The Ayahuasca Path

By Gerd Fonrobert

This book contains a model of the spiritual path with two foundations: the use of ayahuasca for the effect of mental concentration and for self-knowledge as a spiritual improvement process, reaching purification by knowledge of oneself and the faithful practice of good. There is basic information about ayahuasca and its properties and benefits as well as on the sacred plants used in its preparation. As an illustration, a few reports of extraordinary experiences lived as a result of the communion of ayahuasca as well as stories told by supporters are also included.

The use of ayahuasca propagated here is the entheogenic use (i. e., for the purpose of spiritual evolution, achieved by communion with the sacred), which includes beings belonging to higher planes of existence. Even God or the Supreme Being, how each one is able to imagine it, may be contacted. The subject of spirituality is treated, highlighting the common denominator of all religions, shared also by shamans and syncretic cults. The book describes the expanded state of consciousness achieved through communion of ayahuasca, which includes the enhancement of our intuitive side, allowing the perception of beings and energies that we do not normally have access to and that, on the other hand, strengthens the link between people of a group to give rise to paranormal phenomena, such as telepathy or clairvoyance. It shows the significance of spiritual healing and its reach by ayahuasca. We discuss the similarities of ayahuasca with drugs and establish the difference between them. The theme ayahuasca and health presents the necessary caution regarding interaction of ayahuasca with medicines or drugs and the risk to persons subject to psychotic outbreaks.

In conclusion, it suggests what may be seen in the crystal ball, the future of those who choose the path of ayahuasca.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524509743

Gerd Fonrobert

The author of the book The Ayahuasca Path, Gerd Wolfgang Fonrobert, was born in Germany in 1947 but, since childhood, has lived in Brazil, currently in Sobradinho, satellite town of Brasilia, Distrito Federal. He has academic training in the field of exact sciences and has worked professionally with computers in the days when they were known as electronic brains and displayed in show windows. He did applied philosophical studies at the Academy of Dianetics and Scientology, Saint Hill in England, learning to apply therapeutic techniques of regression and mental and spiritual enhancement called auditing, being also the beneficiary of their application. He met ayahuasca in 1977, joining the then Nucleus of União do Vegetal in Brasília, attending their spiritual meetings for a few years. After a period in which he opted not to commune the tea, he returned to do so from the year 2000 and, in 2003, founded with some friends the Centro Enteogênico La Flor (CELF), headquartered in Sobradinho, where ayahuasca is served to associates and visitors in an entheogenic context—that is, using the tea from the power plants that make up ayahuasca in a religious environment of spiritual elevation. This book is the first work in the genre of its author and builds on experience gained in CELF, including presentation of some texts used in spiritual sessions. Ayahuasca is presented in a universal and ecumenical context so that devotees of traditional religions and even nonbelievers or agnostics can receive the benefits of the entheogenic experience, provided they recognize ethical principles and values greater than themselves as individuals. The continuity of CELF as a spiritual center, aided by friends, associates, and colleagues, is currently one of the main activities of the author, who with this book also expects to better establish and articulate some of the ideas that guide the work of the center.

Book preview

© 2016 by Gerd Fonrobert.

ISBN:      Softcover        978-1-5245-0975-0

                eBook            978-1-5245-0974-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/18/2016

