I had the opportunity to spend last weekend
co-creating a huachuma ceremony with a
few friends.
Huachuma, or San Pedro (Saint Peter), is
a cactus from South America which contains
a good amount of mescaline. In comparaison
, Peyote also contains mescaline, while
Ayahuasca contains DMT. I compare it
to Ayashuasca since it has gain a lot of
popularity in the last few years, and
the ceremonies have quite a lot in common.
Aldous Huxley has experimented extensively
with mescaline and has had quite a positive
healing experience.
The effect of huachuma is fairly gentle
compared to magic mushroom, ayahuasca or
salvia divinarium. But it last for over
12 hours.
There is little hallucination,
and the effect is generally more of an
emotional release and openeness. You see
reality from a different perspective.
The medicine has its ways to bring
about the some deeply seated trauma
to the surface, if it's what is needed.
Everyone experience it in a different way
but often a sense of greater connection
to everyone is felt. Nausea is rare but
can occure. The worst part of the ceremony
is genrally the taste and the texture.
Although not as disgusting as Ayahuasca,
the goey liquid seems to stay in your
mouth forever.
My first encounter with Huachuma,
was in an electronic music festival called
Space Gathering. I was organizing the
'temple' and offering yoga meditation and
thai massage.
Huachuma enhance most healing practices.
It brings you in a more compasionate
relation to others. One core
element of Thai Massage is metta, or
'Loving Kindness.' The mix experience
of Huachuma and Thai massage was quite
profound.
This last weekend, we were only 5
participants. In previous circles, we
could be up to 35 peoples. So the
experience what quite personalized.
We experiemented with Huachuma and other
practices of music, sound healing,
druming and yoga nidra. It was
spontaneous, creative and quite a
refreshing take on a medecine I've
been eploring for many years now.
Practicing yoga while on Huachuma reminds
me of practicing yoga in the dream world.
There is a depth added to the practice
that is hard to reach normally.
As if you would be doing yoga
after meditating for a few days.
As I am reflecting on the last weekend
exploration, I'm already excited to
think about where we could go with
such exploration.
I was shy to play more music this time
(I played a bit of drum, flute and dumbek,)
I will bring my synth and sample
next time to support further the process.
Chi Kung and dance are also in the plan,
filling a weekend with ceremonies, dream,
yoga nidra and music. I'll report back on
where I go with this!
