Newsletter - 2009 Dec 20

The 2009 workshops have come to an end. What a year of change, growth, evolution and finally tranquility. This has been one of our most dynamic years yet. I loved working with many return guests and meeting many new people. The chance to witness each person transform through the medicine continues to amaze every time. Toward the end of every workshop everyone begins to glow as the icaros state. Brilla brilla cuerpocitoini (shine shine body.) Brilla Brilla espiritucitoini (shine shine spirit.) The intensity of the medicine also continues to amaze. As I sit in each ceremony I think to myself, “How can it be that something so beautiful exists?” Even after difficulty where light and love seem like a mean irony, the medicine illuminates Love, Divinity and Truth. No individual thing can oppose another in the space of the medicine. The Love unifies it all until only love remains, and life is reflected in the deepest realization. Love is all there is. Love is all that matters. Love is the only truth. Love is. I am. I and Love are the same.

I personally want to thank each and every one of you who have formed part of my personal journey over the years. I hold a special place of gratitude for all of you in my heart. You have shared in the medicine which I hold most dear to my life and which is the personal expression of my spirit and my soul.

As many of you know I decided to hold 40 ayahuasca ceremonies in a row, with a small group, which began on October 1st and ended on November 9th of this year. The most I had every participated in a row previously was eight. The idea was to take my personal practice beyond any previous point and follow in the footsteps of the great mystics who pushed the boundaries of their experiences, understandings and knowledge. The 40 did not disappoint in any aspects, and I found myself for the first time since apprenticeship with an extended period of time to dedicate to my own personal training. The ceremonies continued to get stronger each night culminating in the strongest ceremony number 15. It was awesome again to be taken to the place of total and complete humility as the medicine tore apart layer after layer of awareness and unified everything in its path. The next ten ceremonies were dedicated to reeling in the face of huge transformation, and the final 15 ceremonies brought the changes into physical manifestation. We concluded the 40 together as a cohesive group. Everyone who started finished all 40 ceremonies. We then headed to a needed break where we all went our separate ways to begin the integration process.

The 40 represented the greatest period of personal transformation since apprenticeship. To achieve this I knew that I would be required to put everything on the line again, facing and accepting any possible outcome, including my future and the future of Blue Morpho.

Traditional ayahuasca shamanism is steeped in the play of duality in the psyches of the participants. It is based in the ideas of healing what is illness or what is wrong. It has always been about the straightening of energies and purification. It is about the never ending interaction of different kinds of spirits, all seen in dualistic hierarchies. It is about a “self” experiencing itself as separate. This can be benevolent or malevolent including conflict, fighting, and battle.

This is juxtaposed by the “medicine” which is an expression of endless beauty, Love, God, Divinity, Truth, Heart, Here, Now and Peace.

At the end of 2004 Maestro Julio Llerena Pinedo, the head of our mesa, ranked me as a Maestro, and I have worked as a Ayahuasquero, Palero, Sananguero shaman since then. As many of you know from being on tour, I have emphasized more and more the importance of Universality as a way of understanding life and what we are really exploring spiritually. It became clear to me through the ceremonies of the 40 that I was formally done with traditional ayahuasca shamanism as a practice, and it was time to begin focusing solely on Love and Universality.

I would like to announce my formal retirement from Traditional Ayahuasca Shamanism.

I no longer consider myself a traditional practicing shaman. I no longer consider my work as being under the umbrella of traditional ayahuasca practice. I do not want to be included in the burgeoning Western traditional Ayahuasca Culture. I am not interested in being the subject of, or include in, books about Amazonian shamans or ayahuasca shamanism. I ask you all to redefine your concepts of me to truthfully reflect where I am in my practice and the direction I am heading spiritually.

This is a continuation and a natural progression in my spiritual growth and development. I was relieved to know that I would still be able to hold ayahuasca ceremonies. The ayahausca ceremony is my favorite thing. It is my favorite way to spend time and share space with others. It is my passion. It is how I love to express love.

