Many of you may have heard the news last September that I was the first person to be imprisoned for using ayahuasca, a healing vine used in South American religious ceremonies.
To give a little back ground on the situation, I have been practicing as a homeopath, healer and Shaman for over 25 years, and had written to the Home Office before starting ceremonies, to make sure I would not be breaking the law.
I had a letter from them confirming that ayahuasca was not illegal. Over the last 25 years, my studies have taken me all over the World. I spent 4 years training as an ayahuascaro in Peru. I have trained as a Kahuna, Pueblo medicine man, and have been initiated into Vodou to the highest level. I am also a Hindu priest, and was chosen by Kali to be Her Odiya ( A Shaman).
To give a little back ground on the situation, I have been practicing as a homeopath, healer and Shaman for over 25 years, and had written to the Home Office before starting ceremonies, to make sure I would not be breaking the law.
I had a letter from them confirming that ayahuasca was not illegal. Over the last 25 years, my studies have taken me all over the World. I spent 4 years training as an ayahuascaro in Peru. I have trained as a Kahuna, Pueblo medicine man, and have been initiated into Vodou to the highest level. I am also a Hindu priest, and was chosen by Kali to be Her Odiya ( A Shaman).
You can read more about my work on my website:
I had built up a very positive reputation for teaching authentic shamanism, and for giving some very effective healings. Previous press releases had been positive; showing major healing taking place, such as getting a crippled child walking. More recently, though, the press has given very negative focus to alternative medicine and spirituality.
The persecution leading up to this case began several years earlier. I had appeared on the TV program, “Trust me, I’m a Healer”. Following this program, I came under heavy slander from a vicious group of doctors who formed a group called Health Watch, for the sole purpose of discrediting natural medicine. At that time, complaints made to the police were rejected, as ayahuasca was not on the controlled substance list. However, after continuous pressure, the police decided to investigate.
I was arrested and put on bail, with the condition that I was could not give any spiritual or healing ceremony of any kind, or give any plant substance of any kind. At this stage, there was not even any charge made, and yet I was stopped from earning a living, and my religious rights completely violated. It took 3 ½ years to finally get me to court, finally deciding to prosecute me for producing and supplying class A drugs, referring to the 0.1% DMT content naturally occurring in the plants.
They argued that since I had brewed the plants into a tea, it was now considered a preparation of DMT. At first I didn’t believe any court could prosecute me for this, as the United Nations convention of psychotropic substances clearly stated that ayahuasca was sufficiently different from pure DMT not to be classified as the same. However, on the first day of the trial it was clear that the police were up to something; with the evil smiles and over-confidence they displayed. It became very clear that this Court was fixed. During the legal discussion, the judge refused any of my defenses to be brought before the jury, and basically told the jury what conclusion they had to come to. Many points of law were ignored, and I was sentenced to 15 months in Prison.
We are all suspicious that the system is corrupt, but you never know how far the corruption goes until you experience it. I had been given a full criminal prosecution for doing healing ceremonies and sending the money to charity. There was no confusion about my motivation, as all witnesses had spoken of the great benefits they got from the ceremonies, and I had a good bunch of character references. What’s more, the police are trying to seize all charity money, as proceeds of crime. Having been in prison, I can honestly say that I have not met any criminal who would stoop so low as to rob charities.
I had built up a very positive reputation for teaching authentic shamanism, and for giving some very effective healings. Previous press releases had been positive; showing major healing taking place, such as getting a crippled child walking. More recently, though, the press has given very negative focus to alternative medicine and spirituality.
The persecution leading up to this case began several years earlier. I had appeared on the TV program, “Trust me, I’m a Healer”. Following this program, I came under heavy slander from a vicious group of doctors who formed a group called Health Watch, for the sole purpose of discrediting natural medicine. At that time, complaints made to the police were rejected, as ayahuasca was not on the controlled substance list. However, after continuous pressure, the police decided to investigate.
I was arrested and put on bail, with the condition that I was could not give any spiritual or healing ceremony of any kind, or give any plant substance of any kind. At this stage, there was not even any charge made, and yet I was stopped from earning a living, and my religious rights completely violated. It took 3 ½ years to finally get me to court, finally deciding to prosecute me for producing and supplying class A drugs, referring to the 0.1% DMT content naturally occurring in the plants.
They argued that since I had brewed the plants into a tea, it was now considered a preparation of DMT. At first I didn’t believe any court could prosecute me for this, as the United Nations convention of psychotropic substances clearly stated that ayahuasca was sufficiently different from pure DMT not to be classified as the same. However, on the first day of the trial it was clear that the police were up to something; with the evil smiles and over-confidence they displayed. It became very clear that this Court was fixed. During the legal discussion, the judge refused any of my defenses to be brought before the jury, and basically told the jury what conclusion they had to come to. Many points of law were ignored, and I was sentenced to 15 months in Prison.
