THE AYAHUASCA SHAMAN
OUR AYAHUASQUEROS
Matt and Jeanae have been partners in ceremonial work since 2014. They refer to themselves as ayahuasqueros (healers who work exclusively with ayahuasca) as the term 'shaman' is actually a Siberian word adopted by Europeans in the 1960s. Ayahuasquero is a more appropriate term to describe their work and also removes the negative association with the current wave of toxic new-age shamanism.
The primary function of the ayahuasquero is to interact with the spiritual realm through altered states of consciousness while guiding the experience through songs, or Icaros. Matt and Jeanae have amassed over a decade's worth of support from many spiritual allies and protectors through their experiences with ayahuasca and extensive time in the Peruvian Amazon doing master plant dietas. These dietas and master plants teach them how to navigate ceremonial energy, communicate with spirits, sing medicine songs, and hold a safe container for all participants.
Learning to work with ayahuasca is never a process that you graduate from. It is a continued experience of learning, growing, and gaining new skills. Jeanae and Matt stay dedicated to their craft by spending time in the Amazon every year and will be lifelong students of the medicine.
OUR STORIES
From heroin addicts to ayahuasqueros, learn how Matt and Jeanae got involved in work with plant medicine, created New Life Ayahausca Retreat, and grew into the oldest, most reputable and highest rated retreat in Costa Rica.
Peruvian Mestizo Traditions and over a decade of ceremonial experience.
Matt and Jeanae are fortunate to have learned through a very powerful lineage of healers. In 2014, after deciding they wanted to dedicate themselves to working with ayahuasca, they became students of world-renowned shaman Don Ron Wheelock, the 'Gringo Shaman' of Peru. Ron has been living in Iquitos, Peru for nearly 30 years and has amassed a wealth of knowledge on ayahuasca, spirits, brew making, and Mestizo traditions. He is recognized as being one of the original pioneers of bridging the gap of ayahuasca accessibility to the West.
Don Ron was born in Independence, Kansas. In 1996 he went to Peru looking for a spiritual teacher. Don Ron first drank ayahuasca in Tamshiyacu with famed shaman Don Agustin Rivas Vasquez. While with Don Agustin, he made arrangements to return to begin the intensive training to become a shamanic healer himself using the South American plant medicine, ayahuasca.
Don Ron stayed with Don Agustin for 5 months doing many plant diets. Don Ron then began working with Don Jose Coral Mori, the teacher of Pablo Amaringo and Eduardo Luna, the authors of “Ayahuasca Visions”. After studying with both ayahuasqueros, he began working on his own in 2000.
After completing many master plant dietas under the guidance of Don Ron, Jeanae and Matt were able to connect more deeply to their spiritual lineage in 2022 by visiting the village of Tamshiyaco and spending time at the camp of Don Agustin and Dona Marlena. Don Agustin was 98 years old at the time of the visit and still leading ceremonies. He and Ron are both very well-respected members of their communities and overall incredible men.
Matt and Jeanae feel privileged to have been passed down Icaros and spiritual wisdom through a long lineage of powerful Peruvian healers.
OUR LINEAGE
Our ayahuasca Costa Rica ceremonies are done with respect to the Peruvian traditions, are offered in darkness, and are guided through traditional medicine songs. Participants sit in silence while Matthew and Jeanae prepare the sacred ceremonial space with mapacho smoke and a calling to the master plants they have worked with. This process cleanses the space and creates a barrier of protection.
Each participant is given an introductory dose of ayahuasca. We sit together in silence for 20 minutes and once the medicine begins to take effect, Matthew and Jeanae will guide the ceremony together. An hour into the ceremony we offer the opportunity to drink more medicine to ensure you have a full ayahuasca experience.
Jeanae and Matt sing songs that have been passed through generations as well as their own unique Icaros which were gifted by the spirit of ayahuasca or other master plants they've worked with. The ceremonies also include the sound of guitar, drums, gong, singing bowls, chimes, kalimba, and flute.
Matthew possesses a strong intuition and is highly sensitive to energetic subtleties. These skills help him to adapt the songs of the ceremony to meet the energy needs of the room. Jeanae has a very gentle and nurturing energy. Her singing and flute playing invite softness into the space. Matthew brings a grounded masculine energy while Jeanae brings a motherly feminine energy, creating a perfect balance and play between the two polarities.
The ceremony lasts about 4 hours. Matthew and Jeanae will close the ceremony with mapacho, blowing smoke on each individual to close the chakras and seal the night. After the ceremony, we have a cleansing fire under the stars and make sure everyone gets safely to their rooms.