# Lucid Dreaming > Lucid Experiences >  >  The Shaman's Dreamtime

## dreammagick

Hello,
Currently I am studying a shamanic approach to lucid dreaming in Peru which involves working with a variety of sacred and medicinal plants which are both teachers and guides to the dreamworld.

In the shaman&#39;s world, all realities are considered to be dreamed realities. So we have the sleeping dream and the waking dream and we are creating both of them.

The medicinal and sacred plants I am working with are an indigenous science here which have been practiced for over 5,000 years. Plants are the oldest form of life on the planet and they are considered by the shaman to actually be a form of life superior to humanity in the evolutionary scale. Plants have infinite wisdom since they have been on the planet so much longer than humans *and co existing peacefully*.

As a result, many of the plant intelligences are so highly evolved that they are now assisting humans in their evolution. Just as some humans mission in life is to be a teacher, some plants also are "Teacher Plants". All plants have spirits so you could consider them to be spiritual guides. They teach us in the spiritual world, or if you prefer, the dreamworld, and they do this by appearing in your dreams symbolically as characters or energies that your subconscious can understand.

This process can be quite complex. For example, working with the teacher plants here is actually called "dieting with plants" or "La Dieta". All of the plants have specific personalities just like people. They have likes and dislikes and preferences as well for the manner in which they teach. In general, the plants do not like smoking, drinking alcohol, or certain foods such as pork, spices, meat of any kind (with the exception of fish), etc. In other words, when you diet with a plant, you refrain from ingesting all of these foods since the plants do not like the way they effect your energy. Hence, the term dieting with plants.

I just recently did a diet with a plant called Ajo Sacha which was incredible&#33; I dieted with this plant for 7 days. Everyday I would be alone in solitude and the shaman was the only person I would see. Daily, he would bring me a tea made from Ajo Sacha as well as a diet of smoked fish without any spices at all, as well as fruits to eat. After drinking the tea, I would become very sleepy and then drift off into the dreamtime. In the evening, the shaman would bring me another diet of fish, fruits and juices, as well as a very concentrated mixture of Ajo Sacha which I bathed in. The lucid experiences I had in one week were so extensive that I was simply unable to write them all down. Fortunately, I had an MP3 voice recorder so I was able to record all of the experiences in my own voice while lying in bed without forgetting too many of them. Currently, I am reviewing all of my recordings and writing a paper about the experience which I will post just as soon as I have it completed.

This week I am dieting with another teacher plant called chacruna. All of the plants dissolve the borders that seperate the waking dream and the sleeping dream. A good anology for how this works on one&#39;s consciousness would be to view the borders between worlds to be an onion. While there is no single plant that peels the entire onion, each plant you work with specifically peels one layer of the onion. So by the end of the dieting process with various teacher plants, all of the illusions seperating waking life and the dreamworld have been completely dissolved.


Peace&#33;
Juan

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## Peter Diggs

I found this way too fascinating, you really _must_ post that report here when it&#39;s completed.

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## Adepticus

This sounds really cool.  Tell us more.

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## student

* Watching with immense interest *   ::shock::

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## Jess

How did you organise doing this?  Sounds very interesting, good luck.

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## dreammagick

> How did you organise doing this?  Sounds very interesting, good luck.
> [/b]



Hi Jess,

I am from Mexico which has more sacred and medicinal plants than any other country in the world, so I began studying at a very young age.

My interest has always been in otherworlds and alternate realities. The majority of plants that are known for lucid dreaming and interdimensional travel are for the most part found in Peru, Brazil and Ecuador.

So that is how my path led me to Peru where I am currently studying.

Juan  :smiley:

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## dreammagick

> Hello,
> Currently I am studying a shamanic approach to lucid dreaming in Peru which involves working with a variety of sacred and medicinal plants which are both teachers and guides to the dreamworld.
> 
> In the shaman&#39;s world, all realities are considered to be dreamed realities. So we have the sleeping dream and the waking dream and we are creating both of them.
> 
> The medicinal and sacred plants I am working with are an indigenous science here which have been practiced for over 5,000 years. Plants are the oldest form of life on the planet and they are considered by the shaman to actually be a form of life superior to humanity in the evolutionary scale. Plants have infinite wisdom since they have been on the planet so much longer than humans *and co existing peacefully*.
> 
> As a result, many of the plant intelligences are so highly evolved that they are now assisting humans in their evolution. Just as some humans mission in life is to be a teacher, some plants also are "Teacher Plants". All plants have spirits so you could consider them to be spiritual guides. They teach us in the spiritual world, or if you prefer, the dreamworld, and they do this by appearing in your dreams symbolically as characters or energies that your subconscious can understand.
> 
> ...



Hello everyone&#33;

Below is my report from my one week diet experience with Ajo Sacha.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During my one week diet with the teacher plant Ajo Sacha, I had so many lucid dreams that I was astonished. There were by far too many lucid dream experiences to journal on a daily basis, but I did have an MP3 voice recorder which allowed me to record almost every single dream experience upon awakening before the memories would fade. Since I literally had enough lucid dreams to fill a book, I decided to find the major "themes"and "lessons" that Ajo Sacha shared with me during the diet and write about those to give everyone an idea of how the teacher plants actually teach.

Teacher plants are very similar to human teachers in many ways. They all have different personalities, they all have different styles of teaching their students, and they all teach different subjects as well. In order to convey their messages with the greatest clarity, they speak in the universal language of symbolism.

Ajo Sacha is known for having quite a sense of humor. The shamans say that she is the gatekeeper to both the dreamworld and the plant kingdom. Likewise, she is famous for testing one&#39;s awareness from time to time to confirm that you have in fact understood her previous lessons before moving on to higher levels of learning.

On the first night of the diet as I was going to sleep I began to see visions of Jessica Simpson in a bikini dancing in front of me. This was so lucid and so vivid that I actually laughed out loud&#33; I woke up and rubbed my eyes because I almost could not believe what was happenning. I went back to bed a few minutes later and Jessica was still dancing in front of me in the same bikini, but this time she moved closer. She was very flirtatious and forward with me suggesting with her words and actions that we get to know each other. 

As one of requirements of the diet is to refrain from having sex, I recognized fairly quickly that this really was Ajo Sacha appearing to me symbolically. After several minutes of resisting the temptation, Jessica smiled and acknowledged to me that she was Ajo Sacha. She said, "Now that I have your attention, let&#39;s go&#33;"

The next thing I knew the dream changed completely and I was inside a Dunkin Donuts and the waitress asked me what type of donut I wanted. I asked her for a dunkin donut but she replied that they were out of dunkin donuts. I asked for several different types of donuts but they never had any of the ones I wanted. I finally became so irate that I started yelling and screaming&#33; I asked them, "What kind of a dunkin donuts is completely out of donuts?" Then of course I realized the joke as they all began laughing at me. One of the requirements of the diet is not to eat sugar or candy and this too was Ajo Sacha testing my awareness.

The scenery changed again, and this time I was in a bar and the bartender was Gene Simmons from KISS. He did not have his makeup on, but I immediately recognized the symbology of this dream. His character in KISS was "The Demon" and here the demon was right in front of me tempting me with offers of top shelf liquors, the finest wines and cuban cigars. I just laughed at him because I really could not believe all of these dreams were occurring in the same night&#33; As I told him goodbye, he asked me if I was certain that I did not want to join him at an after hours party at the playboy mansion&#33;

I think you can see now why Ajo Sacha is known for her sense of humor.

The temptations ended after the first night, however, Ajo Sacha continued to appear to me as Jessica Simpson and Eva Longoria. In all instances she did this to get my attention. Once I acknowleged her presence and the fact that I knew I was dreaming, she would share another teaching with me.

For example, on the night she appeared to me as Eva Longoria, she was taking a shower in a white room with white candles, white curtains and red roses. As she got out of the shower she asked me to follow her upstairs to her bedroom. The staircase was a beautiful golden spiral staircase. As we reached the top of the staircase the frame of the house disappeared and we were in the clouds flying. As the clouds parted, I could see the heavens and there were white doves flying with us. However, I was unable to fly any higher because I had my laptop computer with me which was weighting me down. Since I use my laptop for work, I would not let go of it even though the doves and Eva (who had now become an angel) were telling me to let the computer go so I could fly higher with them. This dream was one of the most symbolic yet. My laptop computer represents my work which is the main source of stress for me. Not to mention my work on the laptop consumes the majority of my time. My refusal to let go of the laptop was the one thing that currently prevents me from dedicating more time to the dreamworld and shamanic studies. 

In the following dream I was in my apartment trying to meditate when I heard noises in the hallway that were so loud that I was unable to concentrate. I went outside to see who was making all of the noise and it was the little kid Damian from all of the Damian Omen horror movies. When he saw me he immediately tried to attack me, but I was so mad at him that I began chasing him down the stairs. This dream was also very symbolic. Damian represented a demon, specifically, my personal demons which prevent me from meditating or doing other things I enjoy. Interestingly, when I confronted him he ran away. For some reason he did not have any of his supernatural powers like in the movies. This theme of confronting demons and illusions was a major teaching from Ajo Sacha that continued in several more dreams.

