6 day Holistic Ayahuasca Retreat w/ Waxy Yawanawá

ARCHETYPE: Mother. Mountain’s guardian with ancient force, pure heart and magical voice. PERSONAL JOURNEY: My name is Waxy Yawanawá, together with my sisters Hushahu and Putanny, I am one of the very few women who completed the sacred one-year muká diet. We became the first-ever female pajés (shamans) of the Yawanawá indigenous people. My father cacique Raimundo Luiz (Tuíkuru), authorized us, and we carried out the diet in the village Mutum, with the teachings of the legendary eldest pajé Tatá Yawanawá and the support of his other sisters. For us, the muká diet is the most important initiation in the process of acquiring shamanic power and knowledge. For one year I was isolated in the spiritual centre of my brother Matsini Luiz Yawanawá, the spiritual leader and chief of Aldeia Mutum. The initiation involves the parallel processes of ingesting sacred plants, the memorisation of knowledge (songs, prayers, use of sacred plants), and periods of seclusion. I entered the spiritual path in 2009, and in 2017, I opened my own study centre at Mawa Yuxyn –the spirit of the mountain in the Yawanawá language. This jungle mountain is one of the most sacred places for the Yawanawá people, the indigenous territory of Rio Gregório in Acre. I am the guardian of Mawa Yuxyn. Together, with my two daughters, Hukê Netê and Sanã Yawanawá, we receive people from all over the world, healing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual ailments, and opening life paths amongst other spiritual practices. A place known to be home to the spirits of children, women, and men whom people passing by with boats would hear laugh, cry, and talk, but when entering the jungle mountain, no one was ever found to be there. We work with the ancestral medicines of the forest: uni (Ayahuasca), rumê (Rapé), kapum (Kambó), sananga and sepá. I also prepare the Yawanawá Força Feminina rapé. This traditional dried tobacco and tree ashes powder is prepared with the ashes from the Tsunu bark. The Tsunu is a long and majestic tree and is considered one of the most sacred of the Yawanawá people. It is a very special rapé since it is a medicine that represents a female conquest of Yawanawá women within our spirituality. ROLE: Medicine woman. Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space.

ARCHETYPE: Guardian of the Yawanawá spirituality. Musician of traditional Yawanawá songs. PERSONAL JOURNEY: My name is Wasaru Keneya Yawanawá and I am a guardian of the Yawanawá ancestral spirituality. I come from the jungle of Mawa Yuxyn -spirit of the mountain in Yawanawá language- and, together with my partner Waxy Yawanawá, we bring the ancient sacred immemorial traditional Yawanawá songs. ROLE: Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space.

