Synopses & Reviews
The history of San Pedro and its uses for healing, creativity, and conscious evolution andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Includes interviews with practicing San Pedro shamans on their rituals, cactus preparations, and teachings on how San Pedro heals the mind and body andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Contains accounts from people who have been healed by San Pedro andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andbull; Includes chapters by Eve Bruce, M.D., and David Luke, Ph.D., on San Pedroandrsquo;s effects on psychic abilities and its similarities to and differences from ayahuasca andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;San Pedro, the legendary cactus of vision, has been used by the shamans of Peru for at least 3,500 years. Referring to St. Peter, who holds the keys to Heaven, its name is suggestive of the plantandrsquo;s visionary power to open the gates between the visible and invisible worlds, allowing passage to an ecstatic realm where miraculous physical and spiritual healings occur, love and enthusiasm for life are rekindled, the future divined, and the soulandrsquo;s purpose revealed. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Exploring the history and shamanic uses of the San Pedro cactus, Ross Heaven interviews practicing San Pedro shamans about ancient and modern rituals, preparation of the visionary brew, experiences with the healing spirit of San Pedro, and their teachings on how the cactus works on the mind, body, and illness. He investigates the conditions treated by San Pedro as well as how it can enhance creativity, providing case studies from those who have been healed by the cactus and accounts from those who have been artistically and musically inspired through its use. Psychedelic researchers Eve Bruce, M.D., David Luke, Ph.D., and journalist Morgan Maher contribute chapters delving into San Pedroandrsquo;s effects on conscious evolution and psychic abilities as well as its similarities to and differences from ayahuasca. Exploring plant communication and the vital role of music in San Pedro ceremonies, Heaven explains how healing songs are communicated by the sacred plants to the shamans working with them, much in the same way that other gifts of San Pedro--from healing to inspiration to expanded consciousness--are passed to those who commune with this ancient plant teacher.
Review
andldquo;This is a simply splendid book! Ross Heaven has written and edited an insightful and information-filled volume including reports from several shamans who have worked for many years with San Pedro. We finally have a definitive book on this remarkable psychedelic plant. Thank you for opening so many doors, Ross Heaven.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;An amiable, intelligent, and passionate introduction to the sacred medicine of the Andes. Ross Heavenandrsquo;s andlt;Iandgt;Cactus of Mysteryandlt;/Iandgt; is valuable not only as an orientation toward the ancient Huachuma tradition but also as an exploration of the experiences of healing and creativity common to all sacred medicine traditions.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;This book brings to light the possibilities that await us as an evolved conscious species if we reach out and communicate with plant species in a true andlsquo;communion.andrsquo;andrdquo;
Review
“This is a simply splendid book! Ross Heaven has written and edited an insightful and information-filled volume including reports from several shamans who have worked for many years with San Pedro. We finally have a definitive book on this remarkable psychedelic plant. Thank you for opening so many doors, Ross Heaven.” < b=""> James Fadiman, Ph.D. <> , author of < i=""> The Psychedelic Explorer & rsquo;s Guide <>
Review
“An amiable, intelligent, and passionate introduction to the sacred medicine of the Andes. Ross Heaven’s Cactus of Mystery is valuable not only as an orientation toward the ancient Huachuma tradition but also as an exploration of the experiences of healing and creativity common to all sacred medicine traditions.” < b=""> Robert Tindall <> , author of < i=""> The Jaguar that Roams the Mind <> and < i=""> The Shamanic Odyssey <>
Review
“This book brings to light the possibilities that await us as an evolved conscious species if we reach out and communicate with plant species in a true ‘communion.’” < b=""> Rahasya Poe, <> < i=""> Lotus Guide Magazine <> , April 2013
Review
andldquo;In conclusion, due to the paucity of literary information on San Pedro, this is a particularly needed book for not only does it bring this cactus to a wider audience, raising awareness of its potentials for healing, it also manages to bring together diverse and interesting disciplinary takes on the plant. Heaven, whose own knowledge and experience is clearly a wealth in itself, has collated an admirable selection of texts that provides the reader with a thorough perspective.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Ross details the rituals surrounding the traditional ceremonies involved andndash; from the Mesa (or andlsquo;control panelandrsquo;) required to focus the ceremony, the songs sung to invoke particular energies of cardinal archetypes, to the diet required for the shaman to approach the spirit of the plant in an impeccable fashion andndash; an absolute necessity for a successful healing session, and much more. Comes highly recommended.andrdquo;
About the Author
Ross Heaven is a psychologist, healer, and workshop facilitator and presenter with extensive training in the shamanic, transpersonal, and psychospiritual traditions. The author of more than 10 books, including andlt;Iandgt;Plant Spirit Shamanismandlt;/Iandgt;, he teaches workshops on shamanism and plant medicines in Spain and England and coordinates trips to Peru to work with indigenous plant shamans. He lives in Spain and the United Kingdom.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Introduction andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The Mystery of San Pedro andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part 1 andlt;BRandgt;San Pedro Shamans and Shamanismandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;1 Shamanism and Curanderismoandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Approach to Healing in Peruandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;2 Traditions of San Pedro Healing: Ancient and Modern andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;An Interview with Rubandeacute;n Orellanaandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven and La Gringa andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;3 San Pedro, the andldquo;Miracle Healerandrdquo; andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;An Interview with La Gringa, an Andean San Pedro Shamanandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;4 Working Practically with San Pedroandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Michael Simonato andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part 2 andlt;BRandgt;The Western Mindandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;5 The Anaconda and the Hummingbird andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Sacraments of the Lowland Rain Forest and the Highest Mountainsandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Eve Bruce, M.D. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;6 Notes on Getting Cactus Lodged in Your Reducing Valve andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;San Pedro and Psychic Abilitiesandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;David Luke, Ph.D. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;7 Heaven and the Hummingbird andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Morgan Maher andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Part 3 andlt;BRandgt;San Pedro Healingandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;8 San Pedro Healing--An Overview andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;9 San Pedro and the Cure of Addiction andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Tracie Thornberry andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;10 Healing an Abusive Past andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Alexia Gidding andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;11 New Insights, Emotional and Physical Healing andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Robyn Silvanen andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;12 The Universal Heart andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Daniel Moler andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;13 Deciding to Live Not Dieandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Sonna-Ra andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part 4 andlt;BRandgt;San Pedro and Creativityandlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;14 San Pedro in Art and Music andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;15 San Pedro andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Inspiration and Artandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;David andldquo;Slocumandrdquo; Hewson andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;16 San Pedro and the Healing of the Divine Mother andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Peter Sterling andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;17 The Songs of San Pedro andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Conclusions andlt;BRandgt;The Gifts of San Pedro andlt;BRandgt;Ross Heaven andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Appendix andlt;BRandgt;San Pedro Testimonials andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;About the Author andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Index andlt;/Bandgt;