Ayahuasca, a sacred master plant, has become more widely known in recent years due to the profound healing it offers. But there are also other plant medicines that can help you on your healing journey, including another master plant, often referred to as San Pedro, Huachuma, or Awakolla. So, what should you know about this heart-opening medicine?
We are fortunate to have access to different healing plant medicines, such as the San Pedro cactus in South America, which is found in countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Colombia. Ayllu Medicina retreat participants are often less familiar with this sacred medicine, so we have put together this Huachuma guide to help you learn more.
What Is Huachuma?
Huachuma is a sacred plant medicine also known by names such as San Pedro or Awakolla. It comes from the Echinopsis Pachanoi cactus, native to the Andes mountains. It is a fast-growing and ancient cactus with huge white flowers that bloom at night and are pollinated by bats. From above, the cactus ribs look like a star.
San Pedro is known for its healing and psychoactive effects. However, this plant medicine offers more than closed and open-eye visions; it is highly revered as a master plant teacher who can provide healing and guidance on many levels.
The History of the San Pedro Cactus
While Ayahuasca originates in the Amazon jungle, Huachuma originates in the Andes mountains. Evidence of the consumption of San Pedro dates back thousands of years, with evidence from ancient cultures such as the Chavin and Chimú cultures—for example, stone carvings depicting shamans holding the San Pedro cactus.
The name ‘San Pedro’ came after the Spanish occupation, referring to the Christian saint St. Peter. It is said that Huachuma was given this name as St. Peter is the saint that holds the keys to heaven. You can often see why San Pedro can be the bridge to reach those states by the end of your journey with the plant medicine, as it helps you reach a deep state of communion with nature.
Other names for San Pedro come from different countries, such as Awakolla in Ecuador. Evidence shows ancient civilizations used San Pedro in various ways, such as for healing, divination, ceremonies, and long pilgrimages. It is said people consumed San Pedro to walk for days in the Andes, often without other food or water sources, as San Pedro’s interconnectedness to nature helps improve stamina and attention.
San Pedro Ceremonies
One way to meet with San Pedro is in a ceremonial setting. It is best to work with an experienced medicine man or woman who has the blessings to work with sacred plant medicines like Huachuma. Sitting in a contained and secure space is essential so you can journey deep with the medicines.
San Pedro ceremonies often involve singing, sacred instruments, prayers, and other types of medicine, such as tobacco. The structure and type of ceremony depend on who is leading your ceremony. You can learn more about our medicine guides here, who honor the sacred plant medicines and traditions from which they come.
What To Expect from a San Pedro Ceremony
We advise Ayllu Medicina retreat participants to have no expectations, as sacred plant medicines such as San Pedro and Ayahuasca work differently, depending on your needs and intentions.
However, San Pedro can often remind you of the beauty around you, how to sustain your well-being, and your connection to nature. You often keep your eyes open in a San Pedro ceremony, and if there is a fire, you may experience visions. While visions and other sensations occur, you are usually in the driving seat, so you find the answer through experience.
Most of the time, people find it easier to walk unaided than with other plant medicines such as Ayahuasca. San Pedro can also help promote gut health, with purging being one of the purifying effects of San Pedro. Other effects include increased self-awareness, an unsettled stomach, and dizziness.
In Ayllu Medicina night ceremonies, the medicine lasts all ceremony and most of the following day. We enjoy the rest of the day by singing, meditating, resting, and spending time in nature. You can learn how to prepare for a San Pedro ceremony in the best way in this blog post.
Benefits of San Pedro
There are many reasons why people decide to sit with the medicine of San Pedro. Sometimes, it is because they are on a plant medicine retreat that includes this plant medicine. Other times, it is because they have heard about some of San Pedro’s potential benefits and have sought out a San Pedro ceremony. Potential benefits of San Pedro include:
Enhancing your connection to nature
Healing your mind-body connection
Promoting strength and stamina
Heightened states of awareness
Providing insights and wisdom
Sitting with any plant medicine involves two main ingredients: the plant medicine and you. This means the benefits of sitting with San Pedro vary.
However, you can trust that the plant medicine will give you what you need to let go of what no longer serves you and help you center. Once you are centered, you can receive its healing, along with experiencing the sacredness and beauty of your inner and outer world.
Ayahuasca and San Pedro Plant Medicine Retreat
Ayllu Medicina works with the plant medicines of San Pedro and Ayahuasca. During our plant medicine retreats in Ecuador, you will sit with Ayahuasca once or twice and San Pedro once or twice. A common question we receive is, why do you have San Pedro and Ayahuasca ceremonies during retreats?
