The Ancient Practice of Dieting a Plant

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Plant Dietas are an ancient, ritualistic shamanic practice of calling in a specific plant spirit and interweaving its presence and wisdom into our own spirit. The plant becomes an intrinsic part of us and a guide within our own soul as we go about our lives. Many traditions and tribes in South America work with this practice. For over a decade Misa has been returning to the jungle to partake in these practices with her maestro, don Enrique Lopez, from the Shipibo Conibo tribe. 

For the Shipibos, traditionally a shaman in training would go into isolation for up to ten years at a young age, dieting specific Master Plants before she or he was ready to return to the tribe. In this time, they would dissolve their ego and sense of separation from the jungle and merge into it with all its wisdom and life force, gaining incredible and mysterious abilities to bring about healing and well-being to their people. 

As humans lose touch with their connection to the earth and continue to extract resources and destroy the planet, life on earth is becoming deeply threatened for humans, animals and plants alike. Many of us have forgotten the inherently awake, intelligent, and wise qualities of all life on this planet. However there are some of us who have come to hear the call of the plants, beckoning us to remember our place on this earth, to return to it, to bring its life force and intelligence back into our souls and learn to speak on its behalf- to let it speak through us. 

In this fast paced day and age, it is rare for anyone to have the ability to be able to take 10 years of retreat, so other forms of plant dieting have been created for Shipibos and now Westerners. Of course, we cannot substitute the depth that is gained from a 10 year retreat, but the value of shorter variations of these retreats is not lost, and can be deeply transformational for ourselves, our lives and the people we touch in our communities. 

Plant diets can be done in retreat in the Amazon jungle, in retreat anywhere around the world, and even in your own home. The less distractions and external influences of energy, the deeper the diet with your plant will go. The purpose of a plant dieta is to cut out as much external influence as possible so that it is simply you and your plant. The diet involves drinking a water extract tea made of the plant in solitude while fasting, and when you do eat, the food is very, very basic. In this way, you and the plant are all that remain in your world and body and you can begin to tune in, listen and learn. The diet is done in conjunction with Grandmother meditations, so she may open the door to the spirit world where communications between you and the plant are more available. 

Depending on your life situation, different variations of dieting are possible. If this is something that is of interest to you, we can discuss what might work best for you and come up with a personal dieting plan. 

You can diet almost any plant. You may choose to diet a plant that you have always felt very connected to in the woods outside your town, or you can choose to diet a traditional Master Plant from the Amazon that has been dieted for thousands of years. While some plants are very specific in their offerings, all plants offer their own unique wisdom and teachings so listen to what plants might call to your heart.

Dieting plants has become a way of life for many people. It can begin with one retreat, but often the path does not stop there. It is an ever deepening journey that takes real commitment and fortitude, but the gifts it can offer our lives are truly profound and magical. It is part of Misa's commitment to you all as she continues to hold retreats around the States. Many of us who hold retreats commit to dieting often because the plants guide us and come through us in ceremony. Often times, the more people who have dieted in a ceremony (including participants), the more powerful and deep the ceremony may be for everyone. The plants we diet come through us into the space in our gatherings, and into the ceremonies of our lives. 

Please reach out if you are interested in learning more or feel the call to a plant dieta.