My Blog

C-Realm: Women are Medicine

Ayasmina — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:23:21 GMT

In this final podcast in the series of Friday shows meant to raise awareness of the 4th Annual International Amazonian Shamanism Conference, AyasminA talks with heterogeneous curandera, Wendy Luckey, about the path, about not fitting in, and about the role of women in humanity's collective healing. http://c-realmpodcast.podOmatic.com/entry/2008-06-27T19_56_31-07_00

C-Realm Interview with Roberto Venosa

Ayasmina — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:34:31 GMT

Episode 107: Truth & Fear AyasminA returns with an interview with visionary artist, Roberto Venosa. In addition to delving into his personal history and development as a visionary artist, Ayasmina and Roberto explore the dark side and ask whether evil exists as a thing in and of itself. They also examine the question of the reality of the subject matter of visionary art. Enjoy! http://c-realmpodcast.podOmatic.com/entry/2008-06-20T08_11_22-07_00 Show notes: http://kmo.livejournal.com/357340.html AyasminA can be found at: www.amazonconvergence.com http://people.tribe.net/5ce45b25-bcdd-488a-917d-e8707eef9081 http://www.soga-del-alma.org/ConferenceSite/presenters.html

Caught in the Web -- Interview with Martina Hoffmann

Ayasmina — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:26:52 GMT

http://c-realmpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2008-06-13T14_47_28-07_00 AyasminA returns with another Ayahuasca-themed interview. This time she connects with visionary artist, Martina Hoffmann to talk about the connection between the visionary states induced by ayahuasca and the visions on canvas that they leave in their wake. Other topics include honoring the divine feminine and finding a balance between living in direct connection with nature and losing ourselves in a haze of techno-mediated busy work. Show notes: http://kmo.livejournal.com/355737.html

Pyramid Building 101

Ayasmina — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:06:50 GMT

Episode 101: Pyramid Consciousness Send to Friends | Comments | Download | Permalink C-Realm correspondent AyasminA returns with a new interview. Julian Haynes is building an ayahuasca-inspired, floating, wooden, Egyptian-style pyramid in Iquitos, Peru. AyasminA asks him how and why and then returns to the question of whether interest in ayahuasca shamanism harms the indigenous cultures that spiritual seekers think they're honoring. Show notes: http://kmo.livejournal.com/353472.html

The Entheogenic Evolution

Ayasmina — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:10:04 GMT

Expanding consciousness, one quantum leap at a time with Host Dr. Martin Ball "May I have some more Ayahuasca, please?" In this week's episode, we enjoy a few more clips from the audio documentary, "In Search of the Divine Vegetal," along with some selected readings from Ralph Metzner's book, "Ayahuasca: Hallucinogens, Consciousness, and the Spirit of Nature". http://entheogenic.podomatic.com/

The Entheogenic Evolution

Ayasmina — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:31:56 GMT

Shaking Shamans and Ayahuasca with host Martin Ball, Ph.D. http://entheogenic.podomatic.com/ This week I read a few selections from Bradford Keeney's book, "Bushman Shaman," and preview excerpts from the new audio documentary about Ayahuasca entitled "In Search of the Divine Vegetal", created by Tom McKinnon, Leonard Cler-Cunningham, and AyasminA. "In Search of the Divine Vegetal" explores the nexus of Western and Indigenous cosmologies in relation to plant intelligence and aspires to engender a species of hybrid consciousness consisting of science, technology, phytospirituality, and the Great Unknown. Originally broadcast in November 2007, "In Search of the Divine Vegetal" is being re-broadcast on the CBC Radio program "Ideas" due to widespread interest and acclaim. Part 1 will air on Friday, May 16, and Part 2 on Friday, May 23, 2008. It can be heard across the globe on the worldwide web every hour on the hour from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. PST. To find out how you can tune in or listen to the livestream online, visit the official CBC website at: www.cbc.ca/ideas AyasminA will be facilitating and translating at two conferences in Iquitos, Peru this July, namely the 4th International Conference on Amazonian Shamanism (http://www.soga-del-alma.org/ConferenceSite/presenters.html) and the Amazon Convergence Retreat (www.amazonconvergence.com). You can visit her at: http://people.tribe.net/5ce45b25-bcdd-488a-917d-e8707eef9081

C-Realm Episode 95: The Art and the Outrage

Ayasmina — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:10:17 GMT

The Cosmic Serpent In this episode, former guest AyasminA turns C-Realm correspondent to interview artist David "Slocum" Hewson who makes Iquitos, Peru his base of operations and where he is contributing to the construction of Pyramid Peru project. AyasminA and Slocum discuss the role of Ayahuasca and other visionary plants in the creation of Slocum's art before moving on to an examination of the relative harms done by Ayahuasca tourism versus the effects of trans-national petroleum, mining and timber corporations on the people and the ecology of the Amazon. * http://www.davidhewsonart.com/ * http://www.pyramidperu.com/ * http://www.redambientalloretana.org/ * http://www.amazonconvergence.com (Another event in Iquitos this summer that Jeremy Narby will attend. Jeremy Narby appears in episodes 25 and 26 of the C-Realm Podcast.) To hear the interview, go to: http://c-realm.org/

Defy UN: Chew Coca!