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

743439

Contents

To The Reader

Preface

Biographical Summary

The Contents Of The Book

Chapter 1 Initial Considerations

Spiritual Values

Borracheira - The Ayahuasca Force

The Sacred Plants

Alternate Reality

Universal Knowledge

Intuition

Health

The Disenchantment Of Magic

The Magic Mill

Changes Brought About By Progress

Historical Dimensions Of The Magic Disenchantment

The Disenchantment Along Our Life

Conclusion

Presentation Of Celf

The Initial Consciousness Bulletin

Ayahuasca - Frequently Asked Questions And Answers

Frequently Asked Questions About Ayahuasca

Light, Peace And Love

Chapter 2 The Force Of Ayahuasca

An Ayahuasca Session

Beliefs And Rituals

The Ayahuasca Cerimonial

The Egregore

The Sacred Plants

Mariri

The Cultivation Of Mariri

Chacrona

The Cultivation Of Chacrona

A Preparation Of Ayahuasca

The Session Within The Preparation

Testimonials

Chapter 3 Alternate Reality

Introduction

What Is The Alternate Reality

Spirituality And The Magical World

The Portal Of Alternate Reality

The Keys To The Portal

Inhabitants Of Another World

Elemental Beings

Ancestors

Saints

Beings Of Light And Deities

Other Magical Beings

Plants And Animals

Fabulous Beings

Aliens

Alternate Reality And Entheogens

Spiritual Phalanges Of Ayahuasca

Psychological Aspects Of The Alternate Reality

Chapter 4 Self-Knowledge And Ayahuasca

Introduction

Microcosm And Macrocosm

Self-Knowledge And Modern Science

Dimensions Of Being

Awareness Of Self

Will, Volition And Freedom

Reason

The Mind And Other Limitations

Skills And Learning

The Gifts

Birth, Death And Destiny

Death And Reincarnation

The Law Of Cause And Effect

Karma And Self-Knowledge

Self-Knowledge Through The Prisma Of Buddhism

The Prince’s Compassion

The Three Marks Of Existence And The Four Noble Truths

Buddhism And Self-Knowledge

Ethics, Discipline And Obedience

Self-Determination

Discipline And Hierarchy

Ethics Experience

Chapter 5 Intuition And Psychic Powers

Emotions And The Emotional Tone Scale

Intuitive Phenomena

Classification Of Intuitive Phenomena

Mass Phenomena

Empathy

Ephemeral Feelings

The Discovery Of Archimedes

Cognition

More Ephemeral Feelings

Religious Feelings

The Potential Of Entheogenics

Intuition And Psychic Powers

The Denial Of Psychic Powers

Telepathy And Occultations

The Expression In Words

Psychic Powers And Other Cultures

Hinduism And Psychic Powers

Psychic Powers And Shamanism

Parapsychology And Scientific Research

Some Psychic Powers

Telekinesis

Telepathy And Clairvoyance

Telepathy Or Imagination

Synchronicity

Synchronicity And Ayahuasca

Psychic Gifts And Ethics

Chapter 6 Ayahuasca And Health

Food, Health And Spirituality

Ayahuasca And Health

Health Conditions

Specific Conditions

Acute Conditions

Pregnancy

Chronic Conditions

Psychological Conditions

Spiritual Problems

Neurobiochemical Aspects

The Biochemical Action Of Ayahuasca

The Action Of Medical Drugs

Interaction Of Remedies And Ayahuasca

Interaction Of Food And Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca Versus Street Drugs

Similarities Between Drugs And Entheogens

Distinctions - The Environment

The Safety Valve

The Sequence Of Effects

Addiction

Proscribed Entheogens

Alcohol

Tobacco

Marijuana

Alternate Reality

Ayahuasca Vs. Drugs - Conclusion

Spiritual Healing

Mental And Spiritual Factors Of Diseases

Illness As An Instrument

The Spiritual Healer And Healing

Spiritual Healing And Entheogenics

Chapter 7 Conclusion

Religion And Beliefs

The Essence Of The Spiritual Path

The Jewel Of Universal Wisdom

The Ayahuasca Entheogenic Experience

The Knowledge Of The Ayahuasqueiro

Direct Experience

Knowledge Of The Sacred Plants

Preparation Of Ayahuasca

Direction Of The Force

Glossary Of Portuguese Terms

TO THE READER

Whoever wants to inform him/herself about Ayahuasca - the mysterious tea from the Amazon rainforest, with the power to show the universe in new ways, to heal afflictions of mind and body, and to promote self-awareness, can find some answers here. Ayahuasca has attracted followers in Brazil and abroad, and The Ayahuasca Path is aimed at people who want to start or are already treading the spiritual path of ayahuasca, and also to those who simply want to become familiar with the subject. There is already an extensive literature on the use and scope of ayahuasca, either from the anthropological point of view, or from the religious one, including reports of individual experiences. We adopt here an intermediate position, which does not consider the matter as a mere object of humanistic study, but includes the foundation in spirituality. The book avoids sliding into the fundamentalism of sectarian dogmas or exclusive doctrines but, on the other hand, there is no academic dressing of the work by extensive quotation of authors and texts. Moreover, no system of beliefs, be it the author’s own or those of others, is presented as privileged over the rest.

