Spirit Plant Journeys

I was the oldest of the group (56, female) and consider myself religious but have never used any sort of psychedelics, drugs, or even rarely drink alcohol. I would like to separate the facilitators (Neils and Sarah) from the facility and from the experience itself, and give you some assurances regarding the issues that I was concerned about, as well as a few other practical considerations to think about.

1). Yes, you can trust them with your money. At the time we did our retreat, they requested downpayment via wire transfer. When you get to the Western Union or Moneygram office, you are STRONGLY CAUTIONED NOT to wire transfer unless you personally know the people/business. One of the ladies (Boston area) was even refused and had to go to her bank (where the fee is higher).
2). Initial communications. They seemed a bit disconnected/disorganized or not answering the questions I was asking. Now that I have been there, I see it is because they are working VERY hard to meet the group needs as well as working closely to meet the myriad of needs of the individual participants. In addition, the internet connection does not work well for this city (Urubamba). One of the participants had purchased a cell data plan and seemed to be using it a lot. I went with AT&T passport that is mainly text, so was relying on WIFI for using the internet, which was very slow when the city wakes up and starts getting on-line. Also, when they are not hosting retreats, Neils and Sarah are often traveling to the Amazon (or other areas) so I suspect connectivity is often a challenge for them as well.
3) Seemed the best way to communicate with them was via email. Neils phone did not take texts (internationally)? However, once I got to Cusco and figured out how to make a ‘local’ phone call, I was able to talk to him. What I am trying to say is that communication difficulties are not due to them trying to avoid you. They WILL do everything they can to assist you.
-Also, I DID have incapacitating altitude sickness upon arrival in Cusco and he went above and beyond to help me: called the hotel staff for me (I speak no Spanish), and helped me get my delayed bag at the airport. Neils and Sarah are kind hearted and caring people who will do ‘what needs to be done’ to help you, not in a ‘concern for business’ sense, but because of the loving people they are.
NOTE: I have skied at altitude, do interval training, drank the tea, which is supposed to help, etc. and was still sick. I prefer a no medicine policy – but I would make a back-up plan with Neils regarding the altitude meds. Was glad I had 24 hours to recover before the retreat. Don’t cut it too close if you can possibly arrange your work schedule. And Cusco is a fascinating city worthy of more than your before and after trip overnights.

The program: I am extremely grateful to have had such a high caliber retreat experience and NOT have to go into the Amazon. I found the experience of Peru travel and the medicine quite challenging, and frankly would have been miserable adding the rigors of an Amazonian dimension to it. I feel they put together a well paced retreat experience where you also get their experience in taking you to the Sacred Valley sites. Definitely do the post-retreat Machu Picchu visit. They know the ‘drill’ and good hotel/restaurants. They even hire a guide to take the group through Mapi (that was a bonus I didn’t realize we were getting). Oh, they asked if we wanted to do any additional hikes. You can do Mapi proper or even huanya picchu, which you will read about on tripadvisor, etc as being the ultimate. I was SO GRATEFUL our group said no additional. With just the normal tour, my fitbit recorded 20,000+steps for the day and 281 flights of stairs. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but was generally tired a lot of the time from the retreat experience and the altitude. I would not push yourself to do extra exertion.

About the retreat you select: What I learned while on this one is that your experience will be greatly impacted by the other participants. We ended up with about 12. When you are in the throws of aya (for me it was never ‘pleasant’ – although it WAS for some) you do not want to be surrounded by a huge number of uncomfortable people. There WILL be moaning and violent purging, and the sounds all seem magnified. Check the likely group size. Spiritplant seems it will never be too large due to the amount of space available at the hotel/retreat they use. Also, people, please be somewhat informed and prepared for what you are getting in to. Several people who weren’t ended up leaving after a few days.

The shaman (Gume) works incredibly hard to control what is happening in there (the ceremony room=maloka). I was shocked to learn that some places use recorded music or such (and have huge groups). Our shaman travels from the Amazon with his brew and started his training at the age of 14.
Also, you are relying on your facilitators for your health and safety, so to me it was important that they were not under the influence of the medicine when we were. The shaman (who has been drinking it since age 14) always drinks, as it helps him guide/help the participants. *One thing the shaman did was after the first night, he changed something about the intensity of the brew. For me, it made it difficult to calibrate how much to drink the next few times.

