Having recently turned 50 and even though I feel it has been a super intense and successful ride (I’m still alive, so I guess that’s a barometer for success), I felt myself falling into a rut. I was unfulfilled in my job and things were just…blah. A close friend of mine made this analogy: When things tend to go flat for me I come in the room and flip the table over and the game board and pieces go flying everywhere. Well, it was time to flip the table again, and to do it with authority.
My job had been a great vehicle in my life for college, certifications, and traveling the world, but it seemed to have broken down on a desolate desert road with radiator fluid spewing all over the cactus that surrounded it. My management and the leaders above me were spectacular, but I was stuck and having been there for 21 years, I felt it was time to move on. My boss, after laying others off, didn’t look too well as he prepared me for the news over a video call. I wanted to volunteer for the layoff and simply said, “Sir, this will be the easiest call you have all day.” I had a Cuban cigar and a glass of whiskey ready when I heard the numbers. I instantly knew I had made the right decision when I felt a massive weight lift off me.
What to do with my life now was the next question. It didn’t take me long to realize I should blast out on the bike to figure it out. While riding through Joshua Tree National Park I reflected on my time in Peru. I took a trip up the Amazon and at a friend’s suggestion I tried this mystical hallucinogenic drink called ayahuasca under the guidance of a Peruvian shaman. It was an intense experience (to say the least) and it was a solid restart of my entire system. I felt as though it was time for this sacred drink again.
After a 3-month ride to British Columbia (nothing is ever a direct route for me) and experiencing some failures with the motorcycle, I arrived at my friend’s retreat. Ayahuasca isn’t a pleasant experience for me. It is a lot of work. You face your true inner self, even if you don’t want to. This can be painful and ugly. It is intense. In my life, there are two things that scared me: Exiting an aircraft in flight and drinking ayahuasca. Everything else is manageable.
I was beyond nervous so I thought prior to arriving I would throw a few casts out to kill an hour or two. My first cast I caught a beautiful bass.
The preparation for these ceremonies was not something to be taken lightly. This includes a very strict diet of no processed food or alcohol, and meats limited to chicken, turkey, or fish. The bass was a perfect meal to share with my new friends.
I arrived on my semi-trusty BMW GS1200 (the semi part is an0ther story) and pitched my tent where I would sleep after the ceremonies. There were 11 others that would be drinking along with 2 practitioners overseeing the ceremony. It would take place at 20:00 (that’s 8:00 p.m.) in a yurt on a beautiful piece of land next to a large river. It was the perfect setting and time for me to be in this place.
I was beyond scared to drink this medicine again, but I knew it would provide the life guidance I wanted. Having taken ayahuasca in Peru, I felt confident and familiar with the effects; however, I didn’t expect the impact it would have on me this time.
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