Ayasmina — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:53:14 GMT

Legislators in Peru chew Coca to defy UN Reuters Published: Friday, March 14, 2008 LIMA -- Lawmakers defiantly chewed Coca in Peru's Congress Thursday while criticizing a UN recommendation to criminalize traditional uses of the plant. The Coca leaf, the raw ingredient of cocaine, is used by millions of people to stave off hunger and fight altitude sickness. It is also used in teas, cooking and by fortune tellers. "The Coca leaf has existed for thousands and thousands of years. It's part of our agriculture, our food and our medicine. It's sacred," Congresswoman Hilaria Supa told Reuters before the start of Thursday's session. "The United Nations doesn't know our culture. It doesn't understand our values," she said. Supa offered Coca to colleagues on the Congress floor from small hats. i have been following this story for some time and am appalled! i think it's great for the peruvian legislators to take a stand, though i certainly hope that things don't descend into a state of civil chaos and 'anti-gringo' sentiment, the extreme likes of which peru has experienced in the past, largely due to the hypocrisy of US entanglement with the coca plant. it just goes to show that there is not just one, but many medicines which are currently under attack and deserving of our attention, especially in the international arena, which is where these pressures stem from, not from the local cultures and people themselves. and i think it is fair to say that the global interests at play have precious little to do with the preservation of medicine, technology, culture, and overall well-being. this is indeed a 'global era', one in which the UN (US?) seems poised to pick up the gauntlet of the war on plants. i believe in letting sleeping dogs lie -- that is, if traditional practice can soar under the radar, then good -- but clearly, this is not the case here, and so i believe one good turn deserves another. in other words, since there have been international proclamations & recommendations made, i do not believe it should be solely up to indigenous people to defend their practice on the world stage, which is not a level playing field to begin with. since the allegations of the ills of coca belong to a paradigm that is utterly alien to their way of life and belief, and underscore a hidden agenda which is embarrassingly evident, i believe that those of us abroad who represent the "other side of the coin", as it were, have a certain responsibility to represent here, and to stand in the light of the truth that their practice is also ours, that their reverence for this unparalleled food, medicine, and sacrament is also our own. in view of this, i plan to attend and document this year's International Forum on the Coca Leaf, which is slated to take place in lima in mid-june. it is my hope to be able to learn of ways in which we can be of use in this movement, and to be able to share these insights and strategies with our communities, both here and there. i also hope to be able to incorporate some new issues and perspectives into my presentations at the the first annual Convergence Conference, organized by sita and hosted by Espiritu de Anaconda, july 10 - 18 (www.amazonconvergence.com/), and at the 4th annual Conference on Amazonian Shamanism, july 19 - 27 (www.soga-del-alma.org/Confere...s.html). then there is the Global Integrative Traditional Medicine Conference (whew!), scheduled for september 26 - 28 in vancouver (www.crish.org/documents/G..._final.pdf), during which, as most of you know, ken has received approval to hold a one-day seminar on traditional amazonian medicine in which many of us will be taking part. i feel these forums can create an ideal opportunity for many voices and interests to come forward together in concert, conversation and communion to explore many of the aspects and angles so germane to the current debate on freedom & control, as pertains to our relationship with the plants in particular, and our global outlook in general. i recognize there is so much to be learned on this subject, and hope to acquire more tools for understanding its intricate design. being so relatively new to this path, i am grateful for all that has been shared with and imparted upon me. i hope to reciprocate in kind, and, as always, welcome any and all comments and feedback from any and all sources, in furtherance and elucidation of this work. in this spirit, i wish everyone my best, and look forward to more communication on these and other topics. yours ever, ~AyasminA

