How a person becomes an Ayahuasca shaman

In the Peruvian Amazon jungle there are a large number of tribes with their own customs and ideologies; There are also different types of shamans, who have different skills and work with different types of master plants.

This article has the purpose of explaining in detail the process for a person to become an Ayahuasca shaman.

House to make la Dieta

How is the long process to become an ayahuasca shaman?

Shamans are a fundamental part of ancestral Amazonian medicine, all spiritual practices in the Peruvian Amazon are in a ritualized context according to the traditions and knowledge of the shaman.

Currently in the Peruvian jungle and many places in Peru where Ayahuasca ceremonies are performed, we have shamans from tribes originating from the jungle, Andean shamans who learned from jungle shamans and foreign shamans who learned for many years the ritual context of Ayahuasca ceremonies. .

In this sense, we will begin by first explaining the training process of a native ayahuasca shaman and we will continue in an orderly manner with the following variants.

** If you want to do an Ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon jungle and close to Cusco and Machu Picchu, we have the perfect option for you: Ayahuasca Retreat in the Amazon Jungle of Cusco

1. Autochthonous Ayahuasca Shaman

The first requirement to be considered a native shaman is to have been born in an Amazonian tribe, in the case of the Peruvian jungle, the regions that have 100% Amazon jungle territory are:

1. Loreto
2. Amazon
3. San Martin
4. Ucayali
5. Madre de Dios

In this list are the regions that have a percentage of Amazon rainforest, since they border the first 5:

1. Cusco
2. San Martin
3. Huanuco
4. Pasco
5. Junin
6. Ayacucho
7. Puno

The second requirement is to be a descendant of an ancestral family of shamans, to feel the call of the spirits of the jungle or the master plants or by the own decision of any member of the tribe.

The third requirement is to learn the preparation of Ayahuasca and the entire ritual of an Ayahuasca ceremony. This is a process that is passed down from generation to generation or is learned in months or even years.

The fourth and last requirement is to do the “Diet”, which consists of entering a state of isolation for many months or years. This Diet ritual allows the future ayahuasca shaman to cleanse his body 100% by consuming organic products 100% provided by the jungle; Many of them unconsciously perform intermittent fasting or prolonged fasting, since they usually eat once a day or once every 3 days. Food that normally consists of rice and boiled plantain.

The most important thing about the Diet is that the shaman, by avoiding contact with the outside, comes into direct contact with the spirit of the jungle and the spirit of the master plants. This direct contact with nature allows the shaman to receive through dreams and direct communication the “Icaros” sounds and sacred songs that are used in Ayahuasca ceremonies.

2. Andean or Mestizo Ayahuasca Shamans

An Andean or mestizo shaman is considered any person who was not born in the Amazon jungle, who is nevertheless native and autochthonous to Peru, who may or may not have jungle descent, but who feels the call of mother Ayahuasca.

The first requirement for these people is to perform an Ayahuasca ceremony in the jungle.

Once they feel the call and come into contact with the Ayahausca grandmother, they have to be accepted by an Ayahuasca Shaman Master to be instructed in the preparation and ritual of Ayahuasca; This preparation can last many months or years, depending on the student’s perseverance and his innate qualities.

Finally they have to do the Diet, under the strict supervision of their Master Ayahuasca Shaman. Some Mestizo Shamans acquire their Icaros directly from nature or learn them from their shaman master.

3. Foreign shamans

This type of shaman is usually the one who participates in an Ayahuasca ceremony in order to improve an aspect of their life, cure an addiction or enhance emotional and spiritual aspects and who during their Ayahuasca ceremony in the jungle, felt the call of Ayahuasca and decided to train to become Ayahuasca Shaman.

Just like mestizo shamans, they have to carry out the same process already described.