There are different reasons why meeting with Ayahuasca and San Pedro is a beneficial experience. They are different medicines but complement each other well and balance the masculine and feminine energies.
As we see it with Ayllu Medicina, Ayahuasca focuses on your lower energy centers and roots. After journeying into the jungle, you can then raise your flight with masculine energy from the Andes.
San Pedro can help people balance their emotional states, dissolving mind patterns and old ways of being. He focuses on the energy of your heart so that you can enter into that energy, reaching a place of presence.
San Pedro can be indirect throughout the night, so you feel, experience, and reach your own understanding of what needs to be released. Often once you reach this point with the medicine, you can find clarity and weave together your experience. With Ayllu Medicina, the day after a San Pedro ceremony is also a time to be with your inner child and celebrate; life, healing, and the power of finding your way back to your center.
Journey to Your Center with Huachuma, the San Pedro Cactus
Huachuma, San Pedro is a sacred master plant teacher, offering profound healing, a pathway to your center, and a reminder that the child within never left.
Do you want to connect to the medicine of Huachuma? Ayllu Medicina offers San Pedro ceremonies in Ecuador as part of our retreats. We also offer public Huachuma ceremonies, with the next ceremony being on 10th June with medicine woman Andrea Calderon.
Our next retreat season begins in November. Our retreats provide helpful tools such as meditations, yoga, sharing circles, and workshops to help connect with the master plant teachers and your center during ceremonies. The retreat space provides the perfect container to allow you to take a look at your inner world and find alignment once more.
If you have any questions about our upcoming retreats or would like to reserve a space for the next San Pedro ceremony, please contact us!
There are four main elements of nature: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air, along with the additional element of Space or Aether. When you are connected to these elements, your inner and outer worlds will feel more aligned. So, what can you do to align with these sacred elements?
Respecting and honoring these great teachers of nature also helps you honor and respect yourself. After all, your body is made up of these elements, from the fire in your heart and digestion to the fact your body is up to 60% water. Often, if you are feeling out of balance, understanding the elements of nature can help you take steps to purify, heal, and reach equilibrium once more.
Read on to learn some ideas on how to connect to the elements of nature.
Earth
Taking time to connect to the element of Earth helps remind you that support is always there for you. Mother Earth is considered the great mother, sustaining all life and providing the resources we need to survive. She helps ground, nurture, and nourish us.
Go Outside and Make an Offering
Take a walk, sit down and meditate by a tree, or simply put your feet on the Earth. Studies have found walking barefoot and grounding outside offer many benefits, such as helping stabilize the circadian rhythms in the human body.
You can also give thanks to Mother Earth, such as by offering fruits, grains, and anything that helped you during the month. An offering is a moment to pause, connect to Mother Earth, and set intentions. Ayllu Medicina makes an offering every New Moon, setting intentions and planting new seeds for the month ahead.
Practice Self-care
You need to be able to care for your own body to also care for the Earth. Take some time out for self-care and check in with yourself. During our plant medicine retreats, we offer an ancient Goddess spa ritual, which can be a powerful way to release impressions.
Self-care also includes your diet and what you are nourishing yourself with. For example, you can eat root vegetables to help ground your energy to the Earth.
Recognize the Seasons
Mother Earth has four main seasons, which support her and all life on Earth. Women also experience these seasons every month with their menstrual cycle.
Understanding the Earth’s cycles can give you insight into your feminine energy and how it changes throughout the month. You can learn more about this in Hwaneetah’s talk about womb technology. There will also be workshops on this ancient wisdom throughout our women’s plant medicine retreat.
Attend a Ceremony
Attending a plant medicine ceremony, such as with Grandma Ayahuasca, can help you work on your lower chakras, root down, and allow you to connect to your inner nature. Her feminine spirit enables you to shed layers that no longer serve you and realign you with your true nature.
When aligned with your true nature, you can also remember that you are part of the whole (everything), and everything is part of you. Plant medicine ceremonies are a way to connect to the elements of nature in many different ways.
Water
Water is medicine and a life-sustaining force for all. It can be easy to disconnect from water, such as by holding in your tears or taking for granted the presence of water in your life. Building a relationship with water will bring you many teachings, such as how to flow, purify, and find stillness in the swells of life.
Cleanse With Water
If you have access to a bath, the ocean, or even a bucket, cleanse with water. Add some essential oils, chamomile, eucalyptus, or another herb to the water and wash away what no longer serves you. Ayllu Medicina believes life is a ceremony, so any act with water can be sacred when presence is there, including taking a shower or brushing your teeth.
