experiential

My pulsing energy within is the intertwined feminine Serpent and the masculine Jaguar. This is the conjunction of power where earth meets sky and the sun and moon energies collide. The Hindu chakra system of ascension of the earth based feminine Kundalini serpent tells half of this eternal story. The masculine energy as a bull or feline descends into our sacred vessels from the sky. The meeting place of these two lovers is in the centre, the fourth chakra, which is the heart chakra.

It’s through the use of psychedelic substances that I was able to sense this eternal truth and subsequently make the connection to ancient spiritual paths. Consciousness altering methods allow the human access to obfuscated sense perceptions normally unavailable to us.

The ascension of the serpent gives rise to achievement and spurs on the masculine goal of enlightenment of our physical form. The descending of the masculine energy as spirit is the energy to rouse the sleeping serpent. I experienced this in an Ayahuasca ceremony where I envisioned my crown chakra being permanently opened and the white light continuously entering and lighting up the seven energy centres in a continual process as each chakra lit up with its respective colour. It was during a Vilca experience a year and a half later where I witnessed these eternal and imperishable beings made of love and powered by ever-transforming light. It’s only now that I finally connected these two visions. The beings were composed of the love of the Goddess and the light of the God. This is what is described and experienced in moments of rapture when the Kundalini rises up the Ida channel after the spirit descends the Pingala to rouse and propitiate her. A third plant medicine, Huachuma, first allowed me to physically experience this phenomenon, though at the time I was gobsmacked. The second time I drank Huachuma, the energy within was potentiated and I became lit up with power and disoriented to the novel experience. My whole body was shaking with an intense electrical charge and my heart was fluttering with a tremendous energy load. I closed my eyes and saw an intense ball of white light surrounded by two larger than life serpents. I was experiencing the full effects of the chakra cycle, lit up by the light and the power of the Kundalini serpent. Subsequently with Huachuma, I can experience intense states of an energetic load as I am a conduit for the pulsing of the two eternal energies of the universe. I can also experience this reaction within as a burning hot passionate flame that radiates from my being. I close my eyes and I see smouldering colours of an intensity that is combustible.

The great pre-Columbian South American civilization at Chavín de Huántar, which used the sacrament of Huachuma to build community, deserves a second look in conjunction with the principles ascertained in the chakra system of the Hindus. This post Bronze Age civilization marked a high point and probably the last flicker of a flame of human co-operation before we devolved into a race defined by conflict. Chavín represented the axis mundi and is where the confluence of elemental energies and cultures converged. It is in the stone idol we call the lanzon that the two eternal energies of the feminine serpent and the masculine jaguar come together as one representing the same love and light captured in stone as I detailed above. In addition, the designation of Chavín comes from the transposition of a Quechua word chapin via the root word chaupi which refers to the heart in the middle of this grand reconciliation of all in this great temple in the Peruvian highlands. The connections to the Hindu chakras are tantalizing and helps understand the teachings. The serpent and jaguar, one rising and one falling, meet in the middle at the heart chakra. Our human potential, powered by the rising Kundalini becomes conjoined with the descent into the human of our spiritual potential which then meet in the heart space. We can experience rapture with the rising energy while the spiritual energy comes to awaken our eternal self and lift us up.

I’ve experienced this, seen it at work, and then saw my destiny as an imperishable and eternal being made of the love of the serpent and the ever-transforming light of the jaguar. I finally added it up and can now clearly see it.

Within my own European heritage this same knowledge has been preserved in myth. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs representing the feminine presence within the seven energy centres along with the Prince who awakens Sleeping Beauty from her sleep being the masculine power giving the feminine the power to wake up and rise.

