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An Entrepreneurs Guide To Ayahuasca (Part 1)
“Ayahuasca has tremendous power in helping you be your best self by removing the mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical trappings that hold you back, otherwise known as low vibration energy.” - Mark Dhamma
I'm scared.
I'm 54 hours away from my 5th Ayahuasca ceremony in 9 years.
The ceremony is part of my annual Transcend 'Letting Go' Transformation Retreat, I'm hosting for entrepreneurs who want to unlock their full potential so they can bring their best work into the world.
[You can learn more about the TRANSCEND Business Accelerator by CLICKING HERE!]
I'm starting this article, Part 1, before the retreat, and I'll complete Part 2 after the retreat so you'll know what happened.
Read both parts for the full story (even I don't know how it will pan out).
Ayahuasca has tremendous power in helping you be your best self by removing the mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical trappings that hold you back (otherwise known as low vibration energy, more on this later).
Over the past decade, Ayahuasca has piqued the interest of CEOs and startup visionaries alike.
You may have heard Joe Rogan talk about the therapeutic benefits of Ayahuasca with a number of his guests.
Or perhaps you've heard Tim Ferris, who's donated a large amount of money to John Hopkins University and other institutions to further psychedelic research, share how he his recent Ayahuasca ceremony released trapped emotions about his ex-girlfriend and immediately his chronic back pain was healed.
Tim got interested in the benefits of psychedelics because...
“I grew up on Long Island, and I lost my best friend to a fentanyl overdose. I have treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder in my family. And addiction. It became clear to me that you can do a lot in this field with very little money.”
Source: The New York Times.
You probably haven't heard about the company Organify exploding in revenue within 12 months after the founder, Drew Canoli, took his whole team to the jungle for a 5 day ayahuasca ceremony.
As a high performance coach to entrepreneurs, I've witnessed firsthand how Ayahuasca's profound effects can reshape an entrepreneur's worldview, ignite creativity, and unlock a deeper sense of purpose.
My own experience of Ayahuasca started in 2015 when my good friend Daniel DiPiazza invited me to a ceremony in Los Angeles...
Losing My Virginity To 'Mother Ayahuasca'
I'd never heard of Ayahuasca and had no idea of what to expect.
Daniel and I sat in a yoga studio with a around 10 of his friends and family. The 'shaman', from New York, had us sit in a circle as he gave out the brown brew.
Each one of us went up one by one to the shaman to get a cup of ayahuasca, toast the room and drink.
I downed the brew, which tasted like cough syrup, sat back down and hoped for the best.
After about 20 minutes I felt the medicine 'come on'.
A drowsy feeling crept up from the back of my skull and radiated to the front of my brain. I felt like I needed to lay down.
As I did, instantly I saw layers of multicolored 'energetic plates' fly of my chest in rapid succession!
I saw all the colors of the rainbow as these plates flew out of my chest in to the sky.
As each one left my body, I had a feeling of gratitude wash over me as I realized exactly what they were.
They were all the walls I had put up over the years to protect myself from others.
You see, growing up in the outskirts of Manchester, England in the 80's was a dangerous place for me.
Being of mixed-race (read non-white), I encountered a lot of physical and verbal abuse because of my color. I first started getting physically attacked in school at 4 years old and it didn't stop until I was around 17 years old.
At that point I was big, strong and scary enough to deter any would be racist attackers. Only the gangs would have a go at me when I reached 17.
Over the years I had inadvertently adopted a 'don't fuck with me' attitude that kept attackers, and even potential friends at bay.
How many walls have you unconsciously put up over the years to protect yourself from perceived attacks? Do they still serve you?
As these walls flew off I cried in gratitude thanking 'Mother Ayahuasca' because I didn't want or need these walls anymore.
After that experience passed, I suddenly felt an urge to sit up.
As I did, my body involuntarily started doing the Wim Hoff breathing technique!
With each breath, I felt more and more energy entering my body.
Then a vision appeared of all my male friends sitting in a valley doing the same Wim Hoff breathing technique.
The power of the breath became supernatural in the sense that it felt like the primordial masculine power of the entire universe was within me and my friends!
It felt like if I were to scream the entire earth would've shaken!
Then I heard the words, 'this is what's available to men, if you simply surrender.'
You see, it's commonly reported that mother Ayahuasca talks to you in these journeys.
She's described as 'Mother' because it's clearly a feminine energy.
In fact, The relationship between Mother Ayahuasca and the Earth is often described as deeply symbiotic and sacred, rooted in a profound spiritual connection that resonates with the core of indigenous Amazonian cosmology.