I will continue to drink ayahuasca but I will no longer refer to my own use of ayahuasca professionally or personally as part of Traditional Ayahuasca Shamanism. I also do not see any reason to have it compared to traditional practice. I am in no way a competitive force within shamanism. I love traditional shamanism and want it to remain intact and pure.

The space I will be holding in our ceremonies is based in Universality and Universal Spiritual Philosophy. I am only interested in the medicine, Love, God, Divinity, Peace, Truth, Here and Now. I know how universality is the only way to transcend the perception of fragmentation found in our psyches, all the perceptions of pain and suffering, and the perception of purpose and motive. I know that Love is the only answer to every question. I know that Love is the only answer to all the “Why's.” I know that Love is the only reason for anything. I know that Love is the only consistency in a world of change. I know that Love is the essence of each universe as One. I know that it is always, at the end of the day, about Love and we might as well start there. I know that ayahausca that starts in Love will end in Love, where we know Love and have had direct experience of Love.

I am tremendously grateful to the local culture for accepting me and allowing me to live in the Amazon. I am equally grateful to Maestro Julio LLerena Pinedo and Maestro Alberto Torres Davila for opening the doors of Traditional Amazonian Shamanism to me and allowing me to learn their sacred spiritual medicine.

The lifelong pacts of medicine between Alberto and I remain intact. He and I will continue to work together. He will hold the space of Traditional Ayahuasca Shamanism and I will continue to hold the space of Universality.

At the beginning of the December workshop I announced these changes. At the end of it I asked a few of the guests to write testimonials for this newsletter. I wanted to give them the opportunity to share their feelings about their experience and our evolution.

Dear Hamilton,

Thank you again for another great experience at Blue Morpho. This was my 6th tour and as far as I'm concerned you work in the medicine continues to evolve in a clear and effective way. In fact the two words which come to my mind to describe my latest BM experiences are Astonishing & Spectacular, nothing less.

I know that now is also a time of transition at BM, but quite frankly I don't feel that there has been any deviation whatsoever from the high standards you have set. In fact I feel true gratitude to you for what I've been able to experience through Ayahasca and the medicine knowing that without you and Don Alberto this experience wouldn't be as clean, safe and fantastic as it has been. Keep up the great work!

Mike T. (Return Guest)


Thank you so much for an amazing time at Blue Morpho last week. It was, by far, the most meaningful experience of my life. The most fascinating thing is that I know the journey has just begun.

While there I thought so often about how much you have invested, and continue to invest, in making these tours a safe, yet transformative, experience for us. Your dedication to the medicine and all the work that goes along with sharing it is moving. I am grateful to you for taking such good care of each one of us and it is so clear that I got exactly what I needed that week over and over again, even if it seemed to be something "bad" in the moment.

I am back at work and finding myself feeling an incredible amount of love for everyone and peace in my being. It feels so good, which is great motivation to stick with the medicine. I feel so empowered by my ability to choose how I feel... the simplicity of it has me laughing constantly! Really?! It's this easy?! That said, I imagine there will be ups and downs on this journey but for now I'm reveling in the bliss of it.

It sounds like Blue Morpho is in a time of change and of course my instinct is to feel, "No, I don't want anything to change!" Then I remember that everything is constantly changing and there is such beauty in evolution. When I go to my heart, as you would say, I realize that the change will lead to something even better, which is impossible to comprehend and totally believable, all at the same time.

Much, much peace and love to you. Thank you for helping to open my heart.

Terri M. (First time Guest)


The Blue Morpho experience can be described by one word: Love! Hamilton is an expert at holding a loving safe space-the MOST loving safe space I've ever experienced. This space allows deep inner journeys into the scariest of places always knowing there is the tightest life line available. This is invaluable when considering Ayahuasca exploration. From being picked up at the airport, the design of the camp, to the lectures on Universal philosophy, to the day you leave camp you are immersed in a huge pool of love. I am in immense gratitude for what Hamilton has given to me, my entire family and my best of friends. I can't imagine a better place to be than Blue Morpho for inner journeys.

