Temple of the Way of Light

Temple of the Way of Light is an ayahuasca retreat centre in the Peruvian Amazon near Iquitos, where Shipibo healers, both women and men, lead the ceremonies. Founded by Matthew Watherston, it has received guests since 2007.

Approach

Four healers, two women and two men, hold each ceremony and sing the healing songs called ikaros, supported by facilitators. Two of the healers brew the medicine from vine and leaf grown in the Ucayali region and at the Temple, with no admixture plants. Between ceremonies there is yoga, meditation, group sharing, individual consultations and self-inquiry work. The Temple says it returns all of its profit to the Amazon and its people.

Who it is for

The centre names anxiety, depression, PTSD and stress among the issues it works with, and has a guide for first-time visitors. One retreat is open only to healthcare professionals from medical and mental health settings.

Practical details

Living in Alignment, the standard retreat, lasts twelve days with six ceremonies and costs $4,440. Stepping into Alignment is the eight-day version, with four ceremonies. A five-day integration retreat can follow the twelve days, for $5,700 in total, and the healthcare retreat fits twelve ceremonies into twelve days for $5,500. Groups number about 23 guests. The Temple also supports Shipibo Rao, where Maestro Jose Lopez Sanchez runs fourteen-day dietas for $2,000.

Care and safety

Applicants complete a detailed medical questionnaire when they register and hear by email, usually within a week, whether they are accepted. The centre says it turns down about 30 per cent of applications. Afterwards, guests get an integration roadmap, an online community and integration facilitators to call on. ICEERS and the Beckley Foundation ran an observational study at the Temple from 2015 to 2019, which the centre reports recorded improvements in anxiety, depression, grief and PTSD.