I arrived at Arkana as a broken boy.

After years of carrying trauma, addiction, guilt, emotional scars too deep to name, and physical back pain that haunted me daily (though, strangely, it no longer hurts), we will see how that goes but I’m happy to not feel prisoner in my own body …

I had planned to go to the Amazon. But due to unusual flooding, the trip had to be redirected to sacred valley unfortunately by the law of Mother Nature of which I believe nothing is a mistake! . I was heartbroken mainly because I don’t have the kind of money to travel freely like this and it’s something iv wanted for time .
This trip had taken me in a different direction which was initially hard to swallow as it’s was five years in the making until the calling was absolutely unbearable in fact so unbearable there were times I didn’t know how to turn off But somehow, through the generosity and belief in me from special people in my life, I was gifted this once in a lifetime opportunity to receive exactly what I needed which is so humbling and beautiful.
what I learned perhaps the most humbling truth of all is that I never really fully understood surrender until now I even thought I did I also thought I was perfectly fine with dying turns out my ego had a different story presented to me and today I’m fine with death and dying it’s a calm peace that’s come over me with no frenetic energy attached to it as I saw myself “ metaphorically die” during ceremony and I had to come to terms with it tbh Iowa Aska wouldn’t let me get away from the image until I understood.
I stepped into the Sacred Valley not knowing if healing was truly possible for someone like me. What I found was not just a retreat, but a full rebirth. A family. A living circle of people who saw me, accepted me, and made me want to give back even more than I already wanted to! It Made me want to live even more intensely with humility, even more honesty, and to be of service every single day that I breathe and hopefully beyond.

In just one week, something ancient was awakened within me. Through the guidance of Maestro Grimaldo, Maestro Luis, and the entire Arkana team, the medicine began to open me. Layer by layer, it peeled back the armor I wore to survive, revealing the pain I had buried but also the strength I never really truly realized was there. I was held. By the medicine. By the mountains. By the songs. The icaros didn’t just sound beautiful they entered my cells and rewired my sick body and mind.

I faced shadows and demons I had been running from my entire life. But instead of fear, of them I found love not only in the light, but in the darkest of moments. I reconnected with my roots, my ancestors, the Earth, and something far greater than me. I wept like a child. But for once, it wasn’t because of pain. It was because I had finally released it. I let go. I saw myself I truly saw myself and today I see me the me I love to be, maybe for the first time in decades.

To anyone who fears the darkness in ceremony do not. A dark ceremony is not a punishment. It’s a teacher. It may shake you, and it may scare you, but if you trust it, it will show you exactly what you’re ready to see. I’m still unpacking what I saw two weeks later. Every night, Ayahuasca continues to work on me in my dreams. Every morning I wake with another piece of the puzzle another thread woven back into my being.

I left that sacred valley no longer the wounded boy who entered. I left as a grown man grounded, open-hearted, and more whole than I’ve ever EVER been in my life.

The dieta, the rituals, the sacred container everything at Arkana is built with reverence for the plants, for the lineage, and for the Earth. There is no commercial mask here. No performance. Just truth. Raw, honest, and full of heart. A safe place to be exactly who I am.

To anyone seeking healing, transformation, or simply to remember who they are Arkana is not just a centre. It’s a portal. A home. A family I’m proud to call mine. Thank you, Arkana. I love you even those I haven’t met yet because I know I will. I’m not finished. My path is calling me to the Amazon, where I know I will return. Not just to heal. But to serve.

Silent service means more to me now than anything external ever could.
PS you can watch all the video in the world on bufo and ayahuasca but none will ever come close to what YOU experience plz keep this in mind as they can shadow you yes they are great reference to the unknown but tell yourself do you really need to know ahead of time and even still you will never know until you take the medicine trust me on that one! Bufo says in videos you will “meet god” you won’t see bright colours or definition I saw clear images I was reptilian I controlled other realms with my tongue and hands I was clearly seeing all around me at one point and everything looked beautiful I saw into plants I saw them growing I smelled them I tasted them I wasn’t me I was ancestral for sure and I didn’t scream one bit I licked my face and eyes with the most joy iv ever felt!

Much love
Shane Swartz
United Kingdom ❤️