"We recently received an article entitled 'Why we inevitably all become Ralph!' from our friend Piers. The title of this article is deceiving which seems to be the very point he was making in writing the article. And certainly was not encouraged by Ralph himself who has said to me so many times over the years 'This work with ayahuasca is not about you, or me or any of us.'

This article describes a realization that we are ultimately responsible for every choice we make and it is our choice alone to encounter this sacred medicine. No matter what we do, or what we think we know, we are not prepared for this experience. Even if you have drank ayahuasca before you still remain unprepared. Ralph is pretty good at getting that message across with humor."

-Peter

The path to enlightenment is a path to be walked alone. This may seem something we would not choose, as we are all addicted to the comfort zone of our companions. If we are to take the essential lesson of self-responsibility we will see that we are only able to walk through the door alone. Our companions may well be either side of the threshold, either beckoning for us to walk through, or encouraging us to make the journey. But the walk is one we must do alone. I point out at this moment that I believe that alone is missing a letter. The word should actually denote All-one.

Who is Ralph?

To walk through this door, we must first identify the doorway. So essential questions need to be answered. Who am I? Where am I? Why am I? What am I? We must in fact, learn to ‘Know thyself.’

Who is Ralph?

Ayahuasca is a plant medicine that is indigenous to the Amazon Jungle in South America. Until recently, it was only available to the Indians of South America. The medicine is administered to one by a Shaman. The Shaman is the medicine man of each Tribe. The medicine induces visions and has received the moniker, ‘The Vision Vine.’ What is extraordinary is that the active ingredient of Ayahuasca is DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) and this is a naturally occurring brain hormone. Yes! This substance is actually produced by our brain by the Pineal and Thalamus Glands. Owing to our state, government and religious ‘numbing-down’ process, this event has become dormant within us. It is suggested that we have 2 explosions of DMT during our lives, once at birth and once at the moment of death. The lock that the DMT key requires to fit in is Serotonin; this is our natural ‘ecstasy’ hormone. When one drinks the plant, our body floods itself with Serotonin. So when we wake in the morning after an evening session with the medicine, we feel ecstatic, there is no hangover.

Who is Ralph?

Ayahuasca grants us a mystical experience. Personally, I have tried many methods to have a mystical experience, from bizarre breathing exercises to meditation and nothing worked like the Ayahuasca. Within half an hour of ingesting the plant, the mystical experience began. The plant takes you inter dimensional or even astral. At this junction it is important to point out that this piece is not an Ayahuasca sermon, but merely the tool that I have used to answer those all-important questions mentioned in the second paragraph. The plant is totally personal and everyone’s experience is that, entirely personal. This, in itself, is extraordinary. You don’t drink the plant but the plant drinks you. Having ingested the plant, the plant then scans you and then shows and gives you exactly that which you need, whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual healing. Every time, without fail, the plant has a gift to give you. You may not be aware what that gift is but we are dealing with a sentient intelligence that is entirely benevolent. About 10 years ago, all the Shamans received the same vision that the plant wished to now be introduced to the rest of the world.

Who is Ralph?

It is almost exactly a year to the day, that I was first introduced to the plant and I can only tell you that my life has changed dramatically since it’s introduction and I am just a few weeks away from my third trip to be reacquainted with her. I believe the energy to be a female energy. The energy is of nature herself. A précis of my various experiences are that of receiving emotional healing, a removal of useless baggage such as fear, hate and judgement. I was shown the nature of the interconnectedness of all things, the binding nature of love and gratitude. I was shown that all things are ‘living’ and that nature is all intelligent.

Who is Ralph?

When I first arrived at my destination that would lead me to my first encounter, there was a lot of intrepidation, a lot of questions that needed answering. Was it true that this medicine gave you the ‘shits’ and induced vomiting? I have been indoctrinated with the western view that these activities are ‘not good!’ These were my first encounters with Ralph. This Machiavellian soul, whose workshop I was apart of, was apparently the answers to these questions. I asked him, ‘What is Ayahuasca like?’ He answered, ‘It’s a bit like learning to die!’ This filled me with immediate dread! There was a lady who offered, ‘Ayahuasca, I read, is a 3 stage event, the first is blah blah blah, the second is blah blah blah and the third…’ Ralph butted in, ‘ yeah, there are 3 stages, the first is puking, the second is shitting and the third is puking and shitting!’ What had we let ourselves into? Wasn’t this man meant to be allowing us to feel comfortable about all this?

Who is Ralph?

During the workshop, Ralph and I engaged in many philosophical and factual discussions. We discussed Bohm, Icke, Delooze and many others like Drunvalo Melchezidik (or however you spell his name.) We discussed aliens, channelling and the new age movement. I profess to be very well read on all these subjects and people and I am a very clever talker and maker of arguments. I will contend that I convinced him of many things but honestly I don’t think he was buying. He has since met Matthew Delooze, who courageously joined me on one of these workshops with his wife; see his article and visit his wife’s blog on the subject. Ralph was leading me to my original point. We must do this alone. The answers are within. You are the answer. We face the Ayahuasca alone and we face the truths that the Ayahuasca offer us alone. Ralph was not making me feel comfortable. Why? The reason is because I had to face the fact that I had to leave my comfort zone of all the things that I believed in. All the things that I had read, all the things that I have indoctrinated with, needed to be discarded.

Who is Ralph?

Ralph is you! Ralph are your friends that stand either side of the threshold beckoning and encouraging you to walk through the door. Ralph knows that you must make this journey alone, which isn’t a problem because we are not alone, we are all one. Ralph is the part of you which tells you that it is ok to leave your comfort zone, to experience things that will answer those all important questions. The comfort zone is a place that has been created by you to fend off those nagging fears. The comfort zone is the channeller who tells you that the aliens are coming to save you, the priest that tells you Jesus is coming to save you, the politician who has the answers to your social issues. Ralph is the part of you that lets you own the knowledge, that no harm will come to you, to leave that comfort zone and embrace your fears that will free you of your bonds. Ralph is the part of you that encourages you to discard the illusionary labels of describing experiences as good or bad, but to except what is. Ralph is the part of you that tells you to discard what you think you know and embrace the fact that we know virtually nothing about this extraordinary reality and multi-verse.

So, in the words of my dear friend Matthew, ‘May love reign o’er you all.’



© Piers Portman 2008



This article was inspired by Ralph Miller; whose articles and writings can be found at http://www.heartoftheinitiate.com/library