User:Unfetteredself/Blue Morpho Ayahuasca Shamanism center

Blue Morpho Ayahuasca Shamanism center is the largest Ayahuasca shamanism and Universal shamanism center in the Amazon jungle. Blue Morpho, established in 2002, is located on the Iquitos Nauta Road at kilometer 53, approximately one hour away by road from the city of Iquitos, Peru.

Blue Morpho was designed for people of the modern Western world, to allow them to experience Ayahuasca-based shamanic workshops and spiritual retreats with traditional shamans (curanderos, Ayahuasqueros, sanangeros, Paleros) who practice the ancient shamanic arts of the Amazon jungle. The shamans conduct a variety of ceremonies and rituals, which vary in length from 4 days to 12 days. These rituals utilize the sacred visionary medicinal vine called Ayahuasca to open consciousness and bridge the physical and spiritual world. This allows for personal transformation and spiritual evolution, positively changing the life of the participant. reference to Dr Grobs work

Contents [hide] •	1 About Blue Morpho •	2 History of Blue Morpho •	3 Involvement in the continuation of traditional shamanism and Peruvian cultural heritage •	4 Involvement in the legalities of Ayahuasca use in Peru •	5 Involvement in local charity programs •	6 Safe Ayahuasca usage for Westerners •	7 Further reading/viewing

About Blue Morpho

Blue Morpho was founded by its owner, Hamilton Souther, as a center for shamanism deep in the Peruvian Amazon rain forest. He wanted to create a place where traditional Ayahuasca shamanism and Universal shamanism could be offered to Westerners in the environment where these techniques were developed.

Blue Morpho offers the opportunity for people to experience the realities of traditional shamanism, surrounded by untamed wilderness and in safe and well-organized workshops. As of March 2010, Blue Morpho has accommodated over 1000 guests at the camp and currently hosts nearly 100 Ayahuasca ceremonies per year.

The center is comprised of 13 buildings of traditional native architecture, all constructed by locals using raw materials from the jungle. The center currently consists of five guest bungalows (housing 30 guests total), two staff bungalows, two isolated meditation bungalows, one large dining and lounging house, one lakeside arts and crafts house, one large circular ceremonial house, and a private Maestros’ (Master Shamans’) residence. The Habanilo River and Lomo Cano River both run through the property, and a spring-fed private lake allows for safe swimming.

History of Blue Morpho

Hamilton Souther completed a degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado in 2000. In 2001, he left his California home and traveled throughout South America. Later that year, he entered Peru and studied Ayahuasca shamanism under various Peruvian shamans on the Aucayacu River in the Amazon rain forest, approximately 24 hours away from Iquitos, Peru by boat. He found these shamans to be clearly lacking in the quality of shamanism he was searching for.

Then, in 2002, Souther began apprenticing with Don Alberto Torres Davila and Don Julio Llerena Pinedo, two of the most famous medicine men in the area. He instantly recognized their deep dedication to shamanic practices and their desire to help others. A few months later, Souther began construction on a camp nearby, where he would live in during his study. It soon became clear to him that many Westerners would benefit from similar spiritual work, so he established Blue Morpho, an Amazon jungle tour company. With its inception, Souther began guiding guests on the 24-hour trip by boat from Iquitos deep into the jungle. As more guests arrived, he added greater infrastructure to accommodate their needs.

In 2004, Souther realized that the long, arduous journey so deep into the jungle didn’t fit into the average Westerner’s timeframe or physical comfort level. So, in 2005, Souther acquired a 180-acre parcel of forest at kilometer 53 on the Iquitos Nauta Road. This would allow guests to reach the center in about one hour from Iquitos by bus. At the site, Souther began construction of Blue Morpho’s second lodge and shamanism center. The new center was designed to provide a permanent home for Blue Morpho and to exemplify its dedication to Amazonian shamanism.

