YAJÉ
: NEW PLANT, ANCIENT ORIGINS
Nature herself is a book
full of wisdom. Man has not studied this wisdom much and has been contributing
more to her destruction than to discovering her great qualities, faculties
and wise healing powers for the benefit of humanity.
Understanding nature is not only about seeing it from a scientific or an ecological
point of view. We can refer ourselves to the Bible and the book of Genesis,
which says; "To you I am giving all the plants of the Earth which produce
seeds and all the trees that give fruit, all this you can have for nourishment.
And God saw and thought that everything he created was good."
If we consider ourselves open minded people we can reflect about the deep meaning
of this valuable information. Obviously not all the plants are edible but we
can understand that there are plants that are for nourishment of the body and
others that are nourishment for the Spirit. Among this last group are those
that are considered by the Indigenous peoples to be Sacred Plants. Many materialists,
pseudo scientists and chemists have expanded a negative reputation of the sacred
plants calling them drugs that induce fantasy and halluncinations. That reputation
has been used to help stop the freedom of the human individual and collective
development and to support political and economic interests.
However; "God thought that everything he created was very fine."
YAJÉ (Ayahuasca)
is a truely extraordinary plant and although there are many people who are pro
artificial substances (chemical drugs) we must talk about and emphasise the
virtues and qualities of this plant based on the experience of it for the good
of all humanity.
The YAJÉ is a plant that comes originally from and grows in a natural
and cultivated environment in all the AMAZONIC ZONE, that is, Colombia, Ecuador,
Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
Yajé is in general used by Shamans or Healers for curative purposes.
Yajé cures almost everything and is used together with other plants for
the purpose that it is needed for. Yajé is a great mind stimulant and
a great cleanser of the blood and digestive system. It produces visions in relation
to Amazonian Mythology and life in the Amazon lands. It shows the inner states
of each person. Those visions that the sceptics or non-believers call hallucinations
are used by the wise healers to interpret discover the origins of illness
in order to find the way of healing that will be appropriate to the patient.
Generally just using the Yajé and taking it is enough to initiate the
healing process but sometimes other plants are given to the patient in order
to complete the treatment. Yajé is not addictive on the physical level
for people, neither does it cause an upheaval on the emotional level. However,
we must take into consideration the amount that is given, this should be perscribed
by an experienced healer. We should not take more than the recommended dose
depending on what type of illness or other purposes that it is going to be used
for.
On the day before Yajé
is going to be taken it is recommended to have a special diet consisting of
plain food such as rice, fish, vegetables, or even to fast. The drink of Yaje
is prepared is by grounding the woody vine down and then cooking it in water
and mixing it with a female plant called Chagropanga.
The way Yajé works varies from person to person according to the physical,
emotional and psychological state of the individual. It generally gives symptoms
such as relaxation, vomiting, dizzyness, sleepiness, diarrhea. All these are
signs of cleansing. Yajé gives people various types of visions depending
on their inner states and can vary from one extreme to the other (ie; from diabolical
to blissful, meeting God.) There is no doubt that Yajé awakens certain
parts of the mind that are asleep due to the way of life that modern man lives
nowadays and many people have experienced and checked for themselves the enormous
awakening that was waiting for them. Abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance
and dream interpretation as well as many other things can be accessed through
the natural substances that the plant contains. Through the use of this plant
in its sacred context we can discover the secrets and ways of an ancient culture
that is different from ours and learn its meaning and its purpose.
Nowadays there is much information
available through books, films and on the internet especially about the sacred
plants that have been used by Indigenous Shamans for millennia.
The plants are sold by mail order to any curious person that wants to experiment,
as is the Western disposition, after having read books and accumulated theories
as to the chemical contents and types of experience possible from such plants.
After having reviewed much of this information we can say with security that
much of it is not founded upon any deep understanding of these plants and their
qualities. The Indigenous peoples have developed their understanding and wisdom
over long periods of time and they say that these plants came from the Gods
and that they were taught by the Gods the correct ways to use them, in what
context and with what disciplines.
To be a shaman of the sacred plants is not only to experiment and mix and apply
in whatever context or under whatever conditions without first preparing oneself
and studying oneself and the plants, getting to know them, how they grow and
what is their nature.
It is recommended to approach these plants through people that have understanding
about their use, if that is we want, to open ourselves to a new way of thinking
and understanding the universe in which we live.
The individual who closes his or her mind to new concepts and understanding is at risk of stagnating. The best way to go about in this world is without fixation. Throughout history we can see that all those people who keep their minds open to new possibilities are ahead of their time, showing their intelligence and wisdom through their actions and ideas. Often they have had much opposition to their work, but it is due to them, their presence and their sacrifice that we have received many benefits for mankind in the realms of philosophy, science, the arts, medicine and so on.
Now these sacred plants are showing us their secrets. Should we condem them for that? I think that we are better off getting to know them and studying the tree of golden fruit that is life and discovering the unknown.
VASUDEV