Visit a Body of Water
If you have a body of water near you, such as the ocean, a river, a stream, or a lake, visit it! Spend some time in communion with the water, observe its many teachings, and let any emotions move. You can also pray, sing, or make an offering.
Give Thanks to Your Water
Research has confirmed that words, sounds, emotions, and the environment changes the molecular structure of water. So, why not take a minute to give thanks and ask to connect with the water source? If you do not start your day with a glass of water, consider doing so to start the day with clarity and intention.
Many ceremonies include a water prayer; after a night of fasting water, it is the only medicine you need. Vision Quest is another way to begin to build a relationship with water, which Ayllu Medicina attends yearly at Ayapuma. You can learn more about this at our retreats.
Try Ice Baths
Ice baths are an effective way to purify and cleanse. Sitting in a cold body of water and finding peace can alter your life in many ways, helping you stay centered no matter what challenges arise. There are many researched benefits of ice baths, including:
Reduces inflammation
Shortens exercise recovery time
Relieves sore muscles
Supports your immune system
Improves energy levels and mental well-being
We also offer ice baths as part of our plant medicine retreats, such as our women’s retreat, which help prepare you for plant medicine ceremonies. We include guided breathwork and a warm-up to prepare. Our friends Bre and Flo have just published a video on cold exposure if you would like to learn more about this way to connect to the element of water.
Fire
The fire is at the center of our plant medicine ceremonies, communities, homes, and your heart. He is a wise and ancient teacher, which is why we refer to him as Grandfather Fire or Abuelo Fuego. When you trust in the element of fire, he has the ability to transmute, and heal in miraculous and loving ways, also reflecting the light of your heart.
Gather Around a Fire
One of the best ways to connect to the element of fire is to gather around one in community. A lot of healing happens this way, which is why our ancestors held ceremonies with fire before they had access to plant medicines. And until this day, there are fire ceremonies.
If you cannot attend a ceremony or safely manage a fire, then you can also light a candle and practice a candle-gazing meditation.
Move Your Body
As fire also represents energy and metabolism, moving your body to tend your own fire within is important. Tune in to how you are feeling and ensure you have ways to move emotions through you. Movement could include shaking, yoga, dancing, running, tapping, or any other movement that helps you release excess energy and recenter.
Create
Find the spark of fire in you by connecting to your creativity. As we get older, it can be easy to neglect to learn new things for fun and forget the importance of play. Take time to create art, play an instrument, or find another way to express yourself.
Attend a Sweat Lodge
Sweat lodges honor the four elements of nature, including fire. The grandmother stones are heated in the fire and brought into the sweat each round. Incense is added to each stone before darkness descends, water is poured on the stones to increase the heat, and songs are raised in the womb of Mother Earth. There are many benefits of sweat lodges, including:
Purifies the mind, body, and spirit
Restores balance and order
Connects you to the four elements of nature
Offers introspection and clarity
Sweat lodges are the perfect medicine to surrender to the Earth and remember who you are. Attending a sweat lodge is a powerful process to let go of what no longer serves you, so you can experience rebirth, aligned once again in your heart’s center. Ayllu Medicina holds regular sweat lodges on the coast of Ecuador, which you are welcome to attend.
Air
The element of air is associated with spirit, change, and freedom, along with other sacred symbols in different traditions. It is the breath of life, the winds, and represents all our ancestors that have passed. You can connect to air simply by taking a pause and a deep, conscious breath.
Practice Breathwork
If you want to go deeper into connecting with the element of air, practice breathwork. There are many simple breathing exercises to try, and if you practice yoga, you can incorporate pranayama exercises such as Nadi Shodhana and Box Breathing into your practice. Breathwork is an essential part of our plant medicine retreats, which you get to experience daily, along with meditation and yoga.
Sing
Singing is a powerful way to connect to the element of air, create sound, and reclaim your voice. Many people attend our plant medicine retreats and end up beginning to sing, sometimes for the first time in many years! There are many sacred songs that you can learn, which also honor the elements, such as our guides Aime and Hwaneetah’s music, Pájaros de Luz.
Pray
Praying and giving thanks is a powerful way to connect to the elements of nature, your ancestors, and the universe. Gratitude is always a good place to begin if you are unsure where to direct your prayer. You can pray to what feels aligned for you.
Light Incense
Light incense to cleanse your space, shift any stagnant energy, and connect to the air element. You can use incense sticks or fresh incense, such as Copal or Palo Santo. Burning incense helps calm your environment, increase vibration, and enhance your focus; it is essential medicine in our ceremonies.
