Australian travellers seeking a spiritual awakening are jetting 15,000km to join ayahuasca retreats in Peru where they apparently undergo transformative experiences.
Ron Wheelock is an Iquitos-based shaman from the midwest United States who trained for many years with indigenous curanderos in Peru. Ron was called by the spirit of ayahuasca to do his healing work and in many ways he epitomises the new breed of Western shamans following indigenous wisdom. Here Ron discusses how he got involved with ayahuasca and was called on the path of shamanism, his experiences with DMT, the spirit world and treating Western ayahuasca seekers…
With a smile so bright it could illuminate a continent, female shaman Adela Navas de Garcia is a vibrant healer from Iquitos, Peru. Mother to 8 children, she has treated patients throughout her local community for more than 50 years, and more recently she sometimes treats Westerners interested in ayahuasca too.
While it’s doubtful that any movie will ever be quite as impactful as a deep psychedelic journey, Rak Razam’s new documentary Aya: Awakenings comes incredibly close. Adapted from Rak’s 2009 book “Aya: A Shamanic Journey,” it chronicles the Australian journalist’s uncanny experiences with ayahuasca and DMT in South America.
