(This article was first published in the Spring 2021 issue of Well Being Magazine) I recently had a client in consultation who was suffering from many emotional problems. Victim of repeated abuse in her childhood, she had then attracted to her partners who perpetuated these toxic and dominating relationships. Obviously, these patterns reflected a belief system that she had acquired at an early age and had strengthened over time. A few years earlier, this client had made a shamanic journey that had left a deep impression on her. During this experience, she had felt Mother Earth’s energy moving ..read more

(This article was first published in the December 2020 issue of Sacred Hoop Magazine) To say that we are living in complicated times is an understatement. The period we are going through, filled with chaos and uncertainty, presents us with many challenges. In facing this great unknown, emotions such as fear, anger and despair can easily overwhelm us. Today I would like to share with you a perspective that was delivered to me during my shamanic work in Peru with visionary plants, such as Ayahuasca, San Pedro cactus, and other powerful traditional medicines. I have been working with these medici ..read more

Reconnecting to our totem animals In shamanism, the concept of totem animals is central to many traditions. Indeed, shamans regularly commune with animal spirits: when they want to harness their power or strength, when they seek advice or vision, or when they call upon their medicine. Today, totem animals are much better known to the general public, and everyone is able to make their own connection with the animal world. One can thus receive a visit from an animal spirit, whether it is during a shamanic ceremony, a vision quest, a deep meditation, or even a dream. And sometimes these spirits w ..read more

Shamanism is now a subject that generates a lot of interest among those who wish to approach life from a more authentic angle. Actually, there is not just one shamanism, but a multitude of traditions, scattered all over the world. There are, however, some common points in these different approaches: in addition to various techniques for connecting to altered states of consciousness, the celebration of Mother Nature is a recurring element in all shamanic rituals. The importance of plant and animal energies is a central point, and it is common to make shamanic journeys to identify our power anim ..read more

  In the Amazon tradition, when an apprentice follows the path of the curandero (“healer”), he follows diets that allow him to connect with the spirits of the plants. In this moment of deep communion and meditation, in total isolation, he can then receive icaros, healing songs taught directly to him by the plants he is dieting. Today I would like to share with you a personal icaro, which I received during my shamanic practice. This icaro is a prayer to the spirit of Tobacco (or Mapacho), a very powerful and central teacher plant in Amazonian shamanism. Tobacco is a grounding, calming, cl ..read more

More and more people are becoming interested in shamanism, especially the Amazonian tradition, involving the use of visionary plants such as Ayahuasca. Indeed, this medicine has seen an incredible boom in recent years. Ayahuasca-related tourism has developed at a pace that seems almost out of control, and retreat centers are sprouting up like mushrooms in South America. In the Iquitos region alone, in the Amazon basin, there may currently be up to 70 centers offering this kind of service. This popularity does not seem to be limited to the South American continent alone, as this medicine is now ..read more

  As a follow-up to my last article about our relationship to illness, I recently came across a very interesting documentary on Netflix. Entitled “Lea and I”, it tells the story of two very close friends who decide to travel to South America in search of a cure. Indeed, the central character of the documentary is Léa Moret, a nice young woman of Belgian origin living in the United States, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Read More Shamanic Journey. / Léa and I ..read more

For many years, Diego Palma was an emblematic figure of the Sacred Valley, in the region of Cuzco, Peru. He allowed countless people to benefit from Ayahuasca, a plant used by shamans to cure both physical and spiritual ailments. Over time, his activity has grown to unexpected proportions, and the small town of Pisac has become a Mecca for anyone who wants to experience this powerful and mysterious medicine. I met Diego during a retreat in the Amazon jungle in 2009. It is an honor for me to begin this blog with an article dedicated to the man I consider a friend, a mentor, and even a brother ..read more