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el mundo magico Magical Journeys in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru Mission Statement - Informal Statement - About us Francesco Sammarco and a giant Lupuna blanca (Ceiba sp.) tree, in the Yanamono Reserve
• To support, promote and raise awareness of a more sustainable, earth-honouring tourism, through journeys, seminars and workshops, aimed at the preservation of the natural habitat of the Amazon Rainforest of Peru and its traditional cultural and religious lore, with special regard to indigenous and mestizo shamanic practices. • To offer international participants the opportunity of first-hand exploration of the rainforest heritage, through transformative journeys and expeditions focused on traditional cultural, religious and healing practices accompanied by the direct investigation of the ethnobotany of the area. • To develop creative projects aimed at the protection and conservation of indigenous cultural, religious and ethno musical traditions and practices, in the Andes, the Coast and the Amazon Rainforest of Peru.
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To deepen the understanding
of medicinal and healing practices of the indigenous and mestizo communities of
the Peruvian Amazon, with emphasis on the need of preserving their traditional
plant lore, so intimately linked with their pharmacopoeia and cultural-religious
traditions. Indigenous and mestizo rural healers in the Amazon are the
depositary of a wide-range knowledge of the rainforest environment and their
cultural and physical survival is crucial in the maintenance of an equilibrium
within the rainforest fragile ecosystem itself. In lieu of this rooted, ancient,
mutual relationship between shamanic healers and the rainforest, we actively
seek to promote the immediate protection and conservation of wilderness and
natural areas. • To facilitate the knowledge of the pre-Columbian civilizations of Peru, through archaeological and shamanic oriented journeys and explorative trips. • To sustain indigenous communities of the Andes and the Amazon, in particular the Q'eros and the Shipibos, through the facilitation of special-interest journeys, investigating their rich shamanic and ethno-cultural lore.
•
To strengthen
links of association and cooperation with local organizations devoted to the
conservation, protection and dissemination of Traditional Amazonian Medicine and
cultural heritage. • To purchase rainforest land to guarantee its long-term preservation and conservation and to develop alternative strategies for the safeguard of endangered plant and animal species. Well...that's the formal part, up to here. Informally, though we do not have yet a charitable status...we do everything in our realm of possibilities to sustain and support the native and local people we work with in Peru. This happens often outside the mere link of the working relationship and cooperation, through small interest-free micro-credit, financial donations and/or the provision of funds for medical care, whenever possible (taking into account that we are not rich!!). Our vision is, however, that the best way to help local and indigenous people is to offer them rewarding, varied and constant working opportunity, according to their skills, vision and knowledge. By booking your trip with us, you are reassured that what you pay - on top of being re-invested in the constant amelioration of our services, to offer you an experience that will often exceed your expectations - goes towards new ethical and sustainable projects aimed at the valorisation of the immense Amazonian plant medicine lore, at the preservation and investigation of the native indigenous cultures of Peru, with special emphasis to researching their ethnobotanical and shamanic heritage. In line with this spirit and initiative we have co-funded the creation of "Onanyan Shobo" ("the shaman's house"). The project has begun with the creation of a special retreat centre where people may experience healing, Sweat Lodge, saunas, baños de limpie (cleansing herbal baths), baño de barro (clay bath), baños de florecimiento (luck-changing ritual baths, to attract prosperity), shamanic rituals and an intense schedule of ayahuasca ceremonies (four each week!!), alongside the traditional plant teachers diet, for those interested in the initiation into Amazonian shamanism, in the Shipibo tradition.
Francesco Sammarco studied palaeethnology and archaeology at the University of Lecce (Italy) and classical archaeology at King's College London (U.K.). He holds a Masters degree in 'Public Archaeology' from the University College London, University of London (U.K.). He has a long term professional and personal interest in the issues surrounding shamanism, archaeology, ancient rock-art, traditional medicines, religious anthropology, ethnobotany, and ancient and contemporary native cultures. In 1999 he hypothesised the use of psycho-active substances during the celebration of the Mystery cults among the Iapygian-Messapians, the ancient indigenous people of Southern Apulia, in the sanctuary of Monte Papalucio at Oria (Brindisi, Italy). He is the founder of El Mundo Magico, the idea of which stemmed out of a memorable ayahuasca ceremony in June 2000. The world we witness when we take ayahuasca is one of magic and mystery. The medicine let us open to explore different realms of reality, way beyond our wildest dreams!
Ignazia Posadinu has a BA (Hons) in English and German Literature from the University of Sassari (Italy) and a Masters degree in 'Linguistics', from Reading University (U.K.). Ignazia is one of the directors of EMM with interest that range from literature, sacred music to art. She is particularly keen on the the roots of Peruvian waving arts and contemporary Shipibo textiles. Waiving from the Andes to the Amazon is a way of expression in artistic terms, but not only that, for women waiving is also strictly connected to social organisation. In general it represents a form of economy for the family and the community. It all started with a magical thread from an ancient Peruvian textile that conducted Ignazia on the path of EMM during her first ayahuasca ceremony. The magical waiving of the luminous tread evolved in a Shipibo mapped textile and a beautiful ever unseen ancient Inca tapestries. The Shipibo art (textiles and paintings) connection with ayahuasca visions reinforced the concept that - like the icaros - most of the patterns of those tapestries must have been dreamt about or visualized/given during ceremonies. Ignazia was also involved in the production and art work of our icaros CDs. Dino Palazzolo is an holistic health practioner with parallel interests in Ayurvedic medicine, Yoga and Reiki. He has been living in Peru for nearly a year, working in the Loreto Department of the Peruvian Amazon with different master shamans, including don Francisco Montes, Francisco Silva, don Ruperto Peña Shuña, don Julio Gerena Pinedo, don Felipe Ayala and with the Brazilian seer doña Maria Montenegro. After having undergone a lengthy period of 'dieting' with the teacher plants in Sachamama first and with don Ruperto after, he investigated the use of sapo among the Matses Indians (an ethnic group affiliated to the Mayorunas) in the Aucayacu. Together with Francesco, he is the co-founder of El Mundo Magico.
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