Description

Ayahuasca is a entheogentic or psychoactive vine-based plant brew that have been used for healing by shamans for thousands of years. It is widely known throughout South America for its healing and visionary properties that has, in recent years, caught the attention of the Western world. Ayahuasca is called a ‘plant teacher’ because it can heal physical, psychological and emotional blocks and through vivid visions take the patient to other realms and dimensions providing profound insights into human beings’ true nature and place in the cosmos.

Intrigued by these extraordinary claims, filmmaker Michael Wiese went to the home of Don Jose Campos, an internationally known Peruvian shaman or curandero, to experience first hand the healing and transformational aspects of Ayahuasca. Shot on location in the jungle and in the Amazonian river towns of Pulcallpa and Iquitos Peru, this 73-minute film documents the shamanic work and ayahuasca ceremonies of Don Jose Campos and includes the last filmed interview with internationally renowned visionary painter and former shaman Pablo Amaringo. Also included are interviews and an exploration of medicinal plants with famed biochemist Julio Arce Hildalgo. The film features the music of Peruvian recording artist Artur Menas Salas.

WATCH TRAILER BELOW :

See the companion book

See the companion CD

Praise

"As interest in ayahuasca grows, so does the question of how to explain this mysterious phenomenon to the uninitiated seeker. Filmmaker Michael Wiese's latest documentary, meets this challenge with remarkable grace. In mind-bending portraits of jaguar-skinned shamans enshrouded by seeing-eye vines, the spiritual alchemy between man and nature that takes place in the ayahuasca realms is magically revealed. These enchanting interviews with Amaringo, recorded only months before his untimely death, are among the film's brightest highlights — a deeply introspective story of healing and discovery."
— Stephen Thomas, RealitySandwich.com

"A beautiful and deeply moving testimony. It raises many critical questions for humanity at this time in history. Thank you for your courage and deep willingness to share."
— Tara & Lorin Hollander, legendary concert pianists

"A fantastic adventure! Michael and Geraldine are bold souls. I was especially inspired by Pablo Amaringo. Terence McKenna had talked about him a lot. I'm sorry I never had the opportunity to meet him, but the film certainly captured something of his spirit and his painting."
— Howard Rheingold - futurist, author of Higher Creativity with Willis Harman

"What a wonderful adventure, what amazing people, what an artist, and more !!! Pablo Amaringo's vision before his death. What a gift to him, to you all there and to us way out here in our living rooms. The film truly gave us a good feel for what Wiese is exploring, and a good feeling about what Ayahuasca can do for the soul of each of us. Don Jose Campos is such a strong and direct teacher."
— James Fadiman Ph. D., Author and former president of The Association for Transpersonal Psychology

"In this film, Michael Wiese explores the power of the spirit. The film is a celebration. It is a visual mastery into emerging yourself into healing and at the same time preparing your life and your mind for what is next in your journey. It is about embracing your path with an open mind and an open heart and accepting what comes in."
— Jen Grisanti

"Michael Wiese's new film The Shaman and Ayuahasca is both vivid and subtle. The filming is so evocative and atmospheric that by the end I felt as if I too had journeyed along the Amazon to speak with experts on ayuahasca. The participants impress with their sincerity and knowledge, and the film avoids sensationalism while at the same time documenting a magical and extraordinary world with great sensitivity. This is a must-see for anyone interested in shamanism, indigenous spiritual practices, and the mysterious psychogenic effects of Amazonian plants."
— Lara Owen, author, Growing Your Inner Light: A Guide to Independent Spiritual Practice 

"I enjoyed seeing and hearing Don José at work and seeing Pablo and his beautiful work. The film is a good introduction to that whole world. It does a good job putting the world of ayahuasca shamanism on the table."
— Jeremy Narby, PhD, author of The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge

"I enjoyed the DVD and the journey back to Iquitos and the shamanic paradigm. This was a sweet little introduction to the ayahuasca scene and I liked the intimacy of it with the small cast of characters and the journey itself. Great editing and production values, and lovely, lingering Pablo Amaringo art and interview. Great work!"
— Rak Razan, author of Aya: A Shamanic Odyssey

"This is a gem of a movie — contemplatively paced, beautifully photographed, and filled with insights into the practice of ayahuasca shamanism in the Upper Amazon. The interviews with shaman José Campos, visionary artist Pablo Amaringo — the last before his death — and phytochemist Julio Arce Hidalgo provide a solid grounding for the story of the filmmaker's own quest for healing and understanding. Poignant and moving, the film is enriched with an evocative soundtrack by Peruvian recording artist Artur Menas Salas."
—Steve Beyer, author Singing to the Plants

Excerpt from RealitySandwich.com review/interview...

“As interest in ayahuasca grows, so does the question of how to explain this mysterious phenomenon to the uninitiated seeker. Filmmaker Michael Wiese’s latest documentary, The Shaman and Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms, meets this challenge with remarkable grace. Equal parts National Geographic and vacation travelogue, the story follows Wiese and his companions — his wife, photographer Geraldine Overton, and their charismatic translator, Alberto Roman — on a trip to the Amazon to meet internationally known shaman Don Jose Campos. Shot in various locations around Peru, the film explores the role of this powerful plant medicine in Amazonian culture through a series of vignettes and intimate interviews with Don Jose and several of his close associates. Each person brings a unique perspective to the emerging picture, weaving threads of indigenous wisdom, contemporary science, and existential philosophy into the complex tapestry of the ayahuasca experience.

In an opening scene, Don Jose discusses with striking sincerity his deeply rooted connection to the natural world around him. Humans are meant to exist in symbiosis with the plants and animals, he explains, standing amidst a menagerie of medicinal shrubs and trees he knows by heart. When the group travels to meet Don Jose’s friend, the late visionary painter Pablo Amaringo, this obscure human-plant communion is brought visibly to life. In mind-bending portraits of jaguar-skinned shamans enshrouded by seeing-eye vines, the spiritual alchemy between man and nature that takes place in the ayahuasca realms is magically revealed. These enchanting interviews with Amaringo, recorded only months before his untimely death, are among the film’s brightest highlights.

With Wiese acting as narrator, The Shaman and Ayahuasca is also a deeply introspective story of healing and discovery. Afflicted by Parkinson’s disease, the filmmaker was initially drawn to the Amazon in hopes of finding a cure in the psychoactive brew. But the journey into the heart of ayahuasca shamanism, he would discover, is about something much larger—and stranger—than one’s own mortal spark in the flux of life.”

Stephen Thomas

Read Full Review On RealitySandwich.com

Stream our films now!
• iTunes
• Amazon Instant Video
• GaiamTV

LISTEN:  Michael Wiese speaks about Ayahuasca on Bob Charles' radio show 12/23/12... 

READ: Huffington Post review

READ: "All Things Healing" review

Shipping Cost

USA

Canada

All other Countries