SHAMBALLA RETREATS
CEREMONIAL AYAHUASCA AND PLANT MEDICINES
Story
PITT STEWART
In Brief
Extensive background in Shamanism with over 2,000 held ceremonies.
Prior to that he had years of training in Sufism, yoga, Shaolin martial arts and the transformational systems of G.I.Gurdjieff.
Many of these systems have explored the spiritual and psychological aspects underlying shamanism and he combines these with the traditional use of Ayahuasca, to potentise the processes of healing and transformation.
The beginning
Pitt was born in Australia, and started his spiritual exploration via the body; influenced by the psychological states of long distance running and a fascination with Shaolin martial arts. Martial arts were an intense period of his life - the physical conditioning of the body and the application of process of directed attention. In turn, his interest in Kung Fu took him to study acupuncture and oriental medicines . This in turn branched into an ongoing interest in Taoist philosophy and Tantra practices.
Sufi Orders and their lineages
At the same time he came in contact with Gurdjieff Work which automatically brought with it contact with Sufi orders and the wisdom associated with their lineages. He became involved in Sufi orders over the years such as the Melevi, the mystical and whirling dervishes of Konya, the Nashbandi, the Nimatullahi Order of Persia and the Rifa’i order of Egypt.
He then spent the next 25 years involved in these groups and the diversity of spiritual interest that they housed.
In the Sufi lineages one can trace the use of entheogenic substances. These schools developed much psychological and cosmological material that is finding its way into this current century.
Gurdjieff Work - esoteric traditions
George Gurdjieff was an Armenian mystic who had unprecedented access to the esoteric and mystical traditions of central asian sufism. After 5 years with these traditions in what is called “The Work” Pitt moved from Australia to America and attended a school set up by J.G.Bennet, a follower of G.I. Gurdjeff. There he learned the movements, a series of temple dances brought to the west by Gurdjieff. It was not an isolated circle as they had contact with such teachers as Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a Sufi mystic, the Vipassana monk - Venerable Bhante Dharmawara who would visit and hold retreats.
Yoga training and introduction of Soma (drink of Gods)
Pitt also has an 700hr ( tachers where Lance Schuler, Glen Cerisoli and Shandor Remete) yoga alliance certification as a yoga teacher, it was through his studies in yoga that he came across the use of Soma (the drink of the gods, from Vedic India which bears an almost exact description as words written about Ayahuasca).
Years of trainings came in cohesion after coming in contact with Ayahuasca
Pitt stumbled upon Ayahuasca around 14 years ago... or should we say it found him.
His first ceremony fractured his world and at the same time it provided an avalanche of deep revealing experiences that continually and with humility strip away and remodel his understanding of all that exists.
The found that the years of study in other disciplines formed a perfect preparation for work in South American Shamanism.
During that time he apprenticed himself to a local shaman and worked in his circles as well as holding his own.
He since held more than 2,000 Ayahuasca circles all over the world
Ever since he has been traveling the world, holding circles, experiencing the differences that arising around the world in the ways in which Madre is understood.
In turn journeying into South America to gather further traditional experience in shamanic practice. He hopes to become a conduit for the spreading and transmission of all that is unveiling itself in our current human history.
Live music as a key element in his ceremonies
He is an accomplished musician and singer and play guitar, piano, frame drums, handpan, didgeridoo, flutes, sitar, amongst others. He is particularly interested in music for its use in connectedness and how sound influences our psychology. His live music is a key component of the circles that he runs.