THe Cult of Crunch: Breaking Down the Good, the Bad, and the Biblical (or not) of Natural Living Part 9: Ayahuasca

“I want to meet God,” he said with a chuckle.

Surprised by this statement, I pulled myself together and said, “if you do ayahuasca, you’ll meet a spirit for sure, but it won’t be the Holy Spirit.”

I’d like to think that this is super fringe, but by the very normal, not woo-woo guy who told me this, I know it’s not. Ayahuasca is becoming more mainstream as Joe Rogan is talking with his guest about it many of whom, himself included, have taken it. The author of Good Energy, a popular health book, Casey Means, wrote about her experience with it. She went on to promote her book on many Christian, conservative, and/or crunchy podcasts. Wellness professionals have used it to break their body from desiring food that is not good for them. The fringe is becoming mainstream.

If it really helps one be healthier or die to themselves or meet God, shouldn’t we be for it?

Let’s look deeper into it.

What is ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca (pronounced ‘eye-ah-WAH-ska’) is a psychedelic brew that is traditionally used for religious, medicinal, and spiritual purposes. It is made by boiling the stems of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with the leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub. The Psychotria viridis leaves produce the hallucinogen DMT. The Banisteriopsis caapi vine prevents the body from breaking down the DMT in the digestive system so that it reaches the brain.

Traditionally you take ayahuasca in an ayahuasca ceremony. These are very structured, serious, and spiritual. They are led by experienced healers known as shamans.

One must prepare for the ceremony by following guidelines known as the “dieta.” One must abstain from alcohol, drugs, caffeine, and foods like pork and red meat for a specific period of time. You need to also be mentally focused and set an intention for whatever emotional or spiritual healing you’re looking to achieve by this experience.

The ceremony opens with prayers and intention setting. Then the participants drink the ayahuasca brew. There is a period of waiting that lasts about an hour where everyone stays silent as the medicine takes its effect. The shaman sings medicine songs called icaros which are believed to be taught by the plant spirits. The songs guide visions and are said to help manage the intensity of the experience in order to promote healing. Many, but not all, experience what is called “la purga” which is vomiting or diarrhea and is said to help cleanse people from blockages. After 4-8 hours, the shaman sings the final icaros to close the ceremony. The next day groups may get together to share their experience.

People do ayahuasca in order to potentially help with issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, and more. Some say it helps them not fear death. Ego death is a huge part of doing ayahuasca and it is said to help people have greater spiritual awakening.

What is the history of ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca originates in the Amazon. Since written records didn’t start in that area until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, we can’t know all about when people started taking it.

There is some archaeological evidence dating back to about 500 B.C. A cup containing trace amounts of ayahuasca was found and dated back to this time.

According to the website Spirit Vine, certain people groups smoked DMT containing plants which allegedly got them in touch with the plants and spirits that taught them to combine the two plants for both the DMT and MAO inhibitor. The combination may also have been a happy coincidence.

Spirit Vine states the following:

“Many shamans say that the rituals started when the plants, specifically the ayahuasca, started communicating with the shamans in modified states of consciousness such as dreams and visions. This is where they received the information to combine the two plants and prepare the ayahuasca brew.

“It has also been suggested that the two types of plants – the caapi vine for its purgative and emetic properties and the DMT-containing plant smoked for a visionary effect – were used medicinally in combination with each other by accident by certain peoples, specifically natives of Tiwanaku, and an increase in the efficacy of the latter noticed.”

Some claim it is a recent development, but with lack of anything written, it is hard to know.

We first see written evidence for it in the 17th and 18th centuries. Written by missionaries and explorers, it was deemed witchcraft.

In the mid-20th century, it took off for the west. Richard Evans Schultes wrote a book called The Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Properties. This influenced western thinkers particularly William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. They were the leading figures in the Beat Generation. The Beat Generation was a counter cultural movement that rejected postwar conformity, materialism and, social norms. Not quite hippies but promoted drug experimentation and heavily influenced the 1960s counter cultural movement.

It fit in with the drug experimentation of the 60s. It was a way to explore consciousness and reject traditional religion. Yet, it stayed niche as it required travel to the Amazon.

