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The importance of darkness

One of my favorite parts of our ayahuasca retreats is when Alejandro shares something prior to the ayahuasca ceremony itself. Anyone that has met Alejandro can attest to his ability to connect with other through words, stories and songs. He truly has a knack for it!

First time guests that join our ayahuasca retreats are usually nervous before their first ayahuasca experience. It makes sense and I’ve been there. In fact, that nervousness can (and maybe even should?) last beyond the first night.

There really isn’t much you can do to calm the nerves, but one thing that helps is convincing them that they’re in good hands and that the experience they’re about to have is worth the discomfort they might face.

That’s essentially what this short video is about. It was recorded just before drinking ayahuasca with Taita Ale and, in it, he introduces the concept of the seed and the importance of darkness to encourage its germination.

Huddled around the fire in the middle of the Ecuadorian amazon, darkness is, well, palpable. It’s intimidating, it’s scary. But there’s a reason for it. In fact, a crucial element of the ayahuasca experience is embracing our own darkness.

Would you like to experience ayahuasca in a safe environment with a real taita (shaman)? Consider joining one of our ayahuasca retreats, we’d love to have you.