As libererating as it is to be standing before the Cristo Rendentor statue at 6am with no tourists around and as close as you might feel to God sitting on top of Pedra da Gavea I can tell you that #9 on my list of Top 10 “Road Less Traveled” Things to do in Rio, will probably change your life more than all of the other entries combined. Going to an Ayahuasca ceremony at Arca da Montanha Azul is # 9 on the list and is one of the most profound experiences I’ve had, not only in Rio, but in life.

In New York City, where I live most of the year, Ayahuasca is not so easy to find. There are Shaman who come in and out of town with the sacred medicine but you have to know the right people to hear about the happenings. There is one place I know of that does pretty regular healing and transformational ceremonies, which is the Golden Drum in Brooklyn NY. But again, the medicine is difficult to find and when you do find it there are usually expensive fees upward of $100/$200 to attend a ceremony.

Ayahuasca being prepared

At Arca da Montanha Azul they ask for a suggested $25R (about $13 U.S.). Their ceremonies are accompanied by a live band that plays indigenous music through the night; lots of drums and percussion, a wooden flute, chanting and singing. Everyone dresses in white and people dance in circles all night. The shaman speaks on and off over the hours, imparting seeds of wisdom to help guide you through your journey. When you go up to receive the bitter mixture of sacred plants they offer you three sizes of the brew, small, med and large and ask you, “How deep do you want to go?”

 Ayahuasca brew. (photo courtesy of projectlifemastery.com)

I have less than three weeks left in Rio and another ceremony is on my agenda before I head back to NYC. Last year after I went to an all night ceremony at Arca da Montanha Azul I wrote: “Ayahuasca puts you face to face with yourself in the most honest, reality-based confrontation. Illusion melts away. The sacred medicine removes the veil of protective deception revealing unbiased reality. It can be jarring. I recommend it. Our world would be greatly improved if every person could experience the shift in consciousness it provides. Vastly different from modern medicine, ayahuasca deals with the root of the problems not the symptoms.” Read More

If you can get there, Go. If you can’t get to Rio try to dig up an Ayahuasca ceremony wherever you are. Start talking about it and asking for it and it is sure to find you eventually if you don’t find it first.

Ayahuasca inspired artwork at Arca da Montanha Azul. There is a desk with paper and lots of colored pencils in the center and everyone is encouraged to write or draw while experiencing the effects of the sacred plant.

(The Ark of the Blue Mountain) is a spiritual center in Rio de Janeiro whose mission is to know, protect, save, preserve, promote, deepen and broaden the understanding of different religions and sacred traditions, in constant dialogue, enriching each other in the task of combating prejudice and religious intolerance. They have weekly ayahuasca sessions and I recommend it to anyone who wants to evolve themselves and learn more about who they really are. You can request a schedule of events by sending them a message.