Disco Meditationz 4 - Ceremony

We arrived at the Waterfall House early in the afternoon with plenty of time to kill before the ceremony. I got a taste of the Shamans on the bus ride upstate. Nando was sitting upfront and helping Jonathan to navigate the way and Taito Jose was sitting in front of me, holding up a lively conversation with the colombian architect turned massage-therapist sitting next to me. He obviously has a brilliant sense of humor, because he made her crack up all the time. Another one of those moments I wished my Spanish was more than rudimentary. All in all they both seemed to have no special demeanor or attitude that would have let you know they had any kind of special status in the group.
After our arrival we explored the ground a bit, I snuck out to the Waterfall and had a puff of macoña, we had been instructed to refrain from drinking, smoking weed and eating dairy for a few days before sitting with the medicine. I had decided that if I could go without two out of the three, I'd be doing better than ever, so I had a way of justifying jeopardizing my experience with another toke. The place was beautiful and the people arriving by and by all seemed to be open minded, interesting and all in all fairly balanced types. After I caught my buzz, I had a chat with Joao and then grabbed my guitar to use the time for some woodshedding. Played some flute too as I watched people arrive. Another transgression, someone arrived with some bread and butter and I joined in on the feast, having fasted all day ( fruit salad in the morning), until one of the helpers saw us and reprimanded us that we were not supposed to be eating right before the ceremony. Mental Note to blame it on Lamia if the trip does not get me off. So more waiting. Then suddenly it is after nine and everybody is sitting in the meditation hall with their little corner secured and laid out with blankets and cushions. After a little looking around I find some things to make as spread and settle into my corner. Nando and Taito Juan take over an hour to explain to us what to expect and how to allow the conversation with the plant, how not to look for anything but to let it come, they pass around an enormous tabacco 'cigarette' off which everybody is supposed to take 4 puffs, then a solution of tabacco water that u suck up your nostrils to cleanse your nasal cavity and prevent swelling of your sinuses ( my guess). I receive my medicine and bum some tobacco from Joao, realizing that we are allowed to smoke during the ceremoney to enhance the plants workings. Time passes and I see people around me getting nauseous, purging, starting to rock back and forth, moaning and laughing, all the signs of them 'getting off'. I tell myself to let loose, give in to the plant, nothing. After the second cup it seems like it all washed thru to my intestines and I suddenly have to go take a dump, but still no nausea or hallucinations. I try to concentrate on the flickering of the candle on the ceiling. I get upset at the elder playing a harmonica, it sounds like the first sounds a kid would play on the thing after u hand it to him, then repeating over and over, like a NY ice-cream-truck. I am making a note to make fun of this the next day, then get sucked into judging Kathi for 'faking' singing in tongues, even though her singing is angelic, my jealous little ego is telling me that she is just putting it on, no way a german girl from South Africa is going to rip it in tongues and impress me. Ha. Might as well show me a 15 year old japanese kid playing like Charlie Parker. I want the real shit.
I want the elder to play a wooden flute or sing, something- indigenous-like. I think, this is a good show, I wish I could be part of it and get paid. I calculate 35 times 170 times 3 and wonder how the loot is split up. All that kind of judgemental BS. Then I realize I still have not got any Visions. 3rd cup. Now I finally have to vomit. but it takes about 2 minutes, a short purging and I am back to waiting. It's getting light outside and I am giving up , one last cup. Nando asks me if I am driving the next day and after I tell him someone else is, he lets me have another cup. I throw up right away this time, but nothing. Kathi comes over to pull me in the middle for the cleansing of the newbies. An elaborate procedure starts, Nando and Juan are dancing, stomping around us chanting in tongues, Kathi is off to the side, massaging us one by one while she is singing a lovely little abstract song that goes with the heart massage and lifting of bad energies. I remember thinking, great, now you've paid 170 bucks, to shit yourself ( almost) puke out your heart and then let a guy in a funny costume spit on you.
I have to admit though that despite my well practiced arrogance, by the time Taito was straightening out my spine and Kathi had exorcised my bad energies I had given up resistance and felt thankful for their efforts. Nevertheless I needed to get of the hard floor and found myself a corner off to the side where a couch was offering a better snoozing-experience. Just as I heard them announcing that the ceremony was now officially over, I grabbed the guitar and stole myself off to a spot in the sun to do some playing and contemplate the things that had transpired in my head during the night. That is when it all started to make sense. The first thing I played was a beautiful sounding mistake. I repeated it and worked out the kinks. then played it over and over. Like an ice-cream truck!