Tobacco and Tree Dietas
A diet (or dieta in Spanish) is a term used to describe a process of learning from a plant. Unlike reading a book to learn about a plant, a dieta is a direct, experiential practice to learn from the plant. In this way it is said that the plants teach us. We can learn and heal using the plant as a medium to open us to this space of light. Different plants have different healing properties and can teach us different things. Every plant can heal specific conditions and also has the ability to teach us about its own unique light. Ultimately all plants are pointing us towards the same truth, that which we are. These plants are teaching us about nature, natural law, ourselves, our place in this world, and opening us to worlds beyond. Beyond all, they are teaching us to be in harmony, to be at peace, and to live in accordance with Truth, and with Knowledge, and not book knowledge, but experiential knowledge.
A dieta usually consists of going into isolation for a designated period of time; this could be anywhere from a few days to a few months. The process in which we work is a series of seven day dietas, although the duration could be extended or shortened depending on the condition of the dieter. During this time the participant stays in her room, isolated from others. He restricts his food to something very light, usually juice or soup, and only at breakfast and lunch. The plant medicine is ingested every night and is drunk with the guidance of the curandero who accompanies the patient for the initial duration of the experience, which can be intense. After drinking the plant and possibly purging, the dieter and the plant medicine will continue to work in her dreams. This medicine usually awakens strongly the dream world which usually brings information about the cleaning process that is being done. The curandero is available for questions and for guidance, but much of the process is spent in isolation with ones thoughts, mind, and being. In this way repetitive thought patterns, beliefs, fears, and that which is holding us back can be brought to light and eventually released.
The specific plant that you will work with will depend on a diagnostic by the curandero. The plants are given specifically for what is seen will be beneficial to the patient. Most of the plants are trees, which traditionally are seen as the bridge between the earth and the heavens. They are strong and old and wise and have the ability to help us learn. On a physical level they tend to be very cleansing, cleaning our blood and stomach and intestines - areas which we carry much sickness. On the level of the mind, they help to clear thought patterns, belief systems, and mental systems that have been holding us back. On an energetic level they help to clear blockages, opening ourselves so that life energy can flow freely again. This the same concept of meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda.
In general, the plants are administered with tobacco. Tobacco is seen as the carrier plant, the plant which allows and regulates the other plants ability to work. Tobacco is seen as the grandfather plant, the ancient energy that allows all other plants to exist. Tobacco is a strong medicine, and a very powerful teacher on its own. Often tobacco will be the first plant one works with, as it is a most powerful cleaner of the body on all levels: physical, mental, and energetic.
All of these plants are first working on cleansing the body. As the body, mind, and energies are cleansed, then healing and teaching can begin to happen. Often this process of cleansing can be challenging, as often a lot of purging can happen. The action of tobacco in liquid form is mainly as a potent emetic and as a purge aimed at energy purification. Purging can take the form of vomiting, diarrhea, crying, shaking, fits of heat and cold, etc. It is important to mention that unlike what happens in our Western culture where the purge has an associated negative connotation, traditional medicines like in the Amazon and the Ayurvedic system for example, agree that it is extremely important to perform purges regularly in order to detoxify at the energetic, physical, emotional and spiritual levels, discharging and eliminating from the body/mind impurities and toxins, including negative emotions and thoughts. Through purging the patient begins to notice changes within such as the liberation of stagnant energies and feeling a new sense of inner peace.
