Spiritual Purification Ritual
The Ritual of Spiritual Purification is an ancestral, special and exclusive practice which is now offered as a standard to all retreat participants staying for at least two weeks or longer.
This ceremony (ONLY performed in Ashi Meraya, among all other shamanic retreat centres in the region) has been practiced by the Shipibo Merayas (Bancos) since immemorial time, as the name itself suggests, for spiritual purification. The ritual takes place in the afternoon and is described below.
Ancestral purification ritual supervised by the shaman
Photo Courtesy: Stephen Witte
The shaman blows jungle tobacco smoke on his patient or apprentice, whilst moving around him/her, whispering special soft icaros, accompanied by the sound of rattles and rain stick. Afterwards, the participant has his/her forefront rubbed with shamanic perfumes prepared with teacher plants or trees (rainforest flowers, Remocaspi, Chullachaki caspi, or Ayahuasca, among others).
In virtue of the fact that one is required ”to diet” to be exposed to this ritual, and being the prescribed diet of at least two weeks in length, usually, only guests staying two weeks or longer may be able to take part to this ritual. Within the mainframe of a fortnight Ayahuasca retreat, one may be exposed to the Spiritual Purification ritual on an average of seven times during his or her staying. Read more on the origins of this ritual.
Using the Remocaspi perfume in the purification ritual
Photo Courtesy: Stephen Witte
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