The Ancient Healing Technology of Ayahuasca Medicine Music and Icaros
By Maureen Walsh
One of the most profound gifts I’ve received from Ayahuasca is the gift of music and song. As a little girl, I used to love to sing, but after experiencing some traumatic events, I decided that I had a terrible voice and shut down my throat completely. The first time I sat with Ayahuasca, I was terrified to sing. When I tried, it felt like my vocal chords couldn’t make a sound. Music is one of the main healing components of an Ayahuasca ceremony, and when I first started sitting, the music made me feel both frozen and in awe, all at once.
As I integrated my first few ceremonies, I began connecting differently to music and sound. I started dabbling more seriously with a few different instruments. I even wrote a couple songs on the ukulele, but I wasn’t confident enough to share them with anyone. I can still remember the feelings of inadequacy that rose up within me during those first years of sitting. In hindsight, comparing myself to the other incredible musicians and singers that were further down the path was part of my process of healing and awakening.
My teacher in Peru was the true catalyst for my voice and song to begin to wake up. She strongly emphasizes the importance of singing and sharing your voice. She always invites the group to sing along with her throughout the night.
The Power of Icaros
Most of the icaros in my lineage are passed down from teacher to student orally. I like to think about the backing behind these sacred songs. They are upheld by the line of curanderos and teachers originating way back in time. Like the bija mantras channeled from the sounds of nature by the yogis, many icaros were also channeled through the song of creation. They carry profound energy encoded with wisdom and eternity. It always makes me feel supported {especially when moving through extreme darkness in a ceremony} to think about the origins of the icaros and the support of the ancient medicine men and women who carried the plant wisdom and songs long before.
Icaros and medicine songs during ceremony are the grounding cord to the Earth and the keys to unlocking the beauty of the Universe (within and without). When the curandera begins to sing at the start of the ceremony, the whole room takes a breath. The vibration of the icaros envelopes the space in light and helps to guide you back into the body gently. The repetition of words grounds the energy and provides a bridge into the heart. When things feel highly intense, the music is always the guiding light back into the room, back into the body.
It's incredibly powerful to witness a space constructed by a solid and potent curandero who has a deep relationship with Ayahuasca. The way he or she can flow with the medicine and with the vibration of the icaros is masterful. I’ve experienced many magical Ayahuasca ceremonies where I could see crystalline temples of light created by the shaman, the medicine, and the icaros both inside and outside of the space. The vibration and the energetic patterns of the icaros linked in and wove around the temples, creating a profound sense of welcome and safety. When that kind of space is created, it gives everyone full permission to go deep, to really heal.
The vibration of the icaros combined with the depth of the curandero and the strength of the medicine is so powerful that it allows space for the entire group to release long-held trauma and pain. It also creates space to feel the true vibration of love and to celebrate life, which helps with the integration process after as well.
My Invitation From The Icaros - Finding My Voice
Over the course of a night in an Ayahuasca ceremony, many aspects of nature are sung in and celebrated, so the field is extra supported with beauty, strength, and light. Those qualities are held in the space throughout the night regardless of each person's process. This type of safe space is the main reason I was able to clear and integrate some seriously heavy stuff over the years.
The vibration of the songs holds a very high frequency above the seeming chaos of the room, and it’s the participant's choice (and sometimes there isn’t a choice) to connect with that frequency or not. I’ve found that during my darkest times in ceremony, when I am able to zone out of my suffering for a moment and catch the frequency wave of the music and, if possible sing along, something ultimately shifts… even if it’s just for a moment.
At times, it’s possible to tune into that frequency and sing the words correctly without having ever heard the songs before. This happened to me many times at the beginning of my journey, and after a while, I found myself singing the icaros outside of ceremony. The songs would drop in and remind me of the work I recently completed or still needed to attend to. The icaros would also come in to gently urge me to integrate and continue to sing.
The more I sat in ceremony, the more I could feel the healing that was taking place within me when I sang. The way the medicine plays with icaros within the body and mind is fascinating. Certain songs and tones can bring deep-held emotions and trauma up to the surface to be excavated. It’s different for every person, and it’s different each time, but I find it fascinating to feel when the vibration and the energetics of an icaro bring up a great purge. It’s such an incredible and ancient healing technology that has truly changed my life.
Integrating Medicine Work Through Singing
I’ve discovered with myself and through my clients that dedicating even a small amount of time each day to the practice of singing outside of the ceremonial context is a powerful way to integrate the lessons from ceremony and to continue on the path of grace and expansion. I found the more I practiced in private, the more ready I felt to share with others. The first time I was guided to sing at the end of the ceremony, I didn’t think I would make it through the entire song. My voice and body shook, but I felt the support of the medicine urging me to continue. When I finished, I felt a great sense of relief and embodiment despite how I perceived it sounded.
I have worked with many people in preparation for ceremony that have gotten the message that it’s time for them to sing and share their voices. It’s such a beautiful phenomenon to witness people move through their blocks, sing, and share from the heart. I hope that everyone that comes to this practice has the opportunity to tap into their own unique voice and express their sacred song. These ancient technologies hold the key for many to unlock the depths of the brilliance of their soul.
The Path of Creation
Experiencing the magic of the icaros in an Ayahuasca ceremony is the best way to test out if this path of discovery is for you. I have found that listening to medicine music as preparation for ceremony can help to reduce anxiety and get me centered and ready for the experience. It’s also a great practice to continue to listen to medicine music after the journey is complete to help with integration.
For me, the medicine path is a path of devotion to all of Creation. The beauty and healing that I have experienced through Ayahuasca is beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. The icaros and medicine music are now woven into my life and continue to assist and guide me throughout my journey. I pray that all that step onto this path may feel the immense support, wisdom, and backing of ages from this incredible medicine. May everyone feel the immense light and magic carried by the icaros. May the song remind you to walk in beauty and remember all that you are.
Experience the Magic of Icaros and the Medicine
I had the pleasure of working and being in ceremony with Don Smiley in Costa Rica earlier this year on a Plant Medicine People retreat. He holds a beautiful container of light, and the way that he works with the icaros is like watching a sacred dance unfold before your eyes. To learn icaros from this Maestro through his colorful artistic lens and powerful voice is such a gift! If you are looking to expand your own relationship with Ayahuasca and the music, then I highly recommend joining this upcoming course. Getting to know the music on a deeper level connects you to Ayahuasca differently, allowing you to continue working with the Medicine in the ceremony of your life. Knowing the beauty of the songs and singing them in and out of the ceremonial space connects you to the core of life and carries you through the darkest night.
I’ll be joining the magic for a couple of Plant Medicine People retreats next year. To experience Ayahuasca in the places where the plants grow, where you can feel how the medicine vibrates through the people and the Earth is a life-changing experience. I look forward to sharing that beauty and song with you!
About the Author
Maureen Walsh is an international visionary artist and healer. She’s spent the last decade traveling the world, studying many healing modalities and art forms. Her work is infused with and inspired by the magic of nature, the healing power of the ocean, plant medicine, intuition, sacred geometry, meditation, and the redwoods. She has witnessed firsthand the powerful connection between healing and art and allows that connection to guide her way.
