How should I prepare for Wachuma ceremony?

Dietary and Physical Recommendations

It is vital to prepare yourself for at least one week (5-7 days) prior to the ceremony.

Please take note of restricted pharmaceuticals, herbal medicines and contra-indicated substances that need to be stopped for more than 7 days before the ceremony

.

The detox and cleansing will make the plant medicines easier to absorb and with fewer side effects during the ceremony. Huachuma has a far less restrictive diet and duration than Ayahuasca, but following the prescribed diet faithfully is needed for both safety and quality of experience. For example, drinking alcohol within the prohibition window is not only likely to negate many of the effects of either medicine, but in most cases will also see any journey experienced as distant or unpleasant. In traditional use, it is considered insulting to the spirit of the medicine.

The recommendations are as follows:

SSRIs (any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)

Amphetamines (meth-, dex-, amphetamine)

Appetite suppressants (diet pills)

Antihistamines, medicines for colds, sinus problems, hay fever, or allergies (Actifed DM, Benadryl, Benylin, Chlor-Trimeton, Compoz, etc.)

CNS (central nervous system) depressants

Antipsychotics

St. John’s Wort

Kava

Ephedra

Ginseng

Yohimbe (incl. Yohimbine)

Sinicuichi

No pork or offal for 7 days before and three days after the ceremony.

No red meat 3 days before or the day after.

No oily fish or poultry the day before (including deep-fried foods), and no oily fish the day after.

Huachuma is best taken on an empty stomach, with a fast of no less than eight hours recommended in most cases. If blood sugar is an issue, a few strips of papaya or mango are acceptable early in the morning of the ceremony. The digestion will accept the medicine more easily if not occupied by other tasks.

The following foods are recommended to be avoided:

Electronics and personal entertainment devices

Use of all electronic communication devices is discouraged in the strongest of possible terms from the evening before the ceremony until the evening of the day after. The medical aspects of the ceremony cover far more than just the ceremony day. To get the most out of your time and experiences, remaining present is critical. Social media,

No meat products, sex, stimulants, mood modifiers, heavy oils or fats, salty/sweet the day before or after (salt may be used the day after, but should be used very sparingly while still in the force of the medicine).

Meat that is not fresh, especially unfresh liver (fresh meat and fresh liver are safe)

Smoked, fermented, pickled (herring) and otherwise aged or dried fish, lox; any fish that is not fresh

Sausage, bologna, pepperoni, salami, corned beef

Aged cheeses (cottage cheese and cream cheese are safe)

Protein extracts

Liquid and powdered protein dietary supplements

Brewer’s yeast, yeast vitamin supplements, or yeast extracts

Fermented tofu, fermented bean curd, fermented soybean paste, soy sauce

Canned soups, or soups made with protein extracts or bouillon

Miso soup (contains fermented bean curd) but allowed the day following the ceremony.

Shrimp paste

Sauerkraut

Fruits that are bruised or even slightly overripe, especially bananas and apples; raisins and other dried fruits, fi g newtons, etc (banana peels also should be avoided — as though you’d eat them anyway) but allowed the day following ceremony.

Avocados, if ripe or overripe (slightly underripe avocados are fine in moderation). Guacamole should be avoided. Avoid the day before Huachuma, not as a prohibition, but nausea during the ceremony tends to be more of an issue with the consumption of darker, riper or browned avocados the day before the ceremony.

Red wine, especially Chianti; sherry, vermouth, champagne, brandy; beers and ales, including nonalcoholic;

whiskey and liqueurs such as Drambuie and Chartreuse.

Dairy products that are close to the expiration date or that have been unrefrigerated (fresh yoghurt is safe), No

issue identified with Huachuma, but may contribute to nausea with susceptibility to people during the ceremony.

Aspartame (Nutrasweet) and Saccharin. Critical for avoiding potential liver toxicity!

Fava beans, especially if overripe.

Peanuts – in large quantities but allowed after the medicine is fully worn off, will cause significant sleep issues if consumed whilst still in the medicine’s effects.

Raspberries – in large quantities. No issue was identified with Huachuma

Spinach, New Zealand prickly or silver beet – in large quantities.

Chocolate – in large quantities

Caffeine in large quantities (note: in a few rare individuals, there may be a severe interaction with even small amounts of caffeine).

news media, even funny memes, are all distractions detracting from the processes and intent appropriate for participation. If feeling it is super important to communicate with the outside world, please keep it as brief and private as possible.

The Day before Ceremony

Remain clear of harsh music, influences and scenes. Allowing your mind to focus on your intent for the coming ceremony is a beautiful opportunity to prepare for it. Your intent may be anything you choose to ask for. A common theme in all ceremonies is to meet and sit with the Spirit of Huachuma, and if choosing, to speak, listen, hear and learn with gratitude, full clarity and understanding. The spirit of Huachuma is a shaman and will offer required assistance when approached with respect. It is best to sit in nature, to exercise gratitude and to hold yourself in a state of detached observation as much as is possible. Ensure you do not resent the food prohibitions, but consider them a small tribute to pay for the counsel that one is about to receive.