This experience of the energy within is real and palpable. I invite us all to go on the most magnificent journey of discovery that will lead to revealing your destiny. 

tobacco healings

The last ceremony of my 2016 trip down into the Amazon jungle involved the inhalation of these seeds that were grounded up and snorted. This substance is called Vilca and it was the first time I had gone through this shamanic initiation. The lead up to the moment was pretty intense as the maestro don Howard makes you question your inner fortitude in addition to forcing you to look within for the necessary courage and bravery to undergo this rite of passage. The visionary chemical components of Vilca consist of two different compounds of the substance dimethyltryptamine as well as bufotenine, which as the Maestro cautioned, may make you feel like you are dying. This initial experience went pretty gentle on me. I floated up through the three shamanic worlds. In the middle world, don Howard was present sitting on a rock ledge waving to me. In the upper world, I looked up and saw a place populated by curanderos and curanderas. I asked my guide what was this place and was told this is where all the great healers reside waiting for their next opportunity to be of service. I was then told that was my destiny and I would accomplish my healing through the use of the jungle tobacco called Mapacho.

When I returned home that summer I reflected upon this visionary experience and concluded the Amazon basin definitely doesn’t need another shaman so I wondered what was meant by becoming a healer. During my work with Ayahuasca that particular trip I was shown I’m not ready yet. I had to complete my worldly obligations before taking up what was calling out to me. I knew there was a connection and I would be patient and just let it unfold.

My first exposure to Mapacho was in 2013. It was strong and pungent. I wasn’t a smoker and treated this jungle tobacco as a local curiosity. When I returned to the Amazon in 2015 at SpiritQuest, don Howard conducted a Mapacho ceremony the first full day at the Sanctuary and treated the tobacco with reverence and respect. He sent us off into the jungle to set our intentions for our coming cycle of work with Ayahuasca. I smoked a full puro for the first time and felt a calming peace envelop me along with light-headedness and slight nausea. During the Ayahuasca ceremonies I grew to dislike the smell of the tobacco spirit as the maloca filled up with its strong aroma due to the incessant smoking by the shamans. I did notice that the shamans used Mapacho to create a circuitous arkana around the physical space for protection. Don Rober personally blessed our crown chakras before each ceremony with smoke which is called a soplando while he continually puffed on Mapacho the whole ceremony. The next morning everyone would go for their flower bath and again don Rober would use tobacco to seal us up energetically. When people came to him intra-ceremony to receive personal healing, he would suck out their energetic blocks and then seal up the disturbance with the smoke of the tobacco. It was quite good theatre. I mean, I’m a western man so I looked upon this as some kind of performative placebo that may or may not help the patient. When we visited other tribes, don Rober would sometimes come along with his Mapacho in tow and offer healing through the blowing of smoke. I watched as he tended to a pregnant woman who was feeling abdominal discomfort, rub her side, and then blew the smoke on the energetic disturbance. How very odd yet intriguing.

In 2016 my relationship to Mapacho changed leading up to the Vilca ceremony. I watched don Howard, the wizard, control the smoke in a ceremony up on the star deck and I was enchanted. I imitated him and in doing so I smoked so much tobacco that night which in conjunction with the Huachuma we had drank earlier in the day sent me into an energetic frenzy. I had so much energy coursing through me that I was pinned to the ground. I pressed my lips to the earth to try and dissipate the energetic storm. The power was definitely off the charts. It all culminated that evening with the vision concerning healing with Mapacho. The trajectory of my life was inexorably altered on that day.

I brought home a bunch of Mapacho and after a month or so started to smoke them while observing and recording the experience. It was definitely a rush, an agitation of the central nervous system, and I could feel the activation and rising power within. I made a conscious effort to be respectful of the spirit and conducted a small ceremony with each puro smoked. I watched out for any signs of addiction or dependence. I felt none and learned respect was the key.

Presently, my daily routine consists of making time to be in communion with the spirit of Mapacho. Mapacho is my teacher and my ally back here at home. He helps me integrate all my experiences and teaches me to quiet the mind, open the heart, and let the knowledge come to me. He offers strength and protection to those who come with a respectful attitude. I’ve spent about five years now in a relationship with Mapacho and haven’t forgotten my vision of becoming a healer through the use of tobacco though I did lose track of time and should have realized the time suggested by my visions was drawing near.

