Master Plant Dieta

In Amazonian Shamanism, dieta (sama in Shipibo) is a process of learning with and from the plants and the maestro/a administering the plant dieta. During this process, many sacrifices have to occur to facilitate the connection between the dietero (one who diets with plant medicine) and the plant. The dietero must adhere to dietary and energetic restrictions to ensure the best environment possible for the plant they are dieting to become a part of their energy body. In return for the sacrifices made and the discipline demonstrated, the plants offer protection, guidance, and healing throughout the dietero’s entire life.  

A master plant dieta is a serious commitment to your healing process that requires an extreme amount of humility and discipline. During a master plant dieta, the dietero becomes responsible for cultivating the optimal conditions within their body and mind for the plant they are dieting with to become a part of them, a symbiotic relationship. This sacred process is deeply embedded in the Shipibo tradition, drawing on their extensive wisdom and relationship with the plant kingdom. This journey nurtures your connection with the Earth’s natural energies and invites a powerful inner transformation.

If you adhere to all the dieta guidelines, you will create a lifelong relationship with the plant you diet. The plant becomes your teacher, guide, and protector. This spiritual alchemical process compels one to rid one’s life of everything that’s not in alignment with one’s higher self.

Maestro’s complete many dietas while training to become healers and continue dieting throughout their life. The Maestro will only have you diet a plant that they have also dieted. Doing a master plant dieta by yourself is not recommended for people who have limited experience working with the medicine. It is also important to look for a reputable healer that can guide you on this journey.

If done correctly, a master plant dieta will lead to multi-dimensional changes, opening the door for true beauty and love to enter your life.

Amazonian Master Plant Teachers

There are many master plant teachers that one can diet. And just like any master teacher, they require a great deal of discipline and humility to work with. The plants will put the dietero through trials and tests during waking life and in dream realms. Some of these tests will be subtle, and some will be obvious; either way, the dietero is responsible for cultivating enough awareness to take these lessons seriously so they can receive the gifts that the master plant teachers have to offer.

Ayahuasca is utilized during the dieta process to help facilitate the relationship between the master plant teachers and the dietero. The various master plants have different energies, qualities, and healing properties. There are herbs, shrubs, vines, and trees that one can diet. Generally speaking, a dietero will start with herbs and work their way up to dieting trees, but it is a unique process for everyone. The Maestro/a you do the dieta with will know which plant(s) you are ready to cultivate a relationship with and will guide you throughout the process of dieting.

To Westerners, this may seem mysterious, but it is a systematic process that the Shipibo have developed for hundreds of years. Having the opportunity to complete a master plant dieta is a blessing and should be taken seriously. Only those who are genuinely committed should embark on this path with the master plants.

Preparing for a Master Plant Dieta

Preparing for a master plant dieta is similar to preparing to work with Ayahuasca. The dietary requirements before the dieta are the same as the ones that must be adhered to for a regular Ayahuasca retreat. Additionally, slowing down from the busyness of life and detaching from activities like TV watching and using social media will help prepare you to initiate a relationship with a master plant teacher. It’s also recommended to spend time in nature and meditation to prepare your mind and energetics for the incredibly intense process that is about to take place.  

Reflecting deeply on your motivations and what you hope to gain or understand through this experience is foundational. Working with master plants is akin to engaging in a profound dialogue with your innermost self and the universe; thus, clarity and honesty in your intentions serve as the guiding light for the dieta. This is an opportunity to consider what you want to create in your life. If you’re doing a master plant dieta, you have already participated in multiple Ayahuasca ceremonies and have established a relationship with Ayahuasca. Reference your past experiences with the medicine to help guide you when setting intentions for the dieta.

What Happens While at La Medicina

Below is a sample of how a dieta process can unfold at La Medicina.  

The first three days of the master plant dieta retreat are spent preparing for the intensity soon to come. The Maestro and Maestra will prepare steam baths for all the participants twice daily for 15-20 minutes per session, a total of four steam baths. The steam baths begin the process of releasing negative energies and establishing a connection with the plant(s) that you will be dieting. This is an excellent opportunity to meditate and reflect on your intentions for the dieta.

The first three days are also the only opportunity for you to speak with the other participants until the last day of the retreat. Some people may choose not to interact much at all with others if they wish so they can get in the right state of mind for the dieta.

The Maestro will tell you which plant(s) you will be dieting. If they are growing on the property, you can sit with the plants in meditation, which can help initiate a deepening of the relationship you are about to build with them.
Noble silence begins on the fourth day of the retreat and will continue until the last day of the retreat. During this time, you don’t speak with anyone or look anyone in the eyes; the only exception is when the Maestro comes to bring you the plant(s) you are dieting twice daily while dry fasting in isolation on days four through eight. If people feel inclined, they may have some brief interactions with other participants when everyone comes out of fasting and isolation, but it’s encouraged to keep this to a minimum so everyone can focus on their process.

The dieta will open with an Ayahuasca ceremony on the fourth night of the retreat. Participants will receive a light lunch this day, their last opportunity to eat and drink water until the ninth day of the retreat. The Maestra will also offer flower baths before each ceremony.

Days five through eight will be spent in isolation in your room. As previously mentioned, the Maestro will bring you the plant(s) you are dieting in the morning and evening these days. He will check in with you to make sure you’re doing alright. Participants aren’t supposed to use any soaps or shampoos during this time, showering with pure water is permitted. Fasting without food or water is an opportunity to meditate on establishing a connection with the plant(s) you are dieting. No screen use of any kind is allowed. It’s also discouraged to read books or listen to music, but any form of creativity is highly encouraged. People can write, journal, paint, draw, carve, embroider, sing, compose music or make any other art. When playing music or singing, mindfulness is key since sound does travel far and beyond in the jungle.