ARCHETYPE: Mystic. Humble spiritual path walker. Loyal disciple. Yawanawá craftswoman.  PERSONAL JOURNEY: My name is Hukē Netē Yawanawá. I am the eldest daughter of the great spiritual leader, pajé (shaman) Waxy Yawanawá. I am also the mother of a beautiful boy called Mawaisā, the joy of our home. Before he started walking, he was already beating the drum, bringing in his blood our people's immemorial ancestry. I consider myself a very privileged person because I love what I do. I am an artisan, guided by the strength of the sacred medicine "uni" I paint dresses, make kuripes, tepis, and other crafts that express all the spirituality of our people through Yawanawá art. I started on the spiritual path as a child. I watched my mother all the time; she taught me and still teaches me. I am very grateful to have her as my mentor and mother. The first time I took the sacred medicine "uni" was when I was twelve years old, and it was by choice. I felt that this was the way to reach our ancestors, walk with my mother, and, just as she did with me, pass this teaching on to my children so I could leave a legacy of great spiritual richness. On my spiritual journey, I completed several diets such as Nanã, Mamã, Xanã, Kulina for the voice, Marubú and Kawanawá. I also study and use the sacred medicines of uni (Ayahuasca), rumê (Rapé), kapum (Kambó) and Sananga. I help my mother administer the Mawa Yuxin Centre and sing the prayers during the ceremonies. I am an apprentice shaman, and with great humility, I am a guardian at my mother's ceremonies who always inspires me. I want to learn what she knows and how to be like my mother. I am still very inspired by my uncle pajé Tatá Yawanawá in his humility. He just wanted to be a "tobacco smeller", nothing more. ROLE: Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space. ABOUT YAWANAWÁ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: “Yawanawá” means “the people of the wild boar”. They are an indigenous community of around 1,500 people who live in nine villages along the Gregório River in the state of Acre, deep in the Brazilian Amazon. Unlike other Amazonian groups scattered across different locations, Yawanawá people are unique because they all live in the same territory and speak the same language. They call themselves “wild boar people” because, as a people, they are always together. They are a pack when they hunt and in life in general. Their living is still based mainly on hunting and fishing. In the dry season, fishing trips are organised in which almost the whole community participates and transform into important social events –“food festivals”, as the Yawanawá describe them. They use various plant poisons, which, once put in the water, cause the fish to rise to the surface, making their capture easier. During the rainy season, when large animals leave clear tracks, hunting becomes one of the primary alimentation sources. According to the Brazilian Socio-Environmental Institute, the essential foods obtained from the swiddens are yuca, corn and banana. Other produce is also cultivated through agroforest culture activities, such as rice, sweet potato, papaya, pineapple and sugarcane. Their social organisation is based on matrilocal residency (matrilocality), a strong family structure that holds together the villages' economies and socially supports all its members. Their traditional buildings are circular and made of wood and straw. They have no separation, and the fire is placed in the middle. In the 16th century, the Yawanawá’s first contact with Western Society took place under the leadership of their ancestor Antonio Luís Pekuti. It was a period marked by atrocities against their people, including enslavement by rubber barons. They only had regular contact with other Brazilians two generations ago when rubber farmers ventured north searching for land and free labour. They survived for centuries by working in plantations. When the price of rubber tanked in the mid-20th century, they started to commercialise annatto, a spiky fruit with seeds that produce red dye used in lipstick, eyeshadows and bronzers. In the 1980s, cacique (chief) Biraci Nixiwaka Brazil led his people in the fight to recognise their native territories, and the Yawanawá became the first indigenous people to obtain the official rights to their lands in the state of Acre. In 2006, the Yawanawá became the first tribe to consecrate a female shaman, Hushahu Yawanawá. Their leader, Raimundo Luiz (Tuíkuru), authorised it, supported by the legendary eldest pajé Tatá Yawanawá. Although today, the most known aspect of Yawanawá shamanism is healing, in the past, the pajé’s (shaman) functions were more varied and touched upon other aspects of culture, such as warfare and hunting. The traditional healing rituals are the “uni”, their most sacred drink, most commonly known as Ayahuasca and “rumê” (Rapé), a traditional way to use tobacco mixed with ashes from the bark of the Tsunu tree. Other relevant Yawanawá medicines are kapum (kambó), shared in traditional rituals and ceremonies of spiritual purification, regeneration, body cleansing, and healing; Sananga, made from the bark of the root of Tabernaemontana genus and used to open the third eye and inner vision and illuminate subconscious mind patterns; and Sepá, an incense made with the sap of a tree used to protect and clear the space from negative energies, usually in ceremonies. One of the most arresting features of Yawanawá art is the diversity of body paint designs, or kênes, extensively used in the Mariri festival. The most commonly used dyes are urucum (annatto), a red pigment made from the seeds of the Bixa orellana plant, and genipapo, which produces a dark blue or black pigment. Both are derived from protecting seeds and are sometimes combined with a fragrant resin to help fix the dyes to the skin. Yawanawás are specialists in the technique of arts and crafts, chanting, and the art of playing music, translating traditional stories into a modern interpretation. Their songs tell stories of connection to the land, reverence for the spirits, and the resilience of Indigenous communities in the face of contemporary challenges. Their music is usually composed of voice, guitars and drums.