The viewpoint here expressed by the author, based on years of experience with the tea, is favorable to ayahuasca and its use in a balanced and measured way, which can bring benefits to physical and mental health. In addition to rebutting criticism echoed by some sections of the media, derived from ignorance, it also recommends caution regarding extreme positions on the indiscriminate use of the tea as a panacea to cure all ills. The book is addressed to those interested in ayahuasca, be they people who want to taste it and receive the effects on themselves or those which, in order to assimilate the experience, seek the support of literature to better articulate and sort out their thoughts. The book will also be useful to those who simply want to know more about it: educators, parents and relatives of young people who reported with fascination their contact with ayahuasca, or students and professionals who need to form an educated opinion on the matter. Not all questions will be answered, nor does the author assume that he knows all the answers. The Ayahuasca Path can be trodden with benefit by many, and if this work would facilitate the meeting of some readers with the Light of Ayahuasca, it will have served its purpose.

PREFACE

Many questions arise in the mind of the beginner ayahuasqueiro, or of persons who, hearing reports from friends who already know the tea, want to decide whether or not to take the opportunity to participate in an ayahuasca session. What is this mysterious tea?, What effects should I expect?, Whatever happened to me, does it happen to everyone? are some of the questions heard before or after the first glass of ayahuasca drunk by a beginner. There are people who do not wish to repeat the experience, though many now yearn for the next opportunity, while others prefer to wait some time to integrate the experience with the manifestation of this strange and unparalleled force.

Ayahuasca is a tea prepared by cooking two native Amazon plants, the stem of the vine mariri and leaves from the bush chacrona. This tea, used in an appropriate religious ritual, is an entheogen, meaning a drink which, containing the essence of two power plants, can induce in those who partake of it spiritual experiences of perception of the divine, indescribable in day to day language. Spiritual healing may occur from many ills afflicting modern man and woman living in the XXIst century Western civilization. The use of ayahuasca by native peoples of the Amazon, according to anthropological research, began in ancient pre-Columbian South America, and some of the first white settlers, notably Jesuit priests with the mission of catechesis, reported the occurrence of its use by indigenous tribes. The native stories about the origin of the tea, of legendary character, also post this beginning in remote times of ancestral generations, and when they were recorded in writing, the use of ayahuasca was already widespread among the people that tell them. Although in formar times some non-native individuals already had contact with ayahuasca, only recently its use has spread to Brazilian cities, reaching large urban centers.

Pioneers such as Raimundo Irineu Serra (founder of Santo Daime) and José Gabriel da Costa (author of the União do Vegetal) had an evangelizing vocation, leading sects based on belief systems in which the sacramental use of ayahuasca is a central factor. Today, in urban centers, there are many groups that use ayahuasca with religious purpose, whether or not linked to these major centers. The author has been exercising for some time the direction of a small group of independent ayahuasqueiros with urban characteristics, which is not affiliated to any of the big names. However, in its spiritual work, some rituals and teachings related to ayahuasca originating in the União do Vegetal are used. It should be noted that the use of the term ayahuasca, in preference to "hoasca, vegetal, daime or similar words aims to express a position of neutrality with regard to the large denominations. In the Quechua language of the Andes Indians, ayahuasca means vine (node) of souls."

