WHAT SOUTHERN AFRICAN WISDOMS HAVE TO OFFER THE WEST #13

“Drugs (and sacred mind altering plants) allow us to taste the beyond but do not make us masters of the transcendental.”
Sri Satyananda

I thought that I would devote the last blog of the series to my personal ideas on entheogens. My disclaimer is that I am not an expert but maybe that enables me to have a broader view of the subject especially in the light of my sangoma training. Entheogens (sacred mind altering plants used in ceremony) are not part of sangoma initiation so I am going outside of the title of the blog. 

They are, however, a powerful tool for shamans that use them especially in North and South America.

In Southern Africa using entheogens for divination or healing is extremely rare today. There are very few mind altering plants in Southern Africa that are safe. Certain plants were used previously but the method of preparation has been lost in time. Otherwise they are extremely dangerous. 

The Native American, Chumash of California's central coast used Datura in the past but this too can be lethal and the details of its safe use have also disappeared.

In Gabon, Iboga which contains Ibogaine, is used effectively by shamans but this plant does not exist in the south. Iboga is extremely powerful, as its South American counterpart, Ayahuasca. Both have been used successfully in the treatment of drug addiction. It seems as if the plant allows one to "see exactly" who they have become in such a drastic way as to make remission possible.

 

The use of mind altering plants are now becoming main stream in the West. Mind altering plants have become popular especially since they are non addicting. This was not true for musicians using drugs to increase their creativity and which had serious and often fatal consequences. A few have now used Ayahuasca and crafted songs out of the experience.

Entheogens should always be used in sacred space with the right set and setting, the "right" folks attending and a competent shaman or guide. This is not always the case. There is mastery required in facilitating the process. Some participants may be bringing heavy personal baggage to the ceremony. Since the "Field' is now open negative energy can effect others in the group. Moreover, if the Field is unprotected, tricksters can potentially pollute the sacred space. Competent shamans  know how to manage the demons inside the ones partaking and also outside of them resident in the Field. Deciding on who to go to for the experience should be like looking for a neurosurgeon to correct an ailment. One should do one's homework before embarking on this "trip."

Although I had two Ayahuasca experiences in 1987 in Peru's Amazon, and I found them enlightening I chose to go the sangoma way for initiation as a sangoma in Swaziland, South Africa in 2000. 

For myself I found the experiences rewarding but a little like going up in a helicopter to the top of a high peak with a broad view of the landscape that would have been impossible otherwise. I experienced things that I could never see in my prior yoga practice or in meditation a few of which were clairvoyant. I confirmed that many of the phenomena I had read in yoga and other texts were true and now could be true for me too. I felt I had been privileged to experience them and they were real even if I would never see them again until I left the planet and crossed over the veil between the worlds. I also had a near death experience and no longer fear death. No longer fearing death can be a vital part of the encounter.

Everyone's experience with these plants will be unique to themselves and often also to their culture and even religion.

In sangoma tradition connection to the spirit world is achieved during initiation through drumming and dancing. Entheogens are not used. The word Sangoma (Zulu for the equivalent of a shaman) comes from the word Ngoma which means a drum. It is the drum and the dance that call the attention of one's guides during initiation and bring them home to the sangoma in trance, divination or dreams. Sangomas (also called Nyangas) use "possession," bones and dreams for diagnosis and rituals using sacred plants for treatment of the condition/s. The bones are like a psycho-spiritual C.T. scan and in experienced hands should be about 80% accurate.

A few words on sacred geometry which can be found in some of these  plants of power.

“Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round and … the earth is round like a ball and so are all the stars. The wind in its great power whirls. Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing.” 
Black Elk

Some shapes and designs of themselves lend themselves more easily and align more truly to a natural connection, for instance, the circle and the spiral. Their very form speaks to essence in creation.
 

There are other shapes and designs that represent sacred geometry apart from the circle and the spiral.

If one looks carefully at the design in certain entheogens we can see the symbol of a hexagon which is also the symbol of the heart chakra. The hexagon represents sacred geometry which we can see throughout the ages.

