#11 Davina Mackail on shamanism

Uncharted Territory

Are healers chosen? Davina Mackail pursued the shamanic path after a near-death experience after suffering severe altitude sickness in Tibet and then arriving in Lhasa, the capital, which seemed like heaven. Then, she says, teachers began appearing in her life, and she later trained in Peru to serve ayahuasca and San Pedro according to the indigenous traditions. She discusses the proliferation of plant medicine ceremonies across the world, including in the UK, and the corresponding increase in people calling themselves shamans. Mackail also shares wisdom around feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging space in relation to the flow of energy, otherwise known as chi. She says that homes are not just bricks and mortar, and have living spirits. Terrance McKenna's plan of the plants for the planet is also referenced, as well as Mackail's old astrology column for UK newspapers, and discovering her father. You can read more about shamanism via host Mattha Busby's psychedelics.com article on The Origins of Counterculture’s Most Misused Word.