As we all know, set and setting are very important in the world of psychedelics. For my DMT experiences i always like to have both of these aspects in the positive camp, i find a good setting is easy to achieve as i always journey alone, at home, in my room where i control all the variables.
As for set, well many times it hasnt felt right due to tiredness or being a little down or whatever, and on these ocassions i have refrained from taking a journey.

so far so good. set & setting are very important and i feel i have been rewarded handsomely by DMT for making sure i only journey under the finest of conditions.

I have dabbled with lower dose Pharma experiences and i find that they provide a better learning experience than DMT, and i have already started to address a few of my issues in these lower dose ceremonies.

This friday i will be starting to build a proper relationship with Aya, using higher doses with more serious intentions. I feel that, for want of a better term, that DMT is for "fun", its a 5 minute tidal wave of mind expanding madness, the likes of which my monkey mind couldnt possibly have conceived of, but i really dont think that this is what Aya is for.

I have been reading alot about "The Medicina" and i wish to use it in a different way than the way in which i use DMT, and because of this my thoughts on Set & Setting are called into question, especially my Set.

I sometimes get pretty down, not suicidal or anything, but certainly to a greater extent than just being a bit sad. I know where these thoughts/feelings come from and i know they are irrational but this does not change the fact that they arrive all the same.

I have read many acounts of people being helped by Aya in a way in which i believe i need to be helped, and all of these people have approached Ayahuasca in a similar situation to me, which is, in my opinion, a poor Set. I would not vape any DMT when im down as i dont think it would fit in with my view on S&S and the whole vibe/relationship i have with DMT.

I have absolutlely no problem with people using Aya in the way in which i use DMT, the exploration of conciousness is a glorious thing but i think that to earn the name of "The Medicina" then there must surely be alot of wiggle room in your Set when using Aya, i mean who needs medicine if there not sick?

I resonated alot with some of the stories that Olypus Mon was kind enough to share with us from his trip to Peru, and some of his stories of recent personal loses would surely have put him in the poor Set catagory, however he seemed to confront his demons and come out the other side a better man for it.

I know this is a little cryptic but i dont really want to state where these feelings/thoughts come from as thats kind of where im drawing the line with respects to spilling my issues on the internet.

i will give you a little taster of what i have got from my few pharma sessions and its a gist of what im hoping to gain from Aya...

i have always stolen music on the internet, i would happily download lots of indie/underground hip hop instead of paying for it, even though i knew that these artists, who enhance my life so much, spend most of there time living in a van and surviving show to show. they give me so much and i give them nothing in return. On a pharma ceremony i had a voice in my head tell me to stop doing this, his exact words were "stop fucking these people over, if you want there work then pay for there work and help them out".

i havent stolen any music since that night, i knew what i was doing was wrong but i didnt realise it until it was pointed out to me.

So what are people views/experiences about using Ayahuasca to fix themselves?

Has anyone approached Aya with a poor Set and then been helped in a way in which they could then say "yes, Aya truely is a medicine that can fix the soul"?

ok, that was very long, and im not sure how much sense it will make, but well done for sticking with it

Very nicely written, and it made perfect sense I can resonate with it all as I'm also in a similar place ( but for different reasons).

The first time I did it, was out of curiosity,( bad set) and indeed was taken aback by how carthartic it was, strips away the false beleives, exposes the weakness and hurting in the soul, showed me how my selfish actions hurt others.....
The magic of that stayed with me for some days, then disapated.


I've got the Aya in the fridge hoping it doesn't start fermenting before I get into that right mind set. I think many of us know what we may be confronted with, , but.... do we realy want the soul fixed? Then what? Is the soul meant to be fixed so quickly? These are questions I seriously ask myself before entering that void again.

But good luck with your voyage, It certainly sounds like your at the right junction and are going to get a lot out of it.

I see the post was written a while back, when your ready let us know how it all went?

Cheers.

3rdI, its great to share these things I feel it lifts some of the weight off your shoulders. Ask yourself this,...would you only go speak to your therapist when you were feeling happy? Would you wait until you felt healthy to see your doctor when your sick?

I was in your shoes at least 2 times I can remember distinctly in Peru. I was beyond sad when my girlfriend left me in Peru to return to England as I stayed behind to work on myself without distraction. I felt a sorrow like never before. I dint drink for a week waiting for it to pass and I didn't so eventually I attended ceremony anyways.