In the western world the idea of healing through tobacco is preposterous. The first reaction of all who I mention my tobacco friend to generally consists of the question: “Aren’t you afraid of addiction and getting cancer?” Culture has put one over on us. It’s a really good study of how culture works in that we have been brainwashed to immediately correlate tobacco with cancer; cancer being pretty much the unhealthiest state the body can be in. The dissonance is incredible and there’s no way you can remain a pawn of culture and continue along this path. I constantly write in this blog space about liberation and freeing yourself from others and the stultifying effects of culture. Well, here you go. To become a healer who uses tobacco as the main source of providing the healing means releasing oneself from the bondage of his fellow man and the chains of culture.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been the impetus for finding within the strength to operate independent of society as much as possible. Peer pressure, coercion, expectations, disappointments, and judging minds all sneer at you as you walk free of their control. If this was a test, I aced it, and gave the middle finger to culture. I embodied the “you do you and I’ll do me” philosophy to a tee. I’m liberated! My mind is free and I’m a critical thinker.

I’m a mystic with a foot still in the word of logic and reason. I was researching the effects of Covid-19 on the body which led me to understanding the most harmful part of the disease is the body’s reaction to the invader. The virus is so pernicious that the immune system goes on high alert and releases a storm of killer cells called cytokines to fend off the pathogen. I suppose the immune system sees this potential grave threat and has to do whatever possible to rid the organism of the invader. The result is massive inflammation within the body which could cause damage to vital organs if the cytokine storm gets out of control.

https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/the-coronavirus-turns-deadly-when-it-leads-to-cytokine-storm-identifying-this-immune-response-is-key-to-patients-survival-report.html

While educating myself, I came across a study which curiously demonstrated that chronic smokers disproportionately were admitted to the hospital because of the symptoms of Covid-19. The first reaction would be of course they would be disproportionally affected because smoking damages the lungs and a respiratory illness would be trouble. However, the data showed the opposite. Way less smokers were being admitted than the general population. I researched further and found out that the drug found within tobacco with a bad name for its addictive qualities, nicotine, is responsible for this situation. The effects of nicotine within the body modulates the release of cytokines. I’m no scientist, so, it’s best I quote from studies concerning this finding:

Daily active smokers are infrequent among outpatients or hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Several arguments suggest that nicotine is responsible for this protective effect via the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Nicotine may inhibit the penetration and spread of the virus and have a prophylactic effect in COVID-19 infection.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04583410

Nicotine, an α7-nACh receptor agonist, may boost the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and hinder the uncontrolled overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is understood to be the main pathway to poor outcomes and death in severe COVID-19.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33269148/

This led to discovering a similar situation during the outbreak in 2010 of the H1N1 flu virus:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0086166

And to complete the descent into the rabbit hole of the protective qualities of tobacco, I found references to the prophylactic role tobacco played during the Black Plague that swept across Europe 600 years ago:

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/05/great-plague-london/

If I say to someone that nicotine will protect them from the serious effects of Covid-19, the immediate reaction is a smile, followed by a laugh, while waiting for me to finish the joke. This is a prime example of how culture and the repetition of cultural “truths” inculcate within a knee-jerk response to any information that leads to severe cognitive dissonance. The next utterance out of the mouth of someone who has been given this information is, “Well, so they don’t get Covid but instead get cancer. No thanks.” There it clearly is. Tobacco = cancer. How about a nicotine patch or nicotine chewing gum? Do we not want to save lives or are vaccines the only way? So we are told.

Puzzled but not surprised by the power inherent by constant repetition, I thought of IQ tests for some unknown reason. I remember writing them as a child and being presented an image and having to pick out from a series of following images which did not go with that image. For example, you are shown a firetruck and then four images such as a house on fire, a Dalmatian dog, a fire hydrant, and glass of milk. The house on fire and hydrant are correlative but it is culture that makes you connect the Dalmatian to the firetruck when this image and the milk should be valid answers. Culture told me the Dalmatian goes with the firetruck just as it tells me tobacco goes with cancer. Imagine from this simple example how those in charge of my education could program my mind and then leave me to live out my life within that state of mind. Part of the IQ test reveals your level of brainwashing. Too bad for them I woke up.

