AHO KAMBO
WHAT TO EXPECT IN A KAMBO CEREMONY
OPENING CEREMONY
Ceremony will begin with a smoke-purification ritual called smudging. The smoke of white sage will be fanned over all participants & practitioners, as well as throughout the ceremony space. The purpose is to cleanse impurities, remove anxieties, dark thoughts or any unwanted energies or emotions that may be lingering.
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Opening ceremony may also include breathwork, opening prayer and oracle cards (to clarify intention).
Depending on the client/circle, hapé may also be served for grounding.
GATES
A small incense stick or vine will be used to gently lift the very top layer of skin. The skin is then carefully removed
to create a safe, clean access point for Kambo. These are not burns so much as openings, and they are small and superficial. There is no blood. Your practitioner is adamant and meticulous about opening small, uniform, shallow gates and ensuring that the process is quick and painless.
Your gate number and location will be discussed and determined with your practitioner prior to ceremony.
WATER
After the gates are opened, you will start drinking about 1.5 liters of water while your practitioner prepares the secretion. The water is a terrific helper in the process and acts as a carrier for the purge. You will have no more than 15 minutes to drink the water before Kambo is applied, otherwise it will start being processed by the body.
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*Water intake will vary by treatment
MIXING POINTS
While you are drinking the water, your practitioner will be mixing points. The dried secretion will be mixed with a little water to form small fine dots.
The finely divided Kambo points are then applied directly to the gates marked on the skin.
EXPERIENCE
While everyone's experience will be unique, there are some commonalities within the process.
As Kambo enters directly into the lymphatic system, the effects are almost immediate.
Kambo works with your intention and what is needed in the moment. It moves quickly within the body, scanning for problems and then going directly to work on those areas. It is important to understand that Kambo is an incredibly intelligent medicine, and will it find the places within the physical body where emotions, traumas and blocks are stored.
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Most people experience a warm to hot flush, growing pressure to the upper body and face, and an increased heart rate right after the first minute of application. It is very common to feel tingling sensations in the hands and feet and many experience slight swelling in the face, ears, and throat.
As the medicine continues to circulate, people may experience dizziness, shaking, trembling, tingling, nausea, pain, a general bodily discomfort, fainting, cathartic release and purging.
The discomfort present is the accumulation of toxins (physical and emotional) in your body wanting to exit. Purging can take a number of forms including vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, crying, and sounding.
There's never any guarantees of what the experience will be like, and sometimes people report beautiful treatments – dropping into states of calm, enlightenment, euphoria and bliss.
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The experience will be uniquely yours, and it will be between you & Kambo.
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During your process I will be intuitively aiding with song, drumming, streamed music, and smudging (sage & palo santo). I may also be rewetting and flipping the points.
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POST CEREMONY
DRAGON'S BLOOD
When one is complete (anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour) the nausea will subside and the medicine will be taken off of the skin.
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The gates are then dressed with a Peruvian tree sap solution called ‘Sangre de Grado’, or Dragon’s Blood.
Dragon's Blood is an analgesic, antiseptic, antibacterial, and it forms a natural seal around the gate which helps with healing and prevents scarring. It also ensures that the gates stay free from infection until they scab naturally within a day or so.
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The marks will heal and fade with time, but depending on your skin color and type you may always have small visible scars. Most people see their Kambo marks as a badge of honor to be worn proudly and many ask to have the dots arranged on the skin in a pleasing artistic pattern.
The same gates can be reused after 2-3 months.
HOLDING SPACE
After the process, you’ll either feel invigorated or completely wiped out. In any case, I will hold space for people to rest and recover after the medicine is removed. This will be a space of non-interference, mindfulness, presence and pure love. It can last anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours depending on your experience.
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I personally find this period to be incredibly powerful and profound. It is a magnificent opportunity to explore, reflect and fully embrace the experience. If it comes, let it. If it goes, let it.
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It is during this time that Sananga may be applied.
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Tea and light snacks will be available when one is complete.
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Closing ceremony will end the process.
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DAYS FOLLOWING TREATMENT (INTEGRATION)
Just because the medicine has been removed does not mean the medicine has stopped working! In fact, it may still be working deeply. For this reason, it is strongly advised to not make plans on the evening of your ceremony day. Allow yourself to rest, to eat a nourishing meal, and to honor yourself and your experience.
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Generally speaking, people tend to feel the powerful, profound benefits of Kambo within 48-72 hours. Honoring your integration will allow the full potential of Kambo’s mind-body-spirit healing power to unfold.
A KAMBO CEREMONY CAN LAST ANYWHERE FROM 2-8 HOURS.
*The period of cleansing and purging while the medicine is on the skin may require as little as 20 minutes or as much as an hour+.
*Connecting and conversing before and after ceremony, time in resting space, working with other medicines, etc. all make it a full day experience.