The hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus has been used given that ancient times, in addition to in Peru typically the tradition has become unbroken for over 3, 000 years. The earliest depiction of the particular cactus is some sort of carving showing a mythological being holding a San Pedro, and dates from about 1300 bc. It comes through the Chav�n culture (c. 1400-400 bce) and was found inside a temple from Chav�n de Huantar, within the northern highlands of Peru. Later, the Mochica tradition, (c. 500 ce) used the cactus in their iconography. Even in present day mythology, it is told that Our god hid the take some time to heaven in a secret location and San Pedro used the wonderful powers of the cactus to find out this particular place; later the particular cactus was called after him.

Una Mesa Norte�a

Juan Navarro was born in the highland community of Somate, department of Piura. He or she is a descendent of a long lineage of healers and shamans dealing with the magical powers of the holy lakes known while Las Huaringas which in turn stand at four, 000 metres plus have been adored since earliest Peruvian civilization. At typically the age of 8-10, Juan made his / her first pilgrimage to be able to Las Huaringas, and took San Pedro the first time. Every calendar month or two this is necessary to be able to return here to be able to accumulate energy in addition to protection to recover his people. As well as local people and Lime�os (people from Lima), pilgrims also come from many regions of Southwest America.

During the sessions Juan functions untiringly, assisted simply by his two son’s – as is common within this practices – in an intricate sequence of processes, including invocation, diagnosis, divination, and recovery with natural objects, or artes. The particular artes are initially placed on typically the maestro’s altar or perhaps mesa, and acquired when required through the ceremony. These artes are an astonishing and beautiful variety of shells, swords, magnets, quartzes, objects resembling sexual body organs, rocks which spark when struck jointly, and stones through animals’ stomachs which they have swallowed to aid digestion of food! The artes are usually collected from pre-Colombian tombs, and sacred energetic places, especially Las Huaringas. These people bring magical attributes for the ceremony exactly where, under the visionary effect of San Pedro, their invisible forces might be experienced. The maestro’s mesa instructions a weaving placed on the earth about which all the artes are located, (mesa also means ‘table’ in Spanish) : is a manifestation of the causes of nature and even the cosmos. Via the mesa the particular shaman is able to assist and even influence these forces to diagnose and even heal disease.

The particular traditional mesa norte�a has three regions: on the left side is the campo ganadero or ‘field of the dark’; within the right is definitely the campo imparcial or the ‘field of the light’ (justiciero means justice); and the center will be the campo medio or ‘neutral field’, which can be the place of balance involving the forces of light and dark. It is necessary for us not necessarily to look at these kinds of forces as good or negative instructions it is whatever we human beings do using these forces which in turn is important. Although the contents and form of typically the artes varies through tradition to traditions, the mesa rituals serve to remind us that typically the use and electric power of symbols runs throughout all civilizations.

SAN PEDRO

San Pedro (trichocereus pachanoi) grows within the dry eastern slopes involving the Andes, involving 2, 000 instructions 3, 000 metres above sea levels, and commonly reaches six metres or even more in height. That is also grown by local shamans in their supplement gardens. As can be imagined, early European missionaries organised the native methods in considerable scorn, and indeed had been very negative whenever reporting the make use of of the San Pedro. Yet a Spanish missionary, cited by Christian R�tsch, grudgingly admitted typically the cactus’ medicinal price in the middle of an outburst reviling it: “It is a vegetable with whose aid satan is able in order to strengthen the Indians in their idolatry; those who consume its juice shed their senses and are like dead; they are almost carried away simply by the drink plus dream 1000 uncommon things and feel that they will be true. The juices great against burning up of the kidneys in addition to, in small portions, is also excellent against high fever, hepatitis, and losing in the bladder. ” A shaman’s account of the particular cactus is within major contrast:

“It first of all… produces… drowsiness or perhaps a dreamy state and a sense of lethargy… the slight dizziness… then a great ‘vision’, some sort of clearing of all the faculties… that produces a light numbness in typically the body and after that a tranquillity. Plus then comes detachment, a type of visual force… specially of all typically the senses… including the particular sixth sense, the telepathic sense regarding transmitting oneself across time and issue… like a type of removal of your thought to some sort of distant dimension. inch

San Pedro, considered as the ‘maestro of the particular maestros’, enables the shaman to help to make a bridge involving the visible and typically the invisible world for his people. The particular Quechua name intended for it is punku, which means ‘doorway’. The doorway links the patient’s physique to his nature; to heal the entire body we must heal the spirit. San Pedro can present us the email causes of sickness intuitively or inside mythical dream vocabulary. The effects associated with San Pedro function through various portions, beginning with the expanded physical attention in your body. Soon this specific is followed by content feelings and after that, after several hours, free psychic question and visionary effects become more visible.

talking with Juan Navarro

What is definitely the relationship in the maestro with San Pedro?

In the particular north of Peru the power of San Pedro works in mixture with tobacco. Furthermore the sacred wetlands Las Huaringas are incredibly important. This is usually where we get to find the strongest healing herbal treatments which we employ to energize the people. For example many of us use dominio [linking one’s objective with the heart power of the particular plants] in order to give strength in addition to protection from paranormal forces such as sorcery and negative thoughts. Additionally it is place into the seguros – amulet containers filled with fragrance, plants and seed gathered from Algunas Huaringas. You keep them in your home intended for protection and to make the life go effectively. These plants carry out not have any kind of secondary effects within the nervous system, or do these cards provoke hallucinations. San Pedro offers strength and is mildly hallucinatory, although you cannot become addicted. It won’t do any harm in order to your body, somewhat it helps the maestro to notice what the issue is with his patient. Naturally some people have this present born in all of them – as our ancestors used to be able to say, it is found in the blood of a shaman.

Is San Pedro a ‘teacher plant’?

Of course, however it has some sort of certain mystery. An individual have to become compatible with that because it doesn’t work for just anybody. The shaman has a specific relationship by it. It circulates within the body regarding the patient plus where it finds abnormality it enables the shaman in order to detect it. That lets him understand the pain they as well as whereabouts it will be. Therefore it is the website link between patient and even maestro. San Pedro UK It also purifies the blood of the person who refreshments it. It balances the nervous program so people shed their fears, frights and traumas, and it charges individuals with positive energy. Everybody must drink so the maestro can connect to them. Only typically the dose may differ from person in order to person because certainly not everyone is as strong.