In my dreams the following night, I was working with an undercover SWAT team and we were chasing the "bad guys" who disappeared into tunnels underground when we showed them our badges. Originally, they appeared to be very dangerous people, in fact, most of the SWAT team was afraid. We all could sense that our captain was nervous and tense so we thought that the bad guys must be really dangerous. Yet when we confronted them with our authority, they ran away without a fight. This dream as well was highly symbolic to me. The things that we fear the most often tend to disappear when we confront them with our personal power.

The following night I had a similar dream of being confronted by very dark energies in an underground warehouse. They were chasing me and trying to shoot me, but slowly I began to awaken and confront them. As I confronted them , they disentegrated like the vampires in the Blade movies. One of the dark energies managed to cut my leg. It was a very deep wound and it was bleeding badly, but I realized that I was dreaming and the leg magically healed like the metal terminator. At this point, I was almost fully lucid and the scenery of the dream changed into a combat video game where I was in control completely. It was a game which I was winning and nothing could really hurt me. Once again, I saw the symbolism being that when we confront our fears they lose their power over us and they go away. 

Later, I was on an airplane again with Eva Longoria who was stilled dressed like an angel. She began explaining to me the meaning of the two previous dreams and asked me if I knew what they meant. The song Baby Baby It&#39;s A Wild World by Cat Stevens was playing in the background. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was dreaming. She told me that we were always dreaming. She went on to explain that our entire lives really were movies which we were writing the script for on a very unconscious level. She told me this was why vampires died like in the Blade movie and why I healed myself like the terminator. It was just more symbology. She even mentioned that both the SWAT dream and the dream in the underground warehouse were symbolic of the darkest parts of our subconscious minds. This dream was the most incredible to date. I knew everything she had told me was true. I also saw the symbology of being in the airplane with her as indicating that the answer to creating our own movies, or our own script is in developing the ability to control our thoughts (as represented by the Air element). Naturally, if we have a pre-determined destination or goal in mind at the beginning of our journey, our chances of success are much greater (as represented by the airplane, which always has a destination planned well in advance).

At this point in the diet process, I was completely amazed at all of the information I had received from Ajo Sacha. However, I still had one unanswered question. I wanted to know how I could support myself if I were to quit my job. I really wanted to stop working and leave all of the stress and anxiety behind to study more with sacred and medicinal plants in the Amazon and elsewhere, but I just could not understand how that would be possible.

That night I had a dream that I was down near the river. On one side of the river I was with all of the people from my waking world. On the other side of the river were all of the energies and intelligences from the dreamworld. There was a bridge connecting the two sides, but I was the only person who could see the bridge. I spent what seemed to be several days in physical time going to the "other side" and bringing back gifts and art to share with people in the waking world. The most amazing part of this dream in hindsight is that not only was it the answer to my one remaining question, but the symbology showed me how I could make a living doing what I loved simply by sharing my experiences with others whether it be in art, writing books, etc. This was also the only dream I can recall that Ajo Sacha did not appear to me in. I recognized the symbology in this as her confirmation that I had the power within myself to manifest this change in my life.

To say the least, it has taken some time to assimilate and integrate all of the teachings that Ajo Sacha shared with me. She is famous among the natives for cleansing and healing. Whether an individual is suffering consciously or unconsciously, and whether it may be on a physical, mental or spiritual level, Ajo Sacha facilitates a process which allows us to overcome whatever may be blocking us from taking the next step on our personal journey of empowerment and evolution.

In my experiences, as reflected in the symbology of my dreams, she helped me to understand the importance of withstanding the tempations of the physical world, as well as confronting my own personal demons which in reality have proved to be illusions, and she helped me to see clearly how I could manifest the changes in my life that I was seeking. 

Most importantly, she helped to realize that we are always dreaming and the only limits to what we can do in our dreams are illusions within our own minds.

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## Jess

Awesome report man.  Are you training to be an ayahuascero?  I believe Ajo Sacha and Chacruna can be ingredients in the ayahuasca brew, right?  I&#39;d love to do what you&#39;re doing someday.

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## lucidbuddha

Wow, that is incredible. Is there anyway to implement that diet in an average american lifestyle? Can we get that stuff here?

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## student

Wow - what an incredible experience. I have been thinking about dream sequences lately. I often have dreams with similar themes several nights in a row and I believe they are message dreams. I particularly liked the last dream of sharing the art and experiences with the waking world people. That would be a great way to support yourself - spend your nights dreaming and your days researching/painting/writing/creating. Wonderful   :smiley:

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## SKA

> and writing a paper about the experience which I will post just as soon as I have it completed.
> 
> This week I am dieting with another teacher plant called chacruna. All of the plants dissolve the borders that seperate the waking dream and the sleeping dream. A good anology for how this works on one&#39;s consciousness would be to view the borders between worlds to be an onion. While there is no single plant that peels the entire onion, each plant you work with specifically peels one layer of the onion. So by the end of the dieting process with various teacher plants, all of the illusions seperating waking life and the dreamworld have been completely dissolved.
> Peace&#33;
> Juan
> [/b]



Chacruna? Isn&#39;t that a DMT containing plant often used in Ayahuasca brews (A.K.A. Yage)? Interresting. How will you dose yourself Chacruna in this Diet? Do you serve yourself Small portions of Chacruna often over a period of 7 days? Or do you take 1 large dose? And are you experimenting for the effects of DMT?

Do let me know the Outcome. I have a Topic in the &#39;&#39;Extended Discussion&#39;&#39; Board called &#39;&#39;Psychedelic Experiences&#39;&#39; Let me know something about your Chacruna Diet and the Experience if you can?
Thx.

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## DreamDudeDave

That was cool thanks. Is Ajo Sacha only found in Peru and Mexico and South America?



I just had an insight about Ajo Sacha Wisdom that "We are always dreaming." 

For me this I realized as true because we are always living. When we go to dreamtime we are still alive, our bodies do not disapear into dreams, but our state of mind does, and its how it is, symbolic, and when we come to our wakingtime we bring our mental minds back to this world. 

Maybe your gifts from the otherworld across the bridge will be lucid techniques? Wisdom From Dreamtime by Juan. I would buy that if it was a book.

Also I was drawing Sacred Geometry one day. It was from an insight I gained one night, and it turned out to be a 12 sided Jewel, amazing, and in the night when I dreamed, I saw these bombs enter my dream world from the sky, and I later realized they were these jewels made to look like bombs, when they came into the world they came from the middle of the sky, as if apearing from nowhere, I realized, intuitively knew for sure, that they were entering from my waking life through the pineal gland into my dream world from the middle of the sky where the BRIDGE was, the Pineal Gland. Serious this is something to look into. I may want to become a Dream Scientist AKA Shaman too  :smiley:  

When these jewels came into the world they brought with them immense clarity. I will post an image of these 12 sided jewels so you can have an idea of what they are.

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## DreamDudeDave

Now imagine that a yellow part is a jewel that is 12 sided, that is what 1 looks like.

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## dreammagick

> Awesome report man.  Are you training to be an ayahuascero?  I believe Ajo Sacha and Chacruna can be ingredients in the ayahuasca brew, right?  I&#39;d love to do what you&#39;re doing someday.
> [/b]



Hi Jess&#33;

Yes, you are correct. Both Ajo Sacha and Chacruna are used in Ayahuasca by some Ayahuasqueros.

The entire indigenous science is called Vegetalismo. One becomes a Vegetalista by dieting for years with all of the different teacher plants. In the process, some are called by the plants to become Ayahuasqueros as well as many other types of Curanderos (healers). 

At the moment, I am content just to be a student on the path which I am certain will be a lifelong process. 

There are many excellent Ayahuasqueros here in Peru and in all of the diets I am doing I drink ayahuasca 3 times every week as part of the process.

:-)
Juan





> Wow, that is incredible. Is there anyway to implement that diet in an average american lifestyle? Can we get that stuff here?
> [/b]



Hello LD,

You can implement the diet process into any lifestyle provided that you have a set and a setting which is free from distraction and you are able to remain in solitude. 

However, nothing really beats the ambience of the jungle or nature itself. 

Ajo Sacha can be found at most ethnobotanical shops online. It also is sold here in Peru. I will be happy to help you locate some if you are unable to find it elsewhere. Just send me a PM.

 :smiley:  








> Wow - what an incredible experience. I have been thinking about dream sequences lately. I often have dreams with similar themes several nights in a row and I believe they are message dreams. I particularly liked the last dream of sharing the art and experiences with the waking world people. That would be a great way to support yourself - spend your nights dreaming and your days researching/painting/writing/creating. Wonderful  
> [/b]



Thanks Student,

I definitely interpreted it to be a sign. At the moment, I am in the process of integrating this all and seeing how I can share it with others.

 ::bigteeth:: 





> Chacruna? Isn&#39;t that a DMT containing plant often used in Ayahuasca brews (A.K.A. Yage)? Interresting. How will you dose yourself Chacruna in this Diet? Do you serve yourself Small portions of Chacruna often over a period of 7 days? Or do you take 1 large dose? And are you experimenting for the effects of DMT?
> 
> Do let me know the Outcome. I have a Topic in the &#39;&#39;Extended Discussion&#39;&#39; Board called &#39;&#39;Psychedelic Experiences&#39;&#39; Let me know something about your Chacruna Diet and the Experience if you can?
> Thx.
> [/b]



Hello SKA,

Yes chacruna contains DMT. *All living things do* However, the DMT is not orally active unless it is mixed with an MAOI such as Banisteriopsis Cappi. 

