For whom?
San Pedro is suitable for almost everyone, but pregnant women and those under 18 should wait. Also, not all medication users can participate.
What?
San Pedro is the Spanish name for huachuma, the indigenous name for the cactus Trichocereus Pachanoi. This cactus grows wild in the Andes mountains. Like Ayahuasca, it belongs to the master plants or teachers. Within this venerable family, San Pedro is the Grandfather: the wise old man you visit for support and advice. We refer to both the plant and the medicine as San Pedro, huachuma or Grandfather. Grandfather cleanses, heals, elevates, and connects through his entheogenic substance: mescaline.
How?
San Pedro is a heart opener: it connects the head, heart, and gut, creating a synergy of intellect, emotion, wisdom, and intuition. Life energy flows, and insights descend into a physically experienced solid foundation. During a journey, you enter a higher state of consciousness. From here, you can overcome obstacles and integrate insights. Meanwhile, Grandfather offers guidance and support. The energy is experienced as masculine and gentle: wise, insightful, and patient, as you would expect from a loving grandfather. A visit to Grandfather is always beautiful and sometimes life-changing.
Caution!
The main thing is not to take the journey and preparation lightly. We use the term ‘work’ in San Pedro for a reason. It can be challenging if there is a lot to address. But the reward awaits…
The Metanoia San Pedro Experience
Metanoia has the right quality of San Pedro and experienced guides. Participants receive appropriate doses according to their wishes and needs. The ceremony takes place during the day following a collective opening. After that, the journey proceeds without formalities or frills. Travellers typically experience a deeper connection with nature and with the elements, especially fire. In addition to huachuma, other medicinal plant products may be offered to deepen the experience, such as rapé, a nicotine-containing herbal snuff.
Preparation
On the intake form, you will be asked to record your experience with plant medicine, your health, your intention, quest or inquiry, and your lifestyle. To meet the Grandfather, you may also need to temporarily adjust your diet. If you prepare carelessly, lack intention, ignore dietary guidelines and start without focus, the experience will be less meaningful or may even be unpleasant. To make the most of your experience, come rested, motivated, attentive, and clean. Grandfather is not as strict as Mother Ayahuasca, but he appreciates the necessary respect. And your journey begins with the right preparation.
What does it do exactly?
The precise Grandfather experience cannot be put into words. How your emotional and spiritual journey unfolds depends on your level of consciousness development and desire to work. You won’t get LSD-like visions, but your sensory and consciousness experiences will change. You may feel a bit nauseous, but that will pass. Often, the sense of ‘self’ disappears and the traveler experiences a state of egolessness. The feeling of deep connection with nature and the cosmos increases. Everything alive seems more vibrant and radiates more light. The sky is more breathtaking, fire more fascinating, and music resonates deeper. Time becomes elastic. Energetically, an insight or image may seem visionary. In short, the experience is magical, but don’t expect visuals. You may experience how masks begin to fall as the night progresses. Psychic baggage is placed in a new light; you may be treated to long-lost memories, process traumas into acceptance of what is, was, and always has been. A tear may fall, someone may sigh or scream, someone may shake something off, experience deep gratitude or a connection with everything, everywhere.
How long does it last?
A visit may last 12 hours but the duration and depth of the experience vary from person to person and from journey to journey, influenced by the dose and pace of intake, your personality, emotional, psychological, and physical state, and how easily you surrender. A visit to Grandfather is always a story of surrender versus resistance. Some travelers fight against the effects because they want to retain control, while others surrender easily. However, there is nothing to be afraid of. Grandfather is gentle but persistent. A Metanoia San Pedro journey takes place with attention and care. If you need extra care, we are here for you.
San Pedro vs. Ayahuasca
Grandfather is often compared to Mother Ayahuasca. She is also a great teacher, her effect too is one of deep insights and healing, and she too is treated with the highest respect. But Mother prefers to work at night and indoors, while Grandfather likes to go outside. With Mother, you work in the dark on your mat, alone, and often you get intense visuals: as if you are awake dreaming. With the Grandfather, you can go for a walk, build a fire, take some notes, read something. You can and will have meaningful conversations. A Mother ceremony lasts 4 hours, with Grandfather, you visit for about 12 hours. Mother is a bigger strain on the body: purging through crying, vomiting, or diarrhoea is pretty standard, and many travellers need assistance with toilet use. With the Grandfather, a traveller can almost always take care of themselves, and purging, if necessary at all, is much milder. Mother seems to direct the traveler inward to solve the deepest puzzles, Grandfather also directs outward, to the light, nature, and the cosmos, for a better connection of heart, head, and gut, and integration of lessons and insights.
Love vs. Fear
In short, Grandfather is an exceptionally powerful healing and purifying medicine for the body, mind, and soul. With his support, the traveller can let go of what doesn’t belong to them and what lives as noise within them. By experiencing old events in a new light, they are reframed. Acceptance of facts and integration of insights are easier when one visits the Grandfather. Grandfather’s insights make any visit impressive for everyone and transformational for many.
