My San Pedro Experience — Your Mate Tom

So I had just finished my Ayahuasca retreat (click here to read about it), and was on my way to Cusco to continue my journey and do a San Pedro ceremony. I had dealt with a lot of my demons in the Amazon but I still lacked direction in life. I knew that San Pedro (Wachuma) would bring things full circle and help further process what I had gone through with Mother Ayahuasca.

Before I go on I realise how 'hippy' and crazy this all sounds but I really don't care, it's one of those things where you have to experience it to believe it. I'm just saying it how it is based from my experience and what I've seen. I've learnt to stop giving a fuck about what others think, which I would encourage others to do the same as it's quite a liberating feeling. Don't believe something blindly just because someone tells you to (which includes me), keep an open mind and make your own judgement.

So anyways let's move on shall we?

What is this San Pedro you speak of?

San Pedro is a very sacred, ancient cactus that has been a part of continuous healing tradition in Peru for over 3000 years. San Pedro is a very powerful teacher plant that helps us to reconnect with ourselves. This is not a recreational drug (even though it can be extremely fun) it helps us to heal, to grow and to awaken into higher states of consciousness. It helps us by showing us where we keep all our negative energies, where it came from, and what we SHOULD have learnt from that experience. There have been many cases of people being cured of many illnesses such as depression, anxiety and even cancer, by drinking this sacred plant. This is because every illness is stemmed from the mind, and San Pedro helps change our negative thought patterns into positive ones.

Unlike Mother Ayahuasca, San Pedro has a male spirit who many say is a grandfather figure. And because of this, San Pedro is much more direct and gives you more straight forward answers than Ayahuasca. San Pedro also gives you a much more pleasant experience, almost like a grandfather putting his arm around your shoulders and showing you the beauty of life. Whereas Ayahuasca can be a very harsh mother who can slap you around by showing you all your demons and issues you've locked away in the closet (in most cases). So where San Pedro shows you the light, Ayahuasa shows you the darkness. These are the only 2 plant medicines that are recommended to take so soon after one another, as they complement each other very well.

The Journey:

I went with my friend Annie who I met at the Ayahuasca retreat. She had no idea what she was getting herself into but decided to tag along anyways. We arrived at La Casa de la Gringa hostel where there was a group of 7 who were participating in the San Pedro ceremony. Usually Lesley is who guides everyone through the San Pedro ceremonies but she was in Australia at the time, so Simon her son, took her place. When everybody was ready we made our way to Lesley’s mountain home.

The house was amazing and the mountain scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Her garden was so mystical and perfect that I couldn’t imagine doing San Pedro in a better location. All the plants and flowers accompanied by many decorations of beautiful artwork and crystals were so diverse and astounding; it was almost like stepping into a mystical Garden of Eden.

We were all in the maloca where we all sat in a circle while Simon explained a bit about the San Pedro cactus. He went on to say how San Pedro is full of light, peace and love, and those who have experienced Ayahuasca are going to find this to be a complete cake walk. He also said that although San Pedro’s taste isn’t pleasant, it taste like fruit juice compared to Ayahuasca.

He poured each of us a tall class of the cactus juice. We all put our intention into it and went on to drink the brew. It was bitter and not very nice tasting, but like Simon said this was delicious compared to that Amazonian drink.

We all grabbed a mattress and went outside to the garden to choose our spot. I was lying down in the sun, staring at the clouds. About 30 minutes in I start to mildly feel the effects…

So it Begins:

So at first I start to feel a bit nauseous. Not long after I start to see very mild patterns, those type of patterns you see from those tracers in your eyes but more intense. I started feeling more nauseous so I stumbled to the bathroom to purge, but nothing would come out. I came out of the bathroom and I was really enjoying the feeling of the grass on my bare feet. I could feel the electric energy through my feet and up into my body coming from the Earth. And it felt soooo good.

I walked around the garden which was divided into two parts. I was feeling slight dizziness but I was enjoying the sunny day and looking around at all the artwork and plants. I sat down and was holding a heart-shaped crystal that I took from the maloca for some reason. I sat there staring at this green crystal when a bright green fly landed on top of it. I’m not saying that this particularly meant anything, it was just really cool.