In Search of the Divine Vegetal

Ayasmina — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:21:10 GMT

IN SEARCH OF THE DIVINE VEGETAL Tom McKinnon is an established visual artist with over 25 years of experience as a sculptor, painter, and media and performance artist. His work explores the role of narrative structure in cognition, identity, and belief. He has exhibited multi-media performance works at venues nationally and internationally, notably at The Kitchen in New York in 1990 and at PS 1 in New York in 1992. Tom earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Art History from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and a Master of Fine Arts in Multi Media from the University of Windsor. He has been featured and reviewed in ArtForum and Art in America. A dynamic and versatile educator, he has taught Fine Arts at Northern College in the subarctic community of Moosonee, Multi-Media at the University of Windsor, and Sculpture at Okanagan University College in Kelowna. The mp3 versions of this documentary can be found by going www.amazonconvergence.com and visit AyasminA's profile. Over the past four years, Tom has focused on video as a narrative, artistic, and educational medium, with a particular interest in the documentary genre. Tom has been the video archivist for all three previous Conferences, and this year will take the stage as a presenter with his video partner AyasminA. AyasminA is a professional translator, interpreter, legal advocate, and documentarian fluent in six languages, whose lifelong passion for people and travel is dovetailed with her longstanding interest in spirit medicine from around the world. Over the past six years, AyasminA's focus has been on South American naturopathy, in particular the traditions and techniques of Amazonian plant medicine, known as vegetalismo. Not surprisingly, Tom and AyasminA met at a medicine gathering, and a long term friendship, partnership, and vision was instantly forged. Since 2005, AyasminA and Tom have been collaborating on various projects around Amazonian medicine, culture, and ecology. They recently completed a radio documentary with Len Cler Cunningham entitled "In Search of the Divine Vegetal", which explores the nexus of Western and Indigenous cosmologies in relation to plant intelligence, and which was met with considerable interest and support when it aired worldwide in November 2007. Due to popular demand, part 1 of "In Search of the Divine Vegetal" will be re-broadcast on the CBC Radio program "Ideas" on May 16th, and part 2 on May 23rd, 2008. More information on the program and podcast is available at: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/calendar/2007/11_november.html Tom and AyasminA are currently in the process of converting their radio documentary into a film by the same name and, to this end, have prepared a demo-length version of their video documentary, which is featured here: http://www.dailymotion.com/panoramabox This documentary, like its audio counterpart, aspires to engender a species of hybrid consciousness consisting of Western science, Indigenous technology, phytospirituality, and the Great Unknown. At the 4th Annual Conference on Amazoniam Shamanism (http://www.soga-del-alma.org/ConferenceSite/presenters.html), as well as the first annual Convergence (http://www.amazonconvergence.com), both taking place in Iquitos, Peru this July, as well as at the Global Integrative Medicine Conference taking place in Vancouver September 26 - 29, 2008 (http://www.crish.org/documents/GITM_call_for_abstracts_final.pdf), Tom and AyasminA will be presenting on the making of their documentary, the process and pitfalls of eliciting and evaluating culturally-specific information, and some of the logistical, environmental, legal, political, and ethical challenges they have faced in attempting to make esoteric, Indigenous practice accessible to the Western mind. Thomas McKinnon can be contacted at: gods@shaw.ca AyasminA can be contacted at: ayasmina.flores@yahoo.ca

C-Realm

Ayasmina — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:45:27 GMT

Episode 89: Ayahuasca, Alcohol and Marijuana Show notes: http://kmo.livejournal.com/345551.html You can also tune in to Episodes #95, #67, #51 and #41 of this podcast, hosted by consciousness-caster KMO, to hear interviews on Amazonian shamanism and its impact on law, liberty, ecology and spirituality here in North America and across the globe. http://c-realmpodcast.podomatic.com/