Mapacho contains up to 18% nicotine and no tar. Mapacho is a pretty harsh smoke and is near impossible to take into your lungs without a coughing fit. Commercial cigarettes contain just 1% nicotine and about 30% tar. The diseases caused by smoking are directly related to the effects of tar or the chemical additives within western brand cigarettes. The additives are used to make the effects of nicotine more addictive and to take away the harshness of smoking so the consumer can pull the smoke into the lungs and increase the absorption and rewards. Adding ammonia to the leaf during the tobacco manufacturing process makes the experience smooth however burning ammonia with nicotine creates a chemical reaction that results in free-base nicotine which gets to the brain in a hurry and makes it highly addictive. These tobacco companies also add sugars into cigarettes which also leads to a less irritating smoke. However, when these sugars are burned they create toxic compounds called aldehydes which cause heart and lung diseases and cancers of the lung and bladder.

My intuition is on high-alert and the connection between my life, my visions, the pandemic, and the role nicotine can play in protecting and healing us from these pathogens is clear. I’d go far as saying the relationship of humans to tobacco is symbiotic and we threw it all away on the all too familiar altar of power. The pursuit of power by using tobacco for gain turned a great healing agent of humanity into a killer. How sad.

I sometimes ask Pachamama how can I be of service? How can I help? The answer seems pretty clear and has been laid out for me. I need to educate myself further concerning Mapacho and learn as much as I can about the plant. I’ll bring Mapacho back into my world as an ambassador for pure Mapacho tobacco armed with knowledge and an inner knowing of my relationship with the spirit of the plant.

tell the truth

Life is one big game of obfuscation and denial, creating a story and character in order to deflect the prying eyes of the judge we all contain within us and externally manifest as culture. Our story hides us from our truth. The judges within society want to see behind the curtain to determine what makes me tick however it’s the same thing that makes them tick. They just live in denial and also have created a persona to bury their lusts, though eventually all comes up to the surface and desires have to be met. Why would I be different? I want to go to church so I can sit there and laugh. Look at all the phony holy and righteous. Wow. What did you do in your life that you aren’t so proud of? So much so, you think you needed to be saved. Why not admit you’re a scoundrel? We all are potential reprobates. If we lay those cards on the table at the beginning of the game then we’d understand each other better and we could get down to creating way more pleasure than the pain we materialize.

My plant medicine journeys definitely have revealed to me the casino nature of life and how this is the big game of chance, skill, and rewards. I had no idea what I was seeing during an early vision of the hypnotic nature of existence and I still find it very mysterious however when I sank down into my depths I remember seeing spinning representations of the four suits in a deck of cards. Everything was hypnotic, sketchy, and there was a definite unease running through the experience. I ended up in the lair of a demon who proceeded to scare the shit out of me and I ran. I didn’t even know where I was running to but just had to do the flight thing because fight was definitely not in the cards. The rest of the night was a thorough beatdown, drumming into me what a degenerate I was and how I played the game well and kept all my carnal lusts and desires hidden. One day, all my secrets would be revealed and being a libertine, I’m destined to die miserable and alone.

We all do the dance, so, it’s not like I’m someone special in that regard and the script is probably interchangeable. It was only when I learned to tell the truth that I was able to reconcile my perceived deviancy. The best advice I have ever received in this regard came from Ram Dass via his guru Maharaji: “Love all and tell the truth.” Loving all enables within the power of love and allows you to understand the enormous power that is within your form. You have no idea of your personal power however there are two relatively easy paths towards feeling that power within and love is one of them. I invite you to love all and experience it, even if temporary. Telling the truth allows you to drop the narrative of self. There is only so far you can get on the spiritual path without embracing truth. The story you tell about yourself in essence strips away the omnipotent power within and you can’t see it because you sacrificed it to play a character. When you start practicing telling the truth, doors to the unknown become unlocked and knowledge is exponentially increased. The astute adherent then has an easy time understanding the knowledge. It’s pretty awesome. I won’t give the show away but instead point you towards these words of advice to love all and tell the truth.