Currently, there is a tourism boom to the mainly Peru but also Costa Rica and Brazil for ayahuasca ceremonies. They promote healing, trauma work, and spiritual awakening. It fits in with the wellness movement. As psychedelic therapies are becoming more popular, many are using it for depression, PTSD, anxiety, and addiction. It’s seen as “plant medicine” and “ancient healing” which is right in line with what the crunchy community is seeking.

Is ayahuasca effective?

If you’re looking for an experience, then yes. It is effective in producing a type of spiritual experience.

If you’re asking if it’s good for you, then that’s a whole other issue.

In the next section, we’ll address the spiritual issues with ayahuasca, so in this one, we’ll just stick to the physical dangers.

First and most common is the “purging.” Ayahuasca causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in about 70% of those who take it. Because of this, it can cause dehydration as well.

It also stains the cardiovascular system by significantly increasing heart rate and blood pressure. This strains all individuals, but is a serious risk for those with heart conditions or hypertension.

While there is a cleansing period prior to the ceremony (the dieta), if a person is on a SSRI, they could be at risk for a potentially fatal overdose of serotonin. This could lead to high blood pressure, fevers, convulsions, and potentially death.

Rhabdomyolysis, respiratory and cardiac have been onset from ayahuasca and caused death. Though, this is a rare complication.

There are psychological issues with it as well. One could have a “bad trip” that comes with terrifying hallucinations and intense fear. It can trigger psychosis in some people, especially those with a personal or family history of mental health conditions. And while many do take it to help with mental health, some get lasting anxiety, paranoia, or ongoing hallucinations after taking ayahuasca.

These are all serious potential conditions in which one should avoid taking ayahuasca, but it does go deeper than that.

How should we view ayahuasca through the Biblical worldview?

Per my opening conversation on ayahuasca, it is not seen as spiritually neutral. People go into it seeking a spiritual experience. Whether they’re trying to meet “god” or just stop eating junk food, people go into a ceremony expecting to experience something.

First, let’s quickly address the shamans that guide people through the ayahuasca ceremony. There are many shamans in many different religions and practices that go by many different names. They act as intermediaries between the natural and spiritual worlds. They are directly tied to the occult. As Christians, we should not seek spiritual experiences outside of how God calls us to encounter Himself. Deuteronomy 18:10-14 calls God’s people to not practice divination, tell fortunes, sorcery, necromancy, or child sacrifice. We are to be set apart from the world and not seek spiritual experiences in the way the world seeks them. We seek God through His word which is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Another main experience one under goes in taking ayahuasca is ego dissolution. From my understanding and research, you begin to see yourself as an illusion and as unity with either the universe, nature, or divinity as the true reality. This leads us into pantheism which is the view that God is everything and everyone. And instead of “ego death” as it is claimed, it’s making yourself a god. God is omnipresent but not IN everything. He is transcendent. He is not in the rocks or trees or you and me.

While taking ayahuasca, many receive “truths” from spirit guides, animal spirits, ancestors, or even dark spiritual presences. They give insight to one’s life, purpose, or the universe. Often these are lasting spiritual shifts that completely reframe how one looks at God and reality. I heard of one person no longer fearing death because of the insight they gained taking ayahuasca. Sounds great, right? Wrong. Galatians 5:19-21 is clear that if we practice acts of the flesh including sorcery, we will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Isn’t that just like the enemy to our souls to make us comfortable with death when he knows he’s leading us to hell? Should we not fear death if we are under the wrath of God? These spirit guides are guiding people into hell. But God made a way for us to experience grace instead of wrath thanks to Christ. But we need to assure that we are getting real truth by being led only by the Holy Spirt. Romans 8:14 states that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” And we don’t need to travel to the Amazon and risk our physical, mental, or spiritual health to commune with the Holy Spirt.

Lastly, one’s experience with ayahuasca changes them. Most think for the better, but in general, it actually leads to less discernment, psychological destabilization, and complete dependance on experience for spirituality. This is not a benefit. The costs of ayahuasca are not worth it. From the physical risks to the spiritual dangers, this is not something anyone, nonetheless the Chirstian should partake in.

God tells us in His word how to experience and encounter Him. Ayahuasca is not one of the ways we “meet” God. We are so blessed to have the infallible word of God that we can read to know God and the direction of our lives. Furthermore, He was gracious enough to send the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and guide. There’s no ceremony or purging or risk of psychosis or death involved in praying and reading our Bible. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No once comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Everything we are seeking for is found in our one true God. Seek Him, not a hallucinogenic experience.