Mother Ayahuasca, personified as a wise, nurturing, and sometimes stern feminine spirit, is seen as an embodiment of the Earth's own consciousness and healing power.
In this view, Ayahuasca is more than just a plant or a psychoactive brew; it represents the voice of the Earth, guiding and teaching those who partake in its essence. The vine is believed to connect individuals to the living spirit of nature, offering insights that are grounded in the interconnectedness of all life.
The Earth, in turn, provides the physical and spiritual garden for Ayahuasca to grow, thrive, and be shared. It's a reciprocal relationship: as people engage with Ayahuasca and gain personal healing or enlightenment, there's often a newfound respect and commitment to protecting and honoring the Earth.
This reflects a holistic understanding that personal well-being and environmental health are inextricably linked.
Through the Ayahuasca experience, many report a sense of unity with the planet, an awakening to the environmental impact of their actions, and a renewed dedication to living in harmony with the natural world. It's a dance of consciousness expansion and ecological awareness, with Mother Ayahuasca as the conduit to a deeper appreciation of our planet's delicate balance.
Experiencing The Dark Side
As that lesson came to an end, things started to turn for the worse.
Gradually, my vision darkened and I was pulled into a place of complete darkness and fear. Involuntarily, my body moved into the fetal position.
It reminded me of the first Star Wars movie.
Remember, when Luke is training to use the force with Yoda in the forest. Then Luke starts walking in the forest with an eerie sense of doom only to find Darth Vader there ready to kill him!
It kind of felt like that.
Except, this time there was no Darth Vader. Just emptiness that was soon filled with fear, negative voices, tears, crying, moaning, painful feelings and SUFFERING.
I had all these negative thoughts and voices running through my head which sounded and felt like a avalanche of human suffering.
The weird thing was, it was clear that his was NOT my personal suffering, but the experience was a snippet of the collective suffering of all of humanity.
Mother Ayahuasca wanted to me to know and feel what is really going on in the world.
Then after maybe 20 minutes of this it passed.
It was like the lights were turned back on. I sat up and felt completely lucid. So sharp I could've done a math test or analyzed your business financials on the spot.
I was 100% back feeling completely refreshed and relaxed, EXCEPT something was different...
I felt a sense of peace I hadn't felt since I did a 10 day meditation retreat a couple of years earlier. I felt lighter, like a whole weight had been lifted off my chest.
That peace hasn't left me since this experience 10 years ago.
Since then, I've sat with Mother Ayahuasca 4 more times, some successfully some unsuccessfully.
My Second Ayahuasca Experience: (2016)
Somewhere In A Billionaire's Mansion In The Hollywood Hills... A Message and a WARNING!
After the first transformative experience with ayahuasca I felt compelled to share it with my friends and family.
A billionaire client of mine was extremely interested in having the experience so he offered to host the retreat at his home in the Hollywood Hills.
I banded together 3 or 4 of my best clients, 2 of my brother in laws (I have 3), and my sister. I hired the same Shaman from my first experience.
When I felt the ayahuasca hit me, again after about 20 minutes, instantly the left side of my body tightened up so strongly I thought it was going into cramp!
Then I got a LOUD AND CLEAR message from Mother Aya, but before I share what that was, here's the quick backstory...
At that time of my life I was living with my girlfriend, Keziah, in a comfortable, fancy, new-build 1 bedroom apartment in Los Angeles.
The day I met her the Lord told me that she was my wife. (That's a whole another story that I will write about sometime, how to manifest your dream parter with the Lord as your match maker.)
We'd been together for around 10 months and I was planning to propose to her.
The problem was, I'd been planning to propose to her from day 1, when the Lord told me she was my wife. I kept putting off the proposal because I was stressing about which ring (and the cost of the ring) to get her and what the best way to propose is?
My 'perfectionism' tendencies were getting in the way of proposing to the woman I love and want to spend the rest of my life with (I still do).
Well, Mother Aya had a message for me all right.
My whole left side went in to cramp and I heard mother aya speak to me LOUDLY,
"THIS IS HOW MUCH STRESS YOU'RE PUTTING ON YOURSELF. YOU COULD JUST ASK HER."
Then my whole body relaxed and slumped to the ground.
Wow. I got the message. The next day I proposed to her in the kitchen of the apartment with a toy ring I found at the grocery store. She said yes and all that stress was washed away.
The WARNING!