To successfully embark upon the path of liberation requires one to tell the truth. The truth about how you feel and the truth about yourself. Your feelings are never wrong; they may be morally or culturally deviant however it is an accurate barometer of self. The flip side is feelings can be manipulated by culture and others so thus the need for liberation in order to re-discover self. When one hears of someone going on a journey to find themselves this is essentially what they are trying to get at. We tell little stories, which are fancy lies, about ourselves all the time in order to fit in and be consistent. We allow others to control our narrative and we are expected to conform to their expectations. If we do not play along or slip up we are said to be acting out of character. In some instances, one is sent away for psychiatric help or counselling in order to return them to the performance that everyone can count on. That actor is a stooge in someone else’s play. The drama and your part is being written for you. How about you become the writer, director, and actor of your own play? That’s where liberation comes in.

To fully go into the path of liberation involves embracing duality. Embracing duality allows you to separate yourself from others, culture, and the stories you tell about yourself. The separation allows you to live in truth which in turn allows you to sit with who you are. Seeing everything as separate allows you to objectify all. Everyone is an independent being, including the trees and animals. From this state of seeing everything as separate you can then start to let it go one by one. This is where the love of the Goddess comes in and you start the process of tempering your newfound liberation with love which will pull you back towards unity. Instead of dutifully repeating the grand spiritual narrative of oneness, you start from the beginning and see we are all connected which naturally leads to duality falling away. You have liberated yourself and realized in truth everyone you see is you. At first, it’s quite the paradox, however, it is a necessary exercise in order to get to the crux of the mystery.

Do it, go full on into the right-hand path of the individual to the point of pathology where you are so involved in the separation and delineation of self you shine the brightest light possible upon your existence. The self you define splinters and becomes many selves. In fact, we already know we have many iterations of self that we subdivide into our personality traits. Overdose on self! Then you will see the transitory nature of the character you play. The character is real but is ever changing and thus cannot be defined. The only definition I’m sure of regarding form is the verb transformation which means change. It’s what we do. It’s so curious that the form provided by the Goddess is constantly changing in order to stay biologically alive. The pulse of energy is decelerated by the love of the feminine into form and while in form the masculine power creates ego because he wants to have his cake and eat it too. I want to be in a unified form yet also be separate and free! So, the answer is to first go all the way and become free and from the position of liberation invite back in unity and temper your freedom with love.

Liberation is the first step, not love. Free yourself before learning to love. Going into love as the first step prevents you from discovering just whom you really are. Seeking liberation eventually allows you to see you are inseparable from everything and this mystery is the flow of the eternal energy of the divine feminine and masculine coming forth. Liberation will lead to a unity that is tempered by the love of the Goddess.

Going into love as the first step on the spiritual path will suck you into a vortex you will never escape. Liberation will allow you to see those who will suck you in. This is because you want to see the good in others and blinders have been placed on your early warning system. There are many on the path who present themselves as wanting to help and will offer to teach. They will invite you into their world. They are magicians. You can only see it if you are liberated. Following your heart will lead you to these people who weave magic spells and will collect you as a follower. So many are easily seduced and it’s usually pretty benign. Most shamans fall into this category of being a magician as they are creating an aura and persona that is designed to collect you as a follower to which at some point they will take advantage of that relationship. It’s the tried and true human behaviour which has been going on for centuries. A good example of this collecting behaviour is social media. It’s a hangout for magicians who are weaving spells through their words and pictures trying to invite you into their world to become a follower. There’s a hit of egoistic pleasure and power that us humans get from acquiring views, followers, positive comments - negative comments are not welcome as they could break the spell. In essence, it’s all a con. It’s the same behaviour on the spiritual path, whether you choose plant medicines, a religion, a discipline, or a guru and I’d estimate the majority of people you run into playing the part of spiritual guide are doing just this. It’s inviting to try out this method of enchantment if you know you have the power. The spiritual novices are lost and bewildered and when initially taking up the path they are looking for help and a teacher to look up to. For the spiritual magician, it's easy to exchange knowledge for prestige and be placed on a pedestal which leads to the seeker being seduced into becoming a follower. It’s something to look out for when at first you follow your heart because it’s so easy to be trapped on the spiritual path by someone, as you naturally want to trust and find the good in people. The spiritual path draws only good people, right?