In the chacruna diet, I would drink two liters of tea everyday throughout the day as well as bathing in a concentrated mixture of chacruna.

You do not really get the effects of DMT from dieting with chacruna, but you do hear the spirit of the chacruna communicating with you telepathically and teaching you in your dreams which was amazing&#33;

Right now I am listening to the recordings from the chacruna diet and I will post my experience soon.

 :smiley:

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## dreammagick

> That was cool thanks. Is Ajo Sacha only found in Peru and Mexico and South America?
> I just had an insight about Ajo Sacha Wisdom that "We are always dreaming." 
> 
> For me this I realized as true because we are always living. When we go to dreamtime we are still alive, our bodies do not disapear into dreams, but our state of mind does, and its how it is, symbolic, and when we come to our wakingtime we bring our mental minds back to this world. 
> 
> Maybe your gifts from the otherworld across the bridge will be lucid techniques? Wisdom From Dreamtime by Juan. I would buy that if it was a book.
> 
> Also I was drawing Sacred Geometry one day. It was from an insight I gained one night, and it turned out to be a 12 sided Jewel, amazing, and in the night when I dreamed, I saw these bombs enter my dream world from the sky, and I later realized they were these jewels made to look like bombs, when they came into the world they came from the middle of the sky, as if apearing from nowhere, I realized, intuitively knew for sure, that they were entering from my waking life through the pineal gland into my dream world from the middle of the sky where the BRIDGE was, the Pineal Gland. Serious this is something to look into. I may want to become a Dream Scientist AKA Shaman too  
> 
> ...



Hola DDD&#33;

I have only found Ajo Sacha in Peru, but it may grow in other countries. I know many ehtnobotanical suppliers online sell it ands ship it all over the world. 

As for your insight, I think it is very true. As the borders dissolve between realities, I see that there is the waking dream and the sleeping dream. 

Also the more I study, I see that waking is to sleeping what living is to dying. Death is nothing to be feared because it is just a transition to another state of consciousness.

I think your drawing from your dream is incredible&#33; I agree the bridge being the pineal gland really warrants further research. It seems science as well ancient knowledge all regard the pineal gland as being the gateway from the spirit world into the physical world.

 :smiley:

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## BenQ

This is one of the most fascinating posts I&#39;ve seen yet on this forum. 

It would be wonderful to hear about your ongoing experiences in Peru on this forum.

Or even better, my friend - write a book&#33;&#33; 

What you&#39;re doing right  now - in the jungle, working with shamans and these wonderful plants - my god, it is amazing&#33;&#33;

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## silverkaren

That is really amazing I would love to do that same sort of course. I have only recently realised the power of the sub conscious mind and it is incredible. For me dreams play a very important role in my waking life. 
That is the best article I have read so far keep writing. :yumdumdoodledum:

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## Poison Apple

You could probably set up a business selling the plants - maybe not because if there was a big demand people would start destroying nature to get them.

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## dreammagick

> That is really amazing I would love to do that same sort of course. I have only recently realised the power of the sub conscious mind and it is incredible. For me dreams play a very important role in my waking life. 
> That is the best article I have read so far keep writing. :yumdumdoodledum:
> [/b]



Thanks Silverkaren,

I recently finished a one week diet with the plant chacruna and I am writing about my experiences now. I will post it in the near future.

Cheers,
Juan  :smiley: 





> You could probably set up a business selling the plants - maybe not because if there was a big demand people would start destroying nature to get them.
> [/b]



Hello Poison Apple,

You can buy almost all of the plants online at reputable ethnobotanical suppliers.

However, the experience of being in solitude in nature with the plants during the diet really can´t be beat.

I plan to create a series of workshops and retreats in the future so others can experience the magick of the plant teachers for themselves.

Cheers,
Juan

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## Burns

Wow, Juan&#33; I just read this entire thread for the first time and I&#39;m so captivated by your experiences so far. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I can&#39;t wait to read about your experiences with chacruna&#33;  :smiley:

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## dsr

I find it ironic that in this forum there has been not a single post of disbelief or criticism to an animistic practice involving a psychedelic concoction, while in the notorious Beyond Dreaming forum, OneRyt received a lot of skepticism regarding a recollection of his that took place under the influence of shrooms.

That being said, this sounds very interesting, and enjoy your studies. I look forward to reading about your experiences with chacruna.

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## dreammagick

> Wow, Juan&#33; I just read this entire thread for the first time and I&#39;m so captivated by your experiences so far. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I can&#39;t wait to read about your experiences with chacruna&#33; 
> [/b]



Hello Burns,

My diet with chacruna really blew me away&#33; In fact, it was so intense that I realized after two days that I needed to get out of the city and go into seclusion in the jungle. 

In my one week in the jungle I had numerous lucid and out of body experiences, however I could not believe what happened on the 7th day of the diet. I actually made contact with a spirit doctor&#33; One moment I was in this physical reality and meditating and the next moment I was in another reality or another dimension altogether connecting with this interdimensional being.

The process was so profound that I am going back at the shaman&#39;s request to do another one week diet on Friday.

I will be back online a week from Friday and I plan to post my experiences as soon as possible.

 :smiley:  

Juan

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## manteigamendoim

I have been very interested in shamanism for a while which eventually led me to trying Salvia divinorum which I thought would lead me to a deeper understanding of everything. The mistake I did was that I pretty much took it as if it where a regular thing (i didnt ceremonialize or anything).I didnt pay attention to set and setting, or my mind set,  and I remember just feeling excited over the things I would see. The experience was very scary. Something definitly communicated with me but showed me my self image as something very humiliating (ive always had trouble with low selfesteem) and I found myself whispering outloud apologizing and promising I would take it more seriously next time. Also when I thought about my wife after I started recognizing my normal reality it came back to me and said SHOULD WE TAKE HER IN HERE WITH US?&#33;?&#33; I again apologized alot begging to leave her alone. Sufice to say since then Im not as motivated to try pschedelics just for kicks. in my life Ive also had some sleep paralysis which led me to discovering this board and since I dont have a mentor or shaman to guide me through the process of learning from plants ive felt lucid dreaming could be another way. After trying all the techniques on lucid dreaming no lucid dreams though I did have some good dream recall and relaxing meditation after taking a break for a week the past two nights ive spontaneiously become lucid. especially this morning i looked at myself in the mirror and saw I had long jewish sideburns (im bolivian not jewish) and I though I must be dreaming. I tried to fly and I felt the same sensation as sleep paralysis and no take off and then i opened my eyes for real. Juan I was wondering if you knew of any shamans in Bolivia.

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## dreammagick

> I have been very interested in shamanism for a while which eventually led me to trying Salvia divinorum which I thought would lead me to a deeper understanding of everything. The mistake I did was that I pretty much took it as if it where a regular thing (i didnt ceremonialize or anything).I didnt pay attention to set and setting, or my mind set,  and I remember just feeling excited over the things I would see. The experience was very scary. Something definitly communicated with me but showed me my self image as something very humiliating (ive always had trouble with low selfesteem) and I found myself whispering outloud apologizing and promising I would take it more seriously next time. Also when I thought about my wife after I started recognizing my normal reality it came back to me and said SHOULD WE TAKE HER IN HERE WITH US?&#33;?&#33; I again apologized alot begging to leave her alone. Sufice to say since then Im not as motivated to try pschedelics just for kicks. in my life Ive also had some sleep paralysis which led me to discovering this board and since I dont have a mentor or shaman to guide me through the process of learning from plants ive felt lucid dreaming could be another way. After trying all the techniques on lucid dreaming no lucid dreams though I did have some good dream recall and relaxing meditation after taking a break for a week the past two nights ive spontaneiously become lucid. especially this morning i looked at myself in the mirror and saw I had long jewish sideburns (im bolivian not jewish) and I though I must be dreaming. I tried to fly and I felt the same sensation as sleep paralysis and no take off and then i opened my eyes for real. Juan I was wondering if you knew of any shamans in Bolivia.
> [/b]



Hello M&#33;

Personally, I do not know of any shamans in Bolivia, however, I have been working with many different shamans from Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico. I am sure I can help you find a shaman in Bolivia if you let me know what you are looking for exactly.

 :smiley:  








> Hello M&#33;
> 
> Personally, I do not know of any shamans in Bolivia, however, I have been working with many different shamans from Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico. I am sure I can help you find a shaman in Bolivia if you let me know what you are looking for exactly.
> 
> 
> [/b]




Hello everyone&#33;

Sorry it has taken so long to post again.... My chacruna diet in the jungle in Peru turned into quite an adventure which involved not just chacruna but many other plant teachers.

At the moment, I am back home in Mexico and compiling all of my recordings from the journey into a paper which I plan to post just as soon as I am done. 

Happy New Year&#33;
Juan

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## gregash

Juan,

This is by far the most unique and interesting post I have read in a long time.  The only downside is that there are no shamans in my area for me to study under. (Minnesota, USA)  

I can&#39;t wait to hear about your new experiences.  And good luck on all of your future diets.

----------


## Serinanth

Its really encouraging to hear that some peopl are still following this path.  :wink2: 
The beleif that all of reality is a dream is something that I hold close to my heart as well.  I look foward to hearing more of your experiences.

