Wachuma Ceremonies

Wachuma is the Quechua name for the Trichocereus bridgesii cactus, also known as San Pedro. For centuries, it has been revered by the peoples of the Andes for its ability to bring us into a primordial state of presence. In Andean understanding, Wachuma is held as the Father, while ayahuasca is seen as the Mother — distinct in nature, yet deeply complementary.

Where

Wachuma ceremonies are held in Allkamari, our Andes Retreat Center.

Please check what to bring for an Andes retreat.

Requirements

• Follow the diet for 24 hours.
• Your last meal should be a light lunch.
• Arrival for the ceremony is always after lunch, or at least two hours before the ceremony begins, and departures take place after the group integration.

Diet

• No meat
• No drugs
• No alcohol
• No intercourse
• On the day of the ceremony, begin fasting after lunch. Water is allowed.
• Please inform us.
• If you are taking any medication or have any medical condition we should know about, please inform Sacha Runa. Thank you!

Kiva

The Kiva is a sacred space built by Miguel Kavlin following the vision of Beautiful Painted Arrow. Inside this temple, several altars are prepared, along with an outdoor altar for the Masters. The ceremony takes place at night and continues until sunrise. During this time, each participant is free to pray and connect with Source in their own way, always with deep respect for the tradition and for everyone present.

The ceremony begins and ends with a sacrificial offering in the style of the Andean mesas. Throughout the night, the shaman sings to guide the forces present in the ceremony. Different spiritual practices may unfold, and opportunities for healing can arise, always according to the wisdom of Spirit, the true agent of the work. Because of the nature of the ceremony, speaking is not permitted, while prayer is encouraged.

In this version of the Wachuma ceremony, participants may walk and prostrate, but all spiritual work remains within the Kiva, where the shaman can care for everyone properly. After a morning nap and a healthy breakfast, the group gathers again in the Kiva to share memories of the ceremony and the teachings received.

Pilgrimage

The people of the Andes have long used Wachuma as a powerful ally to deepen spiritual experience during pilgrimages to sacred mountains. That tradition continues in the pilgrimages we undertake each year. In this form of ceremony, we walk all day so the energy of Wachuma can reveal itself in a strong yet compassionate way, teaching us the true nature of the forces within the universe and within ourselves.

Over the years, we have guided sacred pilgrimages in some of Bolivia’s most important mountains, including Mt. Mururata, Mt. Sajama, and the Island of the Sun. This is a true test of courage, devotion, commitment, faith, and surrender, and it often transforms participants by helping them recognize both their limitations and their boundlessness.

Special care is given to each person, and no one is left behind. The energetic fields of sacred places may support different forms of healing, and the pilgrimage becomes a prayer in motion — with our feet, our breath, and our heartbeat. Our intention is to reach the Wak'a, or Sacred Stone, in faith that it will teach, transform, and help us perfect ourselves in service to all beings.

Long Dance

An Article Written by Little Lightning Bolt

The Long Dance ceremony comes from Beautiful Painted Arrow (Joseph Rael), Native American medicine man, visionary, mystic, and author from the Southern Ute and Picuri Pueblo Nations.

The Long Dance is a four-year commitment to Spirit, the land, community, and all sentient beings. Dancers may begin with one year and then choose whether they feel called to continue for another three years. It is a transformative and life-changing practice, and a profound act of service. For many, it is their first experience of ceremonial dance, opening them to the realities of sacred communal work. Throughout the ceremony, participants are asked to hold deep reverence for the dance, the people, the work, and the land.

Before the dance, each participant paints a banner with their intention: what they wish to release, what they wish to invite into their lives, and what they pray for on behalf of others and the world. Tobacco prayer ties are prepared and hung around the arbor with the banners as offerings to the six directions, surrounding the dance with prayer. Afterward, the ties are placed in the central ceremonial fire as an offering to the Great Mystery.

Traditionally, the dance continues all night around a fire inside a circular enclosure, moving clockwise for half the night and counter-clockwise for the other half. This spiral movement works first inward, where purification and release take place, and then upward, where prayers and blessings are sent and received.

Before the dance begins, a sweat lodge ceremony is often held to honor the sacred time ahead and prepare the dancers for the work of the night. Dancers enter the arbor clean, focused, and ready for serious ceremony. They dance from sunset to sunrise, often without stopping, while prayer, reflection, offerings, and communion with Spirit continue at the fire and the earth altar.

The San Pedro Long Dance Ceremony is a variation created by Miguel A. Kavlin, a Bolivian shaman and apprentice to Beautiful Painted Arrow. Inspired by his work with the sacred cactus of the Andes, San Pedro (Achuma), it blends South American vegetalismo with the North American Long Dance, creating a unique and powerful bridge of practice. Before the ceremony, an Andean burnt-offering ritual is performed to ask permission and support from the Great Spirit, the Grandfathers and Grandmothers of the four directions, the mountain guardians, sacred place spirits, ancestors, Mother Earth, and local guardians.

Participants consume Achuma and enter a deep process of healing and cleansing. Throughout the night, the songs taught to Miguel by Beautiful Painted Arrow, Don Agustin Rivas Vazques, and the spirits themselves help keep the process within safe bounds. Each dancer is blessed with sacred smoke at key points in the body, and the ceremony closes with gratitude, purification, and a feast that celebrates the transformed community.