“ATTITUDE”: THE NAME OF THE INNER MEDICINE THAT DEALS WITH ALL TYPES OF AILMENTS

Laura writes this series of articles, reflecting on the inner discovery of our healing resources, in order to use them no matter what comes our way.

Shamans in the jungle call it “remedy”, “poison” and even “medicine”… many groups of ayahuasqueros and people who take ayahuasca commonly refer to it in this manner, but what do we really mean when we call something a “medicine”? Who is it a medicine for? What does it cure? Against what ailments is it used? What do we mean when within Ayahuasca International we talk about something being a medicine?

I would like to use this channel to publish a series of articles, of which this one is the first. An inner journey for those who want to enter with me into the mystery of what I have discovered is the authentic medicine, the authentic ayahuasca along a process of inner evolution that has lasted nearly 10 years… a path that is only now getting me closer to the true meaning of the word “medicine”, the true meaning of “ayahuasca”.

I have had great teachers throughout my years as a spiritual vagabond: lamas with immense integrity and wisdom, lack of judgment and rare compassion; teachers of different healing modalities with a truly moving dedication and love for their students; colleagues and partners who have somehow become lights in my path… and for the nearly two years I have been working in the Inner Mastery team, my best teachers have been both my teammates and the participants attending our retreats, week after week.

Thanks to them, I have discovered that the “medicine”, the one we call ayahuasca, is truly the people, who are a rainbow- coloured reflection of all the ayahuasca I carry within myself.

Ayahuasca, the plant, the beverage, is a catalyst, an activator or inner medicine which every human being is born with and lives with his/her whole life. The great difference lies in those who find a way to activate this endogenous ayahuasca and those who do not.

How can it be that the organization says and repeats, again and again, that the purpose of our work is to move away from the use of ayahuasca? Why do we keep calling ourselves this way, if the plant is not the centre of our work? From here, I propose to redefine the meaning of the word “ayahuasca”, so that every person may discover the personal meaning that they want to give to their own perception of what their “medicine” consists of.

What does Ayahuasca International do exactly? Do they just give ayahuasca? Do they organise inner evolution retreats? Do they do psycho-therapy work? Do they organise meditation retreats, retreats based on new age holistic techniques? Let me clarify that we are not a service company. We do not provide accommodation, meals, and weekend getaway services.

We are dedicated to something completely different, which brings together all the above, but also has an added value that goes beyond this, and therefore cannot be explained in a few words, but it can be confirmed through the real experience of those who have lived it.

For those who want a brief description of what we offer, we are dedicated to creating situations in which people can consider making significant and positive changes in their lives, and possibly even undergo a personal transformation. The hundreds of testimonials from our participants confirm that both possibilities are real.

For us it is essential to inspire each person to have the courage to look inwards and rethink their perception of themselves, of life, of others and of the world… to find that inner medicine within their own selves. Anything can become medicinal if we are willing to perceive it that way… for example, something as habitual, apparently unpleasant and counterproductive as COMPLAINTS.

For example, a traffic light stresses or bothers us, we complain about the traffic, but what would happen if at every red light we were filled with joy at the opportunity of being patient, letting go of the accelerator and breathe so as to feel that we are living in our body?

In every moment during our inner evolution retreats we are presented with the same opportunity as before the traffic light, be it because we are delighted with everything we experience in them or disgusted. According to each different person, the food can be better or worse, the bed more or less comfortable, the facilities may or may not be appropriate; there might not be the type of tea we are accustomed to, or the facilitators may seem like imbeciles or teachers. Perhaps the participant next to us makes too much noise or the music is too loud.

We obviously have very different judgments and subjective assessments of the same situation, but beyond any evaluation, we often miss the deeper meaning of an experience by obsessing over forms, timeframes, and so forth. This does not only happen at the retreats, but also in our daily lives. What prevents us from fully enjoying every moment of our life? Preconceived ideas? Expectations or demands? Viewing the imperfection of all things? Disgust or internal dissent? Complaint?

Here is my proposal: to transform Complaint into medicine. To transform dissatisfaction into medicine. To transform everything that we think is not being done properly or that could be done better into medicine. Inner complaint presents us with a unique opportunity to look inward and see in which circumstances of our lives the complaint arises; what we do with that complaint; how this complaint affects us: is it something that makes us feel better or more miserable? Is it something that brings us towards a greater connection, an awakening of compassion towards others, to acquire a state of equanimity and neutrality towards our companions that favours the creation of true bonds made of love? Or does it make us feel resentment, anger, rage, does it distance us, imposes labels upon others and ourselves, pressures, obligations, reproach, rejection? Does our complaint come from a feeling of internal and external perfection and fulfilment for all that exists, or from a sensation that everything that exists, us included, could be made better, that it could be more correct and that we are essentially flawed or imperfect?

Therefore we say that the opportunity that we provide in our retreats it not limited to the services we offer. It also extends to everything that we do not offer and that creates uncomfortable situations – from within discomfort the greatest opportunities for change may arise. Change comes when we open ourselves to a new attitude towards that which creates discomfort, because that is what can be carried back to our lives, to our daily-ness.