We begin to diet trees as trees are considered some of the Master Plants. Trees symbolically connect us to heaven and earth. Their roots go into the ground, connecting us with Mother Earth as well as the symbolic nature of the underworld, or in Andean philosophy, the Ukhu Pacha, and the realm of the emotions. The trunk symbolizes our physical body and this world which we call reality, in Andean the Kay Pacha. And the branches spread skyward to the heavens, representing our spiritual body, in Andean the Hanaq Pacha. Through the dieta and fasting and isolation, these trees therefore have the ability to heal us on all three of those levels: the physical body, the mental/emotional body, and the spiritual body. Each tree has its own personality, its own characteristics. Each tree is good for treating certain physical conditions, it works on certain aspects of our mind and emotions, and it has its power and teaching in the spiritual or shamanic realm. When we complete the dieta we have a connection with this tree. It can be said that this tree is now our ally and we have a spiritual contract with it; a connection has been made. This tree will continue to teach us as time goes on, much like how at first there is a seed and then with proper care the seed begins to grow and eventually becomes a strong tree which gives us its fruits, flowers, wood, shade, protection, strength, wisdom and medicine.
As with all strong plant medicines, a true desire must be present to work with these plants. The experience is not always easy, rarely so in fact, but the rewards can be great if the person has the willingness and courage to undertake the journey.
The Role of the Curandero
The word curandero is a Spanish word that can roughly be translated as “one who cures” or “healer” or “doctor.” There are different types of curanderos. There are vegetalistas - doctors who work with plants, much like herbalists. There are curanderos - healers who have access to other states of consciousness and have the ability to guide and to heal in those spaces. And there are, in some traditions like the Shipibo, moraya - mythical curanderos who have reached a level of mastery of the world. Within the world of curanderos there are different specialities. Some may be an ayahuasquero - a curandero who specializes in working with the master plant ayahuasca. There are sanangueros - a curandero who specializes in working with the master plant chiric sanango. There are tabaqueros - a curandero who specializes in working with the master plant tobacco. And certain curanderos may further specialize in areas such as women’s health issues, bone setting, attraction, etc.
The easiest way to view a curandero is perhaps to think of them as a doctor. They are someone who the patient comes to when the patient is sick and needs help. The patient may have a physical ailment, or as is becoming more present in our times, psychological ailments such as depression, anxiety, lack to joy, loss of purpose of life, trauma, chronic pain and the like. The curandero may use specific plants to help treat the physical symptoms of the patient, but he potentially must also seek to find the root of the problem. And the root must often be pulled up and out from one’s psyche. This is where the knowledge of master plants such as tobacco, ayahuasca, and innumerable trees and plants come into play. The curandero gives the patient specific plants that will begin to try to affect the root of their ailment. This may happen in a ceremonial setting such as working with ayahuasca. Or it may be through a process of offering a dieta, where the patient goes into isolation, restricts their diet, and drinks their plant every night to experientially heal and learn from it. Some diets are administered to specifically heal certain conditions, and some diets are offered in order to learn from, to “dominate,” or to acquire the plant as an ally that aids us throughout our lives.
The disciple becomes a curandero through a very intensive process of working with plants. This process of doing plant dietas usually involves a prolonged period of isolation working with different plants. The disciple works with a curandero who becomes his maestro, or teacher. The curandero helps to guide the disciple in his process of learning. The process can be very arduous. The act of being in isolation for such prolonged periods of time can be very challenging for the mind. It forces the disciple to go into her mind and to begin to learn about the nature of the mind. Eating little to no food for prolonged periods weakens the body. It is said that when the body is weak, the spirit is high. And this allows the medicine to penetrate deeply into each disciple. But the challenges of forgoing food for such times also can cause great distress. And the process of ingesting master plants on a regular basis can be the most challenging aspect of it all. It brings up her suffering, doubts, fears, separation, and all of the blocks and traumas and belief systems that we have been holding onto. And though the process of constant working with plants, the disciple begins to slowly see into the nature of herself. She begins to learn about reality, about the human condition, about nature and natural law, and about how the plants have the ability to open us and to help us to heal.
At a certain point, after potentially years of training, the disciple slowly begins to work. This may initially take the form of apprenticing his teacher, and then beginning to administer plants himself, and eventually going out on his own and working as his own curandero. Each curandero’s process is different and unique to them. Good curanderos have undergone a rigorous training, a deep process of self reflection, and have acquired an experiential knowledge of working continuously with plants. And when the teacher feels her student is ready, she sends them out to begin working on their own.