ARCHETYPE: Mother. Nurturing, gentle and caring feminine energy creator of safety and security feelings. PERSONAL JOURNEY: Listening to the call of her spirit towards personal development and what was her true mission, Ness began approaching different specialties on human behaviour and other holistic therapies. Thus she began to approach medicines, which have ended up becoming her path. Among other medicines, she learned about Ayahuasca from her Master of the Shipibo tradition in Peru, where she was given permission to share the sacred ceremony, in which she connected with the music and this powerful healing. Later she has continued and continues to expand her knowledge by visiting the jungle regularly and learning from different traditions of the ancient tribes of Putumayo (Colombia), from her Grandparents and Grandmothers. At the same time, she learned about Bufo Alvarius in Mexico with her Teacher and sister and different facilitators who gave her their blessing to bring it to Europe. As a shawoman, Ness brings a unique approach to the ceremonial space and the practice itself. Her maternal, nurturing, very gentle and caring feminine energy creates in us a feeling of safety and security which leads us into a state of deeper abandonment. She believes that the ceremonial space is not only a healing space but also a co-creation space where everyone participates by singing, chanting, dancing or playing music. Her dedication to the people with whom she works reflects her devotion to medicine and service and speaks volumes about her integrity and sense of responsibility. Her ceremonies are very lively. Ness and her family members, all musicians and singers, make sure that live music accompanies our journey from the beginning till the end to provide us with a very broad, heartwarming and enjoyable sensory experience. Eternal apprentice of life, medicines and healing, dedicated in soul to Spirituality, the purpose of her life is to be at the service of Love and Wisdom, at the service of humanity for its highest and highest purpose. Contribute to all human beings awakening to this way of walking the world. And for that she understands that it is completely necessary to look within, clean, unblock, break patterns, heal wounds, return to the path of the heart and the joy of living and get rid of everything that limits us to being our best version. ROLE: Medicine woman. Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space.

ARCHETYPE: Loving caregiver. Cheerful servant of magic. Explorer and teacher of healing methods. PERSONAL JOURNEY: I am a citizen of the world. I live in Barcelona but have lived in London, Italy, Japan, Russia, Croatia, and Hong Kong. I am the daughter of women healers. My grandmother was a witch doctor, and my maternal grandmother delivered babies. I grew up in the middle of Brazilian magic and rituals… the “Orixás” and oriental philosophy (PL—Perfect Liberty). My mother always took me to participate in ceremonies and spiritual rituals, teaching me everything about plants and herbs that heal. I grew up with a very strong spiritual background; since I was a little girl, my mediumship always guided me until one day, through a dream, I discovered a tumour under my collarbone that months later brought me the diagnosis of an aggressive breast cancer in an advanced stage. The cancer brought me the opportunity to find my real purpose in life, to grow, and to develop aspects of my life that were ignored, dormant, and even unknown. I developed my innate talents and learned to use my spirituality, intuition and mind power to heal myself. During all my cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I had no side effects, I didn’t lose my hair, and even today, I take medicine to block the hormones, and I am better than before! It was then that I decided to share what I learned with people. If I made it, everyone could, too, and that’s when I became an international speaker and began to inspire people with my story throughout the countries where I lived. I wrote my first book, “Be Your Own Miracle,” in 2017, where I teach what I learned from the cancer experience.

But I knew that my soul needed more… and that’s when I started to specialise in the powers of the mind. I became a Master in NLP with the technique's creator, Dr. Richard Bandler. I became a Neuro Coach MCC, Access Bars, and essential oils educator, and currently, I’m finishing a post-graduation in neuroscience and psychology.

I have contributed to several other works as co-author in the Collections “Extraordinary Leader”, “The Trainer 1", “Extraordinary Women”, and my upcoming book “The Essential 7 Senses – How to use your Mind to Live, Laugh and Love".

I created the “Essential Mind” training for people who, at some point in their lives, have had cancer present in their lives, manifest their dreams or simply to prevent future illnesses. In it, I encompassed everything I learned during these years, from the spiritual to the scientific part, connecting the mind, the brain and the energy.

