Article by Ralph Miller

Many people have asked me the question, "What is an Ayahuasca journey like?"

For certain each journey is completely an individual experience, and while there are similarities between journeys, each one is completely unique. The only universal advice that I have been able to come up with about Ayahuasca is that the master lesson of this incredible feminine teacher is fundamentally about, 'letting go'.

You are shown the beauty of nature; you are shown the infinite nature of everything. You are brought healing and understanding in a way that will humble you, and make you cry. But in order to get there, you first have to let go.

It seems simple. But in fact it is one of the most difficult things for some. We all tend to hold on to so much. We hold on to our egoist ideas of self. We identify with our jobs or our families, and loose a sense of who we really are. We want to hide and we can't bear to be exposed.

But when the traumas and uncertainties of life begin to bear down on us, we become receptive to learning a new way. The arrival of the goddess, that is the plant teacher Ayahuasca, is definitely a story about 'when the student is ready, then the teacher will appear'.

One of the things that happens with Ayahuasca, is that all of the defenses are stripped away. If you carry with you, a human edifice that looks down on the rest of humanity, then that human edifice is separated from you, so that you can have a look at it, and see it for what it is.

While the exposure can be emotionally painful; the goddess is so unbelievably loving and caring. It is almost like she takes you by the hand. At times you are holding on for dear life, but she is always there, simply asking you to trust her.

© Ralph Miller 2004