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OneWorld Magazine presents 
TALES OF FORESTS, HERBS, SPIRITS & DREAMS |
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OW: So these guides were there for you in case you needed them? LUTHER: Yes, the chanting, from what I understand, came from chants that were passed down for
thousands of years. Another interesting thing is that I called a man who had been on this trip before I
went with Gerry and Chris. This guy had been over to Nepal and had been in another Shamanistic
experience almost identical to the one in the rainforest.
OW: Same kind of potion? LUTHER: I don't know about the potion, but I know the experience was very similar. Knowing this, I had a lot of confidence in the experience. I knew that there was a universal oneness. OW: What did the shamans look like? LUTHER: They looked like somebody you might see walking down the street in a third world country and not think too much about them at all. 
Rarely does a sick person go to a healing session by himself. The drug's
effects are such that someone often must see him home afterwards. Weakness and debility generally follow
the three of four hours of strong dizziness produced by the drink. Moreover, the presence of a loved one
such as a spouse, parent, or brother may be necessary to reassure the patient when his visions fill with
frightening and fearsome jungle beasts or monsters of his own imagination. Interestingly enough,
feelings of camaraderie are often generated during the course of a drug session, even among men and
women who may not be known to one another.
http://www.cnw.com/~neuro/gaz/fresh/ayaheal.htm OW: Did they wear any kind of ceremonial clothing? LUTHER: No, not at all. These were the same people that were assisting the crew on the boat. In fact, they carried out mundane duties. OW: What really set them apart? What made them shamans? LUTHER: There was one man who was eighty years old and, when I looked into his eyes, they were so deep, they were like pools. That's where you see the difference-- in their eyes. OW: So it's nothing overt? No way to tell who is a shaman? LUTHER: No, its nothing that would appear from an external standpoint when you look at them and they would look different than anybody else, other than looking into their eyes. It is the understanding and the terrific amount of feeling that they have. 
Shamanism as a vocation was not something everyone could aspire to. It was
an inherited honor bestowed upon a son, grandson, or nephew. The would-be shaman was required to
venture alone into the wilderness for a period of time determined by his success or failure in meeting up
with spirits. His link to these spirits were the animals of the forest who, upon "offering" him their tongues,
fell dead at his feet, and then transported him to his yeks. This "gift of the tongue" contained great power
for the shaman, especially when given by the land otter, a most potent supernatural force.
http://alaskan.com/docs/shamanism.html OW: It sounds like they're perfectly willing to share this with other people, or are there any exceptions? If they run into someone they're not really sure about do they include them in the ayahuasca drinking? LUTHER: Anybody who was there was allowed to participate. The Interview Continues |
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