Welcome to dream views too =)

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## Eminence~

Wow. This is really amazing.  :smiley: 

...I really can&#39;t think of anything else to say.

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## BenQ

I&#39;ve just published part 1 of an extensive interview with Juan/DreamMagick, on shamanism, OOBE, lucid dreaming, and of course his experienes in Per, in my blog, Dreaming Life. Part 2 will be released next Monday.

Juan was kind enough to spend hours pouring out answers and relaying his experiences. There is A LOT of material covered in this intervie.w  

You can read it by clicking on that crappy banner graphic in my signature. 

Hope you enjoy it enough to leave your thoughts in the comments link.  :smiley:  

Ben

----------


## BenQ

Published part two of my interview with Juan / DreamMagick on the blog today.

----------


## dreammagick

> Published part two of my interview with Juan / DreamMagick on the blog today.
> [/b]



Hello everybody&#33;

I have been back from Peru a little over a month now and I have been writing daily about my experiences. 
My report on the chacruna diet has been a work in progress for some time now due to the simple fact that many of the experiences I had were of a nature and realm that are difficult to explain, relate or describe with language.

Hopefully I will have something to post soon. In the meantime, I just wanted to post the link to an interview I did with BenQ at DreamingLife.

http://thedreaminglife.blogspot.com/2007/0...rview-with.html

As the chacruna report was evolving, BenQ contacted me about doing an interview and the questions he brought forth were amazing in the sense that they made me think about many things I had not thought about in years. As a result, the interview made me see many synchronicities that I had completely forgotten about which  has shaped the completion of my chacruna report.

I just wanted to make this post to say thanks to BenQ for helping me in ways he may not be aware of through the interview process.

 :smiley:  
Juan

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## jh477

That was an amazing interview. It really made me think about how we perceive our reality, and everything like that.

Your experiences are spectacular. Those kinds of visions and dreams are incomprehensible to me, but i guess that&#39;s part of going through that process, and understanding why those things happen.

I greatly look forward to your future experiences Juan.

----------


## Zaltoa

I&#39;m having trouble finding Ajo Sacha on ethnobotanical websites

----------


## dreammagick

> I&#39;m having trouble finding Ajo Sacha on ethnobotanical websites
> [/b]



Hello everyone&#33; 

Since coming back from Peru I have had many opportunities to work with plant teachers here in Mexico. Sometime in March I plan to go to Oaxaca, MX  to work with mushrooms and salvia. The mushrooms called derrumbes start to show up in March sometime so I have been doing alot of writing while waiting for this time to come.

I finally have finished the chacruna report of my last diet in Peru which is posted below.

Cheers&#33;
Juan

On November 30th, 2006 I began a one week diet with chacruna. I was in the same location 
where I had done my diet with Ajo Sacha just a few weeks earlier in Iquitos, Peru.

Chacruna is believed by many shamans to bestow many spiritual blessings upon those dieting with her. Without question, she gives one the gift of vision in the astral and spiritual realms which are realized on the physical plane as clarity, discernment and protection.

Once again, I was drinking a tea made from the chacruna plant on a daily basis, and I was bathing in a very concentrated mixture of chacruna every morning and every evening. This time, I was eating much less food. Daily, the shaman would bring me only fruits and water and he warned me that this experience would be far more intense. On the 1st, 3rd and 5th evenings of the diet, I was also drinking the sacred medicine ayahuasca.

Around 7pm the shaman came to my room to begin the ayahuasca ceremony. He asked me if I could see the symbolism of beginning my diet on Halloween or "Dia de los muertos" as it is called in Peru. Intuitively, I felt this was a very good omen indeed which signified another level of removing our masks, dying to the ego and being reborn. The shaman agreed.

As we began the ceremony, I got up to light a candle and I almost stepped on a centipede&#33; Fortunately, I was still wearing my shoes, so I stomped him. The shaman laughed at me because he could see I really did not like the centipedes. This was the second one I had killed in my room in the last week and they really gave me the creeps. I could not get the vision out of my mind of finding one in my bed, which made me more uncomfortable as time passed.

"No te preocupes, Juan. Estas protegido&#33;" (Do not worry, You are protected) said the shaman. 

During the ayahuasca ceremony, I had many beautiful visions of my own death. There was a peace and serenity in these visions because I had the full realization that I had found my true purpose in life. At the end, I was met with a sense of completion and accomplishment as well as a knowing that my life had benefitted humanity through the work I had done with sacred plants. I also realized 
that life was but one phase in the soul&#39;s evolution. Rather than fearing the end, I found an eagerness to embrace a new beginning.

The following morning I began drinking the chacruna tea and within an hour I had fallen into a deep sleep.

Several hours later I woke up with a very clear recollection of my dream experiences which were a recurring theme in the chacruna diet.

I was in the basement of a mansion where a film crew was working. There was alot of construction going on as well. 

As several people came up to me and asked about the details of individual scenes that were to be filmed, I began to realize that we 
were all making a movie and I was the director.

I decided to go check out the first floor of the mansion and it looked like a gangsta rap star&#39;s house from an episode of MTV Cribs. The floors were all white marble and all of the walls were glass with 360 degree views of the caribbean ocean where it was located. 

After checking out the first floor, I decided to see what the master bedroom looked like so I went up to the second floor. I took a nap in the master bedroom and when I woke up I had a level of lucidity that more closely resembled waking life than a dream. 

I had all of my physical senses such as touch, smell, taste etc. In fact, as time went by, this was much more like an out of body experience. When I walked I could feel and hear my feet touching the floor and I was totally cognizant of my actions. There was no dreamy aspect to it. 

As I came down the stairs from the master bedroom to the first floor I saw the boxer Lennox Lewis and ESPN Fitness Deva Kianna Tom talking to each other. They were both very upset with me and insisting that this was their shoot and they were tired of waiting to film their scenes. Kianna even told me that the crew actually hated me even though they pretended to like me. Lennox then threatened me and told me to 
"Go back to sleep....or I will put you back to sleep" as he taunted me with his fists in my face. 

Upon awakening, I immediately understood much of the symbology from the dream. The three stories of the house represented the three states of consciousness. The basement was the subconscious where all of our realities are constructed. The second floor represented conscious awareness or the physical realm. Both Lennox Lewis and Kianna were representative of the male and female aspects of the ego trying to convince me 
that they were the director and that their version of reality was the correct one.

The concept that our lives were really movies that we are both creating and directing on a very unconscious level was one that chacruna shared with me frequently throughout the diet. 

Now I could clearly see why the shaman said this diet would be more intense. The "dream" I had just experienced seemed to be a parallel universe or an alternate reality which was just as real, if not more so than normal waking physical reality. I had only been awake for about a half hour recording the details of my first dream when I became so sleepy that I fell back into a deep sleep.

In the following dream, I was at my Grandmother&#39;s house in The United States. My Grandfather was in a wheelchair and he radiated an incredible energy of pure love to me. My Mother came into the room and told me we would be leaving to go to the airport in a few hours. She asked me if 
my bags were packed and if I was ready to go.

As I went to the guest bedroom in my Grandmother&#39;s house to get my bags, I began to look out the window. I could see that virtually nothing had changed in over 30 years since the last time I had been there. Slowly, I began to realize I was dreaming. But once again, this was much more than a lucid dream. I was in some kind of an out of body state or a parallel reality. I had all of my senses just as I did in the waking world and all of the characteristics of this state were closer to the waking world than they were to the dreamworld. 

As I went back into the living room to see my Mother and my Grandfather, I began to question the reality more and more. I asked myself where my Grandmother was. I could not find my Grandmother and then I realized that my Grandfather was not my real Grandfather. I mentioned these things to my Mother and I told her this must be a dream because all of these things were not right and I could not even remember leaving Peru. I assured her that I must be dreaming. 

We continued to talk more about the nature of reality and my Mother questioned my ability to distinguish the difference between dreams and reality. She mentioned to me that reality was wherever my undivided attention was and she challenged me to wake up. "Regardless of how many times you wake up,
you are still dreaming...", she said. She suggested that our entire lives were illusions created out of both imagination and memory and she again challenged me to wake up. 

This reality was so real that I could not wake up. I tried every method I could think of to wake up, but I could not. My Mother argued that surely if this was a dream that I should be able to wake up. She explained that whether it was a dream or reality, or an astral projection or an out of body state, that these were all states of consciousness created with my own thoughts and desires. She told me that regardless of the dream, the inability to wake up is a sure sign that one is unwilling to accept full responsibility for the realities they had created. 

At this point, I realized that my Mother was really the spirit of Chacruna appearing to me. I knew then, that obviously I was dreaming and I started running down a grassy knoll and I tried to fly. As I began to fly, I assured myself that I was dreaming, yet I was now perplexed with even deeper
mysteries. It is true, I reasoned, that if I wake up, I will still be dreaming. And even if I were to one day wake up completely from my waking dream, just who would I be? And where would I be? I began to see the logic in Chacrunas wisdom. I was choosing to remain asleep due to a lack of responsibility
as well as a fear of awakening to the unknown.

