can, but for me spirituality is something else.
What spiritual practices are helping you?
In this podcast we also talk about how humans from the distant past to now all had a connection to something greater than themselves. (shown in the different burials / animals don't do that :-)).
What is our concept of God and how do we connect with this great spirit? And of course how can you do it as well?
We also talk about the big question, why are we on this earth and what our purpose is. I hope you enjoy.
In this Podcast we share on how to prepare for an Ayahuasca ceremony. It is a sacred ritual which is very important that it is being respected. By you following all of the guidelines you will have an easier time connecting with Ayahuasca. So it is important you prepare.
So what should you do before your ceremony. Start one week before.
Through the diet and preparation for Ayahuasca certain processes are already started within you.
Let's continue with the Do's and Don'ts in an Ayahuasca ceremony:
You are about to drink your first cup of Ayahuasca and you want to know what to do and not to do during a ceremony? This video is for you!
Before drinking Ayahuasca it is advised to try complimentary medicine to Ayahuasca like Sananga, hapey or tobacco to get you grounded and in the present moment.
2 hours before the ceremony, only drink a little water, same goes for during the ceremony. If you drink during the ceremony it should be used as medicine.
When you receive the cup of Ayahuasca it is good to (in your mind) introduce yourself to Ayahuasca and state your intention.
Sit upright and do not vomit in the first 10 minutes of the ceremony so Ayahuasca can work in your body.
You might notice your thoughts becoming very loud, smile at them and start to surrender to Ayahuasca. Different meditations techniques you have been working on will help you in the process.
What do you do if you don’t feel anything? Even if you do not feel anything, Ayahuasca is still working inside you in a subtle way. Pay attention. Also start to let go of expectations.
How many cups should you drink? It is good to drink a second cup to go deeper and more if you feel is helpful for your process. Make sure you do not make a decision based out of fear.
Very important, also do not help other people during the Ayahuasca ceremony. You are sensitive and it is more likely that you are thrown off balance than you are really helping. Trust the people who are facilitating the ceremony.
Throughout the ceremony keep a positive mind. Through gratitude you can also learn how to navigate throughout your journey. Singing and dancing also helps to transform energy within.
And of course don’t bring your cellphone and other valuable to the ceremony as you might lose them.
In the podcast you also find different tipps for integration your experience. Really looking and feeling into what in your day to day life is serving you and what is better to let go of.
If you have any questions, let us know.
What is Ayahuasca and how can it help me on my journey?
Recently Ayahuasca has been gaining in popularity to you might ask yourself what is it, why are people drinking it and what is the benefit for me?
Ayahuasca helps you become more conscious of yourself. I like to say you don’t have a problem with your family, relationship, job or business. You have a personal problem that you bring into the different areas of your life. By going to the root of things you can actually let go of things you have been holding on for a long time and can finally let go.
Ayahuasca is a very strong physical and psychedelic medicine. DMT is what is causing the effect which is a natural hormone in the body which is produced in the highest quantity during your birth and when you die.
Do is it the right medicine for you? A lot of people have concerns...
Am I ready to drink Ayahuasca?
Is it the right medicine for me?
Am I really ready to look at my dark side?
This is a very important question… And in the end only you will have the answer for it!
But possibly this Podcast can bring some insights to your decision.
Ayahuasca is a very strong medicine and a lot of people are afraid to drink, especially when they are at a dark place in their life or do not want to confront a dark aspect of their personality.
That is understandable.
At the same time Ayahuasca could be exactly the thing you need at this moment in your life. And the process can hurt, it can be scary but it will help you. Help you clean yourself, make peace with your past and understand yourself better (and mechanism that is causing self- sabotage in your life.)
Of course don’t just drink casually drink Ayahuasca. You have to be aware what journey you are about to go on and it is important to prepare for this journey as well. (Check out the next Podcast on the preparation for Ayahuasca)
Ayahuasca is a medicine for the people, but there could be a time to not drink Ayahuasca. And that is when you want to drink it, just to get high, to experience the next kick in your life. In this case you are not respecting the sacred ceremony and everything else that comes with drinking the medicine.