Connect to the Elements of Nature at a Plant Medicine Retreat
Healing begins when you begin to pay attention to how your inner world reflects your outer world. A good place to start is by learning how to connect to the elements of nature. You can dive deeper into this practice through various traditions and attend a plant medicine retreat to learn more.
Taking the time to pause and remove yourself from everyday commitments is the perfect way to reset and connect to the sacred elements of nature. A plant medicine retreat also helps you connect to the fifth element of Aether, also known as spirit or space. During a retreat, you will receive various tools to help you simplify, make space, and let go of impressions, cleansing your mind, body, and spirit to find balance once again.
Our next retreat is a Women’s power retreat this April. You can learn more about this retreat and our other upcoming retreats here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
When women gather together in safe spaces, magic happens. And more than ever, women are beginning to remember this wisdom from our elders, coming back together and healing in many ways, including at women’s plant medicine retreats.
A women’s empowerment retreat can make some women jump for joy, and some women hesitate, depending on their experiences gathering in sisterhood. The good news is that a women’s plant medicine retreat is the perfect space to receive the benefits of sisterhood and self-healing for all women.
Are you wondering whether you should attend a women’s retreat? Read on to learn some of the unique benefits these female retreats offer.
1- Transformation In Sisterhood
Joining together with women from all walks of life gives you a chance to learn from each other. Everyone has their own path and experiences to bring to the plant medicine retreat.
Sharing stories, struggles, and achievements with other women is extremely uplifting. You quickly realize how much wisdom everyone has to share, simply through the experience of being a woman and what that means. Throughout the week, you feel the support of each other as you go through your own transformation.
Science has also proven the magic of women gathering together. It has been found that when women are in fight or flight mode, they feel more the call to gather than to react aggressively. So, when women come together in a group, it helps release the hormone oxytocin, which has a calming effect, allowing you to root down and go inwards on your transformational journey.
Oxytocin is also what helps empower women in different ways, such as after giving birth. If this magical hormone is increasing in your body, you are receiving nurturing energy to help connect to your true essence and reach your highest potential. This release of oxytocin also helps increase serotonin, which helps fight low mood, reduces stress, and improves well-being.
Female retreats give you the opportunity to gather in such a way and release these powerful hormones that can help be the leverage you need for deep healing. You can feel a sense of nurturing, safety, and peace. This allows not only the group to have a transformative experience together, but it allows you to go deeper into your own inner work too.
2- Women’s Retreat Community Support
A women’s empowerment plant medicine retreat allows you to experience the power of a healthy female community.
Studies have long found the value of female friendships. Some women can relate to the power of female friendships, whereas, for others, it may have been challenging to connect to other women previously.
The retreat container lets you connect with other women and realize you are not alone. It gives you a safe space to be heard, understood, and supported by sisters. It gives you space to take up space, express yourself and reconnect to your voice, which will also be nurtured in other ways, such as during song circles.
Although your plant medicine retreat experience is individual, you soon realize a communal experience is also happening. For example, after plant medicine ceremonies, such as Ayahuasca, we hold a sharing circle. It is common for retreat participants to relate to each other’s experiences, especially when women join together and share.
3. Remember the Ancient Ways Within
It is time to remember the ways of our elders, who would gather together, especially during their moon time. It is why some women also call women’s circles sanity circles, as there is a need for opportunities to gather as women and share once more. Gathering together at a women’s retreat allows you to reconnect to these ancient ways, which a patriarchal society has long tried to make us forget.
There was a time when women were honored for their wisdom and felt connected to Mother Earth. It is time we reclaim this power, as no one is going to do it for us.
A women’s retreat is the perfect space to begin. Once you start to create healthy and uplifting female bonds, you also help heal your own relationship with Mother Earth and other women in your life. Check out Hwaneetah’s talk on womb technology to learn more.
4. Empowerment and Confidence
Gathering together with other women during a women’s plant medicine retreat can empower you to own your feminine energy and full expression. When you return to the ceremony of life after the retreat, you can walk in confidence, knowing you have a community of sisters behind you, supporting you.
It is time to uplift each other and see beyond the narrative of competition that many societies fuel. Some women name these divides between women as wounds, such as the sister wound. But what matters is to find spaces where you can connect with other women again, realizing that sisterhood has the ability to empower you in ways you didn’t realize were possible.
It can be tempting to isolate yourself when you are struggling or lean on masculine relationships. There is definitely time, benefits, and space for these steps; however, sharing with sisters also helps empower you in unique ways. It is not about dismissing the masculine; it is about uplifting and supporting each other to step into our full potential.