Involvement in the continuation of traditional shamanism and Peruvian cultural heritage

Blue Morpho is dedicated to sharing and passing on the traditions of Amazonian shamanism, as well as keeping Ayahuasca shamanism part of Peru’s cultural heritage. The continuation of Ayahuasca shamanism is achieved in the form of apprenticeships. Through these apprenticeships, the traditions and practices are passed on.

An apprenticeship is established when a person feels drawn to being an Ayahuasca shaman and enters the jungle, searching for a Maestro (Master Shaman) who is willing to teach him or her the practices. This process of apprenticeship can take anywhere from three to ten years and requires total commitment. Apprentices must have enough personal means to support themselves during this time. This may involve building their own houses, catching their own food, or anything else they need to survive in the jungle for the duration of the apprenticeship. As of March 2010, Don Alberto Torres Davila was in the process of training four apprentices: two locals and two Westerners. In February 2010, Maestro Hamilton Souther’s hope for one of his apprentices to succeed on the path of becoming an Ayahuasca shaman was realized.

Involvement in the legalities of Ayahuasca use in Peru

Hamilton Souther is currently working with the local Loreto council to xxxxxxxx see Ayahuasca law reforms Peru.

Involvement in local charity programs

Blue Morpho currently operates a local education-based philanthropy program. The program is designed to give to the local community without altering their cultural customs.

The current Blue Morpho philanthropy program includes: o	Financing two Iquitos students through each year of trade school o	Paying entry exam fees for students who can’t afford the expense at the local community college o	Supplying notebooks for every student at the community college o	Donating first-aid supplies to the community college o	Supplying school clothes to many children whose families can’t afford the required school uniform for public school o	Supplying many Christmas gifts each year to families in the local community who can’t afford them

Blue Morpho is currently planning two larger-scale philanthropy programs. The first is aimed at opening a store that supplies free machetes to local workers who can’t afford their own, or where workers with broken machetes who need them for their livelihood can trade in the broken ones for new machetes. The second is a program that is dedicated to ensuring that every child in the Loreto district of Peru receives free notebooks for school use at the beginning of each school year..

Safe Ayahuasca usage for Westerners

At the beginning of 2010, Blue Morpho launched a free program aimed at educating Westerners about Ayahuasca and the safe usage of Ayahuasca, as well as how to choose a reputable camp and shamans in the Amazon.

This free informational site www.safeayahuasca.com outlines hundreds of details regarding what to look for in a camp, how to choose proper Ayahuasca shamans, and questions that should be asked before committing time and money to an Ayahuasca tour in the Amazon jungle.

References

Keith Aronowitz "METAMORPHOSIS" 95 min. / [] In 2008 film maker Keith Arnowitz produced and filmed his documentary Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a film that shows the journey of five westerners before, during and after ingesting the Ayahuasca medicine at Blue Morpho.

Kira Salak. National Geographic Adventure magazine. Peru, 'Hell and Back' The article includes a candid description of how Ayahuasca cured her depression, as well as provides detailed information about the brew.

Kira Salak. New York Times. 'Ayahuasca healing in Peru'

John Otis 'Taking an Ayahuasca trip'. May 1st 2008 issue of Houston Chronicle

John Otis  'Down the Amazon in search of Ayahuasca'. April 2009 edition of Time Magazine online. 

Daniel Pinchbeck, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, Tarcher, 2006, hardcover, ISBN 1-58542-483-8

Razam, Rak. "Aya: A Shamanic Odyssey." Icaro Publishing, 2009. ISBN 9780980648706.

Elenbaas, Adam. 'Facing Fear: A conversation with an Ayahuascero' International Reality Sandwich. 

Elenbaas, Adam. 'The Way the Medicine works' International Reality Sandwich. 

Elenbaas, Adam. 'Metamorphosis: Making an Ayahuasca documentary.' International Reality Sandwich. -

Sacred Hoop 'The home of Spirituality' issue 48 Spring 2005

Kira Salak  ‘The White Mary’  Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated Pub. Date: August 05, 2008 ISBN-13: 9780805088472

Karen Souther. 'Taming the Boa' Peru review

Karen Souther. 'Walking on Water, Pirahnas in the Amazon Basin' Peru review