I would like to offer you all a warm greeting from Blue Morpho. This newsletter is designed to reflect themes of interest of the reader, so I am asking for feedback on any topics that you would like to see addressed in the following months. Amazonian Shamanism is an ample topic with many facets that we can develop through this medium to open our understanding of this ancient system of spiritualism.

Thank You from our entire staff and shamanism team! Shamanism is something we practice together and the opportunity to form groups and share the wisdom and medicine in and out of formal ceremony is continuous blessing.

The first five months of 2008 have been amazing. Our groups this year so far have been full bringing the dream of holding consistent groups of 20 or more guests into reality. As Blue Morpho was growing up and we were working with smaller groups, our current manifestation was only a distant thought brought into my heart. Now it is manifest and the medicine is flowing through it each and every week we are together with guests, holding ceremonies, straightening energy and learning.

I want to offer our special thanks to all the guests that have returned for their second or more 9 day workshop. It is so nice on Monday morning, the start day of our workshop, to see familiar faces coming up the stairs. It is a joy to be able to get to know all of you on a more personal note and to have the opportunity to guide you further in the splendor of the medicine.

SPECIAL CONTINUITY GROUP
Our continuity group (a group for return guests only) will take place in a couple of weeks. We still have a few spots available due to some last minute cancellations. So if you were thinking of coming down for it, contact Jeremy as soon as possible to get one of the last remaining places. This will be the first time we hold a group specifically for return guests. It will provide us the ability to take ceremonies even further and open up more of unlimited consciousness.

We had a very exciting week last week. Not only was the group moved by amazing spiritual connections and transformations, two of our apprentices were ranked. Mimi Buttacavoli received the rank of Capitan after three years of apprenticeship, and Daniel Gartland also received the rand of Capitan after two and a half years of apprenticeship. This was a very special ceremonial moment. They are moving through their apprenticeships gaining new abilities every day.

There has been a change in the structure of the mesa. Eloy Navarro, one of our apprentices, left Blue Morpho in February. We wish him well on his way to becoming a Maestro or master shaman. Don Alberto continues to lead the mesa with the mastery of over 40 years of experience. It continues to be an honor to sit next to him in ceremony and experience the power of his medicine.

We agreed to participate in a documentary about our work with ayahuasca and our lives as shamans. We had been receiving many offers from different companies and finally elected Keith Aronowitz, an independent film maker and previous guest. He came on his first trip in mid 06 to grow and transform. After experiencing the magnitude and tremendous healing power of ayahuasca shamanism, he decided that he would like to document our work. He comes from a place of integrity. He wants to present our practice of ayahuasca shamanism in the purest light without secondary motives. The spirits and I agreed to the project to illuminate how ayahuasca works and to straighten out confusions that the Western world holds about ayahuasca and its uses, practices and healing capacities. In a few months the film will be finished and it will be sent to different film festivals around the world. I want to offer my personal thanks to all those that participated. I think history will be made with this documentary and you all helped in its creation.

Blue Morpho and Camp Changes: We are pleased to announce the completion of two meditation bungalows. These were built in the forest a little ways from the main camp to offer a place of privacy, conversation or silent contemplation. We also have a new botanical garden trail complete with a guide book that explains the different plants and their uses.


T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST
We have chosen two winners from our t-shirt design contest. I want to offer my sincerest thanks to those that offered designs. Soon you will be able to purchase the t-shirts through our new retail site (still to come) or at our office in Iquitos.

We have also begun work on a second web site dedicated to down loads and community. The idea is to provide a place for information, community and connection for all of our previous Blue Morpho guests. Icaro recordings, talks, and other meditation CD’s will be available. We do not have a completion date for this but as soon as it is up and running we will send out a newsletter letting everyone know.

This is such an exciting time for us. It is great to be able to share it with you all. All the changes will make the experience of Blue Morpho and our ceremonies even better. Since our creation this has been a dream that we continue to live.

SPECIAL NOTE: The Peruvian Government is beginning the initial steps to legislate and control the native shamanic practices and traditional medicine in Peru, especially the use of medicinal plants. Shamans from all over Peru, natives, mestizos, and foreigners alike are coming together to form associations to lobby the government seeking fair treatment, the right to practice traditional medicine and shamanism. If we do not convince the government of our sincerity and responsibility the practice of shamanism could be outlawed soon. WE ARE ASKING FOR EVERYONE’S SUPPORT that has felt they have benefited from our work.

We are asking that everyone write us an email that we can present to the Peruvian Government. Please make the subject of the e mail, Peruvian Government

We would like the e mail to include:
1.    Your reason for coming to Peru
2.    When you visited Blue Morpho
3.    A description of your experience at Blue Morpho
4.    A description of us including shamans, apprentices, and staff
5.    An estimation of the amount of money you spent in total on your trip to Peru
6.    If you would like to come back
7.    How many people you have told about your experience recommending Blue Morpho or travel in Peru

I know that many of you are busy in your daily lives, but we really need the support of all of our guests to be able to stand a chance with the government. This will not only help us but will preserve the culture of shamanism in Peru. WE NEED YOUR HELP.

I wanted to personally thank everyone who wrote us letters for the government after our last Newsletter. We are collecting them and will present them to the government when our turn arrives. They will be needed and very influential in the direction of the legislation to come.

We now look to the future for our continued success. We give thanks for all the wonderful change that has come and welcome the change that the future will bring. We come together to aid others from our own connection to Spirit and open the space for others to grow in theirs. Together we experience the transformation from the invisibility of spirit to its pure manifestation. Let us continue, together, to breathe life into these ancient studies and maintain the shamanism cultures still living in the hearts of the locals and us.


Sincerely,

Hamilton Souther
Blue Morpho