On day nine , everyone will come out of isolation and break the fast with a light lunch. The evenings of days nine, ten, and eleven will feature Ayahuasca ceremonies, which might be more intense than those at a regular retreat due to the time spent fasting and being in isolation.

Day twelve of the retreat is a rest day, allowing you to reflect on the experience you’ve had so far.

The final ceremony, Arkana, is held on the evening of the thirteenth day.

Noble silence ends on day fourteen, which is a day of integration and rest. In the morning, there will be breakfast and a Shipibo market, followed by a sharemony in Maloka and dinner.

On day fifteen there will be breakfast served in the morning at nine o’clock and the departure back to the city to follow at ten.

Post-dieta Guidelines

• Salt (can be slowly incorporated after one month, if you choose)
• Sugar
• Caffeine
• Spices and herbs
• Fats
• Oils
• Pork
• Red meat
• Salmon
• Nuts and seeds
• Processed foods
• Nightshades
• Bell peppers
• Avocado
• Dairy
• Citrus fruits
• You are allowed one banana or apple per day or one cup of blueberries or other berries
• Cannabis
• Alcohol
• Recreational drugs
• Working with another Maestro
• Working with an energy healer
• Television/movies
• Social media (exception for work purposes)
• Sexual activity with self and others

After one month, you are allowed one tablespoon of high-quality olive oil per day. You can slowly introduce some things back into your diet over the course of three months. For example, not consuming salt for significant periods of time can be detrimental to health for some people, so you need to listen to your body and know when you should start using salt sparingly. The facilitators and Maestros at La Medicina will provide additional information and guidance on this if needed.

It’s important to note that each Maestro and lineage have different requirements, so these guidelines may differ from those of other dietas you have completed with another Maestro.

The reason for the restrictions is twofold. One is to ensure that you have established the best environment for the plant(s) to grow and become a part of you. The plant(s) are planted as energetic seeds in your energy body, so certain foods and activities can interfere with this process. Another reason for the restrictions is to test your level of commitment and discipline. The master plants will only enter a symbiotic relationship with those willing to make sacrifices and demonstrate discipline.

Some people find that the plant(s) impress upon them other restrictions not explicitly told to them by the Maestro. This is unique to everyone, and some might not find this to be the case. It’s essential to listen to your intuition during this process and come to an understanding of what it means for you to demonstrate discipline and humility.

The consequences of breaking the dieta early are unique to each individual and the plant(s) you’re dieting. At the very least, you will not have a connection with the plant(s), and you won’t receive the protection, healing, and gifts that they have to offer those who adhere to the dieta.

Participants have the option to extend the dieta up to one year, but no longer than one year, if they wish.

Adhering to these restrictions is not easy, but it is doable, and the benefits of keeping the dieta will be with you for life.

Integration

You might feel amazing at the end of this process, or you might find your life has crumbled and you’re in the midst of chaos. If you find yourself in the latter situation, know that this is part of the process and that you should trust and have faith in what’s happening. The plants help you rid your life of anything that will keep you from feeling true peace and harmony, so sometimes things have to break and fall apart so they can be built anew on an everlasting foundation.

It can be helpful to have a guide or psychedelic integration coach who has completed master plant dietas to talk with about your experience. This can prove to be invaluable, especially if you are new to dieting or having a particularly difficult time.

As is the case with working just with Ayahuasca, explaining to others exactly what you are going through and experiencing will be impossible. Consider your audience when telling people about the dieta, and follow your intuition about what to share with others and what to keep to yourself. Some insights and gifts that come from the plants are only meant for you.

How a dietero connects with the plant(s) they are dieting is unique to each individual. One common way to connect with the plants is to use Mapacho with the intention of opening your plant medicine space. Working with Mapacho can help strengthen your connection with the plants and the dieta, helping to keep you grounded during integration.

Transformation of Dreamscape

The transformation of dreamscape might become potent during a master plant dieta. The plants might enter your dreams to test you, teach you, and offer you gifts like healing and protection. Consider taking these dreams seriously to receive the full blessings that the plants have to offer. You can demonstrate your commitment to the dieta by recording insights and lessons that you are learning from your dreams in a journal.

Some dieteros may find that they are being tested in their dreams with temptations of foods that would break the dieta, drugs, money, power, and sex. Your level of compassion and willingness to serve others are other examples of tests that may arise in your dreams. If you end up eating something in your dream that breaks the dieta or taking some unsavory action in your dream, know that you have not actually broken the dieta or committed some unsavory action. These “failed” tests are just an indication as to some things that you may need to work on in your waking life. The dream tests are gifts from the plant(s), providing direct guidance on how to cultivate more discipline—shining a light on some things you may consider working on – a roadmap on how to empower yourself, putting you in a better position to be of service to others.

Carrying The Plant Energies Throughout Your Life

If you embark on a master plant dieta, make a lifelong commitment to your health, vitality, and integrity, and the magick of the plants will always be with you. This doesn’t require perfection; you will always make mistakes in this life, but if you learn from those mistakes and strive to be better today than you were yesterday, the plants will help you. There will always be trials and tests, but now, with the plant(s) growing inside you, you are well-equipped to navigate these challenges with strength and confidence.

As with any psychedelic journey, explaining the astronomical beauty of a master plant dieta is impossible; it has to be experienced to be understood. If you feel that plants and Ayahuasca are calling you to work with them in a deeper way, then listen to the call, come to the Amazon Jungle, and step into the celestial beauty that nature offers to us. As you embrace nature with reverence, nature will embrace you and help you realize your divine potential.