Peruse Ayahuasca In My Blood: 25 Years Of Medicine Dreaming Edited By Peter Gorman Provided As PDF
in My Blood by Peter Gorman was the first book in a long time I was not able to put down, I read it indays, Every chapter, every line is informative, I have yet to partake in an Ayahuasca ceremony but I feel this book has prepared me for the exploration of innerspace I have ahead with this vision plant as well as the right tools to navigate the Ayahuasca realm more successfully than if I had not read this informative and mind expanding book.
I especially liked his honesty, mostly with himself, This guy is no joke and has even less to hide, He comes as is and reports back exactly what happened, Beautiful. Stories in this book are truly amazing, They will make you wonder what really is "out there" or perhaps more precisely "in here", I could perhaps take a star away because rational mind will have doubt about the validity of these stories, Did they really happen the way they are described How can he remember them so well, so vividly Then there is also this burning question of "Ok, so how did drinking Ayahuasca for such a long time affect him Did he become a better person" which sort of does get indirectly answered but the answer might not be the one we would to like to find out.
This doesn't take anything away from the stories, from the book itself which is the one everyone interested on the subject should read, This is one of the best books that I have read on the subject, It's really entertaining, has a great story and a lot of good sexual information too, It's just a fun read! I highly recommend his other book Sapo In My Soul, pgonI absolutely love this book, I've worked with Peter for years he even mentions the magazine we work for in the book! and have always been impressed with his writing style and the passion with which he tells his tales.
This books is very deeply personal Peter opens himself up to the readerto the universeand there's an intimacy that cannot be faked, Heck, it made me want to pack my bags and head to the Amazon to see if I can ask the universe to help me work through the issues in my life.
Maybe one day I will, Peter!
I've spoken with others who have worked with Peter Gorman for years as well and they all say the same thing: you know that Don Equuis commercial for the "Most Interesting Man in the World" That's Peter! He's like the Indiana Jones of the entheobotanical world and besides that, he's a very good writer.
Bravo, Peter!/Finally, afteryears of incubation, Peter Gorman's book is out, Ayahuasca in My BloodYears of Medicine Dreaming concerns his longstanding relationship with the Amazonian visionary medicine, Here's what people have said about it:
"Unlike many writing about ayahuasca, Peter Gorman knows this plant and these forests long and well, Explorer, ethnobotanist, writer and raconteur Gorman is uniquely qualified to tell this incredible tale, A wild mixture of adventure, horror, spirituality, tenderness, and insight, Ayahuasca in My Blood is most highly recommended!" Mark J, Plotkin, Ph. D, Amazon Conservation Team
"Long before ayahuasca tourism became a pastime for rich gringos, Peter Gorman was knocking around Iquitos and the Amazon, He's traveled the rivers and quaffed the brew with the best and the worst of them and been way, way beyond the chrysanthemum on many a dark jungle night.
This is the intensely personal story of an oldschool jungle rat for whom ayahuasca is not just a hobby, but a lifelong quest, " Dennis McKenna, Ph. D, noted ethnopharmacologist,
"I have known and traveled with Peter for almost a decade and was present for a number of the events he included in this book as well as many others.
Don Julio was the most powerful man I have ever had the privilege of knowing, Further, as a trained scientist I believe the plant medicine truly offers a doorway to a rich world that needs to be understood in our postmodern lives, This is destined to become a must read for anyone who is serious about understanding the world of the shaman, " Lynn Chilson, Chilson Enterprises, Inc, The definitive book on what I consider to be one of the most if not the most important subjects on our planet, Read it over and over again, because this amazing gift Peter Gorman has given to the world should not be ignored by a single person, An incredible reminder that there are higher levels of consciousness we doubt and avoid, Peter Gorman's experiences in the Amazon were spectacular, complex and often times terrifying for him, He's also brutally honest about his personal demons which only helped to unravel more secrets of Ayahuasca and its healing potential, One of the best and most honest books on the subject I've encountered, This book is amazing, its just easy to read and I found myself having a hard time putting it down, His story is really incredible, I felt close to the characters and their struggles, His dreams are similar to ones I have had, but he find a way of putting it into writing that I could never find possible, This is one of the few books I've read that is nonfiction but reads like fiction, I feel like I picked up a bunch of useful information, while still entangled in the story line, I really want to take a trip to Peru now, Wow, this book is amazing, So inspirational, with the various psychedelic adventures taken by the author explained in so much detail and colour, A proper psychedelic adventure novel, This autobiographic tale of one man's relationship with the most sacred vine, shows Peter Gorman as a true pioneer, Ayahuasca is still very much an unknown quantity in the West and Gorman'syears of experience make him a critical read for anyone considering experimenting with Ayahuasca, as the 'Vine Of The Soul' becomes more fashionable in mainstream society.
I've had a few Ayahuasca sessions myself and I can relate to the rather bizarre and powerful nature of the sessions he describes, It really does put you in a different frame of mind and in a way is something that cannot very easily be put into words, Gorman does really well in painting a vivid picture of the alternate realities that Ayahuasca drinkers experience, It does become a life changing experience and the way Gorman seems to struggle between his life and family in the 'real' world and his mystic Amazonian adventures forms a key element to his story.
Ayahuasca becomes a belief system to him, a religion, and he uses the vine ever more so to seek out answers to all aspects of his own life, and once he begins to master its application to himself, like a real shaman, he begins to turn his attention during the rituals upon the lives of friends and families and how he can help them for the better.
The descriptions of his jungle adventures and the detailed depictions of the shamen that guide him and the traditional ceremonies themselves gave a true insight into how the vine should be most appropriately used.
