There is an old Sufi story about the Mullah Nasruddin. His friend finds him on his knees under a streetlamp.
"What are you doing?" the friend asks.
The Mullah replies: "I am searching for my keys." The friend asks: "Did you lose them here under the light?" The Mullah looks up and replies: "No, actually, I lost them over in those dark bushes by the door, but the light here is so much better for seeing."

Ayahuasca healing is a journey to the heart of what really matters—an opportunity to face and integrate our shadow, transmuting trapped energies and making them available for life-affirming purposes. The medicine helps us search for the keys where they have been lost: in the darkness.

True healing with Ayahuasca is not a recreational "drug" experience for entertainment or escapism. It is hard work that requires courage, determination, and a sincere commitment to your journey. The medicine compels us to face, resolve, and release issues that have been buried throughout our lives.

Many seekers from the West come with the misconception that Ayahuasca is a "quick fix." While the medicine can offer significant intervention into chronic emotional, psycho-spiritual, and physical imbalances, it is fundamentally a transformational pathway, not a magic pill.

* A Relationship of Reciprocity: The best way to approach Ayahuasca is to develop a relationship with the medicine. You enter a cycle of receiving healing and giving back through taking responsibility for your shadow and committing to long-term change.

* The Power of Surrender: Surrendering to the process is essential for cleansing painful memories and self-limiting patterns. This surrender allows you to re-discover your "true self" and live a life filled with joy and inner peace.

* A Safe Container: We are deeply committed to providing a safe and caring environment. You will face the whole of yourself, but you will not do it alone.

The Dieta: Preparing the Vessel
One of the most important aspects of this work is the Dieta—a tradition of following a specific diet to prepare the body, mind, and soul. This diet shows the spirit of Ayahuasca your intention and serves as a test of your discipline.

The Science of Safety
Ayahuasca inhibits the enzyme Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) in the body. While MAO is inhibited, certain compounds (like Tyramine) found in aged or fermented foods can accumulate to toxic levels, causing severe headaches or medical emergencies. Following these guidelines is mandatory for your physical safety.

Preparation Timeline

Two Weeks Prior (The Foundation)
* Abstain from all Plant Medicines/Psychedelics: San Pedro, Mushrooms, LSD, Cannabis, etc.
* Abstain from Street Drugs: Cocaine, MDMA, Amphetamines, etc.
* Sexual Activity: Abstain from all sexual activities, including masturbation, to preserve your vital energy.
* Dietary Restrictions: No Alcohol, Pork, Spicy foods (chilis), or Ice-cold drinks/Ice cream.
One Week Prior (The Refinement)
* No Refined Sugars: Including sweets and chocolate.
* No Red Meat or Animal Fats: (Lard, etc.).
* No Salt or Pepper.
* No Dairy or Fermented Foods: (Aged cheese, soy sauce, etc.).
* No Caffeine or Stimulants: (Coffee, energy drinks).
* No Carbonated Drinks: (Sodas, diet drinks, non-alcoholic beer).
* Minimize Oils: Use olive or coconut oil very sparingly.
* Avoid Synthetics: Use natural soaps, perfumes, and toiletries.
Important Health Disclosures
* Medication: You must contact us if you are taking any medication or supplements (especially antidepressants/SSRIs).
* Pregnancy: Ayahuasca is not compatible with pregnancy.
* Menstruation: If you are on your cycle, please inform your facilitators upon arrival so we can support you energetically.

1. Intention

Consider: Why are you seeking this medicine? Your intention is your mantra, focus, and thread to the material realm. It can help you keep focus while engaged with this deep work and is the most important first step of integration. Of course, your intention may change, but it is the initial work in a meaningful, empowered, and transformational encounter with this sacred plant medicine.

Ayahuasca will show you many things, but you can also ask her what to show you. Further, when trying to understand and make meaning of your experience with this medicine, you will find your original intention a helpful reference. If you simply ask the medicine "teach me," you may get a confusing - albeit potent-lesson, so it is best to ask for something more specific so the lesson can be translated with more clarity.

2. Developing and Fine-tuning Your Intention

Consider: What do you need? Where are you stuck? What do you want to know about yourself? Are you in a relationship that is causing you to suffer? Are you looking for a resolution to something? Do you need clarity? Do you want to believe in something bigger or love yourself more?

Whatever your questions, find the ones that are the most deeply present for you and write them down. Let them sit for a few days, perhaps on your altar, and begin to feel their potency. If you have a meditation practice, perhaps use some of your sitting time to reflect on your list of intentions.

3. Intention Object

Power stick, power object, wand, crystals, photos: Bringing something powerful with you to the Temple from home that you make while considering your intention can be useful to keep your intention alive. After finding your intention for this work, see what objects call you, or what creations you feel compelled to craft/make, to concretize your intention into something tangible that you can carry with you as a reminder, or a tether, to yourself as you are now.