Tobacco (not cigarettes) is used as part of the ceremony. I am very sensitive to smoke of all kinds. I was surprised at the number of smokers in our group. In theory, tobacco in the enclosed space is only supposed to be used as part of the ceremony. As the days progress and people become more familiar, this policy started to disintegrate. So when I asked that it be upheld, it was. However, it was uncomfortable for me that it was being done ‘for me’ (I was not the only person bothered by it). From a group dynamic point of view, it seems better that these just be policy/procedural issues vs. ‘we can’t smoke in here because it bothers (insert name_______). Also, the casual use of profanity (FREQUENTLY) and words such as ‘pussy’ in casual conversation became intolerable to me and I finally spoke with Neils about it. He was kind and concerned and mentioned it to the group (as did I), but again, people were apologizing to me personally. Which I found awkward. This was a group of spiritually evolved (or trying to be) people who saw no connection between disrespectful and vulgar language as a toxin to themselves and everyone who is subjected to hearing it. I do not know the solution to this, other than perhaps there could be a statement in the Spiritplant prep list regarding.

The eco-retreat facility itself is beyond beautiful (photos do not capture it). That said, I do think they need to invest in a few oil-filled radiator heaters. They are safe and it just got to be too much being cold all the time. There are ‘fireplaces’ in the rooms, but I was too concerned about how much smoke would be generate to try to use it (and people seemed to have difficulty starting fires).
They food was far tastier than I could have expected, and you can walk down to the end of the street to the corner store to add in a few provisions if needed (i.e. nuts, chocolate:-), etc.

The medicine: The San Padro was a ‘bonus’ that I had not really focused on, having read/researched the most about aya. Neither were pleasant for me. I tried not to have ‘expectations’ going into the retreat, other than healing from a painful divorce, and all the personality traits/life issues that are involved with getting into and staying in a relationship that winds up in a painful divorce. I did not have any ‘breakthrough’ revelatory experiences, found the physical sensations uncomfortable, etc. but have waited to write my comments until I got home. I have been home about a week, and am pleased with the outcome so far. My anxiety is less and feels more manageable plus I have a stronger sense that everything will work out according to God’s plan. My eyes have not hurt. For the last year or two, when I would get stressed/anxious it all came out through my eyes.

I now better understand all the comments written about aya, it is a start, it gives each person what they need, relax, breathe, you are in control, the universe will guide you, etc.

I did for a fleeting moment in a ceremony see a divine light so bright that even in my minds eye I had to turn away. My mind/concentration was not strong enough to hold me in that moment, but I have that image/feeling to turn to when I feel distressed.

So like childbirth, I don’t think we fully realize what we are getting ourselves into or we wouldn’t do it. I really hope to not do aya again, but I am very grateful that I did this, and especially at that place and with these people.

I would not hesitate to recommend Spiritplant, and as they integrate lessons from each group they facilitate, am confident that they will only improve. We were group 9 and they have started #10 as of Jan 2015.

p.s. If you want an idea of what aya brew tastes like. Buy a bottle of swedish bitters. It will help acclimate you to the ‘bitter’ aspect of flavors which we don’t use much in our society any more. If you add some chewing tobacco juice, you will probably be close to the taste (dont really do that last part). Also, regarding the San Pedro. In many hispanic markets they sell fresh nopal cactus ‘paddles’ with the thorns removed. Blend that in a green smoothie drink (get a fresh aloe leaf and use some of the clear inner flesh). Make it as minimally sweet as possible. This will be a similar taste and texture as the San Pedro. It is ‘viscous and mucilaginous’ (good for your intestines) and prepares you for the ‘slimy’ texture that made SP difficult for some to drink.

There were some amazing stories at our retreat. It was practically the first airplane trip for one young man – so definitely go, don’t let fear or travel inexperience stop you and if you can learn some spanish in advice, your experience will be enriched. The Peruvian people are warm and I never felt unsafe there.