Plant Wisdom
Shipibo Kene: The Visionary Art of the Amazon
To sit in a Shipibo ceremony is to be surrounded by pattern: maze-like geometric lines on cloth, pottery and skin. This is Kene, the visionary art of the Shipibo. It...
Shipibo Kene: The Visionary Art of the Amazon
To sit in a Shipibo ceremony is to be surrounded by pattern: maze-like geometric lines on cloth, pottery and skin. This is Kene, the visionary art of the Shipibo. It...
Shihuahuaco: the Giant Guardian Plant of the Amazon
Shihuahuaco (Dipteryx micrantha), the giant guardian plant of the Amazon: protection, grounding and focus. Its meaning and how to work with the essence.
Shihuahuaco: the Giant Guardian Plant of the Amazon
Shihuahuaco (Dipteryx micrantha), the giant guardian plant of the Amazon: protection, grounding and focus. Its meaning and how to work with the essence.
Chiric Sanango: The Plant of Courage and Dreams
Every tradition has a plant for courage. In the Amazon it is Chiric Sanango, the flower that blooms through fear. A serious teacher plant of the curanderos, it works with...
Chiric Sanango: The Plant of Courage and Dreams
Every tradition has a plant for courage. In the Amazon it is Chiric Sanango, the flower that blooms through fear. A serious teacher plant of the curanderos, it works with...
Renaquilla (Clusia rosea): the Plant of Harmony and Union
Renaquilla (Clusia rosea), the Amazon plant of harmony, forgiveness and union. Its meaning in the Shipibo tradition and how to work with the essence.
Renaquilla (Clusia rosea): the Plant of Harmony and Union
Renaquilla (Clusia rosea), the Amazon plant of harmony, forgiveness and union. Its meaning in the Shipibo tradition and how to work with the essence.
What is Mucura (Anamu)? The Great Cleanser of the Amazon
When something feels heavy, clouded, or not quite yours to carry, the Amazon reaches for Mucura. Also called Anamu, it is the tradition's great cleanser: a plant that sweeps the...
What is Mucura (Anamu)? The Great Cleanser of the Amazon
When something feels heavy, clouded, or not quite yours to carry, the Amazon reaches for Mucura. Also called Anamu, it is the tradition's great cleanser: a plant that sweeps the...
Huayra Caspi: the Wind Plant of the Amazon Forest
Huayra Caspi (Cedrelinga catenaeformis), the wind plant of the Amazon: meaning, Shipibo tradition and how to work with its essence. Love, clarity, bliss.
Huayra Caspi: the Wind Plant of the Amazon Forest
Huayra Caspi (Cedrelinga catenaeformis), the wind plant of the Amazon: meaning, Shipibo tradition and how to work with its essence. Love, clarity, bliss.
What is Chuchuhuasi? The Rejuvenating Bark of the Amazon
Some Amazon plants are famous for visions. Chuchuhuasi is famous for something quieter and deeper: warmth, endurance and lasting strength. Meet the grandfather bark of the forest, and how to...
What is Chuchuhuasi? The Rejuvenating Bark of the Amazon
Some Amazon plants are famous for visions. Chuchuhuasi is famous for something quieter and deeper: warmth, endurance and lasting strength. Meet the grandfather bark of the forest, and how to...
Plant Essences for Meditation, Calm and Sleep
In a noisy, sleepless world, stillness is something we have to invite. Three plant essences, Blue Lotus, Bobinsana and Noya Rao, help deepen meditation, soften into calm, and ease the...
Plant Essences for Meditation, Calm and Sleep
In a noisy, sleepless world, stillness is something we have to invite. Three plant essences, Blue Lotus, Bobinsana and Noya Rao, help deepen meditation, soften into calm, and ease the...
How to Choose Your First Master Plant Essence
Dozens of plants, one honest question: where do I begin? There is no wrong first plant. Choose by what you long for right now, and the teacher almost picks itself....
How to Choose Your First Master Plant Essence
Dozens of plants, one honest question: where do I begin? There is no wrong first plant. Choose by what you long for right now, and the teacher almost picks itself....
Amazonian Plants for Energetic Cleansing: A Natural Alternative to Palo Santo
Palo Santo is the West's go-to for clearing energy, but it is under pressure and smoke is not the only way. The Amazon has its own cleansing plants: Mucura, Una...
Amazonian Plants for Energetic Cleansing: A Natural Alternative to Palo Santo
Palo Santo is the West's go-to for clearing energy, but it is under pressure and smoke is not the only way. The Amazon has its own cleansing plants: Mucura, Una...
Flower Essences vs Essential Oils: What's the Difference?
They look identical on the shelf, but flower essences and essential oils are opposite in nature. One works through aroma and the body, the other carries the energetic imprint of...
Flower Essences vs Essential Oils: What's the Difference?
They look identical on the shelf, but flower essences and essential oils are opposite in nature. One works through aroma and the body, the other carries the energetic imprint of...
Ayahuasca vs Master Plant Dieta: The Difference
Ayahuasca is world-famous; the master plant dieta is the quiet path underneath it. One is a single visionary night, the other a long relationship with one teacher plant. Here is...
Ayahuasca vs Master Plant Dieta: The Difference
Ayahuasca is world-famous; the master plant dieta is the quiet path underneath it. One is a single visionary night, the other a long relationship with one teacher plant. Here is...
Pau d'Arco (Tahuari): The Amazon's Plant of Strength
Pau d'Arco is world-famous as an Amazonian bark. But in the Shipibo tradition that same plant, Tahuari, is a master plant of strength, protection and vital energy. Here is its...
