Sachamama

Sachamama, an amazon sanctuary of vision and prayer. We began our spiritual journey to Peru in the Amazon city of Iquitos. Iquitos is a sprawling city of at least 300,000 people that rests on & close to the Amazon and other major jungle rivers. A good portion of the city has been built right on the river, and this is called the floating village. People live in these floating raft homes. It is quite interesting too to see they have pets, chickens and dogs walk around the outside edge of the square perimeter of their houses. The massive jungle city can only be reached from outside by boat or plane. We stayed at Sachamama the peaceful jungle home of shaman and artist, Don Franscisco, far enough from the Iquitos center to get a feeling of jungle living.
Us in our Tambo the night of our first Ayuasca ceremony

Don Fran & Rachael

The keeper of the Ayuyuasca brew

At Sachamama Ahayuasca ceremonies are performed twice a week at night in a lodge exposed to the elements of the jungle. Ayayuasca is a sacred medicine of the jungle that produces many visions after being ingested. Ayayuasca is a combination of ingredients, a chopped vine found around many trees in the amazon and the leaves of a certain shrub. The potion is cooked in a cauldron for 2 days along with some other ingredients. After 2 days of cooking an incredibly powerful liquid medicine is left. Only a couple tablespoons can take you on an opened eyed journey that lasts many hours and perhaps a lifetime. Upon arrival to Sachamama we began preparing for our Ayayuasca ceremony by eating a specially prepared diet, we were bathed in flowers and herbs, surrounded by healing songs & smoke, and cleansed with a perfume of Don Franscisco's grandmother.

Lydia blessing me


The ceremony with Ayayuasca has very different effects for each person. One person from our group felt that a light was shone on his unconscious and streams of visions unfolded. A light on the unconscious mind can be wonderful for some people if they're ready for an uncensored vision within their mind or it can be a hellish nightmare for others unprepared. Before our first Ayayuasca ceremony, a man from a country somewhere near Russia showed up late in the day with a very heavy energy, he also missed all the pre-preparation for the ceremony, and he experienced a self described living hell for several hours. Although his journey for us, his travelling ceremonial companions, was hard to hear and watch, the next morning, he looked and felt much better and lighter, a lot was healed and released for him. For me the taste of the Ayayuasca was very difficult to stomach, and the natural vomiting that can happen is sometimes very disconcerting, but my journey on the plant medicine was very insightful, revealing, and full of guidance. For a short period afterwards and sometimes during my journey my physical energy levels felt very low while extrordinary images and life danced alive around me, it was as if my physical body was dying. On Ayayuasca the jungle pulsated with life and became very interactive. It was so interesting and nice to experience the amazon jungle in this way. Don Franscico and his Angels of the Jungle sang wonderful caros (songs) for our entire journey. The jungle seemed very appreciative of these melodies and wrapped us in energetic blankets of warmth and safety while we explored the medicine of Ayayuasca. The next morning after the ceremony we all gathered and discussed our journey and prepared for the next ceremony. We were given a plant, Ajosacha, to drink morning and night to facilitate our healing and cleansing. If we had stayed longer we would have kept exploring the energies of other jungle plants and medicines.
Don Fran's Art Studio & Paintings (below)







Don Francisco is a shaman that has a great heart and kindness, and a love for plant medicines and their guidance. He is also a visionary artist. His Ayayuasca inspired paintings are fascinating and unique. He has a huge gallery for his pieces in the main hall, and a painting studio near-by that is open for all to use if you decide to capture a jungle experience on a banana leaf canvas. Our friend Cherie painted two spiritual paintings after her ceremonies that are very beautiful.

Cherie Painting

Cruising in Iquitos

Cherie, me & Steve with the Amazon River in the background

Our farewell photo

Our journey began in the jungles of Peru, and would head to the high Andes of Cuzco, the spiritual umbilical cord to the world, the land on top of mountains, the land with the rainbow as their flag, the land of great heart. Stay tuned.....



"Our cover photo" by Osmany

Condor