Well, so far in this series I’ve confessed to taking Ayahuasca for the last 10 years and to burning holes in my arm to take poison frog venom…so if you’re interested in hearing crazy story #3 in this forest medicine series, keep reading!
The Amazon tribes use three medicines in regular combination. In my two recent blogs I introduced Ayahuasca and Kambo, and the third forest medicine is Rapé – (this Portuguese word is pronounced Ha-PEH). Rapé is a snuff that may be self-applied or applied by a shaman. The main ingredients are an organic indigenous tobacco, mixed with the ash from the burned bark of a sacred tree.
This forest medicine is grounding and balancing for the body. In my experience, I felt the medicine tingling in my whole body, and it opened a way for me to commune and communicate with my spirit guides. The best medicine has melted my heart open in an ecstatic way.
My Experience with this Grounding Forest Medicine
I have taken several types of Rapé and had good experiences. Then my good friend, JP, who I met at the Ayahuasca conference last fall in Brazil, introduced me to the most special Rapé from a man named Gesileu. The first time I experienced Gesileu’s Rapé, I met one of my favorite guides for the first time.
Our meeting started with a swirling feeling where I felt my heart being opened. I felt very relaxed, and also energized, alert, and expanded. I became aware that my fears about loving were being educated, healed, and released. About 10 minutes later that session ended and a sweet face presented herself, briefly letting me know that she was the one behind my heart expansion.
Meeting a New Spirit Guide
I wanted to meet this man Gesileu. I discovered that he offers regular Rapé ceremonies, so I made sure to seek him out before I left Brazil last fall. My new spirit guide deepened our relationship at that ceremony.
After Gesileu administered his Rapé to me, my new feminine guide became a very strong presence in front of me and all around me. She asked me to sit back and receive…and she had so much to give! She gave me ecstatic waves of rejuvenation, washing through my whole body. She opened me, then opened me more. Once again I felt so ecstatic and grateful.
Near the end of the experience, I asked if I could know her name. She thought for a minute, then said I could call her Mãe Cherinha.
Brazilians find her name really interesting and poetic. Mãe means mother, and Cherinha (pronounced Shereenya) sounds similar to the way they would say little scent, as though she is flower scent mother. As our relationship unfolded over many Rapé sessions, she shared many secrets of the forest with me and flowers turned out to be only a small portion of her domain.
The Shamans of the forest say Rapé has many health benefits when used regularly.
Read another perspective on Rapé here