Today marks a year since the day I met Grandmother Ayahuasca for the first time. It was on the Lion’s Gate portal, a day like today—we didn’t know, we didn’t plan it, it just happened.

I am Peruvian-born and knew about Ayahuasca, but it never called to me while I lived in Lima until 2012 when I moved to Australia. Back then, my life was very “westernised.” I learned about Peruvian history at school, the cultures, the Quechua language, but they didn’t hold much meaning for me at the time.

I remember being 12 years old when I first went to Cusco with my family and felt a familiarity with the land and a love for the mountains.

It took me more than 20 years to truly recognise my path and reconnect with the indigenous in me—this remembrance was thanks to Abuela Ayahuasca.

If you don’t know what Ayahuasca is, or you may feel it’s “scary” because of the purging stories you’ve heard, or you think is strange I get it. I felt the same way, so let’s dive in.

What exactly is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a word that originates from the Quechua language, where "aya" means "spirit" or "soul," and "huasca" means "vine" or "rope." So, the term "ayahuasca" can be translated as "vine of the soul" or "spirit vine."

We call Ayahuasca the “Grandmother” because, in indigenous traditions, Ayahuasca is the mother of all plants—it’s the spirit of it all. She is the sacred plant mother and the counterpart of Grandfather Mapacho (Sacred Tobacco).

The Light arts blog Ayahuasca — Mark Fox/Getty Images

Ayahuasca is a powerful plant-based brew traditionally used by indigenous tribes in the Amazon for spiritual and healing purposes. It is made from a combination of two primary plants:

1. Banisteriopsis caapi: This is the vine, often referred to as the "ayahuasca vine." It contains compounds known as MAO inhibitors (MAOIs), which are crucial for the brew's psychoactive effects.

2. Psychotria viridis (or sometimes other plants like Diplopterys cabrerana): This plant contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a powerful hallucinogenic compound. On its own, DMT is not orally active because it's broken down by enzymes in the stomach. However, when combined with the MAO inhibitors from the *Banisteriopsis caapi* vine, the DMT becomes orally active, leading to the profound visionary experiences associated with Ayahuasca.

The combination of these two plants creates a brew that has been used for centuries in shamanic rituals, spiritual healing, and personal growth.
It is a dark brew, bitter, a bit thick. to me it tastes like the earth.

The experience of drinking Ayahuasca is very personal and unique to each individual. It’s extremely important to cleanse your body to receive the medicine—I will explain more below.

Drinking this medicine can lead to intense visions, emotional insights, and a sense of connection to the spiritual realm, making it a central element in many Amazonian indigenous cultures. Today Ayahuasca is available in many different countries but to me the real experience is traveling to Peru to either the Sacred Valley in Cusco or to the Amazon Rainforest to have a true cultural experience.

Something very important to note is that Ayahuasca ceremonies happen at night, in the dark, which minimises external distractions and sensory input, allowing participants to focus inward. Many indigenous cultures believe that the night is a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is thinner, making it easier to connect with spirits, ancestors, and otherworldly energies. This aligns with the purpose of the ceremony, which often involves seeking spiritual guidance, healing, and insight.

Why is it important to cleanse your body to receive the medicine?

I will explain it this way, we humans are made of three distinct parts:

- Our mind: The ego, the character we play every day in this reality, starts to shape according to our environment from the minute we are born. We begin receiving input from culture, family behaviors, and parents, and by the time we are adults, we have been shaped into who we are, with patterns, belief systems, and everything that becomes us. For many Ayahuasca will go beyond your mind and you will see the real You, before your mind was conditioned by culture, society and your environment. This is the well-known ‘Ego death’ or ‘Rupture’ experience.

- Our soul: The fire element, what makes us alive and feel emotions. It’s that light we have in our eyes that shines when we are laughing and diminishes when we are not in a good place. It’s your true essence, your wisdom and your true nature.

- Our body: The vehicle, the suit we wear. I like to call it the vehicle because it is how our soul manifests in this reality. It’s also the vessel to receive medicine, so if your vessel is half full or totally full of other substances, a poor diet, and more, Ayahuasca is going to make you cleanse your body during the ceremony. Now, if you have followed a diet and slowly started to cleanse your vessel, and approach this practice with the importance that requires the medicine will work better with you because you’re not full of other things. Your experience can be profoundly different and deeper.

What about my own experience?

During the retreat I attended at Apu Healing, we sat at two Ayahuasca ceremonies. I had no expectations about it; I didn’t dive in too much because I didn’t want to project anything onto it. I was open, and I kept repeating to myself that I surrender to whatever will happen here. What happened was the most amazing, intense, and profound change in my consciousness, my life, and the way I saw my human experience.

My first ceremony was very intense, I knew it was going to be as part of my intention was to heal women in my lineage, I was ready, this was the reason I wanted to come.

I spent a good part of the first hours in the bathroom…Yes, that was it!

I was purging deeply from my soul, energetically and physically a lot which I was carrying but was not mine. I’m not really sure how long I spent in the bathroom—it felt like eons to me. My friends in the ceremony said it was about an hour; others say 40 minutes…so I guess I will never know.

After my purge finished, I went back to the sacred space, and from then on, my journey was one of remembrance—of past lives, ancestors and divine purpose. I saw my whole life played out in front of me. I saw myself as a starseed incarnating on Earth, being disappointed with what I was perceiving, and wanting to leave. I saw every time Pachamama called me and every time I dismissed the call. I saw myself struggling with fertility issues and suffering but understanding that it was all part of a bigger plan and that my whole life was orchestrated for a higher purpose.

I know not everyone is like me, with vivid visions and deep introspection, but for me, it was a journey through lifetimes, family, stars, and beyond this reality.

My second ceremony was pure bliss.

I didn’t purge, I didn’t go to the bathroom. I was told by my husband (he also attended the same retreat) that I was in a sitting position, gently moving back and forth for 6 hours, smiling, crying, and receiving. My second ceremony was sacred, with deep conversations with the plants, with the creator, and with my galactic origin.

When I came back to NYC after the retreat in Peru, I struggled to integrate, and even today, a year later, I’m still integrating the lessons. Grandmother Ayahuasca and her guidance were the reasons I created The Light Arts; they were the reason I reconnected with the indigenous within me. Since then, my channel has expanded, my perception has changed about everything. I changed my lifestyle, and today I do what I do.

What I learnt and reccommend?

I would have never imagined that a plant medicine ceremony was going to shift so much in me. Attending a ceremony with sacred plants is a deeply humbling practice that deserves respect and integrity.
Integration between ceremonies is the most important part of the whole thing, many people seek more medicine trying to find answers, when in reality you NEED to wait and integrate the medicine in your soul and specially in your mind and body. that takes time to catch up, matter, 3D reality takes times.
If you are looking to attend a ceremony, be sure it’s with someone who offers support before and after, someone with great integrity and an open heart, and who deeply understands the profound sacredness of this practice and treat it like it.
Remember that you are your own medicine. Ayahuasca will allow you to travel to the depths of your soul and face your darkness, if you allow it.
For many, it’s a scary realm, the unknown, but remember that only by facing your darkness and following your heart that you will ignite your light.

Ayahuasca, sacred grandmother