I went back to my mattress to lie down, which when I was really starting to feel the effects. I was staring at the sky and watching the clouds transform. I saw one cloud transform into a grandfather figure giving me a thumbs up. It was at that moment that I knew I was in good hands. I was feeling such immense peace and joy, but the sun was really burning me so I went inside the maloca which was empty.

I was laying down while holding the heart-shaped green crystal with my fingertips while staring at the roof. I remember getting told that San Pedro helps you see things that are already there, it's just that we can't see them in our normal state of consciousness. This kind of makes sense if you think about the universe being comprived of 95% of dark matter, which is basically invisible particles we can't see. Not to mention all the different dimensions and parallel universes that are out there, and that our brains are only recievers of consciousness operating at a specific frequency. So in my opinion, I would say it's quite silly to say that all there is to life is what we humans perceive from the 5 senses.

Maybe San Pedro helps us see a lot more of the universe by changing our frequencies. So it's like we're looking at our world with our eyes through a particular lens, and all San Pedro does (or any psychedelic for that matter) is change that lens into a different one. Even the Native Americans have used peyote (a sacred cactus simlar to San Pedro) in tradition to be more connected with Mother Earth, and to contact other spirits. And who are we to say that they are wrong?

I was seeing the atomic energy flowing through the logs that were holding up the malcoca. I saw the glowing green energy field surrounding my crystal while the room around me was moving. I was looking through the window where I saw a cloud transform into a vivid pink chinese dragon, which absolutely blew my mind. I didn’t even have to concentrate to see these visions, they would just happen naturally.

I was getting waves of coldness, which I got told later that this was the San Pedro taking out the negativity that was stored in my body. The room was spinning into a vortex-like spiral which was getting a little bit too intense for my liking, so I closed my eyes but still felt the room spinning.

I truly felt the oneness of the universe and felt such bliss, that even when I tried thinking of a negative thought, I would immediately see the positive side to it.

Simon entered the maloca to check up on me and see how the San Pedro medicine was treating me. He was wearing a cowboy type hat which really reminded me of back home like I was in the outback or something. While he was talking to me I was REALLY tripping balls. His face was morphing and changing colours to purple, red, blue and green.

The maloca was getting way too intense for me so I went outside to the garden where Annie and Agustina were. I told Annie that we probably wouldn’t have had this good of an experience if we hadn’t of done Ayahuasca first, because it forces you to face your demons and cleanses your body. Even Simon said he could see a spark in our eyes.

We were talking about life and laughing a lot, and then we would all go off and do our own thing. I think Michael summed it up perfectly when he said “Sometimes we're all seperate and other times we're riding on the same frequency and give each other a thumbs up.”

Most of us went into the maloca where everyone was quiet and going really deep. I was just thinking and feeling the oneness of the universe. I actually felt my family’s presence there with me, and couldn’t wait to give them all a hug and tell them how much I love them. I had amazing motivation speeches in my head (with the music and everything lol) and what I need to do in life. San Pedro was giving me clear direction by telling me that I need to start putting myself out there and start leading the way for future generations. I got a huge confirmation stamp that the psychology degree I’m about to start was definitely the right path to take, and that I need to start expressing myself by writing blogs and making videos. I got taught that I really need to take things one step at a time instead of always trying to jump to the finish line, like I always have in the past which ends up just burning me out.

I felt many good, kindred spirits around me giving me support and feeding good energy into me. I was in a very deep meditative state receiving great wisdom. San Pedro really showed me the beauty of life, and taught me that even the negatives can be a positive thing; you just have to change your perspective. For example I can dwell on the past and all the years I've wasted, damaging myself OR I can use those mistakes and LEARN from them to move forward in my life. San Pedro also taught me that I need to stop reading into all the bad in the world, because all that does is feed it fear which helps it grow, and doesn’t actually help anyone.

Sometime later a lady walked into the maloca and handed me a bowl of fruit salad. The excitement I felt was so overwhelming that I felt like a little kid who has never eaten fruit before! Each fruit had their own unique personality, flavour, texture and appearance. Each bite I took gave me an amazing burst of flavour that was orgasmic!

I went outside where everyone was eating their fruit salads, loving life and sharing the same enthusiasm I did.

“This is absolutely amazing! You have to try this watermelon and this apple, oh my god!”