During Ceremony

Huachuma is quite acidic (pH 4.1-4.5), despite containing alkaloids, and a fast rinse and spit with fresh water following drinking is suggested as appropriate for tooth enamel health. If you purge with any plant medicine, please take the time to rinse your mouth thoroughly to disperse and dilute stomach acid in the mouth and prevent tooth enamel damage. Give yourself permission to purge even if you resist purging, as it is governed by the plant spirit and it is not vomiting as you might know it. Medicine purges are pieces of stagnant energy, old patterns and issues being released and dealt with. Embrace the purge and instead of throwing up, work with the spirit of the plant to eject whatever it is to you from your life. Release any industrialized or first-world prejudices, and go with the shamanic model of purging; it will make your experience far easier. During your first (or more) purge of the day, it may feel like one of those times where privacy is good, but your facilitator has worked with the medicine and its effects and is more interested in ensuring your release is complete and that the heavy energies of what you’re releasing are fully liberated and neutralized. As a participant, your role is not to participate in or interfere with anyone else’s journey (If more than one person). Working with others is your facilitator’s role. Your role is to be fully present in your own journey and to remain still and free of distractions, listening to the sensible counsel and teachings of Huachuma’s whispers within the winds. There may be temptations to interact with others, to share a joke or an observation, or discuss a revelation. The issue is that the need to share is a distraction, both to your process and that of the other person/s being shared with. Likewise, you might see someone shaking and crying in a fetal ball and want to check on them/comfort them. If you are concerned, attract the attention of your facilitator, and allow their experience and guidance to offer appropriate care. Please be well aware of personal space and not interfere with anyone else’s journey. This includes staring at people or following them if they are seeking solitude. If your facilitator is doing one on one work, please avoid entering or transiting the area of that work; this is for your safety as much as it is for the safety of the person being worked on.

Whilst in the ceremony, do NOT leave the ceremony area without letting your facilitator know where you are going and how you are. Slipping away quietly and not being able to walk or find your way back is not going to help your, or anyone else’s experience. It is every participant’s responsibility to be visible and seek acknowledgement when leaving the ceremony area. If a head count comes up short without explanation, a search will begin immediately, taking away from the care and attention available to other participants. During the ceremony, if you are feeling bad, and your facilitator asks you how you are, there are no points for stoicism. Tell them you’re feeling bad. Often there is something they might be able to do to help, but unless you mention it, they will not interfere.

Asking for help is a lesson many participants struggle with, and your facilitator’s job is to respond to requests from participants or Spirit, but not to interfere with a participant’s processes. If your facilitator asks and is told by the person that they are okay, even if clearly not ‘alright’, that is identified by your facilitator as their path and lesson.

Ceremony time is your time to commune with the spirit of the plant and learn as much as you can about yourself. Sit quietly and observe as external concerns, and distractions pass by and allow yourself to be mindful of your experience. Mindfulness will allow the energies to open up into alignment so that the Divine spirit of the plant may come to you, with increased clarity and awareness.

Your Facilitator will advise you when sipping and drinking water or when eating fruit is appropriate during a Huachuma ceremony.

The day after the ceremony

You are probably going to be tired, feeling a little hung over or otherwise quiet and ready for some quiet processing time. Take this moment for quiet reflection. Often, by mid-afternoon of the day after, you will be ready to start talking about what you experienced. A telephone, text or most preferably a one-on-one with your facilitator is the appropriate time and place.

Discussing your experience with other people without guidance may interfere with your process and helping debrief after a ceremony is what your facilitator is specifically for. Allow yourself to take the time to review all that you’ve experienced. Often as you meditate on the ceremony, more of the events and lessons will come to mind and unfold. This can go on for days, weeks or even months.

How high will the hikes be? I assume there won’t be any altitude issues?

The altitude for Manali town is 2000 metres (6727 feet)above sea level, two nights stay there is for the purpose of acclimatisation mainly,

The altitude of the town of Jispa is 3200 meters ( 10,500 feet) above sea level. One night’s stay is purposefully planned for acclimatisation.

After JISPA we will be crossing high-altitude passes as high as 5400 meters (17480, feet)

To reach the final destination Leh town. Altitude 3500 meters (11480 feet). We stay at LEH for a week so the physiological acclimatisation takes about 72 hours and would have been mostly achieved before we reach leh.

The use of cordyceps and other products such as electrolytes to enhance oxygen-carrying capacity would be best to be started a week or so prior to arriving in India. For all clients.