Howard G. Charing is a director of the Eagle Wing’s Centre for Contemporary Shamanism and has taught at Dr. Michael Harner’s Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He holds workshops internationally and in addition runs Plant Medicine Retreats in the Peruvian Amazon. He lives in England and Peru.

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Recognized as one of the world's great visionary artists, Pablo Amaringo was renowned for his intricate, colorful paintings inspired by his shamanic visions. A master communicator of the ayahuasca experience--where snakes, jaguars, subterranean beings, celestial palaces, aliens, and spacecraft all converge--Amaringo's art presents a doorway to the transcendent worlds of ayahuasca intended for contemplation, meditation, and inspiration. Illustrating the evolution of his intricate and colorful art, this book contains 47 full-color reproductions of Amaringo's latest works with detailed explorations of the rich Amazonian mythology underlying each painting. Through their longstanding relationship with Amaringo, coauthors Charing and Cloudsley are able to share the personal stories behind his visions and experiences with Amazonian people and folklore, capturing Amaringo's powerful ecological and spiritual message through his art and words. With contributions by Graham Hancock, Jeremy Narby, Robert Venosa, Dennis McKenna, Stephan Beyer, and Jan Kounen, this book brings the ayahuasca experience to life as we travel on Amaringo's visionary brush and palette.

Résumé
A new collection of never-before-published paintings by renowned artist Pablo Amaringo.

Échantillon de lecture
Huarmi Ta quina
Ícaro de Mujer

Huarmi taquina is the ícaro for drawing feminine creative energy in to an ayahuasca ceremony. It is a very powerful ícaro that connects us to Mother Earth, the Pachamama: the principle that brings new life to the world. When the huarmi taquina is sung one feels a vibration flowing through one’s body, harmonizing oneself with the great rhythm of the cosmos. The song of creation reverberates with all life and the earth itself.

Feminine energy is universal and part of the very fabric of the cosmos. Just as a woman spins and weaves textiles to produce clothes, so this divine force spins and weaves cosmic particles into the fabric of life. When a woman works with spiritual awareness she communes with an unfathomable force, and her cloth has no beginning or end. Wearing a cloak woven in one piece without any seams connects one with the source of cosmic life, allowing one to flourish and evolve a higher state of consciousness. It makes one wise in matters of divinity, therefore enabling one to live an enlightened life.

The stars and planets in the top left corner show that this ícaro originates in the galaxies near the center of the universe. The mask of flowers next to it symbolizes the hidden power of a woman; she has more willpower, spirit, and passion than a man. A woman who is a mother represents Mother Earth. The spirals at the top denote the nurturing love that a mother has for her children--and men should also have this. As long as the feminine force is present there is respect for life. If men are left on their own they can be very destructive. When the huarmi taquina is sung it bestows feminine powers of intuition, creativity, love, and patience.

The water at the lower right represents the eternal source of life from whence the DNA spiral helixes grow upward. Life on earth emerged from the seas and the oceans, and we too emerge from the amniotic fluid of our mother’s womb when we are born. The women here have merged with the rocks and trees in the landscape, demonstrating that the feminine force is the omnipresent source of nourishment and abundance. The angelic beings above enjoy the earth as a mystical garden filled with luscious plants and exquisitely fragrant flowers.

The lianas and flowers to the right illustrate how nature delights us with her beauty. The shapes, colors, and scents of the flowers are invitations to love and harmony. When one takes a floral bath, these flowers attract taquinas, which penetrate the skin. When my sister was seriously ill, the curandera performed ícaros and sopladas while she slept; this alone healed her.

Beauty in any of its forms is an expression of the feminine essence, and we naturally respond with love and admiration. For many people today the absence of beauty causes separation from the feminine principle and leads to unhappiness and spiritual deprivation. The beautiful women and sirenas seen below near the waters represent divine union and beauty. The horse symbolizes the burdens that people carry in their lives, but despite the suffering we persevere, giving birth to new life and nurturing the children.

The celestial masters created the palace and temples seen in the center. They represent the mystical feminine soul that informs and brings life into existence on the earth. The blue temple above symbolizes purity and spiritual love; the water that flows from there down to the lower temple baptizes and purifies the earth. In the waterfall are yacumama llipian, which means brilliant or shining yacumama; they can fly between realms. To the left can be seen the form of a naked man, symbolizing the sacred union between man and woman that is needed in order to create life and form a family.

Left of the temple, the face of the woman in blue represents the sacred feminine force. This is eternal and we live within the unknowable mystery of her being.

The ark at the bottom of the painting represents the sacrosanct. Within the ark is a pyramid in which a princess brings understanding of the mystic origins of cosmic life to the sumiruna and his apprentices. In the upper part of the pyramid is a tinaja used by indigenous women for carrying water on their heads for their families. To either side are birds who sing songs of the river, the forest, and the universe.

At the bottom is the shapely figure of a sirena emerging from the depths of the water. She has evolved from the element of water. We too are made of the same water as she. Water is the fountain of life, which renews and vitalizes us so that we may flourish. That is why when a woman cries, her tears refresh, cleanse, and transform her.

Wearing silk helps maintain good health, and particularly when unwell, wearing silk pajamas at night is very healing. A woman’s taquina is like silk being woven into a textile as smooth as her beautiful skin. One should always take good care of one’s skin, it is where our cosmic nature resides; if one looks after it one’s house will remain in good repair.

We are made of music. Artists do well to whistle or chant as I do when I paint--much as a little bird sings to protect the forest. The huarmi taquina is the vibration of the spirit that accompanies creation; everyone feels happy when they hear it.

The woman represents beauty, and her chant is an exquisite bird song lifting everyone’s spirits--like lianas twisting up into the sky.

Contenu

Foreword by Jorge Velásquez Portocarrero

Preface by Howard G. Charing

Preface by Peter Cloudsley

Introduction by Pablo Amaringo

Part One Pablo Amaringo, the Man

Memories and Legacy
With contributions by Dennis McKenna, Ph.D.
Jeremy Narby, Ph.D.
Graham Hancock
Roberto Venosa
Jan Kounen
Stephan V. Beyer, Ph.D.

Autobiography of the Artist

Part Two Pablo Amaringo, the Work
The Color Plates

Glossary