So, what I’m saying is the first stop on the spiritual path is liberation. Free yourself from culture and others. Get in touch with yourself because within you will find all the answers you are looking for. I know that is cliché where you always look externally for answers first before exhausting that path and finding all you need was within. However, it’s true! Looking externally finds religion, spiritual paths, history, and myth which is useful however eventually you go full circle and see it’s all within.

I can tell you to first become liberated but no one will take me up on that advice. You're going to go to others and have them solve your problems for you. Looking within is where you are going to end up and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy if you liberate yourself and glimpse at the answers waiting for you.

There are two plant medicines that are really good at helping you discover the power that is within you when you are ready. For a full-on immersion there is nothing like Huachuma. For the seeker with an intention, Huachuma unleashes the power within and you will vibrate with an intense power. At first, it’s quite unnerving to discover this however when you later examine the process you see you have buried within this immense power. If you stay on that path of discovery you will come to intimately know the power and realize it emanates from you and not someone else, not from the cactus, or from some other external source. From a physical standpoint it is such a great teaching, as you physically realize the great power you hold that has been buried within you for so long is now liberated. A subtler take on this experience of power is with Mapacho. While out in nature with the tobacco maestro, a smoke will cause central nervous system agitation. You will feel within the rising power. It’s a good way to integrate a Huachuma experience as it allows access to the power felt with Huachuma but at a level that allows you to process the experience and connect the dots. Those two plant medicines really help with the path of liberation because once you know of the power within you do not need to look externally for answers or give away your personal power to anyone else.

In my experience, I was lucky to meet the maestro don Howard and make no mistake he was a magician. If you ever saw him in a Huachuma ceremony he would blow you away with his mastery. It would be pretty easy to become enchanted by him but he maintained a hands-off approach where he’d teach and send you on your way. I went on my way and tried to maintain contact. Once in a while, you’d get a response but for the most part you were dropped in the deep end of the pool and had to figure out how to swim. It was a healthy distance to prevent dependence. Deep within, I knew it was the way, as he is getting you to internally look for answers. Upon returning to his place, there would be a two-week intensive and off you go. He didn’t want to collect you and if you wished to return he was very grateful but no pressure. I was fortunate because I didn’t get sucked into any enchantment or devotion to any place.

Once you are free from culture and the spells others are trying to put on you, life and games we play become quite funny. You stand back and see what others are doing and you want to caution people. You listen to others but don’t fall for their outreach. Live your own life. Being liberated allows you to open your heart and have love and compassion for all without getting trapped in others' drama or be sucked in by the enchanter trying to draw you into their story and collect you. 

remnants of the mystery

The mystery further unravels. First, I had to discover and uncover the power within. Feeling that power for the first time is a rush and since you have no idea what it is, it’s pretty unnerving and you want it to stop. Personally, new experiences are pretty daunting and I usually fail them with aplomb and need time to figure them out. This template was active for my work with plant medicines. At first, they scared the hell out of me and sent me running for cover. However, they were intriguing enough that I came back to explore. This perseverance amounts to the best decision I have ever made. Since I kept at it, the modus operandi of my life predicted I’d figure them out and if I kept at it long enough I’d master the process. I’m not there yet but I see it’s attainable.