5. Ancient Wisdom for Your Inner and Outer World
Our guide, Hwaneetah, will be sharing ancient wisdom for us to navigate these times in your true essence during our women’s empowerment retreat. Together in the female retreat container, you have the chance to delve deeper into these ancient practices, including:
Male and female energetics
Natural healing modalities
Moon wisdom, including 13 moon calendar
Meditation for closing circles
Ritual for unbinding
Connecting to the power of your womb and cyclical nature is an essential part of reclaiming your feminine essence, whether you are experiencing menstruation, perimenopause, or menopause. You will also have the opportunity to sit with the wise plant medicines of Grandma Ayahuasca and Grandfather San Pedro. These plant medicine ceremonies will help you balance your feminine and masculine energies to find equilibrium in your center.
There will be other ancient wisdom sharings, including sweat lodges, daily yoga, breathwork, and meditation. These will all help with purification for rebirth and renewal. You will also connect to the elements throughout the week, which will help you connect to your inner landscape once more.
Join Our Women’s Empowerment Retreat
Gathering together as women offers the chance to delve deep into your own nature and rise together in sisterhood. There is something deeply magical, transformative, and unique about women joining together in sacred spaces, so why not join a women’s empowerment retreat to experience this for yourself?
Ayllu Medicina has some exciting women’s offerings coming up. There is an upcoming women’s day detox retreat in March and our women’s plant medicine retreat in April. Hwaneetah also runs frequent women’s sweat lodges.
Feel free to reach out if you are interested in any of these retreats and events. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have!
Mother Earth experiences four main seasons every year, with the transitions marked by Solstice and Equinox. Solstice and Equinox are significant astrological markers that are not only a time to focus on the external changing of seasons but your internal landscape too. So, with the March Equinox coming up, what should you do?
The March Equinox is the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the Spring Equinox. And in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the Autumnal Equinox. Read on to learn more about how to celebrate Equinox and find balance during this time.
What Is an Equinox?
An Equinox is when the night and day are equal in length, with the term Equinox coming from Latin, meaning ‘equal night’. Spring and Autumn arrive on Equinox, whereas Solstice marks Winter and Summer. The two Equinoxes on Earth occur around March 20th and September 22nd each year.
Astrologically, an Equinox occurs because the sun is directly above the equator at noon. After the March Equinox, the sun’s subsolar point begins to travel North, marking the season of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
Why Is Equinox Important?
Equinox does not only mark the change of seasons. Equinox is a time of balance between dark and light, death and life, honoring the struggle and finding peace within it.
The Autumnal Equinox is often a time to celebrate the harvest and what needs to be shed. Whereas the Vernal Equinox marks the return of the light, the Spring, where seeds begin to be planted. And in general, Equinoxes are important times of rebirth and renewal, offering a moment to reflect on how to maintain balance moving forward.
Different cultures believe days like Equinox are the best time to transcend the physical realm, as everything is in balance. This includes the feminine and masculine, the day and the night, the light and the dark.
Also, for many cultures, the March Equinox is considered the first day of the new year. This is because ancient civilizations were in sync with nature, the moon’s movement, and the sun’s movement. Equinox is an important time to reconnect to nature and these cycles.
Equinox Rituals of Ancient Civilizations
Equinox has long held importance in different cultures, with evidence of many Equinox rituals of ancient civilizations. For example, there are many ancient structures aligned with the stars around the world, which people would gather at during significant dates, such as Equinox. These include Stonehenge in England and El Castillo in Mexico.
There were different Equinox rituals of ancient civilizations, including ceremonies, parades, offerings, plantings, and music. It was seen as a time to give thanks, gather in community, and connect to the elements.
How To Celebrate Equinox Today
Many cultures still celebrate Equinox. For example, the March Equinox is the Pawkar Raymi celebration for Mother Earth and Harvest in Ecuador. These celebrations are often referred to as ‘Mushuk Nina,’ which roughly translates to new fire, so a time of cleansing, renewal, and harvest.
There are many other ways to celebrate Equinox and mark this important astrological event.
Gather in Community and Give Thanks
Equinox is the perfect time to gather in a community and show gratitude toward your loved ones. It can be a time to renew connections and restore balance in relationships. If you cannot gather with loved ones, find a local community event, write a gratitude list, or send messages of thanks.
Be Around a Fire
As Equinox is a time of renewal and a restoration of balance, it is a great time to be around our grandfather fire. He has the power to cleanse, ground, and help you find alignment once more. Attend a sweat lodge, go to a plant medicine ceremony, join a fire circle, or light a candle and meditate.
