• Those who want to embody the values that Tobacco promotes and to incorporate them into their initiation process with other Master plants such as San Pedro and Ayahuasca
• Individuals who need grounding or help with integration of other types of spiritual practices
• People feeling a call to create a positive change in their lives and connect with their needs through Shamanic work
• Students of plant medicine who wants to learn, heal and connect with Master plants

Tobacco is a central plant in the Shamanic healing traditions of the Americas and the Amazon jungle. It’s considered a teacher and a guide
to cosmic knowledge and the spirit world, a plant that brings blessing and protection. Tobacco is called with affection ‘The grandfather of all plants’, from which all plants sprang.

In the Amazon, Tobacco is considered a universal medicine by most indigenous groups and is used by the
Shaman or traditional healer. According to the indigenous world view, every life form has a spirit, including plants. The plant spirits teach people how to live in peace and harmony with themselves and their environment.

Master plants help us to recognize the truth of who we are, and therefore better understand our relations with the world that we live in. Indigenous medicine men use Tobacco to induce a strong physical and energetic cleanse, promote prophetic dreams and to protect and regulate the energetic body.

At the…

Physical level, Tobacco cleans the blood, intestines, stomach and sinuses. It cleans mucus, toxins and parasites.

Emotional level, Tobacco supports clearing held emotions, behavioral patterns and believes that no longer serve us.

Energetic level, Tobacco helps to open energetic blockages, so that our energy may flow freely in the body.

The Dieta

What is called ‘plant dieta’ in Peru is the way that the Shaman, or traditional healer, creates a bond with the plant spirits and learn from
them. These plants are big trees, shrubs, and herbs with medicinal qualities that are known to the indigenous people as ‘Doctors’ and ‘Teachers’. They are also called ‘Master Plants’.

The Healing

Each master plant has different healing properties and knowledge. They all have the ability to help us embody the unique qualities and values that they promote. All master plants connect us to the field of healing and cosmic knowledge. Plants teach what they have mastered in millions of years of evolution – how to live in harmony, peace and balance with ourselves and our environment.

The healing brought by the plant spirits has a central role in the work of the traditional healer. It is usually the healer that administers plant medicine, determines which plant will be beneficial to diet, and finally the duration of time that is needed. Most of the master plants are served with Tobacco. Tobacco activates the other plants that are mixed in it, and helps to ground their teachings, and integrate them into the body.

Usually the first plant that we diet would be Tobacco. It is considered the pillar of the shamanic house for it’s cleansing and grounding qualities. It helps us to manifest ourselves in the material world. Tobacco provides the stability and grounding needed in order to work with other plant teachers that open a window to travel in other dimensions. Before we travel, Tobacco teaches us to walk the Earth. Every night during a plant diet, plant medicine is served in a ceremonial manner to each participant in their private space.

The Ceremony

During daytime participants rest and eat light food, consisting of fruit and vegetables. To make the best out of the experience, it is best to avoid company and to stay in oneself’s energy. It is also recommended to abstain from any sexual stimulation. These recommendations are meant to allow the participants to undergo a deep process of detoxification on all levels – physical, emotional and mental. That is to help slow and calm their mind’s activity, so to open spiritual channels.

The healer’s role is to hold a safe and loving space where healing can occur, to guide the participants in their process, to be a bridge between
the western world view and the plant spirits world. The healer meets every participant before the beginning of their diet for a diagnosis.
Based on the diagnosis, the healer determines which plant should be drank and for what duration. During the ceremonies and diets the healer directs the medicine and supports the process of the participants.

Merav Artzi, A healer working with medicinal plants from the Amazon jungle, specializing in Tobacco.

At an early age I left my home country of Israel in order to study Fine arts in Europe. For 15 years I have lived in Amsterdam. During those years I finished my Masters in Fine Arts and lived in a squat with a community of artists and political activists. In 2009, while traveling in South america, I heard about Shamanism and Ayahuasca, and decided to go to the Amazon. The work with Ayahuasca was a gate to the magical world of medicinal plants. The Amazon is truly the pharmacy of planet Earth.

I have been working for eight years as a healer trained with Amazonia plants, specializing in Tobacco. Beforehand, I apprenticed with Maestro Ernesto Garcia Torres in Iquitos. As a healer, I work with patients suffering from hormonal imbalance, anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma and more. In addition, I give Master Plant diets and teach students who are interested in learning how to heal with Tobacco.

Tobacco is the medicine of my heart and I am here to share this medicine with the world. I invite you, with lots of love, to ask any questions, and to take part in upcoming events. 

Specialising in Energy and Bodywork, incorporating yoga, tai chi, breathwork and meditation, Amy encapsulates the need for expressive intuition and provides gentle guidance for people to return to their authentic energy space and connect to their natural rhythm. Preferring a one-to-one approach, most importantly to achieve a highly inter-personal routine.

Amy is also able to give small group sessions where she works patiently and sensitively to ensure all participants are individually considered.

For Willkumayu Spirit, Amy has developed a complementary pre-ceremony session, most importantly to ready participants for improved composure and receptivity with their process working with the Master Plants. Please mention this during your application if you have an interest.