You can do physical exercises to rouse and move the energy around. In the end, it isn’t transformational. What is transformational is realizing how to naturally generate the power without tricks of posture. If you wish to open your heart chakra then love everyone. It really is that simple. I’ll repeat: If you wish to experience love energy which radiates from the chest then love all. Just like if you want to feel sexual energy go look at porn. It generates energy for sure. If you are unsure about what I’m referring to, start with sexual energy, as it is the easiest to unlock in order to understand the power that resides within you. Essentially, the energy centres designated as chakras are letting you know of all the available power within, not just the titillating and dirty power! Once the connection is understood, you can start making changes in your behaviour that will unlock each and every power centre. Tell the truth! The throat chakra will pulse with a renewed vigour as telling the truth sets you free and unlocks the rest of the story once you give up the limiting narrative which gives your power away. I am reminded about a story Ram Dass tells when he asks his guru how to get enlightened, expecting a detailed plan to achieve his goal. Maharaji simply told him, “Love all and tell the truth.” Imagine that! Imagine being given that instruction and being bewildered. What? I’m to get enlightened by loving all and telling the truth? Later on in life after this simple teaching, Ram Dass started the Love Serve Remember foundation. Each of those core principles will potentiate chakra energy and lead to unlocking the energetic potential within our sacred vessels. The love will radiate. Through service we will forgo the personal power to control found in the blossoming of the third chakra, and by remembering we will remember Goddess and God and direct our passionate energy towards union with the divine.

So, what have I figured out since I’ve done my fair share of exploring via plant medicines? The power within that’s activated by the reconciliation of the feminine and masculine powers. When you bring them together it lights your being up with power; it rises and there are options of how you wish to channel the energy. I can activate the power with the tobacco maestro Mapacho, potentiate it at my Mesa, and subsequently the union rises up within me.

So, what’s the big deal? It’s the evolution of consciousness; the forging together of this power with consciousness and the next stop on the evolutionary ladder is a multi-dimensional being made of the love of the feminine and powered by the ever-transforming light of the masculine. The two powers as separate need each other or they remain potential. The love of the feminine creates form however she will lapse into smothering and darkness without the masculine. The light of the masculine separates and brings the universe to life however this power will become destructive if not tempered by the love of the feminine. When the two powers combine and are reconciled into the centre then the power rises on up through you and you blast off; greater than the gods as you are the child of the two greater powers and you become free as a bird while riding the wind like a butterfly.

Ancient civilizations taught this to their adherents however we have lost their knowledge. The remnants of the mystery remain somewhat in Hindu chakra practices with the propitiating of the feminine Kundalini serpent by the masculine power. She ascends through the seven energy centres within the body before exiting through the crown chakra into the astral plane. Faints echoes exist in ancient Egypt where we have records of night time dancing, singing, drumming, and intoxicants used to gain favour with the serpent Goddess Wadjet, who was a representation of the Great Goddess Hathor, at her temple in Dendera. She was exhorted to come forth and rise; enlivening and renewing life in all she touched. A representation of this process is also found in the pre-Columbian civilization at Chavín de Huántar where the Lanzón acted as the axis mundi in the centre of centres. The Andes mountains valley plain of Chavín comes from the Quechua word chaupin which refers to the centre from chaupi which is the heart space much like in the chakra system the mid-point of the energetic journey, both acceleration and deceleration, is found in the heart chakra. The stone idol is made of the feminine serpent form and powered by the masculine jaguar energy. This strange artistic creation is the pure genius of a civilization that successfully depicted non-duality in stone in contrast to the Hindu non-dualists who were able to articulate in their language this concept. The reconciliation of the opposite powers is found in the centre and from this undifferentiated form projects out into the universe the multitude of objects that are differentiated by the light of the rising power. The combination of rising energy and consciousness leads to the metaphor of the liberated eagle flying free in the heavens as a representation of the process of the evolution of consciousness. It is a reconciliation of the opposites of feminine and masculine, ignited with the rising power. The final stage of the journey culminating in blasting off into a heavenly realm with extremely limited access. At the ancient site of Chavín, the catalysts for accomplishing this journey were the plant medicines Huachuma and Vilca in combination with the practice of the Mesa. The Mesa exoterically presents to you the reconciliation of the opposite powers of feminine and masculine, life and death, light and dark, upper and lower worlds, water and sky, and brings them all into the centre in the middle world where we are now. Esoterically, the practitioner of the Mesa channels the power coming forth from this construct into their being as an accelerant for the journey ahead. The plant medicine Huachuma activates the power within and additionally floods you with sensations of love. The plant medicine Vilca is the final step; a nitro boost that takes you the last step beyond the body for a glimpse of your destiny.

I’ve been there and have put two and two together. I invite you to explore with me.