Get Outside
Equinox is not only a reflection of the outer landscape but the inner world too. Women experience all the seasons every month as part of their moon cycle. However, Equinox is also a significant time for the sun, marking its journey to balance, so it is a time for everyone to recap and give thanks for what has passed during the season.
Spend time outdoors, connect to Mother Earth, and check in with how your inner nature is doing. You can recap your time since the last Equinox and determine what you need to find balance in yourself again.
Connect to Music
Listening to music, playing an instrument, or singing can help raise your vibration and change your energy. If you feel unbalanced, take a moment to pause and connect to this powerful medicine. Music is the perfect way to find your rhythm, send prayers, and express thanks, especially during Equinox when energies are coming into alignment.
Attend an Equinox Plant Medicine Retreat
Ayllu Medicina is holding a March plant medicine retreat to honor the time of Equinox. This transformational plant medicine retreat is the perfect way to renew, join in community, connect to the elements, and find your equilibrium. There will be a variety of ceremonies and activities to help you find balance, including:
Ayahuasca ceremonies
A San Pedro ceremony
Sweat lodges (temazcales)
Daily yoga, meditation, and breathwork
The sacred plant medicines can help you make space to welcome in the new season, connect to your heart’s center, and let go of what no longer serves you. The temazcales are also powerful medicine for purification and rebirth, so you will feel renewed for the seasons ahead.
The plant medicine retreat will also help you restore balance through nutritious food, daily yoga practice, meditation, and breathwork. After all, in order to transcend physical limitations, you need to care for your body and find balance here first.
We will also be focusing on music during this March plant medicine retreat in Ecuador as a way to connect to your heart’s rhythm and the elements. There will be drum circles, song sharing, and workshops to learn more about this powerful medicine.
Celebrate March Equinox and Find Balance Within
The March Equinox is the perfect opportunity to pause and give thanks to Mother Earth; for all the ways she supports us, including through her changing seasons. Equinox is also the ideal time to pause, go inwards, and check that your inner landscape is also finding ways to maintain balance.
Connecting to the rhythm of your heart will help you find peace within the light and dark, recognizing these seasons are part of planting new seeds, healing wounds, shedding what no longer serves you, and making space for new energy and growth.
If you are wondering how to celebrate Equinox this March and connect to your heart’s rhythm, join one of our Ayllu Medicina 2024 events! We have a sweat lodge and meditation on 21st March at 4pm, then a San Pedro ceremony on 23rd March at 9.30pm (spaces are limited, please reserve your spot).
You may take several steps when preparing for your first plant medicine ceremony, including fasting, setting intentions, meditation, and a good rest. But nothing can prepare you for the role of music in your first ceremony. You quickly learn that the medicine is not only the sacred plants but there are also other crucial ingredients, including you and the music.
The various ingredients that make up your ceremony are the reasons why sitting with sacred plant medicines is an individual experience. However, there is also a collective experience when you sit in a group ceremony, with one of the biggest shared surprises being the pivotal role of music. As they say, music is medicine, which makes sense in plant medicine ceremonies. Music can also aid your journey after the ceremony, once you return to the ceremony of life. Read on to learn more about plant medicine music and how you can connect to this music.
Plant Medicine and Music: The Sacred Connection
Music is medicine in many people’s lives. You may play instruments, use music to express yourself, or listen to music regularly. And you can probably relate to how a song can instantly change your mood, help emotions flow, or raise your energy. Music’s integral role in everyday life helps explain why music is often used in plant medicine ceremonies, weaving together with the sacred plants. Music can change your consciousness, raise your vibration, and cast spells.
Common ceremonies with music include specific types of Ayahuasca ceremonies, Peyote ceremonies, and San Pedro ceremonies. Not all types of ceremonies include music; however, many indigenous cultures use music as part of ceremonies and to facilitate healing. The shaman uses music for multiple purposes, such as to greet the medicine, connect to the spirit world, and facilitate healing. The songs or instrumentals help assist a person’s journey, instantly changing the ceremonial atmosphere, providing relief, raising the psychedelic experience, or helping ground participants when the ceremony is nearing its end. There has been a lot of research on the therapeutic role of music, including the role of certain types of music in plant medicine ceremonies. Susana Bustos, Ph.D., describes Ayahuascha chants (Icaros) as ‘the musical manifestation of the spiritual essence of the natural element,’ for example.