Love,
Suzy B. (Return Guest)


Having been fortunate enough o have participated in 6 tours over the last 18 months, I've seen a lot of changes take place at Blue Morpho. I've come to realize that change is necessary in order for movement into new, positive realms to occur. Hamilton's retirement from Traditional Amazonian Shamanism is not en ending or separation from what we have come to know, but a movement into a realm where all things unnecessary to the medicine are stripped away. What we are left with is immense love. I feel truly honored to have been on this tour (December '09) to witness this evolution of the medicine. Beautiful things await the future.

Matt M. (Return Guest)


The Mesa:

Don Alberto Torres Davila: Don Alberto will continue to lead ceremony with us. He will share the depth of his ancestral medicine in our ceremonies. He is currently training two of his sons in shamanism. It is a joy to see his family take an interest in their traditional medicine and culture. It makes me happy to know that his family lineage will continue.

Chris Odle: Chris has received his next rank. He has grown tremendously in his practice and is advancing rapidly to the level of Maestro. His dedication is unmatched and unified.


Workshops and Scheduling:

Blue Morpho will continue to host workshops, open to the public, under our currently published schedule, for 2010 and probably into 2011. I expect major structural changes in 2011 and into 2012 that could greatly change availability.

This year we will offer two Sanango/Continuity diets, one in March and the other at the end of August. If you are interested in participating please contact Jeremy or Mark at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

There will be some minor alterations to the web page and to the 9 day workshop itinerary that reflect my recent changes. Please visit the sample itinerary on the web page in January to see the changes.

Blue Morpho Online Community: All previous guests are invited to sign up for the Blue Morpho Online Community. The online community has a number of features including a forum and chat. It is a great way to meet and stay in touch with people that have all been to Blue Morpho and are connected in the medicine. We are working to refine this web based service so that it becomes even more user friendly. As we add to it or modify it we will send out announcements.

Blue Morpho Community: The Blue Morpho Community will be launched in early 2010. A small, handpicked, group of return guests have been chosen to form the community. Two community members will be on each tour throughout 2010. Community members will support workshops and the Blue Morpho Online community through our web site. I am looking forward to the development of this community and seeing how this group will give back and help serve the first time guests on our workshops.

The Documentary: Keith Aronowitz's documentary about “The Blue Morpho experience” is available online. He has a website dedicated to the film. http://www.metamorphosisfilm.com. Guests are now arriving after having seen the documentary and express that it is a great way to be introduced to our work with ayahuasca before coming down to Peru. I recommend seeing the film. It documents the process of working with ayahuasca and the experiences of first time participants through our workshops. It does this with total integrity and no sensationalism. I commend Keith on his work on the film and wish him great success. It is a two DVD set with extra interviews and icaros. People have loved being able to listen to the icaros in their home.

Icaro Cd's and other creative projects: We are still dedicated to the recording of Icaros and our other creative projects. All of our recording will be available through Blue Morpho Living.

Blue Morpho Living: Blue Morpho Living will be a new web site dedicated to the presentation of the Blue Morpho spiritual philosophy. We will present the philosophy in short, easy to read, sections, and combine a daily activity that is designed to propel you further into experiencing, and understanding your universe. We will provide interviews, audio recordings, videos, instructional videos, books, and cleansing and meditation materials. Here you have the opportunity to blend your spiritual exploration and daily life. All guests will receive free memberships to Blue Morpho Living. This will be the support network and path, to maintain the connection to the medicine once returning from camp. The site is scheduled to be launched in 2010. We have already formed the development team and have begun to amass the tremendous amount of material that will be included in this site.

Peruvian Government Regulation: We are still waiting for news on the upcoming regulation. As soon as we have any concrete information we will announce it.


Again, I want to express my personal gratitude to all of you. It has been a pleasure and joy to share in the medicine together.


Peace and light to you all,

Hamilton Souther