4. Meditation Practice and the Preparation Dieta

For at least two weeks prior to ceremony, it is vital to clear the mind and body of as many impurities, poisons, and intrusions as possible, so you may approach this deep work with your energy intact and strong. In addition, this will help your endurance for the long nights in meditation with the medicine.

If you are a seasoned meditator, sit for your longest sustainable time, every day leading up to your arrival at the Temple. If you are a beginner, or new to meditation, try sitting for 10 minutes a day and working up to a half hour over the two weeks. The Temple has clearly outlined the dieta in this document and elsewhere. It is to be taken seriously and followed to the absolute best of your ability - especially regarding medicines and supplements.

5. Take Care of Business or TCB!

Before leaving for your time at the Temple, take care of as much business as you can, ideally leaving a solid two-week window for preparation without business chaos interfering. Before your two-week final preparation, take care of all those lingering details, such as finances, emails, bills, washing the car, making arrangements with the cat-sitter, etc.

Before you depart, clean your home or your room, so that when you return there isn't a pile of dirty clothes on your bed and a stack of overdue bills on your table. You are preparing now for your return, so create a soft, safe, and clear space for when you land. As you will notice, what is without is also reflected within, so a clean space will provide a sense of inner calm that allows you to focus your energies on integration when you get home.

6. Community

Begin thinking about your community: Do you have allies to share this work with? Do you have a psychotherapist who is friendly with this type of work? Are your family and friends sympathetic to your spiritual process? If so, let those closest to you know that you are embarking on this venture into the Amazon and into yourself. Ask them to hold you in their heart and/or to pray for you (or however you choose to express these requests). This work is deep and it requires support, as does all deep psycho-spiritual work. Letting your loved ones know about your work provides them with an opportunity to help you prepare and deepen your support network for when you return and integrate.

7. Nature

This point is so important it should be mandatory: If possible, spend time in nature. If you live in a city where nature is hard to find, research botanical gardens, greenhouses, and Zen gardens in your area. Take long walks in the woods, on the beach, or whatever landscape calls you. This will provide your body and mind an opportunity to relax and help to establish a deeper connection to yourself, outside of the noise and movement of life. All of which is vital to setting your intentions and all aspects of preparation.

8. Post-Workshop Planning

In planning your trip, realize that you will be extremely open and sensitive in the days immediately following your retreat. Joining a raucous group tour or immediately diving back into your hectic schedule are probably not ideal situations. Try to build in some quiet time in a beautiful location -- a few days in Iquitos (although it's not everyone's idea of beautiful), a jungle retreat (sans further ayahuasca ceremonies), or some time in Peru's Sacred Valley outside Cusco.

If your home base supports serenity, head back there after a few days, and keep your schedule light for as long as possible. Time in nature, deep connection with understanding loved ones, and quiet time for reflection are the kinds of things you'll be craving. Supportive practices like yoga and meditation will be very welcome in the integration process.

The Dieta

One of the most important aspects of working with ayahuasca is adhering to an honored tradition of following a special diet in order to prepare not just the body, but also the mind and soul to incorporate the healing energy of ayahuasca. This diet also shows the spirit of ayahuasca your intention and is a test of discipline and commitment.

The central aspects of the diet we follow at the Temple are common to the teachings of all Ayahuasquero/as across the Peruvian Amazon. In the case of some of the food restrictions, there is also definitive scientific evidence that they are essential for safety. On a physical level, ayahuasca inhibits the action of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the body. While MAO is inhibited, compounds that the enzyme would normally break down could accumulate in the body to toxic levels, causing headaches and other medical issues. Foods containing these compounds are to be avoided.

You should begin the diet at least two weeks before the retreat and continue the diet for at least two weeks after the last ceremony. It is essential to continue the diet to ensure the Ikaros you have received and any possible plant remedies you are prescribed, are given sufficient time to integrate.

How do I know if I am "ready"?
You are ready if you feel a persistent "call" and are willing to take responsibility for your own healing. You don't need to be "unafraid"; you only need the courage to show up and be honest with yourself.

What if I accidentally eat something restricted?
Do not panic. If you slip up, acknowledge it, recommit to the dieta, and move forward. The dieta is a contract of discipline. While small slips aren't usually dangerous, they can cloud the clarity of your experience.

What if I don't see "visions"?
Ayahuasca works on many levels. Many people experience deep physical purging, emotional releases, or sudden "knowings" without seeing colors or patterns. A lack of visions does not mean the medicine isn't working; often, the deepest healings happen through feeling.

Is there a "Purge"?
Vomiting or "purging" is often a part of the process. It is seen as a physical release of emotional or energetic blockages. It is not "being sick"—it is a cleaning of the temple.

Why must I continue the diet after the retreat?
We ask that you continue the diet for two weeks after your last ceremony. This is the "Integration" phase. Your system is very open and sensitive; returning to "junk" food or heavy environments too quickly can short-circuit the healing that is taking root.

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