And going deeper into the energy part, I became a holistic therapist using a therapy discovered by NASA to treat astronauts, PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy), to balance the central energy points, such as the meridians and chakras, energetically recharge (electrons) the cells, and stimulate brain areas like the pineal gland and hemispheres.

I created an international group for women in Hong Kong, “Empowered Sisterhood Entrepreneurs,” which, with globalisation, is now all over the world and has as its objective to guide, inspire, and help them find their best version in all areas of life… professional, intellectual, emotional, relationship, and spiritual (energy).

In Brazil and England, I support individually or in groups through seminars and trainings, online or in person, people who are going through or have already gone through cancer or who want to develop other capabilities and prevent future diseases.

Life is so wonderful that it brings everything we need for our evolution. I never doubted that until one day, I had my first experience with Madre Ayahuasca in Brazil, and it was like opening the door to the world where I belonged. I participated in other ceremonies in Barcelona with Waxy Yawanawá and Ness Dalgà, where I connected all the points of my life, mainly my spirituality, profoundly reconnecting me with all my ancestors. My grandparents united me back to Mother Earth, making everyone a big family!

My mission is my purpose: to teach people that it is possible to heal yourself before you even get sick.

ROLE: Access Bars and Essential Mind therapist. Guardian of sacred ceremony space. Neuro Coach and mind trainer.

ARCHETYPE: Sage. Conventional and alternative medicine integrator. Seeker and sharer of truth. PERSONAL JOURNEY: I was born in 1963 in Atiquizaya, El Salvador. I am a medical doctor from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico in 1986 and I am in service since then. I post graduated in general surgeon from the Central University of Venezuela in 1999. I have experience in emergency surgery, shock trauma and laparoscopic surgery. My path in the spiritual world begins with a near death experience in 2017, a heart attack. Since then I began to study thanatology -the study of death-, I investigated and innovated in neuroscience and found the best references on the study of the soul in Jewish Kabbalah. Shortly after, in 2018, the sacred medicines completely changed the lives of me and my family members. Since then I have dedicated myself to observe and study the effects, benefits and contraindications with entheogenic substances specifically: Ayahuasca, Yopo, Jurema, Bufo Alvarius, Psilocybin, Iboga and also Kambó. Currently I advise a group of independent facilitators, to reduce risks and achieve more benefits with the proper use of these substances. I have created the Kintsugi method. I have made multiple trips to many countries as a medical advisor, lecturer, teacher and as a facilitation supervisor. I consider that my humanistic and spiritual vision of health provides a transcendent approach to medicine that allows us to integrate multiple perspectives such as shamanic, allopathic and naturopathic. ROLE: Medical advisor.

ARCHETYPE: Feminine creativity that moves artistic energy at the service of consciousness. Social fire. PERSONAL JOURNEY: Hello! I am Lala, and I am a recovering people pleaser. After a decade long professional journey in modelling, fashion, tv, and music… I found myself broken and burned out. It was like someone had flipped the self destruction switch. This event (or what I like to call divine Yintervention)  forced me to question everything I was told I “needed” to make me happy. And so began the journey of self knowledge and discovery, surrender, of coming out of my mind and back onto the present. Yoga was the starting point. After completing my yoga training I began teaching immediately, and quickly I learned that I wasn’t alone in this feeling. Yoga means “Union”. My mission is to take you out of your head and into your body. Through yoga and breath, we will prepare and recover the body to receive the medicine. The meditative and self reflective aspects of yoga are a practical way of helping you integrate the teachings you learn during the ceremony into your daily life. ROLE: Facilitator of yoga and guidance. Avalon story teller.

