Back in 2019, when I was first investigating and partaking in the DMT molecule, there were so many conversations. I recall one evening, after the medicine wore off, my friend Jose and I were talking about responsible service of plant medicine. Jose asked me, “So, Paul, if you served someone the medicine, how long would you be responsible for their well-being?”
I thought for a moment, “Forever.”
We joked about having a call centre in Manila taking calls for the thousands of recipients who we (hypothetically) knew should drink this tea.
This story takes place just weeks before we entered the pandemic years. Thankfully, no one in attendance at this event was carrying the bug, as vomiting and other bodily secretions were present. There were buckets.
It had been over a year since I had started my investigation of DMT within Ayahuasca and Acacia. Jose and I had introduced a friend of his to the Aussie-centric mode of molecular travel. Lance was a sweet young man, and his interest in this molecule was keen. He was part of the Julian Palmer Facebook group and was familiar with many of the people we knew. He was a fresh-faced, Australian Government employee, soon to be a Dad for the first time.
He was trying to figure things out for himself and he was doing excellent work on himself.
As I wrote about once, we did not have a ‘ceremony’ or any shaman in attendance when we had our experiences. We created a safe, comfortable space for the time we were together. We looked after each other and we were kind, loving, and connected. I don’t think we drank with more than 4 people at any one time.
Less distraction, more introspection.
As we learned more and found out about other people serving the medicine, Lance decided to branch out. He wanted to take part in an Ayahuasca Ceremony. He had heard of this group called The Bird Tribe. This tribe was led by Soulore “Lore” Solaris.
Lance had returned from his experience, and he told me about it. It was a large group of about 75 people, everyone was dressed in white, and there was music and singing. I was intrigued by how the Bird Tribe held space and what it would be like with that many people participating in a medicinal psychedelic experience. I wondered how they vetted everyone and kept everyone safe and the like. We talked about it a bit.
Some time passed….
Lance was going to go off to the Blue Mountains for a weekend (13-15th February 2020) with this tribe so I decided to attend. Truly, I cannot recall whether I filled out any forms, but I am sure there must have been. Maybe? I was known within the plant medicine community so maybe my invite was just enough. As Jimi asked, Are You Experienced?.
Yes, I was.
I can recall driving out of Dee Why, where I was house-sitting. I got to a traffic light, and some street art hit me in the face. It was a beautiful black cockatoo in flight. As this spirit animal had been following me around for some time, I took that as a positive sign on this beautiful summer day.
I arrived at the retreat centre and was given a dormitory-type room with a bunk bed and one single. As I was the first to land in that room, I grabbed the single and made myself at home. I wandered around and talked to some folks.
Some of the folks gathered had decided to take part in the offered Kambo Ritual. There was a circle of about a dozen people in one room and I wandered in and asked if I could observe. Kambo is the secretions of a Amazonian tree frog.Superficial burns are made on the skin, and the secretion enters the body, and soon after, there will be vomiting and/or diarrhea.
People were vomiting into their little buckets, some were rolling on the floor, and others looked like they had a bad case of something going on. I was not sold on the frog secretion that day.
Participants pay up to 175 dollars to take part and the frog secretions and the cleansing blast of a good vomit etc help cleanse the body physically and emotionally. I personally cannot attest to the healing powers of kambo, but I know many who swear by the frog peptides. Viva Kambo!
There were to be more frog secretion sessions later that weekend. I made my way bck to my dormitory room and two young ladies, Veronica and Gwen were there chatting. After intoridcutions, we began talking about psychedelics and ayahuasca. I found out that neither of these women had any prior experience and were there due to some calling.
Gwen was asking me if she should do the kambo and the ayahuasca over 24 hours. Knowing what I knew, I thought it might be a rough day for a newcomer and advised against it. A few hours later, I found her huddled in the bed, wracked by her cleansing kambo moment, but she had the night to rest, and Saturday would be a new day.
Lance arrived on Saturday with a beautiful White Cockatoo feather he had found and he gifted it to me. We made ourselves comfortable and prepared for our night of the ceremony. Gwen was feeling a tad better but she still did not look very well. We all changed into our white clothing and entered the ceremonial hall just after 6PM.