We all felt the oneness of the universe and how we are all the same. Even on a scientific level we are all one and the same: If you look closely at the human body with a microscope, you will see that we are made up of a community of 50 trillion cells, if you look closer at one of these cells you will see that it is made up of 20 trillion atoms. And if you look closer at any one of these atoms it will fade away and all you will see is pure vibrational energy that is as old as the universe. And the thing is, everything in the universe which even includes our thoughts and emotions, are pure energy. Even our whole universe is held together by pure consciousness which connects us all together.

Pretty mind blowing, ey?

I know it is one thing to read about it, but to actually experience it is on a whole other level! We were the fruit, the grass, the clouds, the mountains and the universe. We were so connected that you could truly feel the empathy of one another, meaning that you didn’t have to imagine what it’s like to be in each other’s shoes, you just KNEW how it felt to be in their position. I know it sounds really far-fetched and weird, and if someone ever told me this a couple of years ago I would have labelled them as a crazy hippy, but it’s true nonetheless. And the fact that it’s true on a scientific level makes it pretty damn cool and reassuring; it’s just that most people can’t even comprehend this because they spend their whole lives thinking they’re separate from everybody else.

Simon came to tell us that we were going to go for a walk soon. I actually saw his aura which was pretty big and rainbow coloured. The shaman came soon after and for some reason I felt like I’ve known him for a life time.

I felt a lot of déjà vu that day, like I’ve dreamt this all before. The state of consciousness that I was at was very similar to that of a dream state. All the colours were very vivid and the background would be focusing and unfocusing, while distorting and moving. My hearing was supersonic and I could hear everything so crisp and clear; like the wind breezing through the trees, the birds flapping their wings and the buzzing of flies.

The shaman did his ceremonial cleansing to all of us, which was utterly amazing and felt sooooo good. I felt like my soul was sparking clean after he was done with me haha.

Simon came to get us for the walk so we all put on our shoes, which I was pretty bummed about for a moment but then got super excited for the adventure we were about to embark on!

Before Simon opened the front door he said to us:

“Alright guys, when you walk through this door you’re going to experience a very different transition. It’s going to be a completely different vibe; very open and breathtaking. You are going from Alice in Wonderland to Lord of the Rings.”

He opens the door and we step outside...

The Magical hike:

The breathtaking scenery of the mountain range was so marvellous that it left me in awe. The mystical openness of the horizon left me such an impression that it was almost hard to believe, it was so absolutely incredible beyond words. It felt like we were on the unexpected journey to the Lord of the Rings of the Two Towers.

It was hard to breathe because of the high altitude but we all soldiered on and walked along the plains while Simon was giving us a guided tour. We arrived at this big rock that had a natural spiral of stairs that led to the top, which had a hollowed out cave at the bottom. Simon explained that the Inca’s used to climb up this special rock and used to meditate at the top where there's an energy vortex, and get a great deal of knowledge and wisdom from the universe.

Before I climbed on top of the big rock I went under and into the cave. It was dark and there was water tripping from the smoothed rock ceiling. It was pretty surreal and intense feeling all the ancient sacred energy and spirits that was present. After I was done I went out of the cave which almost felt like I was seeing light for the first time in years, it reminded me of that scene in Fallout 3 when you first step out of the vault.

I went up the spiral of stairs that led me to this energy vortex where the Inca’s used to meditate. I sat at the top for a while feeling the breeze hit my face, and pondering about the beauty of life. The view was unreal. I felt a sense of peace take over my body while really appreciating the beauty around me. After we sat there for a while meditating, Simon called us to head off to the Temple of the Moon.

The walk there was so amazing that I had to stop every once in a while to take in the view. I remember looking at the cliffs and seeing ancient tribe faces and patterns. I was seeing the Inca history on those cliffs.

The temple of the moon was something else. There were natural rock formation that looked like a big snake. Under a rock there was literally a pulse, Mother Earth’s pulse! It was fucking insane! There was a hole in the roof of the cave where the moonlight would light up the whole cave every time there’s a full moon. I sat down, closed my eyes and went into a dimensional trance. This was a very special place, so much so that you could get a profound psychedelic experience completely stone cold sober! I mean haven’t you heard of people meditating in dark caves and getting enlightened experiences from it?

