I.Anaconda Cosmica:
The center
It all started seven years ago. Guillermo had just moved from Pucallpa to Iquitos and he was looking for a place to build a new healing center dedicated to the diffusion of shipibo traditional medicine.
He found an 18 hectare property 14 km from Iquitos. When they began clearing the land to build the first house they realized that there was an anaconda living on the property and that this was actually his own territory. Guillermo spoke to him, explaining to the anaconda what his project was about, and asked him if he wouldn't mind finding another place to live. The anaconda went away. And Guillermo decided to call the center Espiritu de Anaconda which was the previous name of Anaconda Cosmica.
The Center grew continuously over the years, following the creative impulses of Guillermo and the necessity of bettering our facilities as the number of visitors increased. The Center is still a quiet place which looks like a paradise when one comes from busy, noisy Iquitos, and a magical place when the full moon shines down from clear night sky.
Over the years we've built a kitchen, a dining room, a library and rest room, a guest house, several bungalows with individual and double rooms, a botanical garden, a ceremony house, a medicine house for daily treatments, isolation huts immersed in the forest which surrounds the property and a swimming pool. We have a volleyball and football area. We also have showers, toilets, a laundry and Wifi internet in order to offer a good standard of comfort to our visitors.
The center keeps growing and the projects are numerous. During the next few months we plan to build a new ceremony house which will be elevated from the ground so that the energies can flow better under it and not stagnate. We are working to create a sustainable energy system and extend our medicinal plant garden. We are also going to build a little shop so that you will no longer need to go to town to find basic items you might need during your stay such as toothpaste, soap, tissues, water bottles, gifts for your friends and family. Once you come to Anaconda you can just relax and focus on your process while we take care of you.
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The Healing Process
Many people in the world are attracted to new forms of healing and therapies. The last decades have seen ancient traditions of medicine open their doors to the modern world as well as new energetic therapies flourishing all around the planet. Many healing systems were rediscovered during these years. If they are often very effective it is also because they engage us into a personal process that is part of the healing.
In the shipibo medicine this process is very personal and usually different for every patient. Nevertheless there are some common elements and experiences people can expect.
In this medicine the patient is responsible for his/ her process. The main responsibility is being committed to the discipline of the diet and respecting its rules. It is this respect for the plants and the work they are performing on us which will help us reach our objectives. The diet is given by the healer at the beginning of the treatment and should be respected until the end, unless the healer in charge of your treatment gives you different directions.
The work with the plants can sometimes be challenging, especially at the first stages of the diet. In such moments, our desire for healing is the drive. It is the strength of our commitment which will help us to overcome the challenges. The more we focus on the outcome and our trust in the plants as well as the healer, the more space we will open for the plants to work on us. Usually these challenging times are short, and you will receive all the help you need at the center to overcome them quickly. It is important that you tell us what you feel, think and experience so that we can help you with your process.
Once we pass these challenges, we open the door to extremely rewarding gifts and experiences. Freed from whatever is blocking our lives, we open to new dimensions of ourselves and new possibilities in our lives.
During your stay at the Center you can take advantage of the isolation huts built all around the property. These "tambos" gives you the opportunity to focus more intensely on your plant. In isolation your plant will be even more protected and available to you. Its energy will blossom inside your system and accelerate your process in amazing ways. Your plant is your personal doctor, she can respond to any of your answers and help you in surprising ways. Whatever you need, she will be there to give it to you, as long as you can trust and be open to her.
Another aspect of the shipibo medicine is the collaboration between the patient, the plants and the healer. They all work together on different levels. That's why at the center you will diet a plant and also receive healings in ceremony and during the day. All the different parts of our program are meant to support each other, sustain you and make your process go faster. Here again, your trust in the plants as well as in the healer will help you to open the space for the work to happen.
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Healing services
The Center offers all the different practices of the traditional shipibo medicine. This way we can speed-up the healing process of our patients by giving them personalized treatments.
Massage
This is the only technique which does not uses plants even though it is through the plants that we learn to practice it. The shipibo massage frees the body from tensions and opens the muscles so that the energy can flow easily. It can be used to work on physical tensions but also to heal internal problems like stomach pain, digestive disorders or female issues.