ARCHETYPE: Genuine and noble altruist. Spreader of love. Dreamer of a new world. Imaginative creator. PERSONAL JOURNEY: My encounter with Madre Ayahuasca has entirely transformed my life. In 2016 I was stuck in a continuous search for something more while at the same time struggling with alcohol and over-eating. My first contact with the medicine has been very important because it showed me this part of me that I was so ignorant of in order to shed light on my shadows. Throughout the awakening journey I have gone through several phases. I have discovered that I was not just the physical body with which I so strongly identified. I have found what I was looking for all the time, I found myself, my true essence that never disappears and yet I was never aware of it. For the first time in my life I began to hear another voice, which was not my mind but the voice of who I really am. I have been able to understand that the separation was only in my mind and that it was part of the Whole. Throughout the transformation process, there was a time when I wanted to isolate myself from society – to spend more time feeling this connection. And then I understood that I am always connected and that I was already where I wanted to go. Ayahuasca has been the best thing that happened in my life because I managed to get out of my mental prison and accept my shadows. I learned that I am complete by myself and that all the love I wanted to share began with oneself. And here I am sharing that love with all those that just like me keep on searching. Welcome home. ROLE: Healing massage therapist with an extensive knowledge of osteopathy and quiromassage.

ARCHETYPE: Loyal and smiling companion. Energetic learner of life. Problem solver. Friend of the sacred fire. PERSONAL JOURNEY: At the beginning of 2018, I was not well, I did not assume maturing, growing up, and becoming an adult. I looked longingly at my previous stage. That winter my brother invited me to an Ayahuasca retreat and since I have always liked trying new things, I agreed. After a very difficult night, I understood that growing up is good. From that retreat, I began a committed path of traveling; ceremonies of all kinds, readings, meditation, and breathing became very important practices in my daily life as they are helping me to better understand myself, adapt to the constant changes in life, and find higher goals and visions that became my purpose. This purpose is about the law regarding plant medicines, ancestral practices, and ways of healing. Today, protecting plant medicines, protecting participants’ right to choose sacred medicines to heal, and fighting peacefully and consciously for its legislation were the primary motivators that guided me to be part of the Avalon family. ROLE: Operations Manager. Lawyer.

ARCHETYPE: Gentle caregiver. Nourishes with love, expand awareness through food, art and color. PERSONAL JOURNEY: Committed to the art of bringing awareness and magic through healthy eating and color. As a creator in constant contact with the body and nature, I have always investigated how our vehicle can work better. In my personal journey training through Chinese medicine, raw food, macrobiotics and Ayurveda, I realized that each body needs something different at all times and there is no ideal diet. I have eaten healthy food where I bring this knowledge that is highly influenced by the cuisine of the world. I have specialized in vegan, vegetarian or flexiterian diets including gluten free or high protein diets. ROLE: Mindful and chromatic chef. Food awareness.

ARCHETYPE: Creative joker. Finding humor, art and compassion in all. PERSONAL JOURNEY: My name is Chris Adeyoka. I spend my life looking for art and beauty in every situation, striving to make beauty out of my own shadows. With a background in finance and administrative work, I found myself in a holistic environment after my own experiences with plant medicines. However, before entering this world, I worked for most of my twenties in an administrative and corporate role across various industries, struggling to be able to find my calling and constantly feeling that something was wrong. I struggled at this time in my life through my own mental health challenges, which led to my hearing of plant medicines. I am a certified Shamanic Practitioner from Avalon (Glastonbury) in the UK. I have studied and continue studying numerous shamanic traditions and modalities worldwide. Having spent time in study with both indigenous wisdom carriers and Western practitioners of shamanism –my work over the years has taken its own form.  With a fundamental background in core shamanism and nature-based spirituality, I have spent my time on this journey weaving together indigenous wisdom and other practices, finding what works and is relevant for the communities I serve at home. I aim to bridge animistic spirituality and modern-day mindsets and needs. With my partner Maggie, we formed our project “Hieros Gamos”, in which together we aim to represent the balance of masculine and feminine within sacred spaces and, indeed, life. 

Hieros Gamos embodies the stories, wisdom and frequency of our Celtic homelands and that of the Avalonian spirituality. We bring heart-centred, compassionate space into our work. We pray for harmony and balance within, striving to live in a relationship with nature itself. This is our main motive for this work. 