We drank 3 times through the night. There was music. There was purging. Gwen was carried to another room at one point because she was not feeling well. There was me feeling the medicine gently warm me and cause me to fart the entire evening.
There were 3 opportunities to drink during the ceremony and I made the most of each cup. The medicine did not take me as deep as the acacia. As I listened to the musicinas play a song I knew BY REM, Arms Of Love, I smiled at how much I love that cover. Robyn Hitchcock wrote the tune.
We had a song book and sang along at times. Other times we wandered around the room a bit if the legs needed to move, or a couple of times I went out to the fire and spoke with Cameron Kite and his partner, Chelsea. There was some chanting and warmth and the glow of the evening fire reflected off the foggy air. Morning was coming, the birds were commencing their songs.
The ceremony was enjoyable but the medicine did not take me as deep as others. My belief is that, for this participant, I needed a higher dose. I was not distracted by the people or the songs.
Gwen was OK when I saw her later. Lore, the leader of the tribe, asked me what I felt about the medicine and I said I could have used a bigger cup. There were many in attendance who had never had psychedelics. With that in mind, I believe that is the reason the dosage was ayahuasca lite.Keep in mind you never know how the medicine will interact with you. Each time is unique.
My feeling after this retreat was that it was a tad too cult-like for me. They were a friendly, loving cult of plant medicine musicians. That I walked away with a ‘cult’ feeling was not a positive for me. Through the years, I have met other people who have been involved with this group and other large medicine gatherings. I was always curious what follow-through was offered regarding integration and the like, and in many cases, I found people were left to work it out on their own.
For me, integration is the most important part of working with the medicine. Integration can take a lifetime and I am not saying the people serving are responsible for the mental health of each participant forever. Guidance should be offered is all I am saying. Of course, my sample size is small, so I am just reporting on what I have heard.
Ayahuasca retreats/weekends are happening all the time across this sunburnt country. If you are going to get involved with one and need advice, I am always happy to chat. Take care of yourself and your friends, and I hope anyone running it takes the utmost care with your human form.
I am not sure if the Bird Tribe is still in flight. Every once in a while, I spot one flying by. Due to an unfortunate incident in 2021, Soulore Solaris has now been charged with manslaughter. Jarrad Antonovich collapsed while attending the Dreaming Arts Festival at a property at Collins Creek near Kyogle in the NSW Northern Rivers region on October 17, 2021. It was not the medicine. It was the care taken in understanding his symptoms that led to this person’s unfortunate passing. Jarrad had partaken of Kambo and Aya on the same day and that was not the issue either.
Emergency medical assistance was not available at the retreat, and the ambulance was called too late. You can read all about it at the links below.
This is a cautionary tale for people who serve the medicineand for all who want to learn from Mother Aya. A loving, caring container is beautiful for the people taking part in the medicine. Safety for participants in large groups is vital. Not having someone trained in first aid or a hired paramedic to assess serious health issues that arise is negligent. The cost of these retreats can average $1,000 dollars per person, and if you have 80 people, emergency health care should be part of the package. If you are running a business, you cover your ass.
Honestly, this incident is an outlier. Thousands of people around the globe every month partake in these healing medicines, achieving amazing results with no risk. My heart goes out to Lore and all the people involved, and to Jarrad’s family and friends. There was no intent to harm anyone within this setting. As they say, shit happens….but this was real bad shit.
Kambo and Ayahuasca are readily available and they fly under the legal radar in Australia. They are both illegal substances according to Australian law. I do hope that this case does not drive this medicine further underground or paint it with negativity.
Take care in all that you do, and if it feels wrong in your gut, ask questions, and trust your gut.
Take care, all… see you out there… somewhere…
(All Street Art Photos Paul Busch )
Note: Links to Details About This Story
https://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/decisions-orders/prohibition-orders/soulore-solaris-counsellor-who-facilitates-ayahuasca-ceremonies
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/05/soulore-solaris-shaman-frog-toxin-ayahuasca-death-ntwnfb