OK so this part isn't fun and I was considering leaving it out but it's important to let you know so that it doesn't happen to you or a loved one.
I mentioned my sister was present at this ayahuasca event.
Well, at the end of the event, she shared with me that the 'Shaman' touched her inappropriately during the ceremony and did some other inappropriate things while she was under the influence of the medicine.
Now, my sister is not a sensitive girl. She's a physically and mentally strong minded woman from the North of England who do doesn't take shit from anyone. I've been told that she's very attractive by many of my friends which makes sense because she's made good money as a fitness model.
I know my sister would not claim that a man did something inappropriate unless it WAS inappropriate.
It was my mistake, I did not thoghourly vet the shaman before I asked him to do this retreat. There are a lot of Shaman's out there that CANNOT be trusted. Many are inexperienced or worse.
I don't believe this shaman is a bad person, but his level of professionalism was not where it needs to be as a person with his level of influence.
Thankfully, I've now partnered with a church ran by a couple, Max & Mila, who can legally administer the ayahuasca medicine in the USA. They are absolute professionals that exude love, kindness and safety. I'm very grateful to have them in my life.
Make sure you know the Shaman/facilataroes or get a very strong recommendation before you go off and find one on your own. And absolutely do NOT even think about getting some Aya online and doing it in your home, that is a recipe for TREMENDOUS DISASTER!
Do it with the professionals.
The Third Ayahuasca Experience- This One Sucked! Waste of time, Waste of Money.
I sat with a new group of people and Shaman's that were recommended to me. I brought my mum along to experience it too. They were about 50 people in the room and after 3 cups of ayahuasca, whoch should've been enough to send anyone very deep, I fely next to nothing. My mum felt nothing too.
The medicine was watered down to accomadate a lof of people. It was a waste of time and money. At least I made it back to make a BJJ class at the Gracie Academy Beverly Hills in the morning with my friend and instructor Ryron Gracie.
The 4th Ayahuasca Experience- Was in the desert with Daniel DiPiazza, Gerrard Adams and some other notable entrepreneurs.
I don't remember much from this experience other than Daniel got mad at me for taking the left over spinach home!
The 5th Aya- The Weirdest Thing Happened, I Threw Up Someone Else's Pain!
This is the strangest experience I had which confirmed some of my beliefs about the nature of reality.
I got invited to a ceremony at somebody's home in Santa Barbara, California. I travelled there from Los Angeles with my friend, Tim Bui the High Performance and Masculine energy coach.
There was around 15 people in the ceremony and the only person I knew was Tim. During the ceremony I first became aware that it was impossible to get a dfull deep breath because my lower back was so tight.
This must have been the case for years but mother aya made me aware of it.
As I moving around, trying to stretch my back and breathe deeply it was obvious one particular individual in the room was having a very tough time.
I heard a man screaming and crying uncontrollably.
I looked over and it was clear he was dealing with some heavy trauma. One of the natural effects of Ayahuasca is that it brings up trapped E-Motions (Energy in motion) to the surface for you to let go. Somethines the letting go occurs as throwing up, or 'purging', other times it can happen in a number of ways.
It was clear to me that this man needed to purge but was struggling to do so.
So I said a little prayer...
'Dear Lord, please let me take his pain and his burden. I can handle it. I can process it for him.'
The moment I finished the prayer, I instantly felt incredible discomfort in my gut!
It was strong I knew I had to 'purge' immediatly!
I grabbed a bucket and started to throw up everthign I had in my stomach.
As I did so, I heard the man take a deep long breath and relax. The crying and moaning stopped. His suffering was gone. I had it now.
As I was throwing up this mans suffering, i was crying tears of gratitude!
'Thank you Lord. Thank you for allowing me to process his burden. You made me strong enough. Thank you.'
You see, throwing up is no big deal for me! I've thrown up more times than I can remember.
I rarely drink alcohol now, 1 or 2 glasses of wine or beer a year, but growing up in Manchester England my friends and I would get drunk most Friday and Saturday nights and more often than not, throw up starting at 13 years old.
Throwing up is nothing to me. I was glad to help him out.
So why am I scared of this upcoming retreat?
Even though I will only be taking a small microdose of Ayahuasca because I'm one of the 5 faciliators on the retreat,..
I'm scared of the unknown.
It's never guaranteed what will come up for you when you work with mother Aya.
All that's guaranteed is, if you prepare properly and surrender to her influence you will be transformed into a more peaceful, joyful, fulfilled, creative and free'd up version of yourself.
See you after the retreat!
