Journeying Through the Invisible: The craft of healing with, and beyond, sacred plants, as told by a Peruvian Medicine Man

by Hachumak, David Carroll

Journey into the world of Ayahuasca and healing.

A mysterious and powerful plant medicine with curative powers that is drunk as a tea during a sacred ceremony, Ayahuasca has been known to change people's lives dramatically. But what was once a healing experience practiced only by Indigenous South Americans - and sought out by the adventurous few - has, in the past fifty years, become increasingly popular around the world.

Hachumak, a Peruvian medicine man, has been practicing traditional healing arts in his country for more than twenty years. His unique approach is based on ritualistic simplicity and highlights the essence of the Art, which includes the borrowed forces from Nature. In this remarkable book, he shares his knowledge and experiences to broaden our understanding of this powerful medicine and protect it from misuse and exploitation.

Whether you are among the uninitiated and curious, or a seasoned journeyer, you will gain a deeper understanding of what shamanism is and how and why it works, as well as its possibilities and limitations. Hachumak reveals his own path to becoming a shaman and explains how a well-crafted Ayahuasca ceremony unfolds when run by an experienced curandero . He describes in detail what to expect - both physically and psychologically - while under the guidance of the sacred plants.

With Hachumak as our experienced and trusted guide, Journeying Through the Invisible offers a new and healing way of seeing ourselves and the world around us.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2022

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about plants and "plant medicine." This is an especially relevant book if you've ever thought about doing ayahuasca.

[Don Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational and inspiring

Very helpful explanation of shamanism and its potential to help people. Also helpful explanation of the role of sacred and healing plants. A good and important read for anyone considering the use of hallucinogenic plants.

[Milan De Roode · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, it was a really nice read. It explores the history of ayahuasca use, indigenous rituals of South-Americans and warns against the commodification of spirituality and healing by capitalism. This was the cool part. The part I still feel confused about is the lack of scientific background, as he discusses himself as well (Hachumak rejects Western reductionist approaches on psychedelic healing and instead turns to a traditional 'magic' explanation regarding how the process works).

All with all definitely a cool and compelling read :)

[Darren Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was totally awesome. For anyone who works with plant medicines in a ceremonial setting, whether a facilitator or a participant, this book provides tons of perspective and information regarding these practices. Highly recommend.

[Brian Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good stuff about spiritualism i think it gets a little indulgent in the hallucinations and stuff but overall good stuff

[Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

borderline woowoo but an important read for anyone doing all the plant medicines in peru

[Frank Merkx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hachumak starts autobiographical. He is a Peruvian shaman. But he started very basic, as a young guy interested in Kung-Fu. He didn’t come from a spiritual background. As a healthcare worker he came in contact with the elderly who still remembered the ancient traditions. If the student is ready the teacher appears. And so Hachumak became a pupil, being tutored in the ways of the spirits, ghosts and the invisible realm. Taking his time, he grew as a healer for over two decades. Till he became a teacher of his own. Hachumak divided his book in various parts: an explanation of the way of the shaman seen from the Periluvian tradition, a closer look into the tradition of healing, an explanation of the types of invisible spirit creatures, and a deeper dive into healing mechanisms: from laying on of hands to Ayahuasca ceremonies. The book then spends a fair amount of pages to narrate the way of Ayahuasca; where it came from, how it should be used, what it is used for, etc. Hachumak writes honest and open without judging. We live in times of spiritual poverty. And at the same time people are hungry for transformative trips and/or hallucinating experiences. A lot of us need introspection. But we have to understand that it’s a journey, a long process. We can’t expect to find deeper meaning after a few crazy days in a sweat lodge. Hachumak is very nuanced and tries to explain how we should start working on ourselves and how a shaman or healer can help in this process. This is a very clear and clever book. And even you are a non-believer of spiritual energies, it’s a fun book to read. You can tell that Hachumak is a skilled biologist and chemist who definitely knows what he’s doing. Highly recommend!