Lost in Translation

Ayasmina — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 17:30:28 GMT

AyasminA is a professional interpreter, translator, legal advocate, and documentarian fluent in six languages, whose lifelong passion for people and travel is dovetailed with her longstanding interest in spirit medicine from around the world. AyasminA's multicultural heritage and capacity for communication across societal and ethnic boundaries has convinced her that there is a common basis of understanding which can unite all people and things. She feels that tapping into this awareness is the key to realizing the paradox of our individual potential and our ultimate oneness. She firmly believes that true comprehension lies beyond words and within our grasp. AyasminA is dedicated to what she sees as our innate ability to become versed in the language of the sublime through our connection to the plant teachers, to our ancestral guides, and in communion with one another. Over the past six years, AyasminA's focus has been on South American naturopathy, in particular the traditions and techniques of Amazonian plant medicine known as vegetalismo. Both in Peru as well as in Canada, she has served as the interpreter and facilitator for several shamanic seminars and retreats, in which she has also been a participant, promoter, and organizer. This has exposed her to many varieties of medicinal plants and their uses, as well as the principles and practitioners who maintain and uphold them. AyasminA, in collaboration with film partner Thomas McKinnon, recently completed a radio documentary entitled "In Search of the Divine Vegetal", which explores the nexus of Western and Indigenous cosmologies in relation to plant intelligence, and which was met with considerable interest and support when it aired worldwide in November 2007. Due to popular demand, it will be rebroadcast on the CBC Radio program "Ideas" on May 16 and May 23, 2008. Further information, as well as a podcast of the program, can be found by visiting the following site: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/podcast.html AyasminA and Tom are currently in the process of converting their radio documentary into a film and, to this end, have prepared a demo-length version of their video documentary. This documentary, like its audio counterpart by the same name, aspires to engender a species of hybrid consciousness consisting of Western science, Indigenous technology, phytospirituality, and the Great Unknown. They anticipate bringing their project to fruition in 2008, and hope to have a trailer version ready for screening at this year's conference. The demo video can be found at the following site: http://www.dailymotion.com/panoramabox AyasminA earned a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics from McGill University, where she graduated summa cum laude, and went on to graduate with a degree in Law in 1995. She is at present completing her practicum at a firm she initiated with two of her former classmates in October 2007. She is slated to become a member of the Canadian Bar Association in 2009 and, in addition to the practice of family law and mediation, is engaged in the areas of social justice, human rights, drug policy reform, and civil liberties. One of her main contributions in the area of natural medicine is in providing advice, information, education, advocacy, and strategy on the subject of freedom of conscience, indigenous rights, the ethics of care, and the de-regulation of sacramental and therapeutic plants. AyasminA gave recently gave an interview on these topics, which can be heard at: http://kmo.livejournal.com/325265.html AyasminA also places great importance on home and family. Happily married for 14 years, she has a son, Hunter, and a daughter, Eva, aged 9 and 10. When they were 3 and 4, she and her husband, Rex, took them on a year-long trek across South America during which they covered over 10,000 miles of jungle, coastline, plains, and alpine by riverboat and camperized bus. It is her hope that these and other experiences will ensure that her children grow up with a sense of global citizenship, tolerance, and responsibility, as well as an abiding appreciation and respect for the natural world in all her bounty. Both children accompanied her on her 6-week Peruvian odyssey two summers ago, an odyssey which included working a dieta, interpreting for a conference, scaling Andean heights, exploring Amazonian lowlands, and interviewing indigenous curanderos from Tarapoto to Urubamba. They will be with her once again this year in Iquitos, which has become a home-away-from-home for them, much like Black Rock City, where thrice they have made the pilgrimage, accompanying their parents on their quest for diversity and abundance in the desert. AyasminA is fascinated by the continued interest in Amazonian vegetalismo internationally and strives to create a climate of authenticity and acceptance abroad which will allow the plants to flourish and express in their new native lands and tongues. She believes strongly in the importance of the various aspects and proponents of this work coming together from all reaches of the globe to establish communication and common ground, mutual understanding and respect, learning and evolution. AyasminA sees the value of innovation as well as the importance of preservation of tradition, and considers it a privilege to be able to lend her voice to the Elders, as they so generously and graciously share their knowledge with a new world and a new generation. AyasminA may be contacted at: ayasmina.flores@yahoo.ca

Peru - 2008

Ayasmina — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:31:40 GMT

Well, yet another year has passed and I'm off to Peru in a matter of weeks to resume psychotropic investigations... Check out the Conferences I'll be working at this summer: http://www.soga-del-alma.org/ConferenceSite/presenters.html and www.amazonconvergence.com Hope to see you there!

LUSCIOUS WONDERS: EPISODE I

Ayasmina — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:59:55 GMT

It is what it is...or is it? I wonder... Was that just a dream or a dream that was not? The delectable remains of the feast still dance about on my palate, coaxing my appetite toward greener pastures... No. I must focus. But my focus is elsewhere. I go through the motions and I'm sure no one suspects that I am already long gone. My attention is drawn....away. Intention is quietly formulating itself. Identity is fragmenting into fractal pattens of uncontrolled thought emblazoning pathways in my mind. This form you see is but a husk. And yet it is my secret heart. I don´t know who I am anymore. I grow weary of this double life. Why so few alternatives? If I am to disintegrate, let it be into a million shining shards. What is to be done? Time to extend my arms, twirl around three times, and step through the doorway into that Other World.

LUSCIOUS WONDERS: EPISODE II

Ayasmina — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:54:08 GMT

This evening i donned my lasso of Truth and sailed that invisible plane to Amazonia, Isle of Wonder. There i communed with my sisters. They told me of an ancient scroll lying embedded at the bottom of the river, where the current could not move it. It was said to contain the wisdom of the ages. It was said to hold the secret of our creation, the word made flesh. They told me this knowledge had been scattered upon the fluid surface of the earth, like so many seeds cast to the Fates. The scroll was one such seed, a ripple, only momentarily visible before it sank to the depths, reflecting a life just lived and one still to be. Yet as it lay dormant it germinated, propagating communities of thinkers and legions of dreamers: the wonderers and the wanderers. Their quest one and the same, they roam this Earth, yet leave no trace upon it. I have plummeted to the very fundaments to retrieve this sacred scroll; i have it in my sights. And now it is i who must reflect. Is this the macrocosmos on microfilm? the universe on celluloid? the big bang on the big screen? god caught in the act? Or do i hold in my hand merely the negative of everything i seek to grasp? I wonder...

