Ayahuasca and Menstruation

In the world of Ayahuasca often there can be many differing opinions and considerations when it comes to the rituals and practices surrounding Ayahuasca. Tantamunay are here to bring the voice of the villages and lineages of ancestral wisdom to the world and this is what we have learnt concerning the origins of the beliefs of the Shipibo to assist those entering the world of Ayahuasca to understand more deeply where the rituals and beliefs come from.

As women Moontime is one of our ever occurring sacred times where we can connect deeply to our own cycle connected to the moon and our womb wisdom. So why for some who travel to the jungle do they encounter that Moontime is not permitted in the maloca where the Ayahuasca Ceremony is being held.

Short Answer is that the Maestro or Maestra with whom you sit will have their own reasons and belief systems as to why you may or may not drink Ayahuasca whilst in Moontime (Menstruation). They are the ones that know and to be in ceremony guided by a Maestro of Maestra is to trust the lineages from which they have come from.

At Tantamunay we have a great respect for the ancestral lineages of Sacred Medicine Wisdom Keepers such as the Shipibo and this is what we have learnt so far as to why the presence of blood may not be allowed in ceremony.

Historically in the Shipibo villages the Medicine person of the village was called Meraya and they would live on the outskirts of the village and be in more or less permanent dieta (Plant Diet with Sacred Plant Medicine of Master Plants). The belief was held that if they came into contact with women in their Moontime (with the blood of menstruation) that this would either break their dieta or would cause them to lose strength. The Meraya were usually tended to by one singular person who would help prepare food for them and the Meraya would be in service of the villagers should they fall ill, need assistance with malevolent spirits or need to be Icarado (sung to) to be strong for hunting or fishing.

As the Modern world has come to Ayahuasca those who became the descendants of the Meraya began to come into the villages to live and also began to heal people from outside of the tribe. These descendants are known as Omnayra and those who hold this lineage have dieted many master plants to be known to the westerner as Maestro or Shaman. Often these Maestros have retreat centres or work in retreat centres or are taken by Westerners to other countries where Ayahuasca Ceremonies are held.

So whether you can be with your Moontime (Menstruating) will depend on the individual lineage beliefs of the Maestro of Ayahuasca with whom your ceremony is held. In our experience of the Old Maestros who are aged between 70 and 90 years often they will have a very hard and fast rule about no blood in ceremony which maybe a cultural belief stemming from the Meraya Sacred practice or be rooted in the belief that blood can affect the strength of the Maestro which appears to originate from the plant dietas being ’Chockeada negatively affected by the presence of blood in ceremony.

It will also depend on whether anyone in the ceremony is currently dieting a Master Plant that cannot be in the presence of blood. So many westerners are now undergoing Shamanic training in the world of Ayahuasca or dieting Master plants so this is also a consideration.

Many Maestros who are not currently dieting and when there is no one dieting a Master plant in ceremony will ask you to let them know if you are with your moontime so that the Medicine Ayahuasca can be sung to (Icarada) before you drink to ensure that your energy is protected in ceremony and also that of the shared experience.

In short it depends on many things and ultimately if you are planning to attend an Ayahuasca Ceremony or retreat it is best to check with your Maestro or retreat centre what is their unique approach when it comes to Menstruation in an Ayahuasca ceremony.

We hope that this can bring some clarity as to the ancestral wisdom behind the considerations as to whether you can drink Ayahuasca whilst in moontime (menstruation)  

In our experience of this wonderful world of Ayahuasca, everything has a reason and a significance which has been born from many generations of Sacred Plant knowledge being past down from those that know to those that know and to keep the lineages strong. As Ayahuasca comes more and more into the modern world we are moved to bring the voice of the Sacred wisdom keepers to the world and bring clarity that arises from Ancestral lineages so that those who are connecting to Ayahuasca can make an educated choice about what you wish to do with the voice of the ancient ones.

Thank you for hearing the call