Pau d'Arco (Tahuari): The Amazon's Plant of Strength
Pau d'Arco is world-famous as an Amazonian bark. But in the Shipibo tradition that same plant, Tahuari, is a master plant of strength, protection and vital energy. Here is its...
Master Plant Essences vs Bach Flower Remedies: What's the Difference?
Master plant essences and Bach flower remedies are both plant essences, but they come from very different worlds. Here is how they compare, and how to choose the right one...
Master Plant Essences vs Bach Flower Remedies: What's the Difference?
Master plant essences and Bach flower remedies are both plant essences, but they come from very different worlds. Here is how they compare, and how to choose the right one...
What Is a Master Plant? Understanding the Teacher Plants of the Amazon
What is a master plant? In the Amazonian tradition, master plants (plantas maestras) are teacher plants that transmit knowledge through relationship and dieta. Learn what makes a plant a teacher...
What Is a Master Plant? Understanding the Teacher Plants of the Amazon
What is a master plant? In the Amazonian tradition, master plants (plantas maestras) are teacher plants that transmit knowledge through relationship and dieta. Learn what makes a plant a teacher...
Guayusa: The Dawn Tea of the Amazon
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is the Amazon's sacred dawn plant, traditionally shared before sunrise for alertness, clear intention and vivid dreams. Learn her story and how to work with her essence.
Guayusa: The Dawn Tea of the Amazon
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is the Amazon's sacred dawn plant, traditionally shared before sunrise for alertness, clear intention and vivid dreams. Learn her story and how to work with her essence.
Una de Gato (Cat's Claw): The Protective Vine of the Amazon
Una de Gato (Uncaria tomentosa), the Cat's Claw vine, is the Amazon's great protector: a master plant of energetic boundaries, cleansing and renewed vitality. Learn what she teaches and how...
Una de Gato (Cat's Claw): The Protective Vine of the Amazon
Una de Gato (Uncaria tomentosa), the Cat's Claw vine, is the Amazon's great protector: a master plant of energetic boundaries, cleansing and renewed vitality. Learn what she teaches and how...
What is Wachuma (San Pedro)? The Sacred Cactus of the Andes
Wachuma (San Pedro), Echinopsis pachanoi, is the great heart-opener of the Andes: a sacred cactus of vision, connection and clarity. Learn what it teaches and how to work with its...
What is Wachuma (San Pedro)? The Sacred Cactus of the Andes
Wachuma (San Pedro), Echinopsis pachanoi, is the great heart-opener of the Andes: a sacred cactus of vision, connection and clarity. Learn what it teaches and how to work with its...
Shipibo Icaros: The Healing Songs of the Amazon
An icaro is not a song you compose. It is a song you receive from a plant. Here is what icaros are, how the Shipibo healers work with them, and...
Shipibo Icaros: The Healing Songs of the Amazon
An icaro is not a song you compose. It is a song you receive from a plant. Here is what icaros are, how the Shipibo healers work with them, and...
Preparing for Your First Plant Dieta: A Practical Guide
The dieta does not begin when you arrive in the forest. It begins weeks before, with how you eat, how you rest, and how you clarify your intention. A practical...
Preparing for Your First Plant Dieta: A Practical Guide
The dieta does not begin when you arrive in the forest. It begins weeks before, with how you eat, how you rest, and how you clarify your intention. A practical...
Blue Lotus: The Sacred Flower of Meditation
Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) is perhaps the most famous sacred flower in the world: the temple flower of ancient Egypt, and a beloved plant teacher of meditation and inner stillness....
Blue Lotus: The Sacred Flower of Meditation
Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) is perhaps the most famous sacred flower in the world: the temple flower of ancient Egypt, and a beloved plant teacher of meditation and inner stillness....
How to Work with Plant Essences: A Practical Guide
What is a plant essence, how is it different from an essential oil or a tincture, and how do you actually use one? A practical guide from the Amazonian tradition.
How to Work with Plant Essences: A Practical Guide
What is a plant essence, how is it different from an essential oil or a tincture, and how do you actually use one? A practical guide from the Amazonian tradition.
What is a Master Plant Dieta? A Beginner's Guide
The master plant dieta is the heart of Amazonian shamanism: a sacred period of isolation, diet and connection with a plant teacher. Here is what really happens during a dieta,...
What is a Master Plant Dieta? A Beginner's Guide
The master plant dieta is the heart of Amazonian shamanism: a sacred period of isolation, diet and connection with a plant teacher. Here is what really happens during a dieta,...
Bobinsana: The Heart-Opening Plant of the Amazon
Bobinsana (Calliandra angustifolia) is the Amazon's great heart-opener: a master plant of creativity, emotional healing and connection. Learn what she teaches and how to work with her essence at home.
Bobinsana: The Heart-Opening Plant of the Amazon
Bobinsana (Calliandra angustifolia) is the Amazon's great heart-opener: a master plant of creativity, emotional healing and connection. Learn what she teaches and how to work with her essence at home.
What is Noya Rao? The Plant of Light of the Shipibo Tradition
Noya Rao, "the one that flies" for the Shipibo, glows in the dark and is considered the most sacred master plant of the Amazon. Discover its story, the traditional dieta,...
What is Noya Rao? The Plant of Light of the Shipibo Tradition
Noya Rao, "the one that flies" for the Shipibo, glows in the dark and is considered the most sacred master plant of the Amazon. Discover its story, the traditional dieta,...