Around the time that I was leaving Korea, a dear friend of mine told me that it was a dream of hers to go to Peru for Ayahuasca--an ancient medicine, made directly from a plant, and a national symbol in Peru. I had never heard of it but, given my liver's condition, I was definitely intrigued.
Once I got to Peru, I learned more about Ayahuasca and San Pedro everywhere I went. Many people with sickness of any kind (physical, too, but most often depression, addiction and other mental illnesses) go to Peru, and Cuzco even more so, looking for healing, and are able to find it in these ceremonies.
I'd been given my liver diagnosis just before heading to Peru and, once I got to Cuzco where I'd be staying in one place for a while, I finally had time to do some serious health research. I mentioned in my blog before that, once I started my search for health in Cuzco, people started crawling out of the woodwork, pointing me in the right directions. Everywhere I went, everyone I talked to had either done an Ayahuasca or San Pedro ceremony, knew tips on healthy eating, knew where I could find meditation classes and knew of a dozen other natural healing remedies nearby.
It was really fantastic. I made it to The Healing House (a place I'd been hoping to go to ever since I was in Korea) and participated in a couple different healing methods. I went to free yoga classes a couple of days a week, just a few streets away from where I lived. I found a place that sold amazing, homemade gluten free bread and the wonderful people there helped me find foods that were naturally detoxing, and especially great for the liver, at different places in the city. Everywhere I went, people were focused on health (mental, spiritual and physical) which made Cuzco the perfect place for me to be.
One of the most amazing parts of it was the San Pedro ceremony I took part in. I won't go into a whole lot of detail here but I definitely want to mention it.
A group of probably 20 of us hiked high up into the mountains surrounding the amazing city of Cuzco. The ceremony was done in three parts and was one of the most calming, relaxing and beautiful days I've ever witnessed in my life. We drank the medicine and then spent the afternoon in the mountains however we wanted--meditating, reflecting, talking, napping, listening, enjoying, experiencing.
Everything about the day was very chill for me. My senses were opened in a way that I'd never experienced before and I felt very at-peace, spending time with people I loved and looking out for hours over one of the most amazing views I'd ever seen. It was an experience I can't quite describe in words but it was a beautiful.
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