CRYSTAL VISION

Ayasmina — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:43:13 GMT

Dawn of a New Day In the wake of a tempestuous Medicine session, i struggle to put my world back together. Built upon an epicentre of my own devising, my house of cards has collapsed. Suddenly exposed, i am vulnerable to the vagaries of the elements. They toy with me, tossing me this way and that. I am ravaged, my tattered remains strewn all over the map. In the midst of this major upheaval i am polarized; by turns elated and desolate, connected and isolated, transcendent and earthbound. Endless night is setting in. I try to make it my own, but lack the finesse to apprehend its subtleties. Yet it is i who have courted this darkness, invited it in, challenged it, felt its soft spots. Intuitively i am aware that before i may be replenished, i must first be emptied. In the stillness of the void i seek fulfillment. As resurrection follows annihilation, so have i reached a critical nexus. It has become crucial to my survival to construct a whole new philosophical framework, one whose foundation will shelter and sustain me as i set a course for the next leg of my journey. In this, i seek to reconfigure my gestalt based on a cosmology as practicable as it is expansive. In concrete terms, grounding myself in this present incarnation means i must somehow translate my experience into terms both personally useful and broadly applicable. In so doing i know i will unlock a new scope of possibility, though i appreciate it is a considerable task. Fortunately, in this endeavour i am not alone. With Nature as my constant companion, what has been implanted in me can take root and flourish, twirling tendrils unfurling to embrace all that lies within their grasp. Immaculately inseminated, i conceive myself. Endowed with generative capacity, i am as a maiden vessel carrying within the sacrament of fledgling intelligence, destined for the skies. Where Vine and Soul entwine, a twin helix i divine. As secret guardian of a sacred garden, i will faithfully tend this hybrid flower of consciousness, watch it blossom, and set it free. I recognize that in order to nurture holistic development, i must learn to view reality from many angles synchronously, and to integrate those angles seamlessly. I already understand on some level that i am in the same breath an individual, a member of a family, a part of society, and a strand in the web of planetary life. Yet overall these seem but twinkling accoutrements: sequins of time stitched into the gossamer fabric of space. So where do i go from here? Admittedly, embarking on an ontonautical voyage of epic proportions at this point seems premature. I would rather weave myself a modest liferaft, linking threads of self and family, and see where the River leads. Because i believe in the essential interrelationship between all things, i feel that once i reconcile my individual identity to my role within a family structure, i will gain insight into more arcane symbioses. I sense the key to the Plant teachings, in all their strength and splendour, resides not in some exotic person, far-flung place, or esoteric thing specifically. To be elucidated fully, the Light that has only begun to dawn must instead be brought, ever-so-humbly, "home." Ancient Recollections I have had my self-doubts as a parent. Often have i felt frustrated with myself for perpetuating in my own children certain family pathologies which I had sworn not to repeat. In particular, i never felt i had my mother's love, nor ultimately did i feel worthy of it. Stricken with cancer, she died before we could properly make peace, leaving behind the spectre of guilt and remorse. Wounds to the heart are not quickly healed, and in pain i have lashed out. Now i worry that i have been overly hard on my own daughter, who reflects many attributes i have not yet been able to accept in myself. We are each other, she and i. So like me, i have pushed her away. So sensitive, she has withdrawn. Too often, we have spiralled into a vicious vortex, swirling around and down. I am at my wits’ end with our inability to free ourselves from this mortal coil in which we have so readily ensnared ourselves. And so i pray. Powers that be, i beseech Thee! Deliver us from suffering and make us whole in this lifetime! In return, i offer up this paean to my only daughter. Just as i was the only daughter of my mother, and she the only daughter of hers, let it be our Mother's voice who speaks to all and through all: My firstborn baby girl, lifetimes did i search for you! Gentle old soul, i waited for you for an age. I painted you into my dreams so you would colour our world with songlight. I asked for you, and only you, my prodigious one. You demurred, and so i made you the promise. Finally, you came to me, and i was truly blessed! Do you remember the night you were born? We were overjoyed! You were so beautiful! We loved each other beyond compare and only had eyes for each other! All we wanted was to be together always. Where did we go wrong? I wanted to be perfect for you, but alas, i am not. If i have failed you, please forgive me! Angel, i never meant to hurt you nor drive you away. Return to me and we shall be birthed anew! Let's not give up! Tell me it’s not too late! But now i'm crying and cannot go on. Maybe it is too late. And yet, a voice deep in my heart tells me otherwise.... Modern Ramifications Cocooned in bed, i anticipate my metamorphosis. Supinely awaiting the sublime, i feel disinclined to move. Nearby, my son and daughter are playing affectionately together. I can hear them reading books, thumbing through photo albums, and chirping their way through endless imaginary scenarios. Reverberations themselves, my children are finely attuned to my frequency and they echo it with acuity. Instinctively they know to allow me my space. Still, i am comforted by their harmonious presence and sink further into quietude. After a spell, my seven-year-old daughter speaks up: "Did you have your visions, mama?" she ventures. "Yes i did, my darling," i reply. Just then, an idea hits me: i could ask my daughter to express visually what Traditional healing means to her. This would involve her in my experience, and at the same time provide her with her own distinct-yet-related experience. Through this sharing we could both evolve. Together, we could guide our relationship into a more positive arena. Such an undertaking would help me to process events more than just intellectually, by