36: Pink Neon Buffalos – The Dark Side of Amazonian Shamanism

Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Steve Beyer, author of the recent compendium Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon. Beyer tells of his beginnings as a wilderness survival enthusiast that led him into the world of Amazonian shamanism–and sorcery, the dark side of the shamanic world. Beyer explores the ideas of healing and harming and the relationship between the two: the magic phlegm for protection, the mariri, virotes and magic darts, attack sorcery and the dangers the West faces by absorbing a "shamanism lite" for its spiritual practice. Beyer posits that the plants and the spirits in them can be used for dark as well as the light. And while ayahuasca can reveal an infinite landscape within, are we putting too much emphasis on the interface instead of ourselves? As Westerners quest solely for visions and transformation with plants like ayahuasca – what Beyer calls the the "pink neon buffalo" syndrome, are we focusing too narrowly on a tragic cosmovison? This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

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YOU can now support this podcast via BitCoin:1DqzQqRuYwApTyA6n3q6ff6hPwbfhmTHmy A regular series of “experiential journalism” podcasts exploring the evolution of the new global paradigm. In a Perfect World will chart the meetings, musings and collective dreamings of gonzo reporter Rak Razam amongst the cultural creatives of the global tribe,the Ultraculture of the 21st century. These recordings are raw snatches of Beatnikian immediatism, unedited downloads from the tribal journey of remembering... Come anchor the vision and spark the new paradigm alight... Follow this blog if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=1105010;networkedblogs.shortName="in-a-perfect-world";} NEW: JOIN our Facebook page to discuss the podcasts and 'find the others'...