197: Healing & Traversing the Fabric of the Matrix with Ayahuasca

“I found myself at the outer reaches of the universe.”

Hey, guys, welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio). In this podcast, we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It's my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I'm so glad you're joining me on this journey!

I just had a huge week, and I'm thrilled to tell you all about it! If you've been listening along, you'll already know that I've been doing plant medicine for a couple of years now, but this past week was something completely new. 

I visited the Arkana Spiritual Center in Peru, where I was welcome as a part of the family to experience some of the most potent and profound plant medicines on the planet. Over a week, I was able to enjoy the effects of peyote, DMT, and ayahuasca under the watchful care of the fantastic team at Arkana. My own journey of consciousness is deeply linked to my creativity, and the more I learn, the more I want to share with you.

Read on as I talk in more detail about my recent excursion to the Arkana Spiritual Center, an Ayahuasca Retreat Center in Peru. I share how a sweat lodge works and why people join peyote ceremonies. I'll also share my insights on how ayahuasca and other plant medicines can heal you and make your life better.  

If you're excited to know more, let's get started!

Death and Healing

Have you ever seen or used a sweat lodge? During the first night at Arkana, I tried using a sweat lodge. For those who don't know, a sweat lodge is a dome with one little door. The one that I used was made up of whole cement. It was super hot, they had a giant fire going outside, and they were heating up these rocks, which I think were similar to lava rocks.

Each of us piled into the lodge, and we sat around in a circle around the outsides. Some people started bringing in the rocks and putting them in the fire pit and the rock pit in the center. Once they'd get enough, they'd dump buckets of water into them, and the whole lodge just started to heat up with steam. 

As we sweat, I noticed that they moved through a few different processes, kind of like a three or four-step ceremony throughout the whole thing. They started with water and air, water and earth, and then moved into fire and air. 

And all this time, the one thing in my mind was my grandmother passing. Before leaving, I literally gave my goodbye to her while she was on her deathbed. 

Amidst the ember and perspiration on my skin, I had this strange experience where I saw her wanting to go to eternal bliss but not wanting to leave home, too. So I reached out to her and guided her home. Once we arrived on earth, I led her to a fire. I put my hand on her lying body on the hospital bed in an almost astral projected consciousness. Then I lifted her up to the ether.  

I think that this has been my attitude towards death for a while now — I believe that we can communicate with our ancestors. Their spirit is everywhere, and all we need is to invite them in. Death isn't the end, and we can always find ways to transcend death and extend our relationship with them. Having this kind of approach to death can allow us to heal better and more fully

What a Peyote Ceremony Taught Me

Another transcending experience I had was participating in a peyote ceremony. On the first night, we partook in some cactus and tea. Afterward, I laid back down and just had this crazy psychedelic journey of visuals. It was a little intense, but the second day was a much lighter experience. 

Throughout these moments, I was reminded of the importance of one thing — being present.

The first night I partook in the peyote ceremony, I saw cactus textures, elves, and all kinds of crazy things. At a certain point,