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

The author of the book The Ayahuasca Path, Gerd Wolfgang Fonrobert, was born in Germany in 1947, but since childhood lives in Brazil, currently in Sobradinho, satellite town of Brasilia, Distrito Federal. He has academic training in the field of exact sciences, and worked professionally with computers in the days when they were known as electronic brains and displayed in showwindows. He did applied philosophical studies at the Academy of Dianetics and Scientology Saint Hill in England, learning to apply therapeutic techniques of regression and mental and spiritual enhancement, called auditing, being also the beneficiary of their application.

He met ayahuasca in 1977, joining the then Nucleus of União do Vegetal in Brasília, attending their spiritual meetings for a few years. After a period in which he opted not to commune the tea, he returned to do so from the Year 2000, and in 2003 founded with some friends the Centro Enteogênico La Flor (CELF), headquartered in Sobradinho, where ayahuasca is served to associates and visitors in an entheogenic context, that is, using the tea from the power plants that make up ayahuasca in a religious environment of spiritual elevation. This book is the first work in the genre of its author, and builds on experience gained in CELF, including presentation of some texts used in spiritual sessions. Ayahuasca is presented in an universal and ecumenical context, so that devotees of traditional religions, and even nonbelievers or agnostics can receive the benefits of the entheogenic experience, provided they recognize ethical principles and values greater than themselves as individuals. The continuity of CELF as a spiritual center, aided by friends, associates and colleagues, is currently one of the main activities of the author, who with this book also expects to better establish and articulate some of the ideas that guide the work of the Centre.

THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK

This book contains a model of the spiritual path with two foundations: the use of ayahuasca for the effect of mental concentration and self-knowledge as a spiritual improvement process, reaching purification by knowledge of oneself and the faithful practice of good. There is basic information about ayahuasca and its properties and benefits, as well as on the sacred plants used in its preparation. As an illustration, a few reports of extraordinary experiences lived as a result of the communion of ayahuasca as well as stories told by supporters are also included.

The use of ayahuasca propagated here is the entheogenic use, ie., for the purpose of spiritual evolution, achieved by communion with the sacred, which includes beings belonging to higher planes of existence, and even God or the Supreme Being, how each one is able to imagine it, may be contacted. The subject of spirituality is treated highlighting the common denominator of all religions, shared also by shamans and syncretic cults. The book describes the expanded state of consciousness achieved through communion of ayahuasca, which includes the enhancement of our intuitive side, allowing the perception of beings and energies which we do not normally have access to, and which on the other hand strengthens the link between people of a group, giving rise to paranormal phenomena such as telepathy or clairvoyance. It shows the significance of Spiritual Healing and its reach by ayahuasca. We discuss the similarities of ayahuasca with drugs, and establish the difference between them. The theme Ayahuasca and Health presents the necessary caution regarding interaction of ayahuasca with medicines or drugs, and the risk to persons subject to psychotic outbreaks.

In conclusion it suggests what may be seen in the crystal ball, the future of those who choose the path of Ayahuasca.

CHAPTER 1

INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS

SPIRITUAL VALUES

Western society of the 21st. century is characterized by a crisis of ethical values. Nowadays, the quest for material abundance prevails over traditional values such as religion or patriotism, considering them outdated. However, the paradigm of material progress is unsatisfactory, given the deterioration of the environment represented by the pollution of water, land and air. This degradation brings about the depletion of natural resources, the reduction of biodiversity and disordered urban sprawl. In large cities, human life is only possible by bringing in food and raw materials from outside. In addition, there are severe psychological maladjustments of the urban population that has lost touch with nature, resulting in obesity, drug use and disruption of interpersonal communications. In this unfavorable environment, fortunately there are still those who, by intimate motivation or family tradition never moved away from spiritual values and promises of overcoming human suffering. Some men, women, families, although placed in the rhythm of material pursuit, recognize the existence in life of a broader dimension than matter, manifested by basic drives, such as the search for more space, more love and happiness in our daily lives. In Brazil, a country which is the custodian of a large part of the Amazon region called the lungs of the planet, there is a tradition originated with the indigenous or native peoples, which is the use, for the purpose