When I awoke from this dream, I had fruit for dinner and I bathed in the Chacruna mixture. As I was recording my dream experiences, Chacruna spoke to me telepathically instructing me to relax and to get some rest. She explained that since I would be drinking ayahuasca the following evening and since I had already had two very intense teachings from her, she could sense I needed a little time to process all of the information.

I certainly did not disagree with her. As I had already slept 15 of the last 24 hours, I had no trouble staying awake. I read and meditated and listened to music. I even watched a few DVD&#39;s on my laptop. Periodically, I would receive messages from Chacruna which I would record.

The following evening the shaman came to begin the ayahuasca ceremony. We spent some time talking and as I got up from bed to drink some more tea, the shaman stopped me from putting the cup to my mouth. I looked inside the cup and there was a dead centipede in it&#33; Once again the shaman just laughed, 
but it really gave me the creeps&#33;

After the ayahuasca ceremony that evening, I was laying in bed meditating and I was just about ready to go to sleep. When I reached up to turn off the light I saw there was a huge centipede on my pillow, right next to my head&#33; I jumped up out of bed and I could not find any bug spray or anything to catch the centipede with. Finally, I found a can of aerosol hair spray under the sink which I lit with my lighter to torch the centipede. 

During the whole process I could hear the voice of Chacruna laughing at me. I remembered hearing that at times the plants can have a very twisted sense of humor and now I had a good firsthand knowledge of exactly what that meant.

In the morning when the shaman came with my breakfast, I told him what had happenned. Again he just smiled and said, "Estas protegido&#33;" (You are protected)

Something told me that I should accept the teaching that the spirit of Chacruna was protecting me and I would not see any more centipedes. 

I said, "OK, Gracias&#33;&#33;" to both the shaman and the spirit of Chacruna for this protection.

Interestingly, I did not see another centipede for the remainder of my time in Peru.

That evening when I went to sleep Chacruna appeared to me as a female attorney. In all of the various scenes in my dream she would always be by my side as I was being tempted by outside forces which were attempting to lead me astray.

The outside forces would always manifest in different forms and provide very convincing arguments as to why they had power over me, yet Chacruna always provided the logic that allowed me to see through the illusions. In all of my confrontations with opposing forces, I would overcome them by knowing the laws which Chacruna had taught me. By being in harmony with the laws, nothing could harm me.

In another dream the same evening, I was at a 5 star restaurant with some of the most powerful and affluent individuals in the world. I was sitting at the bar watching all of the people who could have practically anything they wanted. They would order the most expensive wines and foods and be waited upon by servants, yet they were never able to satisfy their appetites or appreciate the things they were receiving. The more they ate, the emptier and more miserable they became. When I was given a menu and asked what I would like to order, I could see that all of the items which the elite considered to be of value were actually deadly poisons to the human soul. As I left the restaurant I was met by a priest who was praising me for my strength and courage to resist temptation. He began to adorn me with a golden necklace 
and appoint me as a holy man. The necklace was solid gold and as he put it around my neck, he mentioned that it was only halfway complete because it costed one million dollars. He explained that as soon as more offerings were received that he would complete the necklace for me. I declined to receive the necklace or the appointment as a holy man from the priest. I asked him if he knew how many people we could help 
with one million dollars and I told him that buying gold necklaces was far from being holy or spiritual in my opinion.

Later, we sold the necklace for cash and then we threw a rave party on the beach and gave away all kinds of free psychedelics, sacred plants and lucid dreaming devices to the public to help them wake up.

In the following dream, I was in the jungle and I was in a very meditative state walking alone and talking to the plants and animals. The shaman was there and he was talking to me and showing me which plants were best to diet with.

When I woke up, the shaman was knocking on my door. He had brought my breakfast to me and he also began to explain that he had a group of two other woman who wanted to do the diet in the jungle. Since he planned to stay in the jungle with the woman to do the diet, he asked if I would be interested in coming to the jungle with them so that he did not have to travel back and forth everyday between the
jungle and town. He also explained to me that he thought being in the jungle obviously would be a good idea as it would facilitate both the learning and the intensity of the experience for me. I agreed to go to the jungle with him to complete the remainder of my diet. We travelled about 45 minutes up the river from Iquitos to a private lodge and had an ayahuasca ceremony. This ceremony was technically
my 3rd and final ceremony for my one week diet, although it was the 1st ceremony for the two ladies beginning their one week diet.

During the last week my body had become very weak. On most days I was eating only one or two pieces of fruit and drinking the chacruna tea. Although I was excited to go to the jungle and finish my diet, the process of moving from town and riding up the river during the hottest part of the day left me physically exhausted. When we got to the lodge, I sat down on a mattress in the ceremony house and fell asleep.

In my dream I was outside at the lodge and I was meditating and eating an apple. I was thinking to myself that even this physical life is a dream and someday I am sure I will wake up completely in this dream too. I asked myself if I was dreaming and I told myself that I was positive this was real life because I was at the lodge. When I woke up I was shocked to realize that I really had been dreaming and it was so life like that I could not distinguish the dream from reality as Chacruna had suggested to me earlier in the week. At first I felt a little discouraged, but I heard Chacruna remind me of the Hermetic axiom, "As above, so below". She assured me that in reality this was a very good sign. I was getting into the consistent
habit of questioning all realities and this was a step in the process of awakening.

Another thing that stuck with me from this dream (which became more and more common at the lodge) was the loss of time. The dream seemed to have lasted only a few minutes, yet when I woke up it was almost 8 hours later and the ceremony was beginning. At other periods, I would have dreams that seemed to have 
lasted for days or even lifetimes and upon awakening I would discover that only several minutes had passed in physical time.

Prior to the ceremony I began to talk with the two other ladies at the lodge. One was from Canada and her name was Eryca. The other lady was named Tabitha and she was from London. While we were waiting for the shaman to come and start the ceremony, we began talking about our experiences with Ayahuasca.

Eryca mentioned that she had read that the first scientists to study the effects of Ayahuasca called it Telepathine due to it&#39;s proven ability to heighten mental powers such as clairvoyance, precognition and telepathy. She was greatly interested in seeing if Ayahuasca could assist her in developing her mental and spiritual faculties and she mentioned she had friends who worked as professional psychics who would find it interesting also. I told her had also read about this and in the amazon 
it was very common for the shamans to have shared visions. 

The following morning, Eryca mentioned to me that she had a vision about me during the ceremony which was symbolized by the tarot card The Five Of Wands. She said that this particular card signified division and failure in partnerships and she asked me if I happenned to be involved in any potential business 
deals. She told me that the energy of this card was to be very careful of whom I was dealing with. She offered to do a Tarot reading for me to see if we could get any further information regarding this. The reading was very insightful and the most convincing aspect of the reading was that in the position 
which dealt with business I drew The Five Of Wands&#33;

Due to the accuracy of Eryca&#39;s visions, I recalled a vision that I had which I originally gave very little thought to. I saw a friend of mine in Iquitos who was walking out of the front door of his house on crutches and his right leg was bandaged heavily. As my friend had recently left Iquitos to have emergency surgery on his leg in Lima, Peru, this vision did not surprise me. However, seeing him at his house in Iquitos was odd because everyone knew he had been in the hospital for over a month. Upon returning to Iquitos at the end of the diet, I learned the night I had the vision of him at his house was the very night he returned to his home in Iquitos to be with his family.

The following day Eryca, Tabitha and myself decided to eat several San Pedro cactus. In Peru, many shamans mix San Pedro with Chacruna. The San Pedro is known as a very strong and masculine spirit which is a true guide and guardian. The experience lasts for 15 hours or longer and is a profound journey in connecting with nature. The Chacruna mixed with San Pedro is known to give incredible visions during the night hours. We all laughed and figured since we already were dieting with Chacruna which went so well with San Pedro that we should give it a try. Since we were only eating an apple a day and the Chacruna tea on our diet we joked that a few San Pedro cactus should give us a little extra energy if nothing else.


The spirit of San Pedro communicated to me through the experiences of the day which confirmed what the shaman had been telling me all along. 

"You are protected".

Just after ingesting the cactus, I went to meet the boat at the dock of the lodge which had delivered some food and water to us. Walking back up the stairs to the retreat, I had both of my hands full and I slipped on the muddy steps, catching myself on the tiptoes of my wet Reebocks. As I looked down, I saw several rusted nails sticking out of the stair I was balanced on. I realized that falling could have resulted in a very serious injury such as a puncture wound from the nails, getting a concussion by slipping and hitting my head, knocking my teeth out by falling face first onto the stairs, or even breaking my leg or my knee from the fall. As I was balanced on the steps, time seemed to stop and I looked to my left to see the shaman who was now just smiling at me. He said nothing, although I could clearly hear him telling me I was 
protected.

San Pedro is a very outgoing and active spirit to work with. Whereas the ayahuasca medicine is all about journeys to infinite spiritual dimensions, San Pedro is all about merging and connecting with nature and the physical dimension. As the hours passed and we began to feel the effects of the San Pedro cactus more and more, we became more and more active and we went swimming in the amazon which helped me to overcome my fear of being eaten alive by an anaconda or a crocodile.

Later in the evening, at the peak of the San Pedro journey, one of my friends called me outside to look at the stars. After a period of gazing at the stars, we realized that we both had on only our pants without our shirts and no shoes. We did not have a flashlight and we had wandered far from our maloka hut and we were in the middle of nowhere in the jungle.