After a while we went back to the garden, and that was pretty much it. Me and Annie went back to our hotel and went to bed. The effects were with me for a total of 10 hours. I had a really bad migraine that night, and it took me at least 5 hours to get to sleep because of it. I don’t know if it was from the San Pedro or the altitude, it’s not common to hear about people getting migraines from San Pedro, but who knows?

Aftermath:

San Pedro was unlike anything I have ever tried before. It was the most pleasant and magical experience I've ever had. To be honest it felt like a very long lucid dream. Time did not exist and everything was so vivid, yet I was seeing things that I wouldn't normally see, all while gaining access to my subconscious mind and the universe.

San Pedro gave me very clear direction which is something that I've lacked from my life. It's been over a month and a half since I've done it, and I can say that I really appreciate the beauty of life a lot more. It really helped break my old negative thought patterns so now I'm just a much happier person, looking at the positive side to everything. It has helped connect me to myself and others around me.

Now I have much more compassion for others. So when someone is rude to me or acts in another negative manner, I empathize with them and don't let it bother me. I mean of course I'm still going to have feelings of frustration with certain things or people, after all I'm still human! But I'm at least much more conscious of my thought patterns now. My negative thoughts are at an absolute low that's for sure.

San Pedro has really helped put purpose and meaning into my life, so now I'm much more motivated, productive and energized on a daily basis. I'm being very consistent with my exercise and diet, and I'm also writing a lot, putting my thoughts on paper which helps clear my mind. My first blog on Ayahuasca had a really good reaction which have inspired a few people to strongly consider doing it, and that's a win in my book. Even if I could convince just ONE person to do something like this which would drastically improve their lives, I've done my job.

I've learnt to get rid of any expectations and just enjoy the ride, because when you expect something to happen and it doesn't, you end up suffering don't you?

San Pedro has helped me in many ways, it has even helped with my back and neck pain which I had been suffering for years, which is a pretty huge bonus.

Should you do San Pedro?

At the end of the day it's up to you. Not everyone NEEDS to do any of these plants. You can reach these psychedelic states completely sober. You can try a sensory deprivation tank, sit in a dark cave by yourself or go through years of deep meditation, but unfortunately many people simply can't be fucked doing this (with consistency anyway). San Pedro acts as a great tool to put you on the right path and deal with your issues that you didn't know how to deal with. San Pedro is like that mentor you never had teaching you the ways of life.

If you find yourself stuck in vicious thought cycles, psychedelics like San Pedro really helps you break those old thought patterns by making you think differently by changing your perspective. This is how it so easily cures mental disorders, such as depression. So in other words San Pedro changes your mindset into a positive one, which makes all the difference in the world. If you have a negative mindset you're going to attract negative things, and vice-versa, if you have a positive mindset you're going to attract great things. This is the law of attraction.

It's always good to do these things with a guide, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Do your research and find the right place for YOU.

If you're sceptical about this, GOOD. We need people like you otherwise everyone would try anything with little to zero knowledge. Without sceptics we wouldn't have psychedelics being scientifically studied right now, which is giving us proof that psychedelics actually cures mental illnesses with a MASSIVE success rate.

Don't let the stigma of psychedelics scare you just because politicians say it's bad. Like I've said make your own judgement by doing your own research. If you don't think this is for you then great, there are always other options to deal with whatever issues you have.

Don't let your ego dictate your decisions. I've heard people come up with ridiculous excuses for not trying these plants, my favourite being: "San Pedro is too 'hippy' for me". To me this doesn't make any sense. How is facing and dealing your conflicts you've had your whole life too hippy? How is curing whatever mental disorder you have too hippy? This is just the ego afraid of change and always making excuses and complaining. Guess what? We're all human and we all have problems. If you don't want to do it then that's perfectly fine but just make sure that's your gut telling you that, not your ego.

One last note; you potentially might only have to drink San Pedro once in your life and you could be cured from what ever mental or physical illness you have. This is not an addictive substance and it does not make you 'lose touch' with reality and you do not lose consciousness, in fact it will make you appreciate life so much more.

You can trust me on that one.

;)

Me and my best bud :p — Me and my best bud :p

"If the words 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' don't include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the declaration of independence isn't worth the hemp it was written on"

- Terence Mckenna

Links:

Ayahuasca blog

Ayahuasca vlog

Casa de la Gringa Website