Unethical jungle Ayahuasca retreats

 

The Amazonian rainforest consists of an area approx 2.1million square miles, which is home to 90% of the Earth’s biodiversity. It is to this planet, what a heart is to our body. Below the canopy, the earth itself is relatively low in nutrients, with the majority being within the trees themselves. The biggest danger with deforestation like this is in soil erosion, washed away without the sponge like trees to soak up the rain and general humidity. Inevitably, the vital routes of the Amazon (The planet’s Aorta) will change, with some being blocked, redirecting the flow.Unless this delicate ecosystem is protected, it won’t be long before we start to witness droughts, famine and pestilence. Photosynthesis from this huge area of vegetation, is why we have a breathable environment within the Earth’s atmosphere. Approximately 400 tribes have essentially been the guardians of this lifeblood, simply by living in a harmonious co-existence with their environment.

However, increasingly the number of native tribes has been plummeting. With little to no protection from governments and authorities, Capitalism and corruption has resulted in blatant massacres by foreign intruders, pillaging the untainted resources to profit from the greed of the white man. “Out of sight, out of mind”. If a whole family is killed in the forest, does anyone hear them scream? 

Tales of genocide, even where power is as morally corrupt as this… granting Carte Blanche to the culprits, you might imagine would provoke some shameful display of action. Instead,they are continually having to fight and jump through hoops, in order to have a legal right to live on this land. Once again, the mighty dollar and the corporations are given precedence over those, trying to defend their everything (one we might have a vested interest in helping them maintain). As more and more people venture into these remote regions, the perils multiply. Evolution has equipped the inhabitants to thrive within an environment full of deadly wildlife that would terrify most of us. At the same time, they are utterly defenceless against the health issues arising from Western cuisine and from disease that may leave us largely unaffected. The recent pandemic has illustrated this plight, seeing the decimation of entire tribes, one after another. The cost of Capitalism . As consumers, we can try to make ethical options, such as boycotting gold or unethically sourced materials and unethical investors (Although in this matter, the reader would be wise to investigate Greenwashing. Eco-friendliness is often just a veneer. 

It’s long been known that certain chemical compounds found within nature are and have long been used, within ethnic mysticism, to commune with the spirit world. The rainforest is home to 90% of the world’s biodiversity, so having a means of understanding the complexities of this habitat, within their belief system, makes perfect sense. 

One of the most important biggest issues these people are fighting for is land rights. For the permission to dwell in this space, as their forefathers did before them. This is the place where they are born, will live their life and to which their bodies will return, as did their descendents before them. Nourishing the habitat that sustains that collective. In this way, the land upon which they live, provides everything they need in addition to literally being a part of their being, bodily and spiritually. 

It is usually the place of a healer or Curandero to imbue the concoction, having been educated in how to interpret the experiences through a legacy of wisdom, handed down by the elders often in song. Should someone be bitten by a snake,for example, the healer would consume the divine sacrament and enter into a state, where they can safely talk with the spirit of the snake, as well as other spirits, both living and dead. They would then know why this has happened, what needed to be done and how best to help the afflicted. It’s believed to be dangerous to enter this state without the appropriate preparation and education. 

During recent years, legislative changes regarding the medicinal and recreational use of Cannabis in North America and Canada, have led to an adjustment in the general attitude towards the use of psychedelics. (It’s not uncommon for users in these places to be unaware that this too, is a hallucinogen). Formerly abundant with scaremongering propaganda such as the infamous reefer madness . 

Caution should be taken regarding the Cannabis over enthusiast. Yes, it has medicinal benefits, but No! It doesn’t cure cancer. No! It isn’t the best medicine for everyone. Yes! It can cause problems (as can any drug). Operating heavy machinery or driving, especially under the influence is a strain with a high quantity of THC in, is every bit as dangerous a drink driving and would render you equally liable. In truth, Cannabis still requires considerable research and should not be advised for medicinal use unless by a medically qualified practitioner.Tragic deaths have occurred due to delays in seeking medical care, only realising by the time it is too late that the herb won’t save them. 

