Seminars on Shamanism in Turkey: Analysis and Introduction to the Ayahuasca retreat
Analysis and Introduction to the Ayahuasca, San Pedro, and Tobacco retreat with ceremonies for Healing and Awakening of Consciousness. Seminars on Traditional Amazonian Shamanism in Istanbul, Turkey.
Conferences and Ceremonies in Turkey
Experience the teachings and practices of traditional Amazonian Shamanism in Turkey through retreats featuring ceremonies with master and medicinal plants. These offerings are designed to facilitate healing and the awakening of consciousness.
The family in Turkey
Encounters in Turkey
I used to live like everybody else, or so I thought that was to live. But if truth be told, I was trying to survive, waiting as time passed me by. I had stopped feeling many things, and I could perceive that, all around me and in my life, the body and above all the soul faded away because of modern society’s mayhem.
I could not do anything with it all because everyone said it was all part of the process of growing up, of adult life. They said that I could never be again that happy little girl, filled with life and hope.
My very first ceremony was like an awakening. I understood how important and strong is the connection with my soul, the Universe, God and everything around. And it does not matter how old I am: I am still part of a perfect cycle, just as it was like in my childhood.
I understood that all my concerns and fears, all of them based on my plans, were figments of my imagination. They are part of a game my adult mind plays, and my only protection is to get in touch with my heart.
The Spirit of Natem helped me to get to know my heart again. It taught me to listen to my heart amid the turmoil of everyday life. From the moment I started to live my life under its guidance, I have clearly heard its voice inside my instinct. I feel safe; my life has a sense; and I don’t look for anything outside of it.
I have seen that I can forever be that joyful child, and that I am reborn in each sunrise.
-Esma
My path to shamanism was long. I travelled for a long time, in a deep quest. On one of my trips I heard the words that stil remember: “Look for your tribe.”
On my very first ceremony I understood “here it is, my tribe… my family, my home”. For me, being present at each ceremony is a tremendous blessing. I thank arutam’s universe for meeting Ruyman and my family.
-Maya
On my first ceremony with Ruyman, I quitted smoking. Afterwards, all of my beliefs changed. My tenet of life became clear: eternal freedom and elevated love. Thanks, Ruyman and Maya.
-Mehmet
As a person who has experimented with different shamans and circles on many occasions, who has participated in assistance teams during ceremonies, and who has been a volunteer committed to this path, the feeling I had after my experience with Ruyman was exactly this: I must immediately convey this to my friends who are walking this path, and make sure they follow the right and true path. It is my duty.
Those who experience such a ceremony for the first time under Ruyman’s guidance naturally do not realize the valuable beginning they have had, as they have nothing to compare it with.
But those who, like me, have had previous experiences in other circles and have had the opportunity to work with Ruymán, feel as if they have suddenly found an oasis in the middle of the desert, where a fresh, green, icy stream gushes out, and they can drink from that water until they are satisfied. Hallelujah.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the universe, to the precious master Ruymán, to the ancestors of this path who formed him to guide us, and to the traditional Amazonian shamanism, which —by pure chance— allowed me to discover the traditional path.
Ayu
Alper
Who are the ceremonies for?
The majority of participants are looking to change something in their lives. Many return several times as they see the benefits they bring to their daily lives and their relationships.
Many wish to continue their journey to free themselves of patterns and tendencies that are rooted from many societal conditioning and cause so much suffering both physical and mental.
The ceremonies are open for anyone looking to experience a deep connection with themselves and awaken their own sensitivities to life.
When signing up, we will personally get in touch with each participant for a general screening and to clarify any questions there might be. Before the ceremony, we will send all the necessary information regarding the required preparations.
Safety is of utmost importance and besides Ruyman expertise, which he has amassed over more than twenty-five years, there will be experienced helpers assisting all ceremonies so you can feel safe so to go deep within yourself.
Retreats
DURATION
One or two nights
FOOD & ACCOMMODATION
The ceremonies are held in a house with dormitories and showers in the beautiful countryside. Breakfast is served on both days and lunch prior to the second ceremonies.
GROUP SIZE
Limited to 20–25 people
PRICE
The price covers the ceremony costs, including meals, supplies, and accommodation. For more details, please contact us or check the link provided.
NEXT RETREATS IN TURKEY
Contact the Organizer
If you are interested in attending a conference or ceremony, please don’t hesitate to send us a message using the form below. The organizer will get in touch with you by email, and may also offer to speak with you by phone to answer any questions you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
In an environment like Turkey, where Amazonian practices are intertwined with new cultural sensitivities, encounters with ayahuasca generate curiosity, doubts and interest in understanding its deep meaning. These ceremonial spaces not only transmit ancestral knowledge, but also invite responsible preparation and a conscious openness to the inner experience they propose.
The following FAQ section is designed to accompany you in this exploration, resolving common concerns about the seminar’s approach, intercultural integration and the ethical and practical aspects that allow these meetings to be lived from respect and authenticity.
What elements make an ayahuasca encounter safe in Western contexts?
The encounter with ayahuasca must be carried out in a framework of deep care and preparation. Safety in this type of process requires the guidance of a shaman with authentic experience, knowledgeable about the spirit world and master plants. Before each meeting, an assessment of the participant’s physical, emotional, and spiritual state should be conducted.
The space where the encounter takes place must be serene, stable, and energetically balanced. Those who accompany this type of process must be fully present and have a clear knowledge of the action of the plant in each person.
What kind of physical and emotional preparation is ideal before an ayahuasca encounter?
Those who approach the ayahuasca intake must do so from a state of internal availability. To this end, physical, energetic and spiritual preparation is recommended that includes diet, abstinence and recollection.
It is also important to take care of the sexual force, as it is part of the vital nucleus that sustains inner openness. Honoring this process is also a form of care. The days after the meeting are just as valuable: maintaining these habits for two more weeks helps to consolidate the work done and allows its fruits to be expressed in greater depth.
What emotional support tools are used in these meetings?
Throughout the ayahuasca process, intense emotions or states of openness may manifest that require human and spiritual accompaniment. An experienced teacher knows how to read these moments and provide guidance from calm and knowledge. Their presence offers a firm footing in the midst of inner movement.
The accompanying team must be equally capable of holding without disturbing, helping when necessary and maintaining order in the space. This care extends beyond the individual: it also includes the entire group, creating an environment of mutual respect, where each process is valued and protected.
Can someone who is under treatment participate in an ayahuasca intake responsibly?
There are medical and psychological treatments that may be incompatible with an ayahuasca process. Some substances generate dangerous reactions when combined with the plant, and certain mental states may require other forms of care.
The important thing is to share this information transparently