More on Ayahuasca

I wanted to follow up fred's excellent post on his ayahuasca experience - particularly for those who have not experienced one. This is an excerpt from a previous writing:

 

 

One of the really interesting things about doing the journeys for me 

was that they were each totally unique. I am sure if I had done ten more 

that all twenty would have been unique. Not all of them were "great" 

experiences. Some were quite uncomfortable. If you have ever read the 

great science fiction book by Frederik Pohl called Gateway, you will 

understand what taking a journey is like. It's a complete crap shoot as to 

what kind of experience you will have and what you will take from it. 

Having said that, though, I wouldn't trade what I got from a single one 

of them for anything. Many of the insights I gained are in this book. One 

of the most important things one can learn from a process like this is 

how your guides communicate with you. Journeys are like astral travel, 

in that there can be a lot of information, delivered in a unique way. In 

my case, it was very visual. I had incredible "visions" which incorporat- 

ed metaphor to communicate. I instantly learned that a picture really is 

worth a thousand words! Especially when it is accompanied by a certain 

feeling. Whole concepts can be communicated quickly and effectively 

in metaphor using images. In my case, this was the method that most of 

the information I received came in, although there were exceptions to 

this as well. 

 

One of the aspects of the ayahuasca experience is the overwhelming 

"presence" of the drug when it comes on really strong. It's like a weight 

that is enveloping you, prodding you, maybe even crushing you. It is 

relentless in its pressure, and it forces you to come to terms with what it 

has brought up. It acts like a hand tightening on a tube of toothpaste. If 

the cap is off, stuff will come gushing out. If the cap is on, then some- 

thing is gonna blow! Usually vomit, as that is the body's way of coun- 

teracting the pressure, and is usually effective in releasing it for a time. 

After about my third journey, I never vomited again. I came to expect 

the pressure and to look for what it was squeezing from me. It was a 

matter of recognizing the relationship I had with the plant, and allowing 

it. Because of the weight of the drug, and what it sometimes brought up, 

the overall feeling from the relationship was one of darkness, and ritual. 

There was a palpable presence that intertwined and clung, that was as in- 

escapable as your own inner self. It had a way of taking your conscious- 

ness deeper into yourself and forcing you to go there. In the first several 

journeys, it was really hard to do that, as I knew I wasn't going to like 

what I would find. But after visiting that place several times, you begin 

to get comfortable with it, and this is where the real gold is found. 

 

Ultimately, what the "pressure" of the drug was able to do was clean 

up the garbage that was blocking the chakras and their proper function. 

Once this garbage was reduced to a certain level, I believe it was my 

third or fourth journey, there was a sudden opening of the flow of en- 

ergy, experienced as a lifting of the veil, a sudden expansion of radiant 

joy that was literally like a large door being lifted up and the bright light 

of the day shining into the once dark space. At this point, there is aware- 

ness. There is information. There is dialogue. It all becomes clear, and 

the purpose of that particular journey is brought forth for your review 

and understanding. It is this experience that makes the idea of enduring 

the physical aspects of the drug bearable and nothing more than a slight 

nuisance. Again, there was no guarantee that you would have such an 

experience every journey, but we all kept coming back for more in hopes 

that this one would be the one that brought that particular sensation.