Types of Plant Medicine Music
Plant medicine music can fall under various genres. Certain types of music are used with specific plants, whereas other sacred songs are traditional to a particular culture or can be used in multiple settings, such as songs devoted to Mother Earth. You may find music related to specific sacred plant medicines and sacred instruments. Or you may discover plant medicine music grouped under a genre, such as
Icaros (Ikaros)
Shamanism
Neo-pagan music
Folk music
Ceremonial music
Plant medicine music
These are just several of the many types of music you may hear in plant medicine ceremonies. The music you hear can depend on the plant you’re sitting with, the culture the ceremony is honoring, what is needed in the ceremony, and who is leading the ceremony. Sometimes people also share children’s or traditional songs from their own culture.
Sacred Musical Instruments
There are different sacred musical instruments used around the world in ceremonies. These are some of the instruments we use in ceremonies, including sweat lodges, San Pedro, and Ayahuasca ceremonies:
The Chakapa
The Chakapa is spelled in different ways and has different names. It is a ritual leaf rattle often used in Ayahausca ceremonies and individual healing rituals. It makes a rhythmic and healing rustling sound, aiding songs the Shaman sings. Some say they carry the wind of the forest in them due to their healing sound, which can help send people into a trance.
The Rattle
Rattles (also known by names such as ‘sonaja’ in Spanish) are used in various ceremonies. These include San Pedro ceremonies and temazcals. The person singing usually plays the rattle, holding it level with their heart, sending their prayers through song. Rattles are filled with seeds, beads, or another filling to make the sound. Different types of rattles are used in plant medicine ceremonies, such as the Chakapa and Gourd Rattle. Another example is if a woman is on her moon (menstruation time). She will be given a moon rattle, which focuses on containing energy instead of raising it.
The Drum
The drum (el tambor in Spanish) is used around the world, with many different types being used in plant medicine ceremonies. Often the drum is seen as the connection between heaven and earth. Drums we use in ceremonies include:
The water drum
Shamanic drum
Handpan drum
A water drum is said to represent the heart of a little boy. The combination of the drum filled with water and the leather drumhead makes a powerful drumbeat sound. The water drum is used in a variety of ceremonies, including certain Peyote ceremonies.
The shamanic drum is also known by other names, and cultures use it worldwide. Traditionally, this drum is made with animal hide, such as deer hide, but now some drums use other materials. There are also different drum-making techniques depending on the culture.
This type of drum is used in a variety of ceremonial and ritual settings. For example, it is used for shamanic drum journeys and in temazcales to accompany the singer. Playing the drum can also help you connect to your rhythm, heart, and voice.
The handpan drum is a beautiful drum that provides sound healing through its vibration. Our shaman Aimé Bertot plays a similar drum, often during Ayahuasca ceremonies, to help raise the vibration and connect you to your essence.
The Flute
There are different types of flutes, such as Ecuador’s rondador, the quena, and the Native American flute. The flute is used for rituals, energetic healing, meditation, and traditionally for courtship or communication. You can find many flute songs to learn or play some of your favorite plant medicine songs.
The Mouth Harp
The mouth harp is also known by other names, such as the jaw harp, and is a popular instrument retreat participants enjoy learning. It is an incredibly powerful instrument that can invoke spirits in plant medicine ceremonies. The origins of the mouth harp are unclear, but it is played around the world. There are different styles, such as the Vietnamese mouth harp.
Connecting to Plant Medicine Music
One of the best ways to connect to plant medicine music is to try a sacred instrument, attend a plant medicine ceremony, or a medicine music song circle. Many people begin to learn medicine music songs to share in ceremonies, too, even if they have not sung before!After all, evidence has found that singing is great medicine, with or without plant medicine. Connecting to plant medicine music can help you discover your voice and realize that everyone can sing when it is from the heart.
Tips for Connecting to Plant Medicine Music
There are several tips that can be useful to know when connecting to plant medicine music:
When possible, pass tobacco and ask for a song you hear in the ceremony or at a plant medicine retreat
Understand the lyrics of the songs you sing
Confirm whether you can sing songs in all settings
Learn one song at a time
Traditionally, you would pass tobacco to the singer of a song you hear in a ceremony to receive the song. You should still do this when possible. However, now, with the rise of the internet, you can access plant medicine music online. Connect to the original artist when possible, and support them on their platforms.
When you learn a song, understand what you are singing about and learn it well; quality over quantity! For example, if you learn Quechua medicine songs or a song with a Native American nation’s language, check the song’s meaning. Understanding the music honors its prayer and helps you sing it with intention or listen to it at the right time.
It will also ensure you sing it in the right setting and at the right time, for example, during the round of temazcal that honors that specific element. As you will experience in a ceremony, plant medicine songs can be incredibly powerful, so learning how to work with them correctly can support healing instead of hinder it.