The intial reaction for most people in this situation would most likely be to panic. However, there was an understanding between us that was clearly being received from the spirit of San Pedro. We both knew that at any time we could have stepped on snakes, scorpions, rocks etc. and received life threatening injuries. Yet, through this entire experience we could sense a guide that not only protected us, but one that
also led us back to our maloka in total darkness. Overall the experience with San Pedro had left me with a knowing that I was one with nature and not seperate from it. The greatest teaching that had been imparted to us all was that when one is in harmony with nature, all things are
truly possible and that no serious harm or injury would happen to you.

The next evening we had another ayahuasca ceremony and the shaman was singing the same icaro over and over and over again. An icaro is a song that functions much like an interdimensional telephone number. Willing spirits give the shaman the correct icaro to contact them and when the shaman hums the tune of the specific icaro, the spirit associated with that icaro appears and performs healings. Normally, a shaman will sing many different icaros over a period of several hours, however, during this ceremony, the shaman sang the same icaro all night.

Icaros are most often simply tones or frequencies that are not in any specific language, as was the case during this ceremony. But after several hours of hearing the icaro, I began to clearly hear a voice in English. As the shaman did not speak a word of English, I knew the voice I was hearing was that of the spirit making contact with me and speaking in a voice it knew I would understand clearly. 

The rhythym of the original icaro sounded like "YA-YA - da-da-da-dee-dee - dee-dee-da-da".When I heard the voice in English it said in a very audible voice, "Juan, Juan, This is my jingle. Let&#39;s intermingle". 

In all of my previous ayahuasca ceremonies I had seen many incredible visions, but I had never made actual contact with a spirit or interdimensional being which is a very common occurence for the shamans. intuitively, I felt that hearing the icaro in English as an invitation to "intermingle" was one step
closer to actually making such a connection. 

As the effects of the ayahuasca became stronger and stronger, I found myself in a deeply visual trance like state where I was flying through the clouds. There was a peace and serenity in this state that I cannot describe with words, but I saw unicorns, angels, rainbows and lightworkers welcoming me to their paradise. They shared a very beautiful truth with me that all things are possible to those who assist in the creation of the cosmic plan of evolution. Taking an active role in the conscious co-creation of the cosmos is synonymous with being in harmony with both the laws of nature and the divine plan.

The following day I continued drinking chacruna tea. As I drifted off to sleep I had a dream which seemed very symbolic to me in light of my recent ayahuasca visions the night before.

Once again I was flying through the clouds and in the next instant, I was in a meeting with Stephen Spielberg and a board of studio executives who asked me what the script was about for my upcoming film project. We discussed in detail the possibility of an apocalyptic tale of the impending doom of 
civilization due to wars and global catastrophes. The executives were all in agreement that death and destruction would be a sure hit at the box office although they wanted to know if I had made a definite decision as to how the movie would end. Everyone loved the concept, yet they were all leary about
financing a project with such as dark ending due to the fact that it was not a good vehicle for a sequel were the film to be a success. I mentioned that the vision I had for the ending was one in which humanity wakes up and realizes that their true place in the cosmic plan is to assist in the peaceful evolution of all forms of life by living in harmony with nature and the cosmos. I reasoned that this ending would be wide open for many great sequels in the years to come as there would always be new planets, dimensions and worlds for the enlightened humans to travel to and save from extinction. As I finished my pitch, I could see Speilberg smiling and nodding his head in agreement. The executives congratulated me and told me that they would back me and give me whatever resources I needed to film such a beautiful script. 

During the last ayahuasca ceremony of the Chacruna diet on the following day, I made contact with one of the spirit doctors for the first time. Normally, after about 45 minutes of drinking ayahuasca, you will begin to see visions, but in this particular ceremony, the visions began within twenty minutes and they were so intense it was more like smoking 5-MEO-DMT than it was to any ayahuasca experience I had ever had previously. It was so overwhelming that I knew I was leaving my physical body, in fact, I could not even feel my body any longer. The visions I had initially closely resembled the aboriginal art that is painted on digeridoos. I could hear all kinds of buzzing and humming and everything was vibrating and pulsating.
The best way I can think of to explain this is that normally in an ayahuasca ceremony one may have visions, but this was so powerful that I was the vision. There was a complete dissolution of the physical body and ego and a morphing or merging with another state of being.

My next point of focus was the face of what the shamans of Peru call a “morena” which is not a black or dark energy, but rather a deep brown colored benevolent spirit. I recall sensing a love, warmth and compassion that was beyond the physical plane as I looked into her eyes. I did not need to say 
a word, because this vibration was so completely harmonious and beautiful that it dissolved any fears or doubts I could have had. I do not know where I was, but I was not in the ceremony house laying on my mattress as I had been just a few moments before. What seemed to be a few minutes later, I awoke as if 
from a deep sleep on my mattress in the ceremony house. For the next several hours, I lay awake contemplating what had just happened.

Technically the Chacruna diet was over, yet the most powerful experience was still to come. It was the morning of the 7th day when I woke up and we were planning to take the boat back into Iquitos after breakfast. The shaman came in and sat down next to me and begin talking to the group. Since I was the 
only one in the group who could speak Spanish, I was translating everything he said to the group. He began to explain that the icaros he sang during the ceremony actually called specific spirit doctors to the ceremony to conduct healing rituals. He told us that there was a hierarchy of healing spirits that helped humans to purify themselves and raise their vibratory rate to be able to access more interior spiritual realms. The group of spirits closest to the vibration of humans are called “morenas”. Morenas are always present to assist the humans in their evolution. When the intention on the part of the human is clear and their vibratory rate has been raised through the purification of the diet process, contact with the morenas is normally made.

I had not said a word to the shaman about what happened the night before, so this was really blowing my mind&#33; 

As the shaman continued talking, he began to tell the story of how his grandfather had been a curandero and he began studying with him when he was only 4 years old. For a period of 10 years, he watched his grandfather prepare all of the various teas and baths for the diet process. When he was 14 years old he had been dieting and studying for 10 years and he was allowed to drink ayahuasca for the first time. He went on to explain how this was his shamanic initiation and since he had already been in a process of preparation and purification for 10 years, many spirits appeared to him in the ceremony.

At this point, I had been translating for about 30 minutes and I began to have trouble maintaining my focus and understanding what the shaman was saying. I thought I was just tired from the night before, which is common the day following a ceremony. I excused myself and let the group know that I just had to 
lay down for a few moments. I was already laying in a hammock in the ceremony house so I just snuggled under the blanket and closed my eyes. What I saw looked like something from an Alex Grey vision. I was viewing a world of pure vibration and energy. Everything was pulsating, breathing and alive. 
Everything had eyes, a spirit and consciousness. It was infinite, yet at the same time it was all one thing. Once again, there was a complete dissolution of the physical body and the ego. This was not a vision. I had merged completely with this presence in another world or dimension where both space and 
time did not exist as they do in the physical realm. There was an immediate deep conviction that this was a connection with plant sentience instead of contact with a spirit being from the night before. There were voices I could hear that sounded like munchkins from The Wizard of Oz movie that were 
greeting me. Two voices I can recall specifically, said, “Hey Juan&#33; What took you so long?” and “Get in here&#33; We have been waiting for you&#33;” 

It seemed like an infinity had passed where I had seen a vision so complete that there was no doubt left as to how my path would progress. I had received a complete transference of consciousness that answered any questions or concerns I could have had. This was a major source of healing that I had been 
seeking my whole life. I had found a surety and a knowing that resolved the doubt and confusion that had prevented me from taking action in the past. As I was acknowledging all of this information, my senses slowly began to come back. It seemed like the time I had been gone was an entire lifetime if 
not longer.

The shaman was asking me if I could help him continue translating. I asked how long had I been sleeping and they all looked at me with puzzled looks on their faces. Apparently what I experienced as a lifetime in this visionary state occurred in roughly 20 seconds.

As I awoke and we finished talking, I left the ceremony house to go back to my private maloka and pack my bags as we were all planning to take the next boat back into Iquitos. I was walking along the wooden walkway which was about 2 feet off the ground that connected all of the malokas of the retreat together. 
One of the boards was dry rotted so bad that it completely disentigrated under my right foot and my foot went through the walkway and landed on the ground beneath.

Once more, I could not help but realize the symbolism of this event. I was walking barefoot along the walkways and any number of things could have happenned to me which would have resulted in serious injury, such as cutting my foot on a nail, skinning my shin severely on the next board in the walkway, or 
even stepping on centipedes or snakes or breaking my ankle on the ground below when my foot touched down. 

As I left the lodge, I felt I had fully received and accepted chacruna´s blessing of protection. Likewise, in all of the symbolism of the never ending dream and writing one´s own script in life, I felt challenged to bring as much consciousness as possible to whatever reality I was co-creating. The interconnectedness I had found with all of nature and the rest of humanity as a result of experiencing these transpersonal states of awareness was truly best explained by the words of the shaman which I would remember everytime I would try to find a way to explain it all. 

¨No hay palabras explicarlo, pero sigues tomando su medicina&#33;¨ which means ¨There are no words to explain it,  but keep drinking your medicine&#33;"

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## laconix

Wow, you are a talented writer. Many a time i have started reading something like this and just given up, most of the time because it&#39;s just a whole block of text.

