Rainforest Medicine: Preserving Indigenous Science and Biodiversity in the Upper Amazon

by Jonathon Miller Weisberger, Thomas Wang (Illustrations), Patricia Escobar (Illustrations)

Chronicling the practices, legends, and wisdom of the vanishing traditions of the upper Amazon, this book reveals the area's indigenous peoples' approach to living in harmony with the natural world. Rainforest Medicine features in-depth essays on plant-based medicine and indigenous science from four distinct Amazonian deep forest and urban, lowland rainforest and mountain.The book is illustrated with unique botanical and cultural drawings by Secoya elder and traditional healer Agustin Payaguaje and horticulturalist Thomas Y. Wang as well as by the author himself. Payaguaje shares his sincere imaginal view into the spiritual life of the Secoya; plates of petroglyphs from the sacred valley of Cotundo relate to an ancient language, and other illustrations show traditional Secoya ayahuasca symbols and indigenous origin myths. Two color sections showcase photos of the plants and people of the region, and include plates of previously unpublished full-color paintings by Pablo Cesar Amaringo (1938-2009), an acclaimed Peruvian artist renowned for his intricate, colorful depictions of his visions from drinking the entheogenic plant brew, ayahuasca ("vine of the soul" in Quechua languages). Today the once-dense mysterious rainforest realms are under assault as the indiscriminate colonial frontier of resource extraction moves across the region; as the forest disappears, the traditional human legacy of sustainable utilization of this rich ecosystem is also being buried under modern realities. With over 20 years experience of ground-level environmental and cultural conservation, author Jonathon Miller Weisberger's commitment to preserving the fascinating, unfathomably precious relics of the indigenous legacy shines through. Chief among these treasures is the "shimmering" "golden" plant-medicine science of ayahuasca or yajé, a rainforest vine that was popularized in the 1950s by Western travelers such as William Burroughs and Alan Ginsberg. It has been sampled, reviled, and celebrated by outsiders ever since.Currently sought after by many in the industrialized West for its powerful psychotropic and life-transforming effects, this sacred brew is often imbibed by visitors to the upper Amazon and curious seekers in faraway venues, sometimes with little to no working knowledge of its principles and precepts. Perceiving that there is an evident need for in-depth information on ayahuasca if it is to be used beyond its traditional context for healing and spiritual illumination in the future, Miller Weisberger focuses on the fundamental knowledge and practices that guide the use of ayahuasca in indigenous cultures. Weaving first-person narrative with anthropological and ethnobotanical information, Rainforest Medicine aims to preserve both the record and ongoing reality of ayahuasca's unique tradition and, of course, the priceless forest that gave birth to these sacred vines. Featuring words from Amazonian shamans--the living torchbearers of these sophisticated spiritual practices--the book stands as testimony to this sacred plant medicine's power in shaping and healing individuals, communities, and nature alike.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Health, Indigenous, Anthropology

635 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Joshua Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to even begin…

Rainforest Medicine is an amazing tale from start to finish.

I’ve read quite a few books whose emphasis is on Yagé, or Ayahuasca, and the surrounding culture and infinitely vast dimensions of magic that emanate from it – and Rainforest Medicine is really one of the best.

It’s crystal clear from the beginning that the author, Jonathon Miller Weisberger, or as his friends like to call him, Sparrow, is truly a master story teller, and in my humble opinion, the very definition of a shaman.

With over 20 years of ground-level jungle trekking, plant collecting, tribe negotiating, land preserving, honey-thick Yagé ceremonies – Jonathon’s story and message is deeply inspirational, leaving the reader with an abundance of hard-earned wisdom to use however they wish… hopefully for the better transformation and renewal of the self and world as a whole.

What I really love about Rainforest Medicine is that the author, like a master chef, delicately balances just the right amount of material for each aspect of South American plant medicine culture and the rainforest world. From detailing the Secoya’s time-tested practices with Master Plant Teachers to the current state and heart-wrenching consequences of Western-influenced colonization on rainforest ecosystems, it all fit perfectly together for a smooth, easily absorbed read.

Also worthy of their own mention, are the stunning, gorgeous detailed pictures and hand-drawn sketches that interlace transitions and creation mythologies tucked between the pages. The quality photographs serve the reader as portals into a seemingly distant but ever-intimately connected world filled with canopies of vibrant spirit and painful human behavior alike.

The most notable dimension of the book that stood out to me among others that I have read is the unique way that it is written.

With others I’ve read, the material was of the infinitely complex and mysterious realms of spirit (that anyone who has had a damn-good strong dose of Yagé is aware of), but was presented in a brittle scientific language that left my pallet feeling dry and acidic. Whereas, Jonathon, with many years of medicine work himself, writes in a such a way that is a bridge of synesthesia from this world to the next… gracefully painting your soul’s eyes with the colors and sensations of the invisible worlds that exist intimately with ours.

After five plus years of my own travels and journeys with Yagé, I am left humbled by the amount of work and deep soul that Jonathon has put into his own life to be able to create this beautiful, influential and essential book.

The message is clear, the way subtle - we have everything we need, and the connections, allies and love of the rainforest to support us.

Love and gratitude to Jonathon M Weisberger (Sparrow), the Secoya, all Ecuadorian people - indigenous and urban, the plants, the animals, the spirits, the forest herself and all others for helping to create this truly amazing book.

Highly recommended

[Victor Cirone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johathon Weisberger's book is the product of a life devoted to the great wisdom traditions of the rainforest. He has done us all an unbelievable service in writing a book that reveals many of the metaphysical and spiritual-scientific foundations of ancient cultures such as the Secoya, Waorani, and Shuar. After reading this book, one has no doubt that these largely unknown and neglected traditions count among the richest of our collective human heritage. Weisberger also covers a great deal of botanical, geographical, and political issues relating to the amazon in this book. There is a great deal of discussion of the tradition of YAGE (especially as practiced among the Secoya) and the ways in which this tradition differs from the various AYAHUASCA traditions. Here is one of my favourite passages from the book, which touches the majestic and magical core of the YAGE experience and reveals its great sophistication and integrity as a spiritual path:

"Inside the high hill called Jaicunti, which is the isolated limestone massif of the cordillera Napo-Galeras, live the Jaicuntipai, the Secoya elders attest. Among these spiritual immortals of pure medicine and total integrity there is no sorcery because they are devoted purely to healing. The truth of the existence of the Jaicuntipai is one of the foundations of the Secoya people's spiritual science. Elders claim they have married there and have spiritual wives with whom they have children, who grow quickly to look as though they are forty years of age, remaining like this for generations without further aging. When the shaman's body physically perishes, he or she opens their eyes in that immortal abode /is/ that spiritual child, an immortal in the immortal realms."

[anonymous daimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely mesmerizing in every way. an essential read for those interested in the omnipresent spirit world and embracing a life of service :)