allowing me to step into the timeless circle of love, forgiveness, redemption, and renewal with those nearest and dearest to me: my own children. "Would you like to draw my visions for me?" i ask my daughter. Immediately, her face lights up. Off she runs to collect her sketchbook and pen. I already know from her earlier drawings that, despite being raised in a non-traditional milieu, she is nevertheless innately in touch with the archetypes of her aboriginal heritage. Mere icons they are not. I can see that they hold substance for her, informing her immediate experience and influencing the manner in which she internalizes reality. In her book, pithouses, sweatlodges, eagles in flight, fish on racks, and babies in baskets are all very much alive and well. Almost uncannily, my daughter seems to have access to the collective memory bank of her ancestors, and can draw upon it at will. Through her atavistic identification with their totems, an age-old remembrance is surfacing. I see her as an avatar of transtemporal awareness, channeling wisdom directly from the Spirit world. Her artwork is an homage to that world, which abides solidly within. In her i discern an intention for the future giving rise to a primitive hope. Knowing that my daughter is about to delve into iconographic territory far removed from her ethnic origins, i wonder whether her cultural perspicacity will be compatible with this new set of ostensibly foreign cues. "Well," i begin, "we were all under this huge dome. And there were these lights...." My voice trails off as her pen starts flying. She is in the stream of effortless effort, and has forgotten all about me. She requests no further input, and i supply none, fascinated by what is unfolding. Within five minutes, she is done. No regrets, no revisions: every line, every nuance is just as she envisions. Without hesitation, she shows me her sketchbook. I have a feeling this is for my own edification more than anything else, for it is plain she has captured the intangible and conveyed the indescribable fully to her own satisfaction. Gazing upon the page, i see it sparkles with the synergy of object and function; of concept and design. I am amazed by the detail, precision, and symmetry of her work, complex in its simplicity. Balance and harmony are also present; nothing seems askew, overblown, or incongruous. There is an inherent natural order, one of interpenetrating realms. Existing in unison, each has its place and purpose. I sense at once that i am bearing witness to a mystical transfiguration: a blank slate only moments before, now it resounds with jubilant echoes of the eternal Vibration. Beautifully drawing images directly from her inner Wellspring, her careful strokes seem to illustrate the mechanism of self-generated existential awareness. With scarcely a word, picture, or gesture to guide her, my daughter’s drawing is nonetheless imbued with symbols of shared understanding. Transcending the limitations of personal perception and experience, her impressions of an Amazonian healing ceremony bear a striking similarity to my own impressions, as well as those of other participants with whom i shared her clairvoyant outpouring. When images ring true, idols are no longer false. It occurs to me that it is thus that Totality may be envisaged, elemental Truth uncovered, and the ancient Rift mended. Indeed, so completely has my vision become commingled with hers that at last we can see i to i. I feel a rush of healing energy flow through us, as i humbly realize that this is only the beginning. A testament to the visionary quality of the primitive art form, the touching innocence of her work affords glimpses into a greater reality, one of authentic being. The ideals she has educed and embodies give me hope that individual consciousness, as well as human potential, can be transformed, refined, and expanded infinitely through the act of communion and the power of visualization. My daughter’s inspiration now mine, her portrait is the reason i write these words today. "Here mama," she says, extending her offering and placing it delicately in the palm of my hand. I look at her and marvel at the exquisiteness of my fragile gift. "It's for you," she explains, "it's called the Crystal of the World." The Crystal of the World In this dream-like world, the human domain is separated from the heavens by only the thinnest of veils. Central to the image, an enormous azure Crystal illuminates our inner space, while ethereal emanations escape osmotically. Permeating the sidereal night, its preeminent rays hold sway over the entities contained therein. Four stars have perforated our sphere. They fall luminous into us, while other celestial bodies linger in the penumbra, inscrutable. Our Sun occupies a place of distinction, immediately above the Crystal, and yet i cannot escape the feeling that our own beloved star is somehow as transient as we. I behold lovely Luna, accurately depicted in her last phase. It was indeed my moontime Eve, i muse. Suddenly i spy her: Earthen Mother most revered, opulent Oasis of fertility! Magnetized, her oblique orbit pulls me close. Gravitating ever inward, i become absorbed. Immersed in viridescence, i travel to greener pastures, only to become lost in lavish landscapes. But abruptly, my perspective recedes and i am shaken loose. My view now projected from far Beyond, i find myself staring straight into the heart-shaped continent of South America, bedazzled. Only then do i notice the humans: shape-shifters making manifest their animagical alchemy. Nestled inside the forest matrix, its denizens gestate serenely. In their various states of trance-mutation, i observe a fox, a snake, a rabbit, a fish, a cat, and a horse. All are in repose upon the ground save the one in the middle, who is sitting, pointing skyward. My daughter indicates which ones represent herself, her brother, her father. My eyes come to rest on a figure which has sprouted wings and antennae. Detecting my interest, she exclaims: "That's you, mama! You're the butterfly!" With this, the dam breaks and a flood of ineffable emotion engulfs me. Tears stream from my eyes as instantly i am light as the breeze. I gather my daughter unto myself and spreading my wings i enfold her. We are again as one, and as one we shall ascend. Holding her close to my breast as we rise, i bestow boundless thanksgiving upon the Creator for this singular moment, and for all the moments to come. ******************************