Steam bath
We have a few small huts for the steam bathes. The steam comes from water boiled with plants. The steam allows the energy of the plants to penetrate into the body. This is a very effective way to clean the body and mind from unwanted energies. It is a very effective healing tool for all kinds of psychological and mental conditions. It also brings a deep state of relaxation freeing you from tension and negative energies stuck in the body or mind.
Steam bath for hands
The energy of the plants enters the body through the meridians of the hands and from there they penetrate the entire system. This practice is used to increase the sensitivity of the hand when a healer wants to learn to heal with his hands and practice massage for example.
Flower bath & plant bath
The plants or flowers stay in water for several hours. When we bathe with this water, it is charged with the healing energies of the plants that penetrate the body through the pores.
Bathes are used for several reasons. Each bath has a specific function according to the plants that are used. Some bathes bring good fortune, some help to open ourselves to love, others clean our stress and negative energies. They can therefore help with many conditions, ranging from depression to stress. They also bring a sense of wellbeing and relaxation that will help your process and prepare you to the evening ceremony.
Repote
This technique is specific to Amazonian Medicine. It consists in the ingestion through the nostrils of a small quantity of a juice made from specific plants. Similar to the drops you get at the pharmacy. This way the energy of the plant has a very direct effect on the mind. The effect can be different form plant to plant, but it mainly brings a lot of clarity of mind, relief from negative thinking and thoughts and puts you in a state of openness and alertness. It is used by the shipibo to get strength and energy when they need to perform a heavy task for example. The repote is a very serious healing practice to be used with care and awareness. The practice of the repote requires you to follow a specific diet for several days.
Purgative
The use of purgatives is a common healing tool. When we have been living an unhealthy life or have been sick for a long time, many substances and energies have often settled in the body (stomach, intestines…) and mind. The purgative can start a healing process by cleaning you from these energies. It prepares and opens the space for the work of the plants and the healers
It is also a good preparation for the ceremony if you intend to drink ayahuasca, as your system will already have been freed from a lot of unnecessary substances.
Application of plants
A paste made of plant is applied on the body. It can be used to heal skin problems (ex: psoriasis…), bones, and dysfunctional organs.
Plant Diet
The plant diet is the most known healing practice of the shipibo and Amazonian Medicine. You will drink a glass of juice made of plant for a certain amount of time, during which you will have to follow a specific alimentary diet. It is the main tool of the Amazonian Medicine, used for healing as well as for learning about the medicine.
There is a specific chapter dedicated to this topic on the website.
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Guidelines for the diet
Here are a few guidelines about the "diet" you will follow during your stay at Anaconda Cosmica. We strongly advise you to respect these guidelines for the success of your healing process.
In our center you will be treated with medicinal plants. Each day you will drink a plant. Day after day, the energy of the plant will grow inside your system and work on you. In order for this energy to develop itself within you in harmony and provide the healing you are looking for, you will need to follow some dietary and behavioral practices. The energies of the plants are very subtle and delicate. They can therefore be disturbed if you enter into contact with other energies. The "diet" will allow you to protect the energy of the plants you are working with.
Here is what to avoid during your diet:
· Salt
· Sugar
· Oil, no fat
· Alcohol
· Pork meat
· Milk products
· Meat except chicken and some fish
· Acid or sweet fruit (you can eat bananas and apples)
· Spices
· Vinegar
· Cold water or ice
· Strong sun
· Sexual activity
All the food you will eat at the center respects this diet.
Trips to town
We advise you to avoid going to town, as the energies of the town can interfere with the healing process. Nevertheless, if you must go to town, please do not eat or drink anything there (except bottled water or a banana). Getting a nice juice or a sandwich can break your diet and compromise all the work done until that moment.
Isolation
If you want to get the most out of your stay and increase the healing process, you can isolate yourself during the day, spend some time on your own or eventually stay in one of our isolation huts.
Internet & computers
Last but not least, we provide our guests with wifi access to the internet so that they do have to go to town to check their e-mail. Be aware that computers and being on the internet also may have an effect on your diet. If you spend hours per day surfing or chatting, you are not really dieting your plant anymore. If you can limit your use of internet to the very indispensible, this will be a great service to yourself.
