Now it was being discussed over breakfast lunch and dinner...
San Pedro, a common Cactus growing throughout the continent, although "it´s home" more commonly associated with the lush hippy dippy town of Vilcabamba (Ecuador)...
Besides it´s associations with Vilcabamba... The San Pedro Cactus was more famous for it´s supposed hallucinogenic (and token Medicinal) effects.
They (the group of people I had befriended... and shared most of my meals with) had partaken in (the rather ridiculously named)"Scared Medicine Journey".... a "spiritual ceremony" where one would consume the cactus...
... it´s aftermath was high on the topic of conversation (although most comments were frustratingly fluffly and a bit vague).
This would be one of the occasions were I felt compelled to "scratch that itch" and fulfill my curiosity.
I arranged a meeting with (the rather mystic) Felicia (Mystic... because she would squint every time she would say something profound)... An Austrian Shaman (or Sha-woman in this case) who had made Vilcabamba home for the last 25 years.
Felicia explained to me "the journey" and it´s procedures (...although I was still none the wiser afterward)
...establishing that we were going to sit by a fire, stay up all night and take Drugs...all (of course) in the formalities of a respectable ancient indigenous "ceremony".
I filled the remaining time between then and Sunday going on the many (excellent) independent hikes, drinking vegetable smoothies and getting attacked by dogs.
After fasting the entire day, the ceremony began at 9pm with Felicia wafting us (their were 3 others) with "Herby" smoke (this was supposed to represent the eradicating of bad spirits).... then came some chanting, drumming and prayer to "the pachamama" (Mother Earth).
This was followed by the consumption of "the medicine"... A rather unpleasant tasting green liquid which induces (almost certain) Nausea and Vomiting.
3 hours of Silence and contemplation pass (interrupted (of course) by the occasional song of barfing).
Little by little my vision began to blur, shapes confused... and before I knew it this (initially rather skeptical) gringo...was "off his tits".
For the remainder of the evening I fell in and out of conscienceness...experiencing the most intense (unfortunately indescribable) flowing visuals...Occasionally giving me feelings of euphoria...and occasionally fear...
...
..
.
After what felt like one of the longest (but shortest..."man") nights of my life, Dawn came...
(Exhausted but compelled) I mustered the little energy I had and fulfilled my urge to explore (the ever "coming to life" garten).
From that moment onwards "my trip" took on a inquisitive, exploratory nature... Like a child I found every experience...touch, smell, feeling... new and fascinating.
Feeling at one with nature, wrapped up in flower power and smiling from ear to ear... it would of been entertaining to watch these wide eyed, giggling zombies walking around bare footed... caressing trees.
...Felicia´s (very "fluffly feeling") animals only enhanced the experience...
...
..
.
(Still off our boxes) lunch time came and the ceremony was closed with a prayer and offering of wine to the pachamama
(although a little part of me died inside when we were "watering" the cacti with Reserva)
All in all it was (dare I say it) one of the better experiences of my trip... what with it being a bit "Far out"... and that...
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