KALI-MA

Ayasmina — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:38:42 GMT

She is awakened. From an evanescent dream emerges a grim prophecy. Deep within: bubbling unrest. Strained and compromised, she will be contained no more. She rises up, awesome, the apogee of passion and power. Embodiment of paradox! She is both resplendent and obscure, sanctified and profaned. She has the capacity to give with compassion or claim without relent. Monstrous her divinity, dreadful her magnificence, she is the perfect synthesis of all that is most cherished and feared Longing for release, igneous innards burst violently free. She is existence expelled: a life turned inside out. Baptized in a circle of fire, all will be consumed by the red-hot yolk of her primordial womb Ruinous appetites appeased for a time, her energetic excesses have nonetheless set into motion a heated reaction which will shake the foundation of the world. Gaea trembles with shimmering intensity The afterglow: a seething wave of devastation, its ultimate toll yet to be exacted, its ultimate consequence to be imagined... NEPTUNE RISING I am losing my bearings. In a macroscopic miasma i flounder, no salvation in sight. I attempt to navigate the churning seas which seize me, but my internal compass is out of order: i become disoriented. Once-bright beacons now beshrouded, my vision grows dim. All i have are starry eyes for starry guides Adrift in murky waters, I am at the mercy of titanic tidal moods. They oscillate wildly, swinging me from north to south, and from east to west. And still i have no direction. There is nowhere left to make a right turn. I am strangely calm, transfixed. All at once, my senses are overwhelmed by a thundering onslaught. A massive swell looms large on my horizon. Intractable in its intent and fierce in its beauty: this is a force i cannot withstand. It bathes me in shadow, and i become transparent The wall is gathering momentum. Though i know it shall wreck me, still its majesty is alluring. I become captivated, desiring only to be made one with this formidable foe, to be subsumed into its salty grip. Evermore would i hear its siren song and be rocked gently to sleep. I can see myself falling to fathomless depths, detached. Plunged into this glistening fantasy i am going down down down… Too soon is it upon me, the weight of indifference more than i expected, more than i can bear. With one blow, all illusion is extinguished, all hope crushed. Abandoned to my fate and reduced to tears, i am no more than fragmented droplets in a vast and sentient sea I can feel the breath being drawn from my lungs, the wind from my sails as i implode

Peru in a Nutshell

Ayasmina — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:26:46 GMT

dear friends, heartiest greetings from peru, where the kids and i have been having the trip of a lifetime (yes! another one!). our 6 weeks here have simply flown by, and yet have been loaded with information, impressions, and experiences which we will no doubt be many months in the unraveling. we have been so blessed to have enjoyed the best of health and spirits the entire way through. this is the main thing. but beyond that -- well, there's just so much to share -- where to begin? there was the 'dieta' at espiritu de anaconda, in which i stayed at the centre, did translation, and opened a diet of my own. (a diet is where you learn about a certain plant by ingesting it regularly over an extended period of time.) there, my film collaborator, tom, and i began what was to be a full month-and-a-half of filming interviews and panoramas. our purpose is to put together material for a radio piece for CBC 'ideas' on the apparent growing interest on the part of westerners in shamanism. while down here, we also found out we'd been appoved for funding from the national film board to shoot a documentary film on the same subject. after our stay at the centre, we went on a 3-day river expedition. then, the conference on shamanism began in iquitos, which was a whole journey in itself. there, tom and i continued to film and interview. in addition, i provided interpretation services for the conference, (which was unplanned but most welcomed), and embarked on a fascinating personal odyssey of my own (from which i am still reeling, actually -- in a good way, of course!). after the conference, we remained in iquitos for a week, just cooling down, but continuing to work and further some of the connections and possibilities which had opened up for us during the previous week. our jungle tour ended in tarapoto, where we spent 3 days at takiwasi addictions treatment centre, having an amazing connection with jacques mabit, his wife and also a physician, rosa giove, and jose miguel, the head psychologist at the centre. we are very happy with our footage from that place, which includes a graphic depiction of a yawarpanga session (intense, intense purgative taken in a ritualized, group setting, with a curandero, a tabaquero, chanting, and sopladas) in which i volunteered to be the 'guinea pig' -- but gladly, of course! -- with entertaining results!!! = ) tonight is our last night here, and we are spending it in cusco. after 5 psychonautical weeks in the jungle, we decided on the spur of the moment to crystallize all we have taken in with a trek into the sierras to connect with apu consciousness and set the tone for our re-integration back home. we spent 5 days in the sacred valley, which is quite a switch from the steamy lowlands of idyllic iquitos and tarapoto. life is certainly more demanding here, but we've been invigorated by the challenge and the physicality of it all. there's certainly more to add, but really it's too soon to look back, and besides, i'm looking forward to hearing YOUR stories of the summer so far, and to planning our fun times for the weeks to come. and so saying, i send you all my love and looking forward to connecting with everyone again soon! love always, yas