Anyway onto your experience&#33;

This sounds like quite an enlightening experience, although they really should get those rusty old nails fixed&#33; I have trouble in believing such things as Tarot cards are real and alive, but would not hold it against anyone who did. But what you explained seemed remarkable at least (that combined with your friend going to hospital).

From my understanding, limited as it may be, spirit-doctors are higher spirits, or intense dream-guides. Please correct me if i am wrong in saying that.

I cannot believe how sensual that whole experience sounded, the previous one included&#33; You truly are a lucky man, i myself hope to experience this one day too.

And remember, "Don&#39;t worry, you&#39;re protected"..

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## DreamerConstant

dreammagick i greatly admire what u are doing, seems very intresting. I have been trying some things myself like Calea Z (oh my god it tastes soooooooooooooooooo bad). I have also delved into Salvia D for trying to understand myself completly, i had a some very insightly experiences. Which i think has helped me with my dreams and LDs.
Thanks again, your post was a great read.

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## VnCist00

Are these plants hallucenagens? <---yes
What exactly do they do to your nuero passages (if you know) that would alter your reality?<---alter brain chemistry
Side Effects? possible psychosis

Names of exact plants. ayuashca

For some reason when you talked about the plants as not liking things, I feel as if there is a religious quality to it. Many christian religions, and hindu, aren&#39;t allowed to eat pork, and see this as a sin. Explain?

Also, you realize that your changing your brain chemistry to alter your perception of reality. This for one isn&#39;t a typical lucid dream I hope you realize that. This definetly cannot be healthy in prolonged ways. Also, it seems that people use hallucenagentic drugs such as salvia (which usually produces dream like effects) Ayuascha, mushrooms, and cacti like san pedro to do such things, when your actually just f*cking up your brain to create an imitation of what a lucid dream could be. A real lucid dream is completely natural, there are no drugs ingested to stimulate it, just a wish, focus and sleep. I would think twice when doing this.....comments?

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## Vortex

....¨There are no words to explain, keep drinking the tea and ayahuasca¨
**************************************************  ***********
DreamMagick, 
I&#39;m glad to see you fully appreciate how lucky you are to have that Shaman.
An excellent thread, enthralling stuff, It&#39;s Castenada all over again  :smiley: 

Vortex.

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## BenQ

Juan,

 I&#39;ve been waiting so long to read this report. And it&#39;s just amazing.... &#33; 

My favorite line would have to be this:

<div align="center">"Regardless of how many times you wake up,
you are still dreaming..."</span></div>

Thanks for sharing such an intimate and personable story.

Ben

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## tommo

wow........ I guess since there are no words to describe the experience, there also are no words to thank you for sharing this with us&#33;
I have some questions....
What is ayahuasca made from, is it the chacruna plant and the ajos sacha mixed in a tea?
Also do you hallucinate while in a waking state when you ingest this drug?

And for everyone who can&#39;t find ajos sachsa, the other name for it is mansoa.  Also it has been called garlicvine.  It isn&#39;t garlic, it just smells like it when you crush the leaves.

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## laconix

It&#39;s a mix of a MAO inhibitor, like the cappi vine and a DMT extract, or maybe not an extract but an extract works better than just using the leaves/bark.

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## VnCist00

ayuascha is the moonshine of hallucenogens.....

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## tommo

dam, i don&#39;t wanna hallucinate while im awake, it SCARY&#33;

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## dreammagick

> dreammagick i greatly admire what u are doing, seems very intresting. I have been trying some things myself like Calea Z (oh my god it tastes soooooooooooooooooo bad). I have also delved into Salvia D for trying to understand myself completly, i had a some very insightly experiences. Which i think has helped me with my dreams and LDs.
> Thanks again, your post was a great read.[/b]



Thanks DC&#33; I am actually on my way to Oaxaca, Mexico to work with both Salvia and Calea Z next. I have heard alot of great things about both of these plants as amazing guides to the dreamtime.


 ::bigteeth::

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## Aneas

Absolutely fascinating reading&#33;  I am so impressed with Juan&#39;s research.  It touches a very personal part of my life.  I graduated high school in 1983 and my yearbook quote for my future was "Travel to the West Coast and then out of the country to hopefully become a Shaman."  I never made it out of the country but my thirst for the knowledge has never ceased.  I was reinvigorated  by Juan&#39;s writings and I am anxiously awaiting future tales of Juan&#39;s adventures.

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## dreammagick

> Are these plants hallucenagens? <---yes
> What exactly do they do to your nuero passages (if you know) that would alter your reality?<---alter brain chemistry
> Side Effects? possible psychosis
> 
> Names of exact plants. ayuashca
> 
> In my experience what the majority of people mistakenly accept as reality is closer to the real definition of psychosis than what occurs when ingesting "halucinogenic" plants. Historically, anyone who maintains a different viewpoint than what is put forth by "the powers that be" are ridiculed and said to be "halucinating". In general, I have found that the plant teachers wake us up to a great deal of the scams that are being passed off on us as an unwitting public through the guise of government, religion and media. Being able to see through all of the illusions that are used to oppress and enslave the population is something the establishment would just as soon keep a tight lid on. As opposed to plants altering your brain chemistry, I say on the contrary, they show us just how altered what we accept as "reality" really is.
> 
> For some reason when you talked about the plants as not liking things, I feel as if there is a religious quality to it. Many christian religions, and hindu, aren&#39;t allowed to eat pork, and see this as a sin. Explain?
> ...

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## Burns

This is all very fascinating, Juan, and you have a nice way of writing that keeps the reader interested.  :smiley: 

I&#39;ve got a few technical questions though. What do you do for a living? How do you have the time and money to go up into the jungle for several weeks at a time? How and where do you find these shamans to take you there? How much does it cost for a shaman to do this for you?

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## dreammagick

> This is all very fascinating, Juan, and you have a nice way of writing that keeps the reader interested. 
> 
> I&#39;ve got a few technical questions though. What do you do for a living? How do you have the time and money to go up into the jungle for several weeks at a time? How and where do you find these shamans to take you there? How much does it cost for a shaman to do this for you?[/b]



Hi Burns&#33;

About 4 years ago I disconnected from "The Matrix" so to speak and I have been very much in a "Seperate Reality" much like what Castaneda writes about in the Don Juan books.

I was born in Mexico and I had participated in many ceremonies with peyote and mushrooms before I was a teenager, so the shamans have been around me for as long as I can remember. 

Personally I just put out the intention to the universe that I am ready and regardless of money or whether I have a job (I haven&#39;t worked since April of 2003) or not, things just manifest as they need to. 

Finding the shaman or how much they charge has never been an issue for me. Clarity in regards to what I was seeking has always seemed to attract the appropriate adventure for what I needed to learn at the time.

 ::bigteeth::

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## dreammagick

> Hi Burns&#33;
> 
> About 4 years ago I disconnected from "The Matrix" so to speak and I have been very much in a "Seperate Reality" much like what Castaneda writes about in the Don Juan books.
> 
> I was born in Mexico and I had participated in many ceremonies with peyote and mushrooms before I was a teenager, so the shamans have been around me for as long as I can remember. 
> 
> Personally I just put out the intention to the universe that I am ready and regardless of money or whether I have a job (I haven&#39;t worked since April of 2003) or not, things just manifest as they need to. 
> 
> Finding the shaman or how much they charge has never been an issue for me. Clarity in regards to what I was seeking has always seemed to attract the appropriate adventure for what I needed to learn at the time.
> ...



Hello everyone&#33;

Many people have been asking me about the shamanic icaros that I have written about. 

Here is a 27 minute MP3 of one you can download for free. 

http://www.dreammagick.com/icaro.htm

Cheers&#33;
Juan

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## Jess

> Hello everyone&#33;
> 
> Many people have been asking me about the shamanic icaros that I have written about. 
> 
> Here is a 27 minute MP3 of one you can download for free. 
> 
> http://www.dreammagick.com/icaro.htm
> 
> Cheers&#33;
> Juan[/b]



Wow, thanks dreammagick, I&#39;ve always wanted a recording of these songs&#33;  Did you record it yourself?

Very nice website too by the way   ::thumbup::

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## dreammagick

> Wow, thanks dreammagick, I&#39;ve always wanted a recording of these songs&#33;  Did you record it yourself?
> 
> Very nice website too by the way  [/b]



This was recorded in the jungle in Peru with an MP3 voice recorder during a ceremony. It is not studio quality, but the icaros produce some very profound effects regardless.

My intention was just to share this. I am sure anyone who is familiar with the appropriate software could clean it up or mix it into their own creations.

Cheers&#33;
Juan

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## zeroroom

> This was recorded in the jungle in Peru with an MP3 voice recorder during a ceremony. It is not studio quality, but the icaros produce some very profound effects regardless.
> 
> My intention was just to share this. I am sure anyone who is familiar with the appropriate software could clean it up or mix it into their own creations.
> 
> Cheers!
> Juan



Thank you for the info.   ::bowdown::

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## shaftmonkey

juan, have you ever taken an ayahuasca brew (containing DMT?)

i wish i had your life.

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## DreamHerb

goood read....
i never thought of the fact the plants have been here a long time before us.....