My passion is primarily carrying sacred songs from varying medicine traditions. I am a multi-instrumentalist and sound healer and also a recorded medicine musician. Having worked in many different ceremony styles, the essence that links these ceremonial styles is the power of sound, and it is here where most of my work takes place. I carry ikaros, saitis, and mantras and create soundscapes with various ancestral instruments. My partner and I also write our own songs drawn from our own experiences on the healing journey.

We also work closely with indigenous communities in the Americas, such as the Yawanawá, Huni Kuin and Mazatec lineages, to ensure reciprocity for the work we do, regularly fundraising and assisting in projects to support those who share the knowledge of this profound work with us in the west, at this time in history where we need it most.    

I am your humble servant and companion, and I am pleased to guide and serve you as part of the Avalon family.

ROLE: Medicine man. Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space. Space holder of masculine circles.

ARCHETYPE: Channel for divine mother. Guardian of Avalonian wisdom. Tower of feminine strength. PERSONAL JOURNEY: My name is Maggie Morgan, and I am a passionate and dedicated medicine woman. I am on a path of sacred service in all the ways I can be, always endeavouring to keep learning and deepening my practice as I walk. One of my personal missions is to restore and regenerate the shamanic traditions of the medicines of my Celtic-Druidic ancestors. It is a deep calling of my soul to hold spaces where people can experience the transformative healing power of the spirits of my homelands. I practice Druidry. I am a rose medicine carrier and Avalon rose priestess devoted to the prayer of the sacred marriage of divine masculine and feminine union –the “Christos-Sophia”, along with Avalonian spirituality. It’s been a long road of personal, spiritual and professional development that I have journeyed to become the woman I am today. In my teenage years to early twenties, I was overwhelmed with complex trauma, which manifested as multiple addictions, eating disorders and suicidal depression. I faced a very strong descent into my own personal underworld, which I now recognise to be part of my own initiation onto this path and the gateway to my awakening. 

My first experience of “spiritual awakening” in 2012 led me onto the path of studying meditation, energy healing and travelling the world, offering myself in projects to communities living in poverty.

I was always drawn to be in helping professions my whole life – acting as the “wounded healer” and finding meaning in supporting others. I have studied psychology, social work, and counselling skills and worked within the social care sector with vulnerable children and adults. I did not resonate with working within these systems, and my true passion has always been in the realms of the creative, spiritual, and magical.

I first travelled to the jungle of Peru in 2013. Four years later, in 2017, I began studying core shamanism and a trauma-informed approach to space holding with sacred plant medicines. This was an extremely profound time of my life, where I connected and provided healing to my own ancestral line. I combined this work with reflective practice to illuminate and work with my personal shadows and trans-generational trauma. I began regaining my power and embodying once again my ancestral gifts.

My greatest teachers have, of course, been the sacred plant and fungi. I have been deeply devoted to this path and study –working with several lineages and traditions of different medicines, including from Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Mexico.

My partner and I have had the privilege to work alongside widely respected wisdom keepers and elders and have received the honour of their blessing for our work.

It has been a beautiful journey to hold spaces and share our medicine music worldwide with my partner, Chris Adeyoka, together as “Hieros Gamos”. The name of our project means the “sacred marriage” of masculine and feminine, as we endeavour to hold this energetic harmony together behind our altar. 

I am also a coach and integration guide for those who are navigating life transitions the spiritual journey or need support with psychedelic integration. I am currently also studying psychotherapy to deepen my capacity as a talking therapist. Further to this, I am a co-facilitator of shamanic training and mentor to students studying shamanism and space holding.

I am always holding the prayer that humanity can live in the right relationship with the Earth and each other. Indeed, my own salvation came through establishing this relationship and reconnecting to myself and the sanctity of all life through these incredible plant and fungi teachers.

So, I refer to myself as a “sacred activist”, and I began a non-profit organisation in 2019. I have been engaged in environmental projects and activism since then, as well as fundraising for and supporting indigenous communities.

I am so grateful for my own life experience of moving through personal darkness to self-empowerment and joyful service to others. I believe everyone has this magic within them to alchemise their pain into power and turn compassion into action, and it is my mission to support you in doing this.

ROLE: Medicine woman. Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space. Facilitator of feminine circles.