EARTHBOUND: AN INTERSTELLAR ODYSSEY

Ayasmina — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 18:33:14 GMT

[We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you the following special presentation.] Calling all Intergalactic Delegates! Would Passengers and Crew kindly report to the Launching Pad for an important pre-departure Announcement: GREETINGS FROM THE COMMANDER & CREW OF THE S.S. CHRYSALIS! SAFETY FIRST May we please have your attention for the following safety demonstration. In preparation for Take-Off, please ensure that your Luminous Fibres are securely fastened and your Chakras returned to their upright position. For the security of Passengers and Crew, we ask that Baggage remain stowed and the Conscience be kept clear at all times. During the course of our Odyssey, many trance-mutations may occur. Do not be alarmed; this is normal. Unforeseen Turbulence may create a Disturbance in the Force, causing internal pressure to decrease unexpectedly. If this should happen, Masks will automatically drop. Please remain calm and breathe naturally. Remember that it is important to tend to yourself before attempting to minister to others. Warning: Sudden Illumination may cause you to lose Balance. Should this occur DO NOT PANIC. Rather, proceed to the nearest Assemblage Point and await further Instructions. Our experienced Crew is Space Travel Safety™ Certified and qualified to handle Astral projections. SERVICES While aboard the S.S. Chrysalis, please do not languish on the Lower Decks. Instead, may we suggest that you ascend to the Upper Levels and take advantage of the many Comforts this Vessel has to offer. We are pleased to provide our Passengers with a Biodome, Snack Bar, Gift Swap, Hallucideck, Hypersleep Chamber, Evacuation Pods, Alien Experimental Theatre, and contact with many Special Guests at several Ports of Call (TBA). Note: this Vessel is equipped with Attributes designed to stimulate and delight. For your convenience, an in-flight Entertainment Menu will be provided once we reach our cruising altitude and the Captain has switched off the “Fasten Seat Belts” sign. We thank you for including us in your Travel plans and look forward seeing you again in the Future. If there is anything we can do to make your Time with us more meaningful, please do not hesitate to let us know. Join us now as consciously we gather in the Void to guide our Vessel toward Cosmic Convergences of Supernovum Proportions, where Polymorphous Psychonauts hob-nob with Intergalactic Riff-Raff. Oh yes, Comrades! Space is the Place for the Alien Soiree at the End of the Universe! Now just sit back, relax, and allow our team of Spacehosts to carry you unto lilting Lofts of Hypersleep..... ADDRESS FROM THE BRIDGE Aliens and Gentlemen! This is your Captain speaking. I am Commander Cleo-Naki of the Manko-Ysini Sector. Welcome aboard the S.S. Chrysalis, Flagship of the Intergalactic Federation, where the Space-Time Convention™ has been suspended until further notice. On behalf of the entire Crew, I commend you on this Voyage. In a few short moments, our Craft will depart for the Outer Limits and Destinies Beyond. Our Trajectory will lead us past the Nebulae, into the Ethosphere, and on to final Touchdown upon our brightest Constellation: Home. We have come together from all reaches of the Universe to embark upon a quest of utmost urgency. Our top-secret Mission: to ascertain the whereabouts of the S.S. Gaia's Ark, our Sister Ship, which embarked aeons ago on a parallel voyage, and with whom we have not had contact for milennia. We can only wonder what has become of her. She may be run aground; or she may be borne aloft upon the Interstellar Waves of Night. Only one thing is certain: ours will be a long and perilous Journey indeed. Although the Elements have been forecast, we must be prepared to deal with any permutation on the Event Horizon. We must be able to provide for ourselves while at the same time anticipate lending our assistance to our trans-sentimental Kin. Aboard is everything we need to sustain ourselves or begin anew. We carry with us our Culture, our Technology, our Medicines, our Awareness and, most importantly, our Dreams, all crystallized into that most precious of resources: Water. Who are we? That is the question. We may be humans. We may be aliens. We may be en route to some distant plant. We may be bound for Earth, or we may be Earthbound. The Choice is ours. All hands on deck now as we of the S.S. Chrysalis emerge from the Collective Cocoon, metamorphosed into Being. Taking flight into the Sun upon waxen Wings twinkling with the I’s of a thousand Icaros, we wish you a most pleasant Trip.