If you have further questions or doubts about this topic, do not hesitate to ask. The diet is essential to the success of your healing. In our medicine, healing is a process of collaboration between the plants, the healers and you. You are responsible for the success of the work… and your main "job" during your stay is to take care of your plant by following the diet and resting as much as you like.
For the healing to happen, you do not necessarily need to take ayahuasca during the ceremony. In some cases it is actually better that you don't, as the ayahuasca can interfere with the plant you are dieting. Traditionally when people go to a healer they usually do not drink ayahuasca unless the healer advises it.
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The Ceremony
An Ayahuasca ceremony is quite a special event to experience. The ceremony is a healing ritual during which the healers perform their art on the patients. The Ayahuasca being the tool they use to open their minds to the spiritual dimension so that they can "see" the condition of their patient, establish a diagnosis, and treat the person.
At the beginning of the ceremony you are invited to take a glass of Ayahuasca if you want to. After everyone has taken the plant, we wait in silence for the effect of the trance to start, which can take from 20 minutes to one hour. Then the healers start to chant to open the ceremony, opening the World of the Medicine.
This first part might be a bit challenging. While our mind is opening to new perceptions, it can react and get a bit confused by this unexplored territory. just as we can feel a bit disoriented when we arrive in some unknown country. If we stay in trust, keep our focus on our intention and breathe calmly, we can cross this doorway in a few moments.
The plants can then show us the answers to what we are searching for. The visions can take many unexpected forms and each ceremony is different. We can see beautiful landscapes, be filled with love and joy or experience more difficult feelings such as fear, confusion, doubts, dark visions… whatever happens it is always wise to remember that this is the effect of the plant, nothing less, nothing more.
When we go through difficult feelings or experiences we can always come back to our intention, look for a quiet space inside us and stay calm. It is also always possible to ask for help during our ceremonies: you will be taken care of by our healers and helpers.
During the entire ceremony the healers are guiding the progress of the work and chanting to call positive energies. They also perform individual work on the people attending, chanting to bring healing, free unwanted energies, clear the mind, open the heart, reinforce the connection with the plant you diet, bring pleasant feelings and visions…
The visions are an answer to your intention. They are given to you by the Ayahuasca and your diet plant so that you can achieve your intention, get more understanding and deeper levels of healing. Nevertheless the plant does not always bring visions, it can interact with you in many different ways. The plants have their own way to help us which is often not so simple to grasp with our human intelligence, at least during the process.
Once the healers have performed their work, they close the ceremony. Even then you still may continue to feel some effect from the ayahuasca, although usually the effect will be reduced and you will feel a deep sense of well being or fall asleep.
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Life at the center - Practical information
Ceremony days – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Ceremony starts between 8.00 and 9.00pm in the malocca, the ceremony house.
It is better that you do not have dinner if you go to ceremony.
If you do not go to ceremony and want to have dinner, inform the kitchen before 5.00pm so that they can prepare a meal for you.
During the ceremony we ask you to stay in the ceremony house. You can obviously go to the bathroom or get some fresh air but it is better for your process to stay in the ceremony house until its conclusion.
Food & kitchen
· Breakfast is served from 7.00 to 8.00am
· Lunch is served at 12.00am
· Dinner is served at 6.00pm
If you go to town, please tell the kitchen so that they can know how much food they need to prepare. If you plan to come back for lunch, ask the ladies in the kitchen to keep a plate for you in case you are late.
Laundry
· From 8.00am till 12.00am & 1.00pm till 4.00pm. The laundry service is free. Be aware that the climate can be particularly humid and it might take some time for your clothes to dry.
Daily healing program
This program might change a little bit from person to person. All of the daily healings take place in the medicine house.
You will be given a purgative called azucena to purify your body before your first ceremony.
· 10-12.00am: massage,
· 3.00pm: steam bath,
· 5.00pm: plant diet, repote, flower bath.
Meetings
We organize regular meetings every week. You will find an information board in the kitchen on which the meetings are announced. You can also meet with the healers anytime..
Notes
We also ask you for your own safety, to stay inside the limits of the property at night. For the respect of the space and the people who live and work here we encourage you to participate in keeping the center as clean as possible. When we all participate in creating harmony we engage ourselves into a process which brings awareness for all.For those who wish to involve themselves with the daily life of the center, there are many easy tasks you can do during your stay with us.
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