These entheogens can open the heart chakra. This principle also can be extrapolated to the Law of Similars.

 If something resembles the other, it can affect the other. 

Cross section of San Pedro cactus which contains mescaline - many plants are hexagonal in their shape.

The affect of mescaline is similar to that of psilocybin in magic mushrooms and tends to be gentle. 

The FDA has now cleared psilocybin for use in selected patients and for research. 

The F.D.A. are way behind what is now evolving in popular culture.

Stanislav Grof was using LSD in his experiments in the 60's with amazingly beneficial results until its use became illegal.

Cross section of Ayahuasca which contains D.M.T. demonstrating the hexagon - if one connects the dots.

Ayahuasca grows as a liana often spiraling much like the Sun and Moon main channels of the chakra system or like the Caduceus. 

Hermes who carried the Caduceus was the Messenger of the gods (the master of the Field...) 

It can open the heart chakra and balance the Sun and Moon channels to allow Kundalini energy to move up the spine and open the Third Eye. The Sun channel expands, is hot, red in color and represents the masculine energy. The Moon channel contacts, is blue in color and represents the feminine energy. This sacred geometry can also be seen as the perfect combination of masculine and faminine during the mating of two snakes.

Even in Peyote used by the Native Americans in ceremony - one can see a semblance of a hexagon in the grooves. 

The hexagon's symbol of the heart chakra signifies that it can help us open this most challenging chakra. These are examples of sacred geometry in the plant kingdom. The Ancestors affirm that like all the Beings of Nature the Growing Beings have a profound consciousness that we can tap into.

In spite of the transformational power resident in entheogens and their use there are certain concerns regarding their being used unethically. When I did ceremony in the jungle in 1987 it was free. If one wanted to, one could give a donation. 

There is nothing wrong with charging for facilitating the experience but to be in compliance with the sacred power of the plant and the Field any exchange of energy should not be abused. Ideally one should have another source of income and not have to rely on the financial rewards of the plant spirit to be in complete compliance with spirit. 

Union do Vegetal in Brazil is an Ayahuasca church whose ministers receive no payment. The translation of União do Vegetal is, Union of the Plants. 

“A mere glimpse of reality can be mistaken for complete realization.” Gampopa

There are some who after several experiences portray themselves as "shamans" without having had formal training which can take many years. Furthermore, they may not have an intimate relationship with the plant and may not even know what it looks like in the wild or how best to prepare it. The more attention and intention one gives to the details, the more the power of the medicine and the more the Field responds. The plants I believe if possible are best imbibed in their own ecosystem rather than being prepared and used remote from it.

Regarding Ayahuasca, the vision vine of the Amazon, the Icaro or sacred song which is sung throughout the ritual is key to the effect of the plant as is the Chacruna additive which activates the D.M.T. The Icaro comes to the Ayahuascero shaman out of initiation from the spirit world or some believe from the plant itself. The Icaro drives the experience.  

Yes, the facilitator can sing someone else's Icaro but singing or playing Western music will not be the same. The plants requires a certain simple but profound vibration that comes from spirit.

Even though entheogens (Ayahuasca, San Pedro cactus, Peyote) can lead to transcendental experiences, as Westerners we have to be very careful and respectful when using them. They should only be taken in sacred space with an experienced shaman, guide, therapist or mentor who can protect the participants and the sacred space. 

The use of entheogens continues to increase amongst Westerners.

To paraphrase Huston Smith about his own experiences with enthreogens, that once

one has opened the door one does not have to keep on knocking. 

The inner work still needs to be done after the door has opened. 

There are other lesser well known entheogens apart from the ones discussed . In the Americas indigenous peoples depend on these entheogens for healing and wholeness whereas we Westerners may want to consider ourselves occasional visitors to this powerful experience.

 When we have a special request, the Rolling Stones remind us that

 

"You dont always get what you want but if you try you might get what you need."