The curandero, through his own process, learns a great deal. He begins his process of self mastery and acquisition of his own power. He sees and trusts the healing power of the plants, which are a gateway to an even greater power - that of the Universe, of Creation, of God. He knows that ultimately it is not him who is curing. He is a guide who is creating a space, through his own hard work and dedication, that allows his patients to experience the healing power of that higher force. He has the ability to guide the medicine, to heighten or lower its affects, to know the dosages, and to guide the patient through the most challenging and beautiful of experiences. It is not a role to be taken lightly, as that space, if not held, can open the patient to potential harm and suffering. It is much like an open-heart surgeon. If we are having our hearts operated on, we want to make sure that the surgeon has done their training! The curandero has worked on herself, gone deep into herself, so that she can work on and help others go deep into theirselves.
An short documentary on my work and the process of doing dieta, shot for the Temple of the Way of Light
Calendar 2022
Tobacco and Tree Dieta Retreat Schedule
Plant Dieta dates - 2023: November 7 - December 5, 2024 * February 1 - March 1, 2025 * April 21 - May 8, 2025 * July 1-18, 2025
Click on the calendar or below to go to the Dieta Calendar Page
Apprenticeship Program
The Apprenticeship Program is a traditional training and initiatory process that one goes through in order to learn about oneself and to learn from, and work with, plants. It is therefore a process of self-mastery, initiation, and training to work as a curandero.
Initiation
Initiations were common practices in many cultures around the world. In our modern culture, we have gained and learned much. But one thing that has declined as an important part of an individual’s journey is the initiation rite. In many cultures, the initiation was given to adolescents entering adulthood. It was a test and a rite of passage. It was a shedding away of the old self, the child, and a rebirth into one’s new role, the adult. This initiation process was also continued for a select group of individuals who either chose, or were chosen, to enter a special class, often the priestly cast, healers, or leaders. In order to do this a very strict and rigid process was undergone that challenged the initiate on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. These initiations ranged in time but often took place over the course of months and even years. Many initiations embody the archetypical process of death and rebirth. The old beliefs, traumas, ways of being, patterns, and visions are let go of or transformed and a new way of being emerges. This can be one death-like experience or a series of dying experiences. It’s said the journey of the curandero is a journey of many deaths. Much like an onion, each layer must die away to reveal what is closer and closer and to our true essence.
What is the Process?
In this initiatory process, we embark on the greatest journey. The journey of the Self. As was written at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the foundation of all wisdom is, Know Thyself. Through a process of deep self-reflection and inquiry, we begin this process.
The apprenticeship program that we offer is based on the initiatory process that we ourselves went through in the Mamancunawa lineage. It combines this process with all that we have learned outside of this tradition as well. It is the process that allows one to earn the title of Tabaquero, a curandero specializing in tobacco and trees. The initiatory process is long, arduous, and involves a considerable time in isolation, fasting from food and other stimuli, and drinking very strong plant concoctions.
Isolation is a time-honored tradition in many cultures as an initiatory rite in and of itself. By isolating oneself from the outside world, and all stimuli, one is forced to be solely with oneself and one’s mind. This can present many challenges. Boredom, depression, anxiety, fears, loss of control, and many other things can arise. Truly we begin to observe our minds, the nature of the mind, and how it works. With nothing to do, no one to speak with, and nothing to distract ourselves, we are forced to go within and to observe the self. We begin a process of self-inquiry and begin to learn how the mind works. We also begin to still the mind and in doing so, we begin to become more sensitive to all of life. We begin to hear and see and smell in a different way. We become aware and sensitive to subtle things that were always present but we had overlooked due to outside forces and stimuli.
