Using the transformative power of music toward social and environmental justice

Ayahuasca and Activism
The spark of inspiration for this organization came from a spirit voice which spoke to me during my very first session with the sacred Amazonian tea known as ayahuasca. It was the voice of an indigenous man, and he spoke of an integral concept to many native cultures: reciprocity.

"Now that you have tasted the wisdom of this ritual and the magic of ayahuasca,

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE BACK?"

Since hearing that call, I have looked deeply into the phenomenon of ayahuasca ceremony which is spreading rapidly from its Amazon home to the rest of the world. Voices in Solidarity was formed to facilitate communication between indigenous activists and ayahuasca groups, to promote advocacy for environmental and social justice in the Amazon, and to connect modern ayahuasca practitioners to the indigenous lineage of the ritual in order to better honor its ancestry.

One of the insights shared by many who take part in ayahuasca ceremony is that of the interconnectedness of all life, what could be called the Gaia principle. This ecological concept expresses the idea that the earth is a living organism, with a web of relationships linking everything on it. It is a philosophy that forms the foundation of many indigenous belief systems across the world, a philosophy which has allowed native people to live in a harmonious balance with their environment for millennia.

Voices in Solidarity is founded in the belief that indigenous people have a valuable role as stewards of some of the earth's most fragile ecosystems. The Amazon functions as the lungs of the planet, and the past century of alarmingly rapid destruction of this region has proven that where indigenous cultures stay intact, so does the rainforest enviroment.

By linking our interest in ayahuasca with the current struggles of Amazonian peoples, we avoid simply appropriating spiritual knowledge for our own benefit. Eco-activist and indigenous advocate Jerry Mander writes:

"However enlightening this may be, confining our knowledge of Indians to their "spiritual" pathways continues to deny what is most important to the Indian people.... It is a fundamental tenet of Indian perception that the spiritual aspect of life is inseparable from the economic and the political." ---- -- In the Absence of the Sacred, 1991

Ritual- a benefit CD for indigenous projects recorded during an ayahuasca session

Click here to listen to tracks

The CD is being sold by donation. To purchase the CD, please select the donation amount you'd like by using the buttons below. Shipping in the United States is included in the price. Please contact us for international shipping rates.

I'd like to donate 11.99 and receive the Ritual CD

I'd like to donate 14.99 and receive the Ritual CD

I'd like to donate 19.99 and receive the Ritual CD

Get Involved

One of my goals is to organize a gathering of indigenous and non-indigenous research allies to facilitate discussion of issues of rainforest conservation, native cultural survival, and property rights.. This meeting would discuss ways that international ayahuasca groups can mediate tropes of traditional knowledge appropriation by the dominant, where knowledge is taken and commodified without reciprocation. Its goal is to connect with indigenous activists and build bridges with syncretic ayahuasca groups who would be interested in knowledge and resource sharing with indigenous groups.

If you are interested in helping to put such a conference together, contact Juliana at julianapeartree@gmail.com

Ritual
Kaliandra Collective

Immerse yourself in the medicine music of Ritual, recorded during an ayahuasca session in Alto Paraiso, Brazil.

Contact us
Listen to tracks
Purchase CD

Links to more information about ayahuasca:

National Geographic Article and Video

Ayahuasquero: database of articles and info about excursions

Icaros: Traditional Medicine Songs of the Amazon