Professional Documents
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The Cactus of Vision - San Pedro
The Cactus of Vision - San Pedro
SH SUMMER 2004 29
comfortable with us. The chunganas
are to give us ‘enchantment’
(protection and positive energy) and
they have a relaxing effect when
taking san pedro.
30 SH SUMMER 2004
an organ ill or whatever, or make through any one of the senses - and tobacco. But it is to protect we must
their work go badly wrong.They sound, vision, smell, or a feeling himself from the person’s acknowledge
have the power to get to their spirit. inside of what the person is negativity and illness, not because that we, as
And people can even do harm to feeling, a weakness, a pain or he needs it to have the vision. humans, have
themselves. For example, if a whatever. Sometimes, for instance, realised from
person has bad intentions towards a bad taste in the mouth may JUAN NAVARRO is a descendant of a long
lineage of healers and shamans working with earliest times
another and that person is well indicate a bad liver. the magical powers of Las Huaringas. that knowledge
protected with an encanto, (amulet) All the things on the mesa are PETER CLOUDSLEY has built up an
then he will do himself harm. perfectly normal, natural things: exstensive archive of traditional Peruvian
goes beyond
chontas, swords, stones etc. They music and interviews. He teaches courses on sensory
music and popular culture in Latin America
How does the ‘rastreo’ have just received a treatment - and speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese. awareness or
[diagnosis through psychic like a radio tuned to a certain HOWARD G. CHARING is a co-director of the rational
Eagle's Wing Centre for Contemporary way of
means] work? Are you in an frequency - so they can heal Shamanism. He has studied plant spirit
altered state? particular things, weaknesses or medicine with shamans and healers of the understanding
Andes, Amazon Rainforest, and the
No, I’m completely normal and whatever. But always it is Philippines. He has been initiated in the the world
necessary to concentrate on the lineage of the Maestros of the Rio Napo
lucid. What allows the reading of a community in the Upper Amazon and has been
person’s past, present or future, is sacred lakes, Las Huaringas. baptised into the Shipibo tribe. Howard San pedro
organises journeys to meet and work with
the strength of the san pedro and these maestros. can take us
tobacco. It is an innate capability - Is it necessary for the maestro directly to a
Details are on www.shamanism.co.uk
not everybody has the gift, you to take san pedro to have or telephone (01273) 882 027 telepathic
can’t learn it from someone, it is vision? communion
Photo of San Pedro Growing in pots
inherited. The perceptions come Of course, he must take san pedro © Organic Shamanic and show us
that there is
no such
thing as an
inanimate
object
Everything
in the universe
is alive and has
a spirit. This is
the gift of the
plants which
offer us a
doorway into
the infinite
People
gather for a
san pedro
Ceremony.
On the floor
the maestro
has set up
his mesa
SH SUMMER 2004 31