How to Find and Set Intentions for Your Ayahuasca Ceremony
- Mario Danzer
- Apr 20
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 30
“I’d like to see my life path more clearly.”
It’s a common intention. And while it sounds beautiful, it’s not one that a Shipibo Curandero in Maestro Ricardo Amaringo's lineage can actually work with.
Why?
Because in his Shipibo tradition, Curanderos work strictly by invitation. The icaros they sing are not general healing songs – they are personal, intentional songs, sung for you and for your intention. No intention, no direction. And without direction, no focused healing.
A Curandero will never “just do something good.” Their role is to remove, cleanse, and work with what you bring – nothing more.
It’s not about naming your desired outcome!
It’s about identifying what stands in the way!
🌀 A Real-Life Example
Imagine someone comes into the preparation space and says: “I want to see my life’s purpose.”
It’s a big and beautiful desire. But we would gently ask:
"What’s keeping you from seeing it?”
“Actually… I have a really hard time hearing my own inner voice. And even when I do hear it, I second-guess it. I question whether it’s real, or just something I’m making up. There’s just… a lot of doubt. And fear.”
“What kind of fear?”
"A fear of stepping into the unknown. Of not being safe. Especially around money. I’m afraid that if I follow my heart, I won’t be able to support myself.”
“And where do you feel that fear comes from?”
“That fear… it’s not even really mine. It’s my mom’s. She was always so anxious about money, especially after my parents separated. I grew up watching her worry constantly—checking bills, working late, sacrificing everything. And somewhere along the way, I started believing: I need to be the one to hold it all together. I can’t leave her behind.”
And suddenly, the real intention appears—not as a lofty goal, but as a tender truth:
✨ I want to let go of the fear I inherited.
✨ I want to heal the guilt I carry around choosing my own path.
✨ I want to trust that I don’t have to carry this story anymore.
🌿 How to Find Intention for a Ceremony – Step by Step
Here’s a simple process you can follow as you prepare for ceremony:
Start with your wish.
Write down what comes naturally, even if it feels vague or abstract.
Ask yourself: What’s standing in the way?
If your wish is “to see my path,” what’s keeping you from seeing it?
Go deeper: Where did this blockage come from?
Is it a fear? A memory? A belief you picked up somewhere?
Feel into it.
Step out of your mind and into your body. What emotions come up? Fear? Sadness? Tightness?
Now shape your intention as an invitation to work at the root.
For example:– I want to release the fear I inherited from my mother.– I ask for support in healing the doubts that keep me from trusting my inner voice.– I open myself to healing the guilt I carry around leaving family behind.
Your intention doesn’t have to sound spiritual or poetic. It just has to be honest.
The more clearly you can see yourself – with everything you carry – the more precisely the medicine can guide you. And the deeper the work of the Curanderos can go.
Truth is the beginning of healing.
💫 Personal Intentions with an Ayahuasca Ceremony
Personal intentions are those that take place directly between a person and the medicine itself. They’re rooted in the desire to receive insight or clarity, rather than to release or cleanse something specific.
Common examples might include:
– Wanting to understand one’s life path
– Seeking guidance on career or relationship decisions
– Longing to connect with “love and light”
– Hoping to reconnect with a deceased loved one or to find closure after loss
These are heartfelt and valid human desires. But within the Shipibo tradition, Curanderos are not permitted to intervene in such matters. Their role is not to give answers or summon energies—it’s to cleanse, remove, and restore energetic balance.
For instance, calling in the spirit of a departed family member or asking for future direction goes beyond the scope of the Shipibo codigo (code of ethics). These are considered personal processes—between you and the medicine—and not something the Curandero will channel or influence through their icaro.
That’s why clarity in your intention is so important. Not only to invite the healing you truly need—but to align with how the medicine actually works in this tradition.
🌿 Examples of "Cleaning" Intentions
(These can be addressed through cleansing, removal, and energetic healing)
🧍♂️ Physical Body
Chronic pain
Tension or pressure in the body
Inflammation or internal discomfort
💔 Emotional Pain
Sadness, grief, loneliness
Guilt, helplessness, hopelessness
Longing, apathy, homesickness
Worry, fear, panic
Anger, rage, resentment
Revenge, hatred, frustration
Bitterness, jealousy, envy
Shame, confusion, disgust
Obsessive thoughts, compulsions
🌪 Trauma & Life Events
Abuse (including self-abuse) – physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, spiritual, religious
Exposure to violence or war
Birth trauma or early developmental trauma
Accidents or surgeries
Natural disasters (earthquakes, fires, etc.)
Loss of loved ones
Separation or divorce
Childhood neglect or abandonment
Growing up with addicted or mentally ill parents
Domestic violence
Bullying
💼 Relational & Energetic Baggage
Unprocessed energy from past relationships or ex-partners
Residual pain from family conflict
Inherited emotional burdens
Financial fear rooted in family history
All of these are valid intentions because they relate to energetic blocks or wounds that a Curandero can help cleanse and clear through their icaro. They offer a clear direction for the healing to take place.
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