Shamanic Experiences on Coast to Coast AM February 17, 2025

Shamanic explorer Matthew J. Pallamary discussed the universal appeal and foundational significance of shamanism across cultures, including the use of ayahuasca. He pointed out similarities between South American indigenous beliefs and those found in various global religions, including the legend of the Great Flood. Calling shamanism "the world's oldest spiritual belief system," he said its roots are deeply embedded in prehistoric spirituality. Shamanism, he continued, encompasses the roles of healers, teachers, and therapists. They serve as guides, "going to the other worlds or the other realms... to find the knowledge," with the pursuit sometimes involving working with psychoactive plants like ayahuasca, which help shamans explore consciousness through visionary experiences, and spiritual animal totems.

Drawing from his extensive experiences with ayahuasca ceremonies over the past 25 years in Central and South America, Pallamary offered personal insights into the plant medicine and related rituals. He explained how these practices are steeped in centuries of trial and error, and that knowledge has been passed down through generations. "In the jungle, there are no medical facilities close by. And these cures and these plants go back literally to prehistoric times." Pallamary emphasized that ayahuasca is not for everyone and requires careful screening and respect, especially considering its potential interactions with medications like SSRIs.

ONE

Jeanette Driscoll opened her sparkling blue eyes, stretched out on the bed, and brushed back her long blonde hair before resting her head on her husband Ted’s chest. Tall, sandy-haired, and blue-eyed like his wife, Ted’s muscular frame complemented her model’s figure. Their friends and Ted’s colleagues where he worked as head of research and development at Bliss Pharmaceuticals often referred to them as the perfect couple.

“If we’re going to bring a kid into the world,” she said, “let’s create the most perfect one we can.”

Ted leaned in to her. “Like Hitler’s blond-haired, blue-eyed Aryan boys?”

Jeanette hit him on the shoulder. “Stop it! I was thinking more along the lines of a Jesus, then again, maybe we want a little girl.”

Ted chuckled and kissed her. “I’m okay with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jesus, especially if he or she looks like their mother!”

“So many choices.” Jeanette groaned. “Part of me wishes we could go back to natural selection like our parents did.”

“It’s a crap shoot with too many unknowns,” Ted said with an air of finality. “Aside from that we’re both worried about birth defects, delivery complications, or other possibilities for trouble, not to mention the threat and the impact to your health.”

“I admit to being a little worried, but part of me craves the idea of nurturing a new life inside of me with all the warmth, connection, and intimacy that comes with it.”

Ted caressed the side of her face eliciting a dreamy smile. “I understand that as best as I can from a man’s perspective and I know that pregnancy can be exhausting, painful, nauseating, and sometimes flat-out dangerous. If you're pregnant and you stress too much, get sick, or catch some kind of flu or something, you might not be giving our child the best start we can.” He ran his hand down over her breasts and followed her sculpted curves down to the softness of her inner thigh. “Not to mention what it could do to your beautiful body.”

She giggled when he stroked her thigh and put her hand on his. “Stop it!”

He slid his hand out from under hers and continued his caresses. “Think about the benefits. We can continue having all the sex we want with no interruptions. You might not have the same birthing experience your mother had, but we'll both arrive at our first day of parenthood feeling physically fresh and well-rested, instead of you having been weighed down for months by a parasitic organism that could leave a path of destruction when you birth it. Even in the best case scenario there are possibilities of post-partum depression, hormone imbalances, and other post birth dangers.”

“Parasitic organism? That’s our child you’re talking about. You make it sound so horrible!”

“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I only want what is best for you and baby. You have to admit, the whole pregnancy thing takes a toll on you. If you take that into consideration and look at the positives, taking advantage of the technological benefits we are blessed with is the best way to go. Everything can be precisely controlled and monitored which eliminates any stress on beautiful you, and it ensures the safest, healthiest, most stable environment for our love child to grow in.”

They stayed quiet for awhile, then Jeanette sat up and grabbed her iPad from the bed stand. “Let’s take another look.” She propped herself up against the headboard, pulled her knees up and put the tablet in her lap, tapping the screen. Ted propped himself up beside her and put his arm...

Mary Otis is the author of Burst, longlisted for the 2024 Joyce Carol Oates Prize and winner

of the 2023 Silver Medal in Literary Fiction from the Independent Book Publisher Awards.

The moving debut novel explores the relationship complexities between mothers and

daughters. She’s also the author of Yes, Yes Cherries, a collection of short stories author Lorrie

Moore called “funny, brave and amazing.” A founding fiction professor in the UC Riverside