Vegetalismo
Posted on | January 26, 2009 | 1 Comment
Eric, Vegetalismo is an indigenous shamanic practice that uses master plant medicine from the Peruvian Amazon; Vegetalismo and the accompanying sacred ceremony has been used by Amazonian shamans for thousands of years.
It’s used for a wide range of problems; from depression and advanced-stage cancer to spiritual crisis. A treatment plan combining the use of medicinal plants and sometimes ayahuasca, plus a strict diet restriction is put in place. Vegetalismo offers a unique opportunity of focusing the treatment with a holistic approach to the problem and treating the disease from its SOURCE rather than its symptoms.
The ceremony usually takes place over 5 hours after sunset in a maloka (sacred room) and includes chanting, singing, drumming, sage smudging, and the ceremonial use of tobacco.
During the ceremony, the shaman sings icaros or medicine songs. Each icaro is used to contact a different spirit, for use in healing. In addition, the shaman employs multiple healing practices (i.e. Reiki) to help assist with a participant’s healing.
At the beginning of each ceremony, participants ingest plant medicine, and over the course of the night may experience purging, consciousness expansion, healing, purification, detoxification, and profound realizations.
Essentially focused in the indigenous Shipibo tradition, Espiritu de Anaconda is a healing center located in the Peruvian Amazon, close to the town of Iquitos, where a land base of more than 50 acres allows for a good representation of all aspects of vegetalismo. The healing center, established by Guillermo Arévalo, offers traditional cures, a training area, and an alumni organization in charge of diffusing the knowledge of vegetalismo.
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October 22nd, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
[...] and have been instrumental in helping to carry on the Shipibo tradition (and the practice of Vegetalismo). You can see in the video some of the different bracelets and textile they carry which represent [...]