Next time I was very angry with the main shaman there. I was lied to about something quite important and couldn't shake the feelings associated and went to speak to a trusted friend i made there. He encouraged me to drink and I did.

The result of these 2 situations were the 2 most profound nights of healing and in depth understanding during and after the sessions. It shook me out of my depression and I coxmpletly forgave and let go of my animosity for this shaman.

Always do what your comfortable doing but I would encourage you to drink and not only that but drink BIG. As you have stated aya is the medicinal and your spirit feels sick. Trust the medicine and trust yourself to accept the healing.

Much love to you my friend.
OM

Edited to apologize for not seeing this till now. I've been super busy getting ready to return to Peru in a few weeks and my time on here is limited.

Thanks for the replies, they are much appreciated.

Arcanum- I know its not a quick fix and that isnt what I'm looking for, but I definitely think that fixing the soul is what is needed. I believe that if you fix the biggest problem first then the ones that are left over seem much easier to deal with.

Olympus Mon- I very much appreciate your answer as you are someone who has actually sought healing with Aya as opposed to receiving it as a byproduct of investigating the Vine.

I see a big difference between people who say they have life changing experiences with Aya and those who seek it out to specifically heal themselves. I like your reference to a therapist, that is how I'm am hoping Mamma Aya will help me, if I was to see a therapist I know they could help but because I already know some of my thoughts are incorrect I don't believe lying on a couch would help, I very much much doubt they would be able to make me realise I'm wrong. Much like my music example in mg first post.

I am now preparing for my session but its gonna involve some serious preparation, as has been said before, putting effort in will result in greater results coming out of the session.

Thanks again, your good people

I am def not in the group that thinks that these medicines are only for people in a positive mindset. They are called medicines for a reason.

Much more care has to be taken though in your approach IMO if you are not in a great mindset when you work with these things or things can get way out of hand real fast.

I dont agree that DMT is just fun either..or that ayahuasca cant be fun.

Hi Jamie, I very much agree with your statement.

I feel that my situation is suited to this work because my sickness is like an underlying feeling, at the minute I feel kind of like a strong house built on Shakey foundations. At the moment I am happy, I like myself but i feel that if I could just sure up my foundations then I would be the person I wish to be.

I didn't really mean DMT is just for fun, I would say a few beers in the sun with my mates would be fun but that is not how I use DMT. It is just that for me, DMT is like a high Impact trailer for existence, a quick flash of what could be. But my solo pharma experiences have been like the feature length film, and by partaking in this film I have been given a better idea of what sjould be going on in my life.

I'm not really sure I can get across what I'm mean, relaying the difference between the 2 paths is difficult as the words don't seem to fit properly.

DMT is fun but it isn't, its healing but its not and Aya is healing not fun but also fun and not healing. Damn these futile words.

I see a big difference between tailoring set and setting in an attempt to shape a psychedelic experience (remember, the phrase "set and setting" was coined by the high priest of LSD, not a curandero) and approaching traditional medicines and plant teachers like aya, san pedro, peyote, etc.

As far as set for aya... one of my teachers emphasizes approaching aya "like a little child". Open, innocent, direct, without hidden agenda. So it's ok if you're feeling sad, or angry, or hurt... however you're feeling, how would you have approached your mother as a child when you were feeling this way? Take that on as your set as you approach the experience.

Cheers Lagomorph, I like that way of thinking it seems like a good way to approach the medicine.

Every time that I've done aya I've done it with my girlfriend. It's brought us extremely close. It nearly halted and reversed a 3 years opiate addiction. It done things that smoked had never done. You can literally FEEL it working through every area of your body, you can feel it move throughout.

First time I done it I dosed 75g vine and 5.4g or so of mhrb. I would recommend if your wanting to get serious and work with a higher dosage level do 70-ish grams of vine and 4-5 grams mhrb. I know everyones different but those dosages should take you pretttty far.

Just make sure your ina good frame of mind, very minimal in outside distractions, and some lite rhythmic music. And if you choose to do it with somebody...do it with someone that you are very close with. That added energy can mean the world.

If your experienced with pharma you should find caapi to be far warmer and more gentle

IMO caapi is by far, far more helpful in every way than pharma or rue brew.