You should only sing some songs in specific ceremonies. If you are unsure, you can check with the leader of your ceremony, as different cultures can also vary in how they carry out ceremonies and connect to plant medicine music. During Ayllu Medicina plant medicine retreats, we often hold song sharing circles, so you can learn some plant medicine songs and share some of your own music.
Plant Medicine Artists To Follow
There is a lot of ceremonial medicine music to find online, making it hard to know where to begin! Ayllu Medicina has a Medicine Music playlist you can listen to on Spotify. You can also search for specific songs, such as Shamanic songs and ritual chants, or check out these artists:
Pájaros de Luz, Hwaneetah and Aimé Bertot
Pájaros de Luz, meaning birds of light, is created by Hwaneetah and Aimé Bertot, our guides during Ayllu Medicina retreats. They have been holding ceremonies, creating plant medicine music, and playing a variety of instruments for many years. Pájaros de Luz is their first published collection of songs honoring Mother Earth and the divine light in all beings. Their second album, Sumac Wayra, is coming soon!
Their songs are a mix of original compositions and a few inspired by traditional songs. You can access their medicine song lyrics on the above link, or come to a plant medicine retreat in Ecuador and hear the music for yourself!
Santiago Andrade Leon
Santiago Andrade Leon is a spiritual leader, medicine man, and Ecuadorian Andean doctor who shares his art in different forms, including medicine music. He runs Vision Quest at Ayapuma, which Ayllu Medicina, and many of our retreat participants, attend. He also runs a vision quest in Sicily at Nina Urcu. Santiago’s music is influenced by more than 30 years on the spiritual path of Sumak Kawsay, with songs honoring different plant medicines, such as Awakolla songs and Icaros (Ayahuasca songs). His albums include:
Taita Kuraka Imbabura
Sinchi
Sumak Nina
Santiago Andrade Leon also creates music under the music channel Kurakas, which includes collaborations with other healers, including his wife, medicine woman, and spiritual leader Andrea Calderon. His music features the gourd rattle, the water drum, the guitar, and other sacred instruments that honor plant medicines, the elements, and Mother Earth. Santiago’s songs facilitate plant medicine journeys, elevate prayers and provoke healing.
Curawaka
Curawaka describes their music as ‘sacred world music,’ with members coming from around the world. Their vocalist Anna Bariyani sings in seven languages, and all members have spent years learning from indigenous cultures around the globe. They compose original songs and share versions of traditional songs they love. These include He Yamo Yo, Noku Mana, and Cuñaq, songs you often hear in plant medicine ceremonies.
Abuela Malinalli
Abuela Malinalli was the guardian and leader of the Ollintlahuimetztli Moon Dance circle in Mexico. She passed in 2020. Her music includes many popular plant medicine songs, such as ‘Abuelito Fuego,’ ‘Mira Quien Viene,’ ‘Caminaré,’ and ‘Porque Te Quiero Tanto.’
Starling Arrow
Starling Arrow is a project by artists who also produce their own work; Leah Song and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia, Tina Malia, Ayla Nereo, and Marya Stark. You can also check out their individual music. They are a folk group from the United States and Costa Rica.
Shipibo Shamans
The Shipibo people are from the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Their shamans sing Icaros, traditional indigenous Amazonian songs that are medicine music in Ayahuasca ceremonies.. These Ayahuasca medicine songs guide the journey, aid healing, and can send participants into trance-like states.You can listen to some of these Icaros online on the albums Woven Songs of the Amazon, parts one and two. You can also search for more Ayahuasca songs (icaros) by searching for Ayahuasca ceremony music.
Louie Gonnie
Louie Gonnie is a singer-songwriter of the Navajo people. He learned many Peyote songs from his grandfather, medicine man Haastiin Gonnie, and has been singing since the age of 5. He began composing his songs, inspired by his experiences with the Native American Church and sometimes accompanied by other Diné singers, such as Branson Gorman.
The Power of Plant Medicine Music
Attending plant medicine ceremonies helps you understand that everything can be medicine. Ceremonies include multiple ingredients that impact your journey, with one of the main ones being the music.If you get the opportunity to attend a plant medicine ceremony, live medicine music circle, or a plant medicine retreat, you will get to experience this for yourself. However, listening to the list of plant medicine artists, including our guides, Pájaros de Luz, is a good start.
Delving deeper into the genre will also be medicine for you. Music is at the heart of Ayllu Medicina’s transformational plant medicine retreats in Ecuador. We hold song circles, share instruments, and include music in all our ceremonies.If you’re interested in attending one of our retreats or ceremonies, contact us to learn more! Our March retreat will have an emphasis on medicine music.