About our Ceremonial Leaders
Derek Januszewski
Derek is a 45 year old father of 3 children – Dylan, Althea, and Zoe. He grew up bouncing back and forth between Massachusetts and Florida. A survivor of tremendous abuse in many forms, Derek came to the medicine in 2017 after a decade long battle with addiction that was starting to get away from him. Through intense inner work, extensive work with the medicine, and countless hours working in service to the medicine working along with nearly 1,000 brave souls who sat with the medicine over the last couple of years, Derek has healed much of his trauma. The…
Taita Pedro Davila
Taita Pedro, also called Shaman, Curandero, Conocedor, Yagecero, or traditional Indigenous Physician as these men are known in Putumayo, Colombia has more than 20 years of experience working with the family of sacred plants. He arrived in the United States in 2016 to help spread the teachings of the native people of South America. His work creates awareness by sharing the knowledge, respect and use of sacred plants that is traditional in countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Europe, Venezuela, Mexico, and Panama. In his journey through the United States, he has brought many people through the process of finding insight…
Juan and Maria
We are Ayacona. Ayacona is a project created by Juan and Maria. They are a couple of yageceros/practitioners originally from Colombia and have been working with the sacred medicines from the jungle for around 18 years now. Juan and Maria have had the opportunity to learn and to work with different taitas, shamans, indigenous people, medicine men and women from different tribes from the Amazon, from Colombia, especially with the people from the Kametsá tribe, in Putumayo, Colombia; but they have also been with the people from Brazil and Perú. They strongly believe that Amazon is not only one particularly…
JC Arkawa
Juan Carlos Arkawa has worked with Ayahuasca for 22 years. He trained in Colombia and serves the sacrament with the highest respect and honor. JC is a multi-instrumentalist musician, producer, composer and arranger of indigenous Colombian descent from the town of Los Pastos. With more than 30 years of musical experience, he bases his work on the fusion of instruments and ethnic music from different parts of the world, as well as cultural knowledge from diverse ancestral communities and contemporary technology. He is a self-taught performer on more than 100 wind instruments from around the world. In 2014 he was…
Leydi Johana Ramirez Lopez
Medicine woman 10 years ago, born in Colombia, mother, walker of the red road in service with fire, for sacred altars as they are, Temazcales of medicines and awakolla. Practitioner of the shamanic medicinal wheel of Mother Earth, she provides therapeutic accompaniment through different integral medicines such as ancestral feminine wisdom, lunar sowings (woman), ancestral gynecology (uterine healing), works with obsidian and its different geometries. Johana is currently studying natural fertility, trained in mixed international circles, pregnancy and childbirth as a ceremony (Mhuysca) and placental medicine (Mhuyscas). Facilitator of ancestral medicines such as ayahuasca, kambo, sananga, mambe, ambil, rape, cocoa…
Nico
Nico’s path with Ayahuasca began 16 years ago through an apprenticeship under Taita Florentino Agreda, from Putumayo Colombia. These first few years of regular ceremonies were a powerful initiation, which brought a lot of clarity and established a deep relationship with this medicine. With Taita Florentino Nico has traveled throughout Colombia, assisting in ceremonies, playing medicine music, and eventually learning from Taitas of other traditions. Some names include Taita Isaias Munos Macanilla (Kitchwas community from the Amazon), Taita Querubin Queta (Cofan), Taita Leonel Tascon (Embera), to list a few. Another profound experience during these years of exploration and healing was…
Taita John
About Taita John Muchavisoy, At a very young age, he began the journey of learning to become a traditional indigenous doctor certified by the Columbian Government. He immersed himself in the jungle for more than 15 years where he went through preparation processes and was able to work hand and hand with the various medicines of the earth, in different patients with physical, emotional and spiritual conditions. His experience and journey now totals 25 years during which time he learned from great grandparents and teachers. The main one, the renowned Major Taita Hipotito Muchuviddy, his father who brought him the…
Melissa
“The Whole World is waiting for you to shine your Light, and I am here to support this process” INTEGRATION COACH SPECIALIST: Melissa’s mission is to support your Soul Process and your integration of Plant Medicine work using Psychosynthesis Coaching, the Psychology of the Soul, combined with a deep knowledge of Ceremonies and Plant Spirits and the ancient wisdom of Yoga. Expertise: – Psychosynthesis Integration Specialist – Pre and Post Ceremony Integration – Jungle Trained Facilitator (trained with Shipibo Tribe in Peru) – Yoga Teacher (Hata, Vinyasa, Ying) – Tantra Practitioner – Highly empathic and intuitive – Expert in Languages…
Maima María Manesita Queta & Taita Luis Alberto Queta
Maima María Manesita Queta is the sister of Taita Mayor Querubín Queta Alvarado 108 year old Chief of the Cofan tribe from the south of Colombia. She will be accompanied by her son Taita Luis Alberto Queta. Their tribe resides in the Ukumari Kankhe reservation in Nariño just over the Putumayo county border and are part of an unbroken lineage of Yage oral traditions that goes back over 5000 years. They work with chants, Wairas, and harmonicas to harmonize one with the medicine and perform deep energetic cleansing to help shed stagnant energy and align one’s spirit. Maima Manesita is…
Marco Gonzalez
Marco’s communion with Ayahuasca began 19 years ago. He was initiated by a Huichol Medicine Man on a pilgrimage to Wirikuta, followed by vision quests for 4 years under the guidance of Lakota Indians from the North. He has also studied under Yopo and Mamawilka from the Piaroa tribe under the guidance of the tribe elder Bolivar. His path with Ayahuasca started 10 years ago with an apprenticeship in the Amazon jungle with the Shipibo Tribe and tribe Shamans: Fidel Mozombite, Mateo Arevalo, Daniel Arevalo, Takiwasi and Atahualpa and continued in Mexico under the Mayan Shaman Don Lauro de la Cruz doing energy healing work. He continues to…
Juan
Juan, the creator of Ayacona, has dedicated himself to working with sacred medicines from the Amazon for approximately 18 years. Originally from Colombia, he has had the privilege of learning from and collaborating with various taitas, shamans, and indigenous communities from the Amazon region. Juan strongly believes in the unification of tribes, traditions, and medicines, recognizing the power and wisdom each holds. Through his ceremonies, music, and sacred space-holding, he integrates elements from different traditions, aiming to bring unity, healing, and peace to us and our planet. Juan’s alliance with the Lakota people demonstrates his commitment to fostering respect, ceremonies,…