The term "diet" is the literal translation of the Spanish word "dieta", which refers to the shamanic training as it is practiced in the Peruvian Amazon (see the traditional plant diet in Onanyan Shobo).

Teacher plants (plantas maestras) may be "dieted" in the form of a special preparation made by the shaman who  makes a beverage with water and the scraped roots, barks or other parts of teacher plants, trees or vines, for the apprentice (dietero, if male, or dietera, if female) to drink over a set up period, in conditions of celibacy and physical isolation in the jungle. The brew may either be obtained by scraping parts of the fresh plant and leaving them into water for some time, or else, using the so called bañomaria method. In either case the shaman may whistle or sing his icaros to the medicina (the brew that the dietero/a will drink, prepared by the shaman). Dieteros (or dieteras) on the other hand, have to sing the icaros of the plant they are dieting with, to their medicina.

As it should have been clear by now, the dieta is of course something more, much more complex, magic and mysterious than a simple "diet". Along with the implicit food restrictions - no salt, sugar, spices, oils, fats, alcohol, stimulants, pork meat (and, according to the purpose of the diet and to the maestro, no chicken and red meat too) - a conditio sine qua non the proper outcome would not be guaranteed, there are other specific conditions to respect, among which two are very much important: celibacy and and certain degree of physical seclusion.

The alterated state of consciousness - which is the configuration needed to access the plant spirit world - is therefore achieved by a series of restrictions, whilst being alone in the forest with the shaman. That is the traditional way. During the period of the apprenticeship (dieta) the candidate must also refrain from entering in contact with menstruating women (including having his/her clothes touched/washed by, or having his/her food prepared by a lady in this condition). Traditionally, it is only the shaman who should attend the apprentice during the time of his/her own diet, and only the shaman should take care to bring (or even prepare) the food for the apprentice. There are different traditions, set-ups and ways to see menstruating women and the dieta, and almost any maestro has his or her own views on the topic. Female apprentices are - of course - most welcome in Onanyan Shobo. Don Rosendo (a former practicing Shipibo maestro that worked in in our centre) even maintained that women learn plant-based shamanism more quickly than men, as the spirits of the plants teachers enter and settle inside them more easily.

One important thing that many shamans vegetalistas have stressed as being the most vital aspect of the dieta training is "dietar la mujer", that is, refraining from sexual activity.  

Main reason being that teacher plant spirits are said to be very jealous of human sexuality. So, as sign of respect for them, one must enforce this precept whilst doing the diet. Also remember the words of Carlos Castaneda's don Juan: "warriors who adventure in the unknown must be tight with their sexual energy".

Plant spirits are jealous and energy must be preserved to engage in encounters with the unknown!

One may also diet with encantos - special healing stones used by the shamans - and a similar training (as for the plants) applies. This may only be possible - according to Don Francisco - when the shaman is an encantero (that is, a maestro or maestra specialized in working with the encantos). The shaman leaves the encanto in water for a period of time, usually overnight, and then the dietero/a drinks the water (not the stone!!), as if drinking a plant macerate/beverage. The water so prepared is drank every day (usually very early in the morning, and icaros are sang by the shaman) for the specific, required length of the "diet", and following the same restrictions/settings as for the "plant diet". According to the intent of one's dieta and to what type of condition one wishes to cure/heal, one may diet with a specific encanto of a particular colour.

 

 

 

 

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