About Wachuma | Spirit of Peace Healing

Wachuma

"wachuma" - to chop off one's head

Echinopsis pachanoi

San Pedro, The Grandfather

Wachuma, or San Pedro, is a large cactus which grows throughout the Andean Mountain Range. Often referred to as 'The Grandfather' of the teacher plants, this intelligent cactus was given the name 'San Pedro' by the Spanish in reference to St. Peter, the Guardian of the Gates of Heaven. It's Quechua name, 'Wachuma', is said to mean 'to cut off one's head', as it it said to bring one 'out of the head and into the heart.' The cactus is usually cooked into a thick liquid, and can also be taken in powder form. It's active component is mescaline and the effects usually last for around eight hours.

Wachuma's Super Powers

Heart Opening: Bringing us 'out of the head and into the heart,' Wachuma can facilitate a deep heart opening, allowing us to access feelings of compassion, empathy, gratitude and forgiveness. We can be awakened to feelings of unconditional love, learn how to love ourselves unconditionally and develop a deep appreciation of the world we live in.

Personal Power: Wachuma can show us the depth of our inner strength and power, often revealing that our true potential is much more than our minds believe it to be. Showing us the depth of our capacity to heal ourselves and the true strength that every one of us possesses, Wachuma can often help us to find the inner strength, power and will to direct our lives forward for our best possible wellbeing.

Connection With Nature: Wachuma can open us up to the natural world, allowing us to connect with nature spirits and reminding us that we are not separate from nature. Along with opening us up to a deep appreciation of nature, we can be reminded that we are always held, supported and provided for by Mother Earth.

Spiritual Connection: Alongside opening us up to nature spirits and the presence of Divinity within nature, Wachuma can remind us of the presence of the Divine within ourselves and within all things. The prayers held throughout the ceremonies help us to access and strengthen our spiritual connection with ourselves and with the world, which can often be deeply healing, especially for those coming from a spiritually disconnected background or who have had negative or difficult experiences with organised religion and spirituality.

Is Wachuma Your Medicine?

Wachuma San Pedro ceremonies in the Sacred Valley, Peru

Aside from a few medications and health conditions, Wachuma does not have many contraindications and is safe for most people who are feeling the call to drink it, but it is an especially good option for people suffering from the following conditions:

If you feel disconnected from your emotions: Through opening the heart, Wachuma can facilitate a release of suppressed emotions and help you to feel your emotions more deeply, allowing for a deeper level of emotional intelligence and self-understanding.

If you are holding on to resentment and anger: Often anger around a past event can be one of the biggest reasons that the past continues to haunt us. Wachuma's ability to open the heart and see things from a more loving perspective, both towards ourselves and towards others, allows us to find the forgiveness that we need to heal ourselves and make peace with the past.

If you feel disconnected from nature: The modern world has largely lost touch with the importance of nature and with teh reality that everything is provided to us by the Earth. Wachuma can facilitate a deep reconnection with nature, often allowing us to connect with the spirits residing within the plants and the mountains, and can remind us of our true nature as spiritual beings, showing us that there is no separation between ourselves and the world that we live in.

If you suffer from loneliness and feelings of isolation: Through facilitating a deep connection with the natural world, Wachuma reminds us that everything is connected and that we are never truly alone. We can realise that we are not separate from nature and all of creation, and Wachuma can open us up to a deeper sense of connection with others, guiding us to a compassionate understanding that we are all a part of this same world.

If you lack self-confidence or a sense of purpose: Wachuma is a great teacher of personal power, showing us that our potential is far more than our minds believe. Challenging ceremonies can often invite you realise the depth of your personal strength and power and show you what you are truly capable of in life.

If you feel spiritually disconnected: Wachuma can open us up to an understanding and experience of the Divine within ourselves, within nature, and within all things. Often in our modern world there is a spiritual disconection or a skepticism around spirituality, and Wachuma can remind us that the Divine exists within all things and can help us to align ourselves on our spiritual paths.

Wachuma Ceremonies and Traditions

Wachuma is used in many traditions throughout the Andes and around the world, with ceremonies taking many different forms. Our retreats offer daytime hikes in the mountains and overnight fire ceremonies.

Hiking ceremonies take place at important sites around the Sacred Valley, on significant mountains or in ancient places. The ceremony lasts the entire day - we drink Wachuma early in the morning and hike throughout the day, coming back in the evening. Hiking ceremonies are often both challenging and beautiful and allow for a deep connection to be made with nature and with the mountain spirits.

Hiking ceremonies either take the form of a 'four altars' ceremony or a 'Despcacho' ceremony. The four altars is a tradition found throughout the Americas where the ceremony has four distinct sections, each connecting to a direction, element and a phase of our lives. The four altars guide us through prayers of gratitude, clarity, unity and love and can faclitate a deep healing and release from past events, opening us up to a deeper understanding of our true spiritual selves.

The Despacho is an offering ceremony traditional to the Q'ero of the Peruvian Andes where an offering is made to Mother Earth and the mountain spirits (known as the 'Apus.') We hike to a quiet spot high in the mountains to make the offering and participants have the opportunity to put their prayers and intentions into the Despacho. Each person receives an energetic cleansing and the offering is followed with a celebratory feast.

Overnight fire ceremonies take place in a ceremonial maloca or tipi with a central fire and last from the evening until sunrise. Following the strucutre of the four altars, prayers and songs are sung throughout the night with the fire providing a central focus to assist in cleansing, healing and carrying our prayers into the spirit world. Overnight ceremonies are often challenging but rewarding and can facilitate deep inner transformations.

Get in touch

If you're considering joining a retreat, or if you're thinking about drinking Wachuma but have some questions or would like to talk about it some more, please don't hesitate to get in touch! You can send me an email or make an appointment to schedule a short video chat.