I've never journeyed into the Amazon though I would very much love to go there and experienced a genuine ritual, but from what Gorman has revealed, I shall be applying some of his techniques in my next Ayahuasca encounter.
I think that for every individual and every experience, the vine is truly unique, Its power is unfurling and almost omnipotent and to a noninitiate, maybe Gorman's experiences would seem a little farfetched and fictional, I believe every aspect of his tale and I think that the Ayahuasca has given him the insight and courage to have presented many of his deeper emotional thoughts about his family and genuine struggles in life in an open and honest fashion.
It has made him realise his own imperfections and has guided him into being a better and stronger person, I've read quite a few books and watched films and documentaries on Ayahuasca and can say that this is certainly amongst the better ones, If you are considering becoming a Western Curandero then you should not miss out on Peter Gorman's wellpresented personal journey, Couldn't finish it. But I had read enough, Too many more exciting books to read, Holy shit . . mind blown. I never knew that Ayahausca was this powerful, I have to go on a tour with Peter Gorman in, Excellent! I read this book immediately before going to Peru to experience ayahuasca and huachuma for myself and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it, Unfortunately, my experience with ayahuasca wasn't anywhere near as fantastical as that described by Gorman but that is certainly no fault of the author, While in Peru I found that Gorman seems to have a reputation as a drunk and not everybody holds him in high esteem, I understand that alcoholism can do ugly things to people and I understand how people might come to dislike such a person but I feel like Gorman is honest and forthcoming about his "character flaws" in the book.
All personality issues aside, the book is well written and entertaining and for those people interested in experiencing ayahuasca for the first time it even contains a few tips and "tricks of the trade" that I personally found useful during my experiences with the medicine.
I think this book is a great perspective for anyone who lives in modern society, especially the U, S. , and who have deep rooted interests in shamanism, counter culture, entheogens, dreams, et cetera, It discusses the struggles with letting go of one kind of life for another, and the possible necessity for doing so while also giving some interesting outlooks on other worlds experienced through the eyes of a practicing shaman.
Much like Carlos Castaneda's "fictional" tales, it gives you yet another new sense of wonderment about the universe, multiverse theory, and just existence in general not just our existence, the as a part of everything, or from the perspective of other things/beings.
This book is fascinating, but also you will wanna slap the author Wonderful, Although it is a narrative, it gives good insight on the uses ayahuasca, the vine of the dead, from a western viewpoint, Perhaps it even gives a little insight about what to expect which is basically the unexpected when visiting The Amazon and drinking the sacred brew, It will have you believing in magic by the end of it, but the only small issue is that the narrator Peter Gormanseemed to have made a few irrational decisions I know, Iknow, it's subjectiveduring the course of the book, perhaps just to make a compelling narrative, but nonetheless is still very interesting and definitely worth picking up.
/A glimpse into the alternate world of Ayahuasca, and the possibilities of what else could be out there, Beautifully written book of the Amazonian people, healing plants and one man's journey into healing himself, Very informative read. This book was a wild ride, Journalist Peter Gorman tells theyear tale of his journey in the Amazon and how he became 'entwined with the vine' the visionary plant medicine called Ayahuasca,
Peter's tale is a thrilling mix of Indiana Jones meets Serpent and the Rainbow, tempered with his humble search for unconditional love and the ability to conquer his deepest fears.
In doing so he bares all,
His apprenticeship under the powerful curandero/shaman Julio mirrors the apprenticeship undergone by Carlos Castaneda under don Juan, Following the guiding force of ayahuasca and his own intuition, his eyes are opened wider and wider to the spirit world, He performs amazing feats of healing, and learns to cure very serious sometimes fatal psychic and physical ailments of himself and others,
What makes this story so rich are the detailed descriptions of his visions which seem to leave nothing out, What he
manages to capture with mere words rivals the most fantastic of dreams, Really enjoyed this one. Similar to Bache's LSD and the mind of the universe, it is long journey spanning many years, I'm happy I read this after participating in some ayahuasca ceremonies myself, Gormans language is crystal clear and It was to easy imagine his visions,
This is also a great companion piece to Beyer's Singing to the plants, Gripping read of a gringo immersing in the Peruvian Amazon and culture of ceremonial Ayahuasca, Evocative autobiographical narrative. Peter really has a gift for writing a page turner, While I can't quite verify the shamanic dreaming they were all conceptually fascinating, I do appreciate the openness of character flaws, the way he approached the medicine and his general sensibility,
Rest in Peace, Peter Gorman
Upon returning from a final fraught expedition to South America he passed April
"I paid a good price for my curiosity.
" Read it in a day, Easy to become fond of his writing style, Engaging and insightful! Peter Gorman's account of drinking ayahuasca over an extended period feels essentially truthful, but like a story that has been recited many times, feels also like it has some areas that have been glossed and brightened in the retelling.
Despite this, I found the book quite easy and enjoyable to read,
For someone seeking a deeper understanding of what the ayahuasca effect could mean to them, this book is worth a read, but with the above caveats in mind.
Award winning investigative journalist, Peter Gorman has covered stories that range from the streets of Bombay to the heart of Manhattan to the Mexican border, In addition to his career in journalism, Peter has spent parts of the lastyears in the Jungle in Peru, where he explored ayahuasca and has been a collector of artifacts for the American Museum of Natural History in New York, a collector of herbarium specimens for the FIDIA Research Institute of the University of Rome and medicinal plants for Shaman Pharmaceuticals.
He is the author of the book Ayahuasca in My BloodYears of Medicine Dreaming, and currently takes small groups out into the deep jungle several times a year.
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