Ayahuasca and Huachuma Before & After: Back From The Jungle

Voices in the Dark

Eighteen months after Ayahuasca turned his life upside-down, Jon headed back to the jungle to see what would happen this time around. For one thing, this time it was a veritable plant medicine odyssey: Four Ayahuasca ceremonies, one Bobinsana ceremony, three Huachuma ceremonies, and a final, terrifying Vilca ceremony.

Recorded the day after he got back to the UK over a ceremonial mapacho 'cigar', we reflect on the experience from Jon's perspective, and Dre breaks down the neurochemistry and psychology of how and why these things unfold.

We consider how modern societies screw us up and how plant medicines can reconnect us with the world and with ourselves; we talk about ritual and its place (and absence) in Western life; and we explore what people are really trying to communicate when they say 'everything is love', or 'it's all connected'.

Whether it's how to find a way to authentically express yourself, how to avoid bitterness when a life path hits a dead end, or how to overcome your inner critic, there's plenty to get into in this episode.

All in all, Jon's come back with a new understanding of his motivations and and purpose in life – and what ultimately drives all of us to choose the paths we follow. This is the only time he's going to talk about these things, too, to avoid fading the memories through repetition.

And now for the hard work: integrating the insights and lessons into everyday life, and not just slipping back into familiar patterns... Here goes.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• The theory that the Amazon might be manmade
• Our interview with Neo – homeless singer and social activist
• Some pictures of the mesa and the Lanzón stone
• Jon's personal Ayahuasca vlog series
• Jon's article on Ayahuasca and what he wished he'd known before drinking it the first time
• Aubrey Marcus's beautiful documentary on Ayahuasca (free to stream)
• SpiritQuest Sanctuary in Peru

Be Silly. Be Kind. Be Weird.