Why no sex with Ayahuasca Retreats?
You may have heard the common guideline given by most if not all shamans to not have sex for some time before an Ayahuasca retreat, but have you ever wondered why that is?
I once asked a shaman this, and he said that it had to do with conserving your ‘energy’ for the medicine. When pressed further, he clarified that if your body focuses energy on producing cum, it takes away energy that could otherwise be focused on healing and processing the medicine medicine.
Some also believe that it’s a matter of showing respect for Mama Aya – a gesture of giving up something pleasurable.
Also, having sex during an Ayahuasca ceremony would be inappropriate for several reasons.
Firstly, if this were a somewhat public ceremony, then at a minimum this would be disrespectful of the other people in the ceremony – not to mention the fact that we’re all in highly suggestable states when under the influence of plant medicines like this. So it would be immoral in my opinion for any practitioner to consider such a thing.
One might consider the notion if having a private ceremony at home, outside of a formal Ayahuasca retreat, but even then, it sure seems like it would be disrespectful of the medicine. After all, one would hope that anyone taking the medicine would treat it with great reverence, and one would also think that the whole point of a ceremony is to focus on healing oneself, not seeking bodily pleasure.
Plus, sexual activity might very well be emotionally overwhelming while under the influence of the medicine, which could contribute to a very turbulent experience, even if you somehow ruled out any issues relating to consent in an altered state.
So for these reasons, it’s highly advisable to control oneself and abstain from sex before – and most definitely during – any Ayahuasca retreat.
You may want to check with the shaman ahead of time to see how long they suggest you follow this guideline, but generally, most recommendations seem to be between 2 weeks and 30 days.
I hope that helps! If you have any questions or suggested topics for future articles, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Until next time,
Tim G.
AyaAdvisors.org
