Publications

Bridging the Gap Between the Mystical and the Western Worlds

Tens of thousands of years ago shamanism entered into the collective unconscious of the human being and formed the structure to understand the life experience of traditional man through present. Today the westerner, distanced from the inner wisdom of this realm of magic is looking to the mystics to open their ancient connection to Spirit and unveil the boundaries between the westerner’s reality of separation and fear to a reality of mystical proportions filled with inner connection to spirit in its various forms. But as the first layers of secrecy lift, fear of the unknown and the misunderstood is penetrating the very worlds where this wisdom is kept, closing in with judgment and the possibility of legislation to permanently lock away this spiritual knowledge.

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Taming the Boa

Written by Karen Souther for and Published in Peru Review Newspaper

The narrow dugout rocked gently, stabilized by one of the guides as he straddled a small gap between two canoes, beckoning us to enter. I looked down at my ankles, shielded by black knee high rubber jungle boots, as I sank deeper into the sticky, river shore sludge, while waiting to enter the canoe. I now understood why the regulation footwear was provided for the entire group.

We gingerly entered the canoe and sat trying to make as little motion as possible as the guides pushed us out of the small port. They took their places with nonchalance, walking along the two-inch wide gunwale.

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Walking on water, Piranhas in the Amazon Basin

Written by Karen Souther for and Published in the Peru Review Newspaper

 Mud oozed through my toes as I cautiously picked my way down the steep bank of the Ayucayacu River to reach the riverbed below. With little rain during the preceding months, the level of the water had dropped, exposing roots, tree trunks, spiky palm fronds, and thick, gooey mire. Between the rainy and dry seasons, the level of the water in this section of the Amazon basin fluctuated as much as twenty meters. In the tropical rain forest, the river system is the lifeline, supporting myriad vital functions of life in this challenging environment. In just half a day, the Ucayali River provided transportation, water for tea, fish for lunch, and now, another aspect of its aquatic generosity: a cool and refreshing respite from the oppressive heat and humidity of the jungle.

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Initiation into the Amazon Jungle: The Unknown World

- Written By Karen Souther for and Published in the Peru Review Newspaper

Iquitos’ warm, moist breeze welcomed us on the jet ramp with a loving embrace and eased away some of my anxiety of the mysteries of the jungle, as the unknown slowly began to reveal itself. This Amazonian town was the port where my son lived when he wasn’t at his jungle lodge 300 km up river. I had flown alone from San Francisco to join him in Lima, Peru, to meditate at the sacred sites of Cusco, and to see the lodge he built on the banks of the Aucayacu River while apprenticing with an ayahuasquero shaman. We had been in contact through the internet, but now I was actually going to experience the primordial life he had chosen while learning the secrets of the Amazon rain forest.

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