Overcoming Fears with KAMBO
WHY KAMBO
When Amazonian hunters struggle to catch prey, it is believed that they carry heavy, stagnant energy that repels animals, keeping them at a distance. At this instance, the whole tribe goes through a KAMBO ceremony to remove these energies.
In the same way, when I feel there is something stored deep in my system - bottled up anger after a break up, feeling of being in a haze, or hidden fears preventing from living fully, I consider this grand detox.
It always leaves me
HEALTHIER, STRONGER, WITH CLEAR MIND & GROUNDED FEELING.
WHAT IS IT & WHEN TO USE IT
Kambo is a gift of nature. A traditional Amazonian medicine made from the secretion of a giant monkey frog. On physical level it removes stored toxins and waste from liver, lymphatic system and intestines. On emotional level it releases suppressed fears and bottled up emotions. In my experience it also helps dramatically to overcome lethargy and mental fog.
For ideal outcome, you should repeat the ritual 3 days in a row.
ACCESSING MY FEARS
Your intention is of the utmost importance for any spiritual endeavour. I chose to access my fears, and remove whatever was holding me from living fully in my own body. As earlier that year I realised that I sometimes feel like I live out of it, almost hovering above it. It was most prominent during my ice hockey matches where I would sometimes get too stressed out about my performance, and then skate as if covered in some slime. Until I got hit by the boards and then magically return to my body and I could play properly and be myself again.
THE EXPERIENCE
We found ourselves a nice spot on the grass, close to the running river. This makes a lot of difference for the overall experience, as the river both helps to take away the released energies as well as provides possibility of a cold plunge that charges your body after the treatment.
As the first step, Tony burnt some copal to ritually cleanse the environment and my energetic points across the whole body, starting from the bottom and going up, and then from the center of the body to each of the sides.
DAY 1
Early morning dew makes me shiver even more as I’m sitting just in my underwear at Chirripo forrest, some 2.300m above sea level. I can feel Tony puncturing my skin on the right arm with burning stick. We are starting with 5 points obviously.
I am trying to gulp last bit of water from my flask to make sure there is enough water to clean everything that needs to go. Tony reminds me of the mantra I should be repeating out loud: “Badu Badu Ba, Qua Qua”. This phonetic device not only gives respect to the frog donor of my medicine but also pragmatically induces the movement necessary to send the water out of my body a few seconds later.
Shaman Preparing the Sacred Space for Kambo ceremony using Kopal
Tony has applied some water to the dried secretion and now plastering with it the holes in my punctured skin. The last moment of me feeling a bit nervous, despite having gone through this before, and I can feel the intense heat coming to my head already, my heart is pounding, and I start to vomit, feeling the liver area contracting. The liquid coming out is of greenish color, indicating removal of ancient repressed emotions. And to my surprise within two or three minutes it is over. A much smoother experience to my previous endeavours.
I feel a bit shaky but Tony is there already with sananga, a potent Amazonian eye medicine made from the roots of a sacred shrub, in this case very handy to clear energetic blockages, and land after any spiritual experience by inducing an intense yet brief burning sensation in the eyes.
We jump into the cold river that cannot have more than 6 degrees, and this takes away the last feeling of heat of previous experience, charging up the body with intense energy. Combined with the breath work at the bank of the river I stand there like a rock, grounded, feel I can take on anything in the world.
DAY 2
Traveling through the night by twisty roads, not sleeping enough and now sitting again on the cold grass was a perfect combination of getting deeper into my fears. I could hear the small boy inside me being afraid, wanting to cry and run home. But I decided to stick out for us.
7 points today were awarded. A more intense yet again very swift process ensued and I found myself standing in the river, screaming “I am here!”. My internal force announcing it is there and available when I need it. I feel great, full of energy, empowered and relieved. Such a contrast to the small boy showing fear earlier.
DAY 3
Going in more confident and healed from the day before, I now know exactly who to address today. The small negative voice in my head that always tries to scare me, the grand doubter and saboteur that prevents me from going into life full on.
While waiting for Tony to start the ceremony, and award me with 9 points for the final round I am gathering my Wise Self, and the inner Warrior to talk to talk to the Scared one. Let’s make a deal, we show you we can go through this, that we will be ok, and you will not stress out anymore because now you know I am here to take care of us.
9 points, 1 sananga, 2 cold plunges later I stand stronger than ever. Even the Scared boy inside my is smiling, we did it. Energy is rushing through my veins. And all is well.
Borrowed from Science Photo Library
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Choose a guide with good energy. Tony’s energy is of strength and compassion, and you can instantly feel his motivation comes from the heart. Having had experienced few other ones at the beginning of my spiritual journey, I felt the darkness and heavy energy of these people adding to the discomfort.
Ask how the secretion was collected as the energy of that ritual will be transmitted to the medicine, and thus your experience. It ranges from pure harmony where a grandma sings to the frogs and they come to her themselves while she gently scrapes them off to a very aggressive scraping of the secretion off a tied up frog on a cross in Tribu tribe.
Do not eat anything some 10 hours before ideally, and Drink at least 3 litres of water just before the ritual to ensure you have enough liquid inside to remove all the stored stuff that needs to go away.
If you have a heart issue, please consult your doctor before.
