Clay Villanueva joins our hosts in studio this week to share his experiences becoming an ayahuasca minister and how that led to a DEA raid and federal lawsuit. He begins by educating us about what exactly ayahuasca is and the benefits it has provided to him and others (2:53). He also delineates between the ceremony and other conventional U.S. religions. Clay then proceeds to give us some of his personal background and how volunteering at the Center for Really Neat Research ended up bringing him to a shaman in Peru (13:08). He then describes his first time ever participating in an ayahuasca ceremony and his subsequent calling to do more (19:15). T and Saif are so enthralled in his story that they need to know what happened next (26:30). After returning from Peru a second time, Clay became part of a community of people who were all interested in ayahuasca and this led to him needing more formal training, and another trip to Peru (32:35). Saif asks if this is something people can have a bad trip on and Clay lays out the major differences between this ceremony and consuming recreational drugs to pass time (38:08). He then goes on to describe how he established his church in Phoenix in 2017 (43:02). This leads to a conversation about government vs. religion, the O' Centro decision, and how the DEA established a catch-22 as a result (45:36). This catch-22 led to the formation of the North American Association of Visionary Churches and a DEA raid on Clay's home (50:13). He tells us what happened next regarding legalities, a surprise arrest at LAX, and his near-death experience while being detained (1:00:18). The case is still ongoing, so there is only so much that can be shared, but Clay lets our listeners know how they can assist if they want to (1:10:46).
Thank you for tuning in and giving us your continued support. You may interact with us online @CTSTerry on Twitter or by searching Catch The Sky Podcast on Facebook (and giving us a Like), Instagram, or wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribing.
Music by Emby Alexander
Recorded October 25, 2021
#CatchTheSky #Podcast #Interview #Ayahuasca #Minister #Colors #Music #SacredVine #Phoenix #Arizona #Peru #DEA #Government #Religion #Shaman #Catch22 #Church #OCentro #SupremeCourt #Raid #Arrest #Lymphoma #Healing #Community #AlwaysBeComing #TrashRocket
