Conversations with Benjamin Ochavano in Peru 2002
Howard G Charing interviewed Benjamin Ochavano from the Amazon Rainforest, Peru. Ochavano is in his late seventies. The two discussed Ayahuasca and how it can help Westerners who want to grow personally. Come and visit our website search it on Your Highest Truth – mother ayahuasca you can learn more.
Ayahuasca is a powerful hallucinogenic plant that has been used by early civilizations and indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Its effects are highly dependent on the context of the ceremony, the chants used and the personality of the shaman. They can also have unexpected results.
A variety of urban uses have been discovered recently. A few are being spread, while traditional shamans travel around the world. Ayahuasca is now becoming more popular in Western civilization. But what are the benefits of these ancestral plants and how can they be made to work for us?
I first tried ayahuasca in the 10th grade with my father who was also an shaman. I was fifteen when my father took me to the selva to learn about plant diets. Nobody would ever see us for a whole calendar year. There was no contact with women or any other human beings. We lived in a small tambo with only a sheet and slept on leaves, under the sheets. We killed plants: puchatekicaspis, pucarobonas, pucarobonas, huairacaspis, verenaquu.
Each plant would stay with me for 2 months. Then, I would move on to another one. A whole year without women! Boquichico is the only fish permitted. This is a vegetarian fish with mushed plantains that are made into pururuco Shipibo, or chapo.
Then, I was able to rest for about a whole year before I returned with Jose Sanchez, my uncle. Jose took me on another year and we continued our diet on the Rio Pisqui. He was an excellent teacher, and taught me many things. He was a Chontero, which is a kind of shaman working with darts (in spirit world). It’s so named because real darts or arrows for hunting are made of the splintery and black chonta bamboo. A chontero has the ability to send darts with positive effects such knowledge and power. Additionally, he can also remove poisoned Darts that have been causing illness or casting evil spells.
To finish off he gave me chullachaqui caspi. I then moved in with my spouse and started working as a curango on the Ucayali. Later, I moved from Pucallpa to continue my Ani Sheati projects.
Ayauma chullachaqui has been called the planta maestra. Pucalopuno (Quechua), the bark from a tree, which can grow up to 40 or 50 metres. It can be combined with tobacco to make a strong plant. You only need it two times. You need to eat it every day for six months. Drink it in the morning. Then, lie down and you will be in a different state for the whole day.