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## DreamHerb

This thread has inspired me to become a shaman....
i plan to diet with plants at some point in my life.... 
As long as i wait, the opportunity wise arise when im ready.

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## dreammagick

Hi Shaft,

I have probably drank ayahuasca 70 times or so by now. I have been drinking ayahuasca about 3 times a month now since July of 2005.

In the diet process which I write about, it is normal to drink the tea of the plant that you are dieting with daily and then on the 1st, 3rd and 5th evenings to also drink ayahuasca in ceremony with the shaman.

Cheers,
Juan

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## dreammagick

Dreamherb,

I will be organizing a trip to Iquitos, Peru in January of 2008 to diet with the same Shaman who I did both my Chacruna and Ajo Sacha Diet with in 2006.

We will be dieting with a plant named Camalonga which is known for producing very lucid dreams.

I will post the details here as they become available if you may be interested in joining us.

Cheers,
Juan

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## Vortex

Hi Juan,
Camalonga, is that the plant also known as - Lucky Nut, Yellow Oleander (Thevetia peruviana) ? There is no mention of any affect on dreams in what I've read, only that it's toxic.

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## dreammagick

Hi Vortex!

Camalonga is a master Doctor/Teacher plant that visits you in your dream space bringing lucidity and journey. It is Thevetia peruviana, but it is not toxic if prepared properly.

The shamans are called camalongueros. They use camalonga seeds , one male (bigger) and one female (smaller), and they mix it with cane (alcohol) to macerate it , this helps to extract the seed components, they do not eat the seeds.

Almost everything can be toxic if it is used in the wrong way. Traditionally, the difference between a cure or a poison whether it be with plants or pharmaceuticals is a matter of the correct dosage.

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## Vortex

Interesting. I look forward to hearing about how it goes.
Please make a note of the exact process of extraction with the cane alcohol and post it with your experiences.

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## anomanderis

Last night I took a look at the forum (first time in about a month) and found this thread. After reading through your ajo sacha experience, i felt the urge to stop and go to sleep. It was like something which i could not sense fully was telling me to dream. So I went to sleep.
Even though I didn't gain lucidity, which I had had on 2 of the 3 previous nights, the dreams conjured up were much more interesting than before and my dream recall was better than usual (I've let it slip a bit).
One of the dreams I had was of eating some kind of psychedelic plant/mushroom with other food that was supposed to first make my body feel like it was shrinking, but then feel like my body was getting bigger and bigger.
Although I didn't have the experience itself in the dream, I remember what it was supposed to be like (and in a dream, remembering what it was supposed to be like is almost as good as experiencing it).
I'll be experiencing ayahuasca soon for the first time. I hope it will be an experience I will never forget.

Thanks for the cool night  :wink2: 
and thanks for sharing this knowledge. thanks to you i think i'll go to latin-america before Japan when school is finally over in summer.

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## DreamHerb

> Dreamherb,
> 
> I will be organizing a trip to Iquitos, Peru in January of 2008 to diet with the same Shaman who I did both my Chacruna and Ajo Sacha Diet with in 2006.



damn i wish i could, too bad i live in canada. And got no money ATM. 
Im sure the shamans will give me my chance.

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## Jamal

> Dreamherb,
> 
> I will be organizing a trip to Iquitos, Peru in January of 2008 to diet with the same Shaman who I did both my Chacruna and Ajo Sacha Diet with in 2006.
> 
> We will be dieting with a plant named Camalonga which is known for producing very lucid dreams.
> 
> I will post the details here as they become available if you may be interested in joining us.
> 
> Cheers,
> Juan



Wow man... I am honored even to speak with you. What you have experienced would be the best experience of my life. I would very much like to go on that trip but January 2008 is so soon and I am still in grade 12... I will postponed university just to go on such a trip. I live in Canada and I would save up for as long as it took to come. I'm assuming my main cost would be flight, correct?

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## tekkendreams

man id love to do somthing like this , just need to know where to look , the thing is taking the different types of plants might give long term side effects or somthing im sure some of them contain some type of drug.

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## tekkendreams

these type of ld obe requires some type of drug plants which i disagree to use it will harm the body

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## DreamHerb

> these type of ld obe requires some type of drug plants which i disagree to use it will harm the body



Drug plants? thats kind of an oxymoron.... plants are naturally found on this earth, drugs are synthesized in a lab.
Anyways, the whole point of these diets is for SPIRITUAL HEALING.

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## tekkendreams

> Drug plants? thats kind of an oxymoron.... plants are naturally found on this earth, drugs are synthesized in a lab.
> Anyways, the whole point of these diets is for SPIRITUAL HEALING.



so your saying marijuana is not a drug? it doesnt harm u at all its totally fine because its a plant?

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## DreamHerb

Don't foget about us JUan..... i love hearing about your teachings..... I have also experienced similar teaching mostly from mushrooms.....Once i could have sworn i sensed the peyote spirit on mushrooms... it was very masculine, and guiding as you described. 
Visually i saw it as a one-eyed cactus, with a flower crown.... It telepathically winked at me sort of, as if to tell me id meet him one day. 

I disagree with those who those who think these are hallucinations, and delusions... because i have seen psychedelics change so many people life for the better, as well as my own.

 And it seems those who have taken psychedelics are the most laid back, and have the most wisdom....which those who haven't experienced them  cannot understand. 

I have also experienced the "part of nature" revelation... sometimes while on psychedelics it seemed my thoughts were fuel for plants and animals growth. 
That our imagination formed reality. Everything we think of, can be possible.

----------


## bsurfer2d3

> because i have seen psychedelics change so many people life for the better, as well as my own.
> 
>  And it seems those who have taken psychedelics are the most laid back, and have the most wisdom....which those who haven't experienced them  cannot understand.




Psychedelics have also changed my life. I haven't been the same since my first mushroom trip 6 years ago. I still trip but not as much as before. Its always taken with respect. Its a teacher plant (fungi) as long as you are open to the signs and experiences. Its also possible to take it and not learn a damn thing from them also if your intention was to "party" on it. Same as LSD.

----------


## JerichoMccoy

Does one have to take these "Hallucinagens" or Spirit Guides in order to realize the world around them is not as it claims to be?

Not everyone can take these medicines for health reasons, but you know, if one is able to "take one for the team" so to speak...

The whole trip definitely sounds great and I thank dreammagick for sharing them with us. I ,for one, just  does not drink "herbal teas" for enlightenment. It's just not me.

Say what you will, however, as I am a human being looking for what can enlighten me, I think it'd be best for an "alternative" way.

So start teaching classes on how one can fly in this waking dream!

----------


## Interested1

This is the most interesting, amazing thread.  I am feeling vibrations just reading it...amazing.  I haven't done any Psychedelics (LSD & Mushrooms) since I found out I was pregnant almost 5 years ago...and I really felt the Lord put it on my heart not to.  There were a lot of reasons not to, but I think it mostly had to do with my focus at the time, and the legality of it.  

I decided I would try LSD and the like when I was 5 years old watching a movie with my dad...but never did I realize the potential for such a journey.  I am in awe reading this.  I really can't wait to read more of your experiences...they are some of the most interesting reading I've ever read...

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## dreammagick

Hey Dreamherb!

I am in Oaxaca, Mexico right now preparing for a few mushroom ceremonies in late March and April.

Speaking of Dreamherb....I just tried Calea Zacatechichi for the first time as well. 

http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...063#post725063

Peace,
Juan

----------


## anomanderis

I've done an ayahuasca analogue twice now (first: mimosa hostilis+ syrian rue; second: mimosa hostilis+chaliponga+syrian rue), but sadly had no real effect. There were vibrations and a deep sense of...dreamness, that reality is all a beautiful dream, but nothing else. 
So i decided to quit making my own ayahuasca until i can go to South- or Central-America and experience a broth made by experienced users.
Dreammagick.com was down for a  while and now there's only a picture ::D:  
Do you know when you are next going to do ayahuasca ceremonies?

----------


## dreammagick

Mimosa is actually another plant that grows here in Mexico. However, there are many different kinds of mimosa, not all of which are active as an ayahuasca analog. Likewise, making the medicine even with the proper ingredients is truly an art. 

Sounds like from your description the syrian rue was active. Most of the maoi&#180;s alone give you a dreamy and euphoric feel. They can be mildly to highly visual and psychedelic alone depending on your sensitivity and the dose you take. 

I am planning to make another tour to Iquitos to work with several shamans in the fall of 2008. The site will be updated in the near future.

----------


## Vortex

Hi Juan,
How do it go with the Camalonga diet? I've been wondering about it recently.

Vortex.

----------


## DreamHerb

> Hi Juan,
> How do it go with the Camalonga diet? I've been wondering about it recently.
> 
> Vortex.



As have I juan..... I imagine he;s doing some more inner journeys right about now...

Love the avatar vortex...

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## Vortex

Maybe those chamalonga seeds were poisonous after all...

Do you like this avatar?

----------


## Neeros

Dreammagick, are you learning the sorcery side of shamanism also? 

I am in the process of reading the Carlos Castaneda books, and the way of the warrior is seeming more and more like a path I need to follow.

----------


## tommo

Wow I remember reading this thread AGES ago.  What's the update on this dude?

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## DreamHerb

JUAN! How was the last diet? We love hearing.

----------