Could this discovery, that Cannabis is not, in fact, the gateway to demonic debauchery we had been led to believe, possibly mean that what we had been told of other drugs, may also have been fabricated somewhat? It just takes that sprinkle of doubt, in the formerly indoctrinated mind, brought to us by the makers of “Parenting by TV”. Combine it with Capitalism’s ability to commodify an ancient and revered link to the divine. Refer back to one’s history of colonialism “how-to” and voila!!! Social media is awash with middle class privilege, bastardising the very essence of life and everything in it, with festival style facepaint and happy snaps, parading accommodating locals. 

Hundreds of Ayahuasca retreats and Iboga clinics have emerged and the only requirement for admission is the mighty dollar. If you even entertain the claims that this is helping the people survive and bringing them into the modern world with all it’s wonderful accessories….please check your history books. Look at coffee and tea plantations, cocoa beans, fruit like pineapples and coconuts, not to forget those great value Chinese buys. Where poverty exists, sure enough, you’ll soon find those exploiting that very societal ill. It is literally almost NEVER that the people in greatest need receive any benefit. A recent estimate suggested the biggest retreats alone brought in $7million in a year (filling the pockets of foreign business). Even the necessities required to cater for western expectations and the embellished experience, requires capital you will not find tribal people having access to 

Lost is their most sacred gift and the safety afforded by the remote nature of their location. Things no amount of money can buy back. Add to this the indignity of ritual symbolism, daubed across the faces of their new masters, but their lives are imperilled and health at stake. Where so many lives have been lost, a tribe really cannot afford to lose anymore before their time. The truth is that increasingly, the genuine Shaman and healers have literally, run for the hills. In their place, fakes…actors. A purpose made recreation of reality. Either way, anything that these people could possibly gain from catering to the problems of the privileged…pandering to those who have no understanding whatsoever of what they are even doing…the descendents of those who massacred their predecessors…there is nothing the Whit man can give them that they need, besides GOING AWAY! 

D.M.T. (the “God molecule”), that has this profound effect, exists in our brains and within the Earth. Varying amounts exist in most living things, but it’s most commonly made using the bark of the Mimosa Hostilis plant due to a plentiful quota of the compound. Small stores outside of the jungle sell it and it’s quite easy to find “retreats” much closer to home, that don’t entail cultural appropriation, exploitation or endangerment of an entire people. What you will almost certainly not find is any retreat with genuine qualified medical assistance. One of the most common reasons people seek out this treatment, is for help with addiction. Indeed, used correctly, there is nothing else comparable in modern medicine. However, detoxification, especially from Alcohol or benzodiazepines, must be medically supervised as potentially lethal seizures and relatively common. As with any drug, or food substance new to someone, there is always a risk of an allergic response, possibly anaphylaxis. That’s not something you want to happen when deep in the jungle, miles from help. As with all therapeutic use of psychedelics, set and setting are paramount. That means being in a place where you feel safe, relaxed, comfortable, with people you trust and clever use of purpose made environmental accessories. It does not mean that it only works if you demean the cultural belief system of someone else, disrespecting their roots and connection with a location, because you can give them something that can only magnify their ever increasing fight for survival. Can you imagine the outrage were a strange looking person come into a Catholic mass, stride up to the altar and stuff as many wafers in their mouth as possible, wash it down with sacramental wine and then rinse off in the font, stuffing a wad of money in the collection box, before desecrating a few burial sites upon departure?

Ultimately, what these people need most is to survive. Just last year, these aerial shots were shown as evidence of the existence of uncontacted tribes. Their survival depends on remaining isolated and thus, our survival does too. It’s clear that they are fully aware of their surroundings, yet choose to remain uncontacted. They have indicated these methods.

*Leaving crossed spears in the forest.

*Pointing arrows up at passing planes.

*Fleeing when outsiders approach.

*Intentionally avoiding others.

LET’S TRY AND RETURN THE GIFTS WE HAVE RECEIVED TO THOSE THAT WILL PROTECT IT’S POWER. PLEASE CHECK OUT https://www.survivalinternational.org/ FOR INFORMATION ON THE WAYS WE CAN HELP. 

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