Retreat Programs
We ran nine retreats in 2014, with over eighty people attending, and had tremendous success as we continued to refine and further develop our healing treatments and care. Our assistant healers, Dean, Helm, and Skye, progressed a great deal thanks to their commitment to their studies and work, and the completion of dietas in their free time. While one of our assistant healers, Rachel, returned to the US to work with people in need and strengthen her healing community there, she was replaced by Sophia, from the UK, who immediately raced forward in her learning and abilities to help others during the programs. We were sad to see Rachel go, and she is missed by us all, but she will be returning to facilitate our All Women's Retreat in November, which I'll talk more about later. We've welcomed Sophia with open arms and she has already become a member of our family.
Our curandera, dona Wilma, spent most of the year with a special development project of her own, and in November gave birth to a beautiful and healthy boy. She has taken time off to be with her little one, and will be replaced by her brother-in-law (don Enrique's brother) don Roner, who will be running the retreats in her absence. Like Rachel, she will return for the All Women's Retreat in November, as well. You can visit our website to watch video testimonials from a dozen retreat participants from the 2014 retreats: RETREAT TESTIMONIALS
Initiation Courses
We also ran three six week courses and one ten-week course. This was only the second time that we'd done the ten week Advanced Initiation Course, and it went tremendously well, thanks to the fantastic job done by our staff but also thanks to being blessed with an amazing group of students who all got along, supported each other, and became close friends. We all learned a lot from that experience and have used it as a model for our future courses. The curandero school saw a few improvements as well, with carpeted rooms in the dormitories, double screening for the maloca, and the completion of three diet huts, not to mention an entire other camp that we may begin to utilize with another retreat program at some point in 2015.
Our maestro, don Enrique, continues to develop the course, adding new plants, treatments, icaros, and methods of teaching, and has also given the assistant healers a chance to step up more in their own work, a necessary part of coming into their own as curanderos. The entire staff has done a beautiful job of creating an atmosphere of safety and comfort while providing the optimum opportunities for growth and learning. We look forward to our next course in January. You can also watch video testimonials from some of the students on both the six and ten week courses: COURSE TESTIMONIALS
I think one of the biggest improvements we made to our programs in 2014 was our emphasis and work on the integration of retreat and course experiences into daily life upon participants' return home. Much more thought, energy, and effort was given to this important aspect of the healing process and it was met with great enthusiasm and gratitude from program participants. Teaching meditation, yoga, breathing, and healthy eating habits, as well as common remedies to boost immune system and brain function has served to continue the healing process long after the programs have ended. We look forward to the continuing development of these teachings that have been put together by the assistant healers.
Plans for 2015
Of course, we will continue to offer our two and three week healing retreats and our six and ten week initiation courses, but we have added one special program for November next year, an All Women's Retreat. Ever since I started running retreats nine years ago I have met and helped a lot of women who were the victims of sexual abuse or trauma. Nearly every woman who attended our programs seemed to have traumas associated with her gender. I began to see that just being a woman in modern society was traumatic, and that it was difficult for men to understand, as it took me a while and I still have much to learn. I began to see how beneficial it would be for women to have a program where they wouldn't need to explain their situations to anyone, because everyone would already understand.
The idea for an all women's retreat was something I had wanted to do for several years. I think what kept me from doing it earlier was because I am not a woman, and I knew I needed a competent and experienced female staff to properly run the retreat. Thankfully, the Ayahuasca Foundation now has the perfect staff to make this retreat a reality and we are really looking forward to this first retreat in April. You can find more information on this special event online: WOMEN'S RETREAT
Another development that we plan to pursue further in 2015 is research into the healing process, particularly the role of consciousness. We began using quality of life assessment forms in 2014 to begin a process of data collection for research purposes, and we will be enhancing that effort and deepening the research elements of our work much more in the upcoming year. We've also devoted more time to reviewing prior research and have created a resource for that research on our website. You can now read previous studies and watch video presentations of lectures given at conferences on the Ayahuasca Foundation website: RESEARCH and LECTURES
We also gathered some of the better documentary films on ayahuasca and plant medicine to make it easier to find and view them. More and more attention is being given to the sacred medicine, ayahuasca, with newspaper and magazine articles, books, news coverage, interviews, conferences, websites, and even feature films. We hope to put more of this coverage on our website but for now we have several interesting documentaries up and I encourage you to watch them: FILMS
Well, that's about it for us. I hope that you are feeling healthy and happy, and that you get to share in the magic of love with friends, family, community, and nature. It is a miraculous experience to be alive, especially at this time in human history, as we stand on the precipice of a true metamorphosis in our consciousness and existence. In order for water to transform into the higher state of being of vapor, it must heat up to a boil. We are seeing the boiling now. May we always remember the transformation it brings. I wish you the happiest of happy holidays and the most prosperous of prosperous new years. The journey continues...
Ayahuasca Foundation Website