Fasting is the second part of this initiatory rite. Fasting has, as well, been used by many traditions around the world. Fasting is a fantastic way to heal the body just by itself. As we begin to restrict food, the body can shift resources away from breaking down food and begin to allocate those resources to repairing the body. As we begin to abstain from food, our body begins to have cravings. This initially can be very difficult as we are not used to being without food. As we continue our bodies can become very weak due to lack of food. But in this weakened state our sensitivity is greatly increased. It's often said that when the body is very weak, the spirit is very high. Many of us may know this if we think about when we are sick, for example, if we get the flu. Our bodies stop craving food, we fast, and our bodies go into a healing modality. Often in that state, even though we are weak, there is an openness and ease with our minds. Thoughts may begin to flow, we become reflective, and we feel a certain sensitivity and awareness of the present moment. By taking minimal to no food, and ingesting only the plant we are dieting, we develop a strong connection to that plant as that plant is our only food. The plant is the only thing we are with for the duration of the diet, other than ourselves. The plant is usually mixed with tobacco as well, as tobacco is a great regulator, teacher, and is considered food for spirits.
When we ingest these strong plants we are first looking to clean and clear the system. This often involves a great deal of purging. These trees and tobacco all have very strong qualities of cleansing the blood, the gastrointestinal tract, and various organs where it is said we carry much of our sickness. As we begin to clear ourselves on the physical level, we also begin to clear and open ourselves on an energetic level. Things begin to move and flow as they were designed to do, much like when we were children. If we are familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine, the meridians are opened and the Qi can flow. As the body is cleansed and harmony and movement begin to happen, then it is important that the body/mind/spirit are fortified. Many of the trees provide strength and protection so that as we enter into this new state, we are strong, grounded, clear, and protected from what life may send our way. It isn’t that we are invincible or stagnant, but that we are anew and have new-found tools to be able to navigate life in a new way.
Through this apprenticeship process, we are taught by the plants we diet about ourselves, about the nature of the world, and the world of plants. We are given tools to use and new ways of being. We are also instructed in this process by our maestros, our human teachers, on how to undertake this journey. The curandero/maestro is there with us each step of the journey. He or she cannot walk the journey for us. This, each initiate must do himself, but the maestro holds the space and guides the initiate through each part of the process. This includes holding the space, preparing the remedies, helping the initiate to understand what is arising within them, helping to interpret, and teaching them the tools to do the work. Tools that are taught in this process are how to work with tobacco and trees, how to make and prepare remedies, how to soplar with tobacco (energetically cleansing), how to make perfumes, how to sing icaros, how to give diets, how to work with a chacapa (a bundle of leaves used for cleaning), how to make and work with a pipe, how to make and work with plant baths, how to cleanse spaces, how to prepare various body and organ cleanses, and how to make remedies for various common ailments.
Also through the process, the maestro is teaching the disciple through presence and experience as well. The way of being, the energetic field, and the energy and power of the maestro can, as well, be passed onto the disciple. There’s a transfer of knowledge, tools, way of being, vibration, and vision. There is a synchronization of the work and energies from the maestro to the student. The maestro is present both physically and energetically for the disciple throughout the process. And in between diets the maestro is available for questions and for integrative work.
How Long is the Process?
In the tradition in which we work, one normally starts off by dieting tobacco. Tobacco is seen as one of a handful of master plants that has the ability to teach about the Self and to teach how to become a doctor (curandero). Tobacco is very useful as the first diet because it works on all levels. It cleans and clears. It opens us up. And then it begin to fortify and to protect. It leaves us clean, open, strong, clear, grounded, insightful, and with protection.
From there one begins to diet trees. There are a number of trees that are considered allies - trees that teach us and are able to aid us in this path of curanderismo. Trees are also seen as the bridge between heaven and earth. They root into the earth and reach towards the heavens. Each tree is selected by the maestro and given to the student based upon what the maestro sees will be most beneficial to the student at that time. Twelve trees are dieted in total. Once the initiate has dieted twelve different trees, she has had sufficient training to move into the final phase of the initiation.
