The Accidental Shaman: Journeys with Plant Teachers and Other Spirit Allies - Howard G. Charing 2017
Footnotes
*1. Likely due to the high quartz content of the granite and the geometric symmetry.
*2. Back in the 1960s the outraged reaction against these ideas was so strong that it destroyed Allegro’s career. The book was not published in the United Kingdom because it was regarded as blasphemous, and blasphemy was still a crime. Finally, in 2008, this archaic law was scrapped in England.
*3. Higher order consciousness is the term I use to denote the universal interconnectivity of a vast infinite field of consciousness. We are an integral element within this field even though we may not perceive the wider field, in much the same way that an individual water droplet forms part of a raincloud.
*4. This statement by Goering was recorded in Gustave Gilbert’s transcriptions of conversations with him and many of the Nazi leaders during the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal.
*5. Pablo Amaringo discussing his painting titled Puñusca Muscuna (meaning “profound revelation” in the Quechua language). Quechua, the original language of the Andean civilizations, was not written down until the arrival of the missionaries and the conquistadors in the sixteenth century.
*6. When the energy is transmuted it is changed into a finer soul substance, a different vibration of energy that will allow the energy to return to a higher vibrational field.
*7. Scientific research into bioenergetic phenomena is increasing. The human body emits light particles called biophotons, or ultraweak photon emissions. They are part of the electromagnetic spectrum (380—780 nanometers) and can be measured by modern instruments.
*8. A term used by Pablo Amaringo to describe the world of the Amazon rainforest.
*9. Mestizo indicates a person of mixed European and native ancestry, as opposed to a person who belongs to an indigenous community.
*10. Soplada is the Spanish word for “to blow.” Soplo, or soplada, usually refers to the practice of blowing mapacho (tobacco) smoke onto a person. The soplada is an important part of healing and is typically used for cleansing and as a conduit for the shaman’s concentration and energy.
*11. Brujeria is the Spanish word for “witchcraft.” A brujo (masculine) or bruja (feminine), meaning “sorcerer” or “witch,” can invoke malign forces to harm another person by preparing concoctions that clients can introduce secretly into a victim’s food, drink, or bathwater.
*12. Chaliponga is used in the ayahuasca brew known as yagé, typically from the Ecuadorian and Colombian Amazon. Chaliponga is much stronger and contains five times more tryptamines than chacruna.
*13. A good resource for more information on the addictive characteristics of sugar is the following book: Dr. Robert Lustig, Fat Chance: The Hidden Truth about Sugar, Obesity and Disease (London: Fourth Estate, 2014).
†1. There are some good resources on the Internet regarding safety while undertaking an ayahuasca experience. I recommend Steve Beyer’s informative blog at www.singingtotheplants.com/2012/05/traveling-safely-to-drink-ayahuasca.
In addition, research the medical contraindications regarding ayahuasca and any prescription drugs you may be taking, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), typically used as antidepressants (for example, Prozac and Seroxat). There is a comprehensive list of contraindications of pharmaceutical medications and herbs at www.ayahuascasafety.org. I also recommend that you follow the traditions and taboos around ayahuasca. They have been in place for thousands of years and are a well and truly tried body of practices. I have addressed this important topic in the book Plant Spirit Shamanism, published by Destiny Books in 2006.
