The hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus has been used due to the fact ancient times, and in Peru typically the tradition has been not broken for over three or more, 000 years. The earliest depiction of the cactus is a new carving showing the mythological being possessing a San Pedro, and dates by about 1300 bc. It comes in the Chav�n culture (c. 1400-400 bce) plus was found inside a temple in Chav�n de Huantar, within the northern highlands of Peru. After, the Mochica traditions, (c. 500 ce) used the cactus throughout their iconography. Also in present day time mythology, it will be told that The almighty hid the tips to heaven inside a secret spot and San Pedro used the magical powers of a cactus to find this specific place; later the cactus was known as after him.
Una Mesa Norte�a
Juan Navarro was created within the highland community of Somate, office of Piura. He or she is a descendant of an extended lineage of healers and shamans working together with the magical power of the sacred lakes known as Las Huaringas which stand at 4, 000 metres plus have been adored since earliest Peruvian civilization. At the age of ten, Juan made their first pilgrimage in order to Las Huaringas, in addition to took San Pedro initially. Every month or two this is necessary to return here to accumulate energy plus protection to heal his people. As well as residents and Lime�os (people from Lima), pilgrims also come from many elements of South America.
During typically the sessions Juan works untiringly, assisted by his two sons – as is common within this practices – within a complex sequence of processes, including invocation, medical diagnosis, divination, and curing with natural things, or artes. The artes are primarily placed on the particular maestro’s altar or perhaps mesa, and picked up when required in the ceremony. These artes are an astonishing and beautiful variety of shells, swords, magnets, quartzes, items resembling sexual body organs, rocks which spark when struck together, and stones through animals’ stomachs which they have ingested to aid food digestion! The artes are usually collected from pre-Colombian tombs, and sacred energetic places, specifically Las Huaringas. That they bring magical features towards the ceremony in which, under the visionary influence of San Pedro, their invisible capabilities might be experienced. The maestro’s mesa — a weaving located on the land in which all typically the artes are positioned, (mesa also means ‘table’ in Spanish) – is a portrayal of the causes of nature and even the cosmos. Via the mesa the shaman is ready to work together with and influence these makes to diagnose in addition to heal disease.
Typically the traditional mesa norte�a has three places: on the departed is the ámbito ganadero or ‘field of the dark’; for the right is definitely the campo justiciero or the ‘field of the light’ (justiciero means justice); and the heart could be the campo medio or ‘neutral field’, that is the place of balance among the forces of sunshine and dark. It is crucial for us not to look at these forces as beneficial or negative : it is that which we human beings do with one of these forces which is important. Despite the fact that the contents and even form of the artes varies from tradition to tradition, the mesa motions serve to help remind us that the particular use and strength of symbols runs throughout all civilizations.
SAN PEDRO
San Pedro (trichocereus pachanoi) grows around the dried out eastern slopes involving the Andes, between 2, 000 – 3, 000 metres above sea degree, and commonly reaches six metres or even more in height. It is also produced by local shamans in their herb gardens. As can be imagined, early on European missionaries kept the native methods in considerable contempt, and indeed had been very negative any time reporting the work with of the San Pedro. Yet some sort of Spanish missionary, offered by Christian R�tsch, grudgingly admitted the particular cactus’ medicinal benefit in the midst of a harangue reviling it: “It is a herb with whose aid satan is able to be able to strengthen the Indians in their idolatry; those who consume its juice shed their senses in addition to are like dead; they are nearly carried away by the drink and even dream 1000 unconventional things and consider that they will be true. The juice excellent against burning with the kidneys and even, in small amounts, is also great against high fever, hepatitis, and burning up in the bladder. ” A shaman’s account of the cactus is within significant contrast:
“It very first… produces… drowsiness or perhaps a dreamy point out and a feeling of lethargy… the slight dizziness… then the great ‘vision’, the clearing of almost all the faculties… this produces a light-weight numbness in the body and afterward a tranquillity. Plus then comes detachment, a type regarding visual force… specially of all typically the senses… including typically the sixth sense, typically the telepathic sense associated with transmitting oneself around time and subject… like a type of removal of one’s thought to the distant dimension. inch
San Pedro, considered the ‘maestro of the maestros’, enables typically the shaman to help make a bridge between visible and the particular invisible world intended for his people. The particular Quechua name with regard to it is punku, which means ‘doorway’. The doorway connects the patient’s human body to his nature; to heal our bodies we must heal the spirit. San Pedro can present us the psychic causes of disease intuitively or found in mythical dream language. The effects regarding San Pedro operate through various stages, beginning with the expanded physical recognition in the body. Soon this is and then sanguine feelings after which, following several hours, clairvoyant and visionary effects become more visible.
Pachanoi UK talking with Juan Navarro
What is definitely the relationship of the maestro with San Pedro?
In the north of Peru the power of San Pedro works in combination with tobacco. Furthermore the sacred lakes Las Huaringas are extremely important. This is where we go to find the strongest healing natural herbs which we work with to energize our people. For example many of us use dominio [linking one’s intention with the soul power of the plants] to give strength and even protection from unnatural forces such as sorcery and bad thoughts. Additionally it is set into the seguros – amulet containers filled with perfume, plants and seed gathered from Algunas Huaringas. You always keep them in your home for protection and to make your life go effectively. These plants carry out not have virtually any secondary effects on the nervous system, neither do these cards provoke hallucinations. San Pedro features strength and will be mildly hallucinatory, yet you cannot turn out to be addicted. It will not do any harm to your body, quite it helps the maestro to observe what the problem is with his individual. Needless to say some individuals have this present born in these people – as the ancestors used to say, it truly is found in the blood of the shaman.
Is San Pedro a ‘teacher plant’?
Of course, but it has a certain mystery. You have to end up being compatible with this because it does not work for just anybody. Typically the shaman includes an exclusive relationship from it. This circulates in your body involving the patient and where it finds abnormality it permits the shaman to be able to detect it. This lets him understand the pain they as well as whereabouts it is definitely. So it is the website link between patient in addition to maestro. It also purifies the blood from the person who refreshments it. It amounts the nervous technique so people shed their fears, frights and traumas, in addition to it charges people with positive energy. Everyone must drink in order that the maestro can connect with them. Only the particular dose may differ from person to person because not really everyone is while strong.