We are all suspicious that the system is corrupt, but you never know how far the corruption goes until you experience it. I had been given a full criminal prosecution for doing healing ceremonies and sending the money to charity. There was no confusion about my motivation, as all witnesses had spoken of the great benefits they got from the ceremonies, and I had a good bunch of character references. What’s more, the police are trying to seize all charity money, as proceeds of crime. Having been in prison, I can honestly say that I have not met any criminal who would stoop so low as to rob charities.
Of course there are big lessons for me in this experience, apart from waking up to the level of corruption, soullessness and pure evil within our leadership. The plants themselves point to the way through this modern crazy world, and I have taken note of the teachings they have been bringing me. I have made good use of my time in incarceration, and treated it as a spiritual retreat, spending many hours every day in meditation. This has only left me stronger in every way. First of all, I was shown how my consciousness has been like certain plants that have been banned for being too useful in helping mankind, such as the ayahuasca, or the cannabis.
Cannabis was seen as a great gift from the Gods because of its usefulness, and I am not just talking about getting high. It provides cloth, building materials, fuel, medicine as well as spiritual teaching. It is because it was so useful that the cotton and timber industries worked on propaganda to get it banned, so it would not threaten their monopoly. Because any nation growing cannabis was assured of wealth, the banks soon helped get it banned, to stop any nation becoming independent of them. So the plants that give the most get themselves totally banned all over the World. I have been through similar lessons.
As a Hindu minister, I have always believed that the highest form of worship was to relieve the suffering of others. This I had dedicated my life to; running healing ceremonies and giving proceeds to charity, feeding starving families. I had put great dedication into this work, only to be stamped on by a corrupt system. This has not turned me from the path, however, far from it. I have just had to become less naïve and much more expansive in my thinking.
There are other sacred plants to take me to the next level. The two teaching me at the moment are chocolate and tobacco. These two plants have already seduced and tamed nations, and are so ingrained into the commercial world that it will be impossible to ban them, no matter how useful they become in healing and raising consciousness. And yet they are both traditional sacred plants used in South American ceremonies. I am discovering great power within them, and a tricky intelligence that will win through all the corruption and bring about the raising of consciousness that is destined. I am involved in dietas with these two plants this year, learning their songs and mastering their ceremonies. They are proving to be powerfully trans-formative, so watch this space. Chocolate may sound like a very pleasant medicine, but there are times you will hate it, as it digs up such deep issues. It is proving to be stronger than ayahuasca.
Of course, the battle over ayahuasca is not over yet. There is an appeal in process, and there are petitions going. Be sure to sign them and put a stop to the witch-hunt before all spiritual practices and natural medicines are taken away. They may have heavily crapped on my old practice, but this is a new beginning. Before giving medicine ceremonies, I am giving some small group workshops from my home, as I have developed some great empowerments to pass on. I will be giving empowerments from Kali’s tantric traditions, to raise kundalina and develop occult powers, and from tenaga dalam, for invulnerability, protection and victory over all obstacles. You can find details of these events on my facebook pageck/134666116580798
Modern day crucifixion, I wonder where they did this, in what country? Something similar happened to me, so I am aware of the way the system works (or fails to work). People don't really understand until it happens to them. When it happened to me I sat in court and they asked me a question. As soon as I began to answer the question, I was interrupted and not allowed to speak. Clearly they were not interested in the facts, only in justifying a decision which was obviously decided before the trial. This is how the system REALLY works. If they don't like what you are doing, they will make up a law against it or misinterpret and existing law to cover it. It has been said that laws must be very numerous in a state where corruption abounds.
ReplyDeletePeter Azis is English. This is the UK Jeremy. You must understand that Mr Aziz is going to feel angry, and as such he is not particularly going to be fair and unbiased. His letter from the home office sets out that the law is ambiguous towards the use of ayahuasca. In the UK you require a licence from the Home Office to distribute a controlled substance. Also there are laws about claiming medicinal benefit from a substance. If you are to make any claims that a substance cures or treats a medical condition, then by law (since August 2011)the substance must have been subjected to a formal 5 phase testing process. However Mr Aziz's arrest was prior to this law being passed.
ReplyDeleteMr Aziz can not claim that his religious rights have been impinged as shamanism is not considered a religion. This is a debatable fact but none the less it is still the leading philosophy. If Peter was a member of the Santo Daime or UDV it might be different.
I write all this and can imagine i come across as anti ayahuasca. This is far from the truth. I am very close to being officially indoctrinated into the Santo Daime and am myself on the path of shamanism. Yet i still live in and need to respect the systems and legislation of the UK.
Mr Aziz would have done well to have filled the public gallery with his supporters. I wish him the best in his campaigns.