In the final phase, one returns to tobacco. This final dieta is called the maestria, or the master teacher diet. This is the diet that officially aligns all of the trees that one has dieted. It’s also where the initiate drinks a large quantity of tobacco that allows him or her to fully embody the new role they are stepping into. While this may seem daunting, by doing all of the previous diets, the initiate is ready for the final initiation.
Each diet usually last seven days. This may seem long to some and short to others. Some diets can be extended to two weeks if the initiate wishes to go deeper into one diet. It’s important to remember that these diets tend to be shorter than some other traditional diets because the process is more intense. The length of time dieted with a plant depends on the maestro and how intense the process is. Usually longer diets are less physically intense but can be challenging given the length of time in isolation. There is usually much more food given as well as the body needs food for longer periods of time. And the plant is usually ingested at more spaced-out intervals. With these diets, in the seven days, usually food is abstained from and only juice is given twice a day. In addition the plant is taken every day during the diet, often invoking a strong physical and mental purge and a very deep process.
Who is the Apprenticeship Program For?
Really anyone who is looking to better understand themselves can greatly benefit from the Apprenticeship Program. Many who have done the program are not interested in working with plants at all. People from all walks of life have come to diet in order to heal themselves, learn about themselves, and strengthen their connection to themselves and to the world around them.
Some may come for one diet and have such a transformational experience that they end up staying through the whole process. Many have been opened to other ways of looking and viewing the world. And many people begin to incorporate aspects of these teachings into their own work. These could be as psychologists, massage therapists, counselors, teachers, energy workers, healers, coaches, really anyone. The program has the ability to deepen whatever it is that interests you.
And if you are interested in working with plants and potentially one day holding space with plants, then the Apprenticeship Program is ideally suited to you. Through the process, we learn to work with tobacco and trees and to continue in this lineage. It is a potent process and the sky is really the limit in how deep one wishes to take themselves and to learn. And this program can work as an amazing base for people who already work with other plants or would like to work with other plants such as ayahuasca, San Pedro (huachuma), coca, etc.
Time and Cost
Each diet is seven days. There are fourteen diets in total ( 1 tobacco + 12 trees + 1 tobacco maestria). Some diets can be extended to two weeks. So the minimum amount of time would be about 20 weeks in total, usually spread out over 1-3 years. The costs of the Apprenticeship Program is the same as doing diets individually. There is no extra cost for the additional teaching. When you say that you would like to begin the program that is when we begin the extra process of teaching all of the additional tools. We offer a 10% discount on following dietas after a person has completed six tree dietas (which is midway through the apprenticeship). It’s certainly an investment of our time, energy, commitment, and finances, but such is the path of the Western medical doctor as well. To be considered for the program and to be an apprentice under us, all diets need to be completed with us. At the end of the apprenticeship we offer a diploma of certification as well as a document of tools, techniques, remedies, and guides. We also offer the opportunity to have the graduate come and shadow us and learn hands on from us in exchange for assisting in one of our retreats.
The Apprenticeship Program is a difficult journey. It's often said in many shamanic cultures that the path of the shaman is a path of suffering. Through the initiation, the student must go through a long process of isolation, deprivation, cleaning, purging, self-inquiry, and then rebuilding. This is a very challenging process. It is the archetypical Hero’s Journey. The greatest journey we can take, the journey within. But through this dying away of what is old, we can be reborn into what is possible. We can begin to see our own potential and the magic and beauty of what life has for us. We can begin to see that life is happening for us, not to us. We are no longer prisoners of our stories, but creators of our destinies and lovers of what is. Our dream space and our sensitivity to this world is opened. Through going inward we shed the old self and begin a journey into our path of wisdom and power. For those who are willing and feel drawn to embark upon this path, it can be the single most rewarding decision of our lives.
For more information, email at: contact@NicotianaRustica.org or click the CONTACT button at the bottom of the page