Hi there,
A hundred years ago, ayahuasca was almost unknown outside the Amazon. Today it's the centre of a booming global industry. Retreat centres in South America went from virtually none in 2000 to well over 200 by 2019, and the figure keeps climbing as more people travel south in search of healing.
That surge is a double-edged thing, and our latest blog piece sits with the discomfort rather than resolving it. On one hand, ayahuasca is helping people heal, reconnect with the living world, and - perhaps for the first time in generations - see Indigenous peoples as the genuine knowledge-holders they are. On the other, a sacred practice once held in custodianship to the community is being repackaged as a product. Untrained "shamans" are multiplying, vulnerable seekers are sometimes exploited, and younger generations in the Amazon are learning to measure the medicine in profit rather than meaning.
It's really a question about all of us: how does a culture take in wisdom without strip-mining the people who carry it? What do we owe those whose knowledge we benefit from?
It's the same question that runs through everything we do here and what we'll be exploring at the World Ayahuasca Forum - a first-of-its-kind gathering bringing Indigenous leaders, scientists and policymakers into direct dialogue. No one's claiming to have the answer yet. But the conversation is one worth having.
UPCOMING EVENTS
As always, you can find all our upcoming events and retreats on our events page.
psychedelic talks
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retreats to connect
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psychedelic retreats
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meditation, movement, & sound
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community + connection
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processing your experiences
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