In this episode, I interview Shane Peterson, a good friend and humble apprentice of the Shipibo plant dieta, a shamanic practice that acquires plant wisdom by dieting with master plants. He has close to 10 years of experience dieting with master plants, having drank the Amazonian brew ayahuasca hundreds of times, and is a trained facilitator at Caya Shobo, a traditional plant medicine retreat based out of Iquitos that I attended in late 2023. I refer to his learned perspective and life experiences, which modestly consider the depth of Indigenous knowledge that the Shipibo ayahuasqueros practice in ceremonies. These traditions are thousands of years old and contain the sacred wisdom of the Shipibo-Conipo people. I inquire about this topic for the sake of harm reduction, so that anyone seeking to heal with ayahuasca, or applying “la dieta” can further educate themselves and seek well-trained, traditional shamans.
Song in the intro- "Light of the Mountain" by Brandon Tilt
I acknowledge that I learn, grow and heal on the unceded ancestral lands of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm , the Katzie, the Stó:lō and the Tseil-Watuth First Nations. These lands were never abandoned nor surrendered by those with the ancestral rights to steward and protect these lands.
I honor and respect the elders, the children, the land stewards, the land protectors, the medicine keepers, and the men and women of all Indigenous nations.
Huy ch q’u (thank you) to those who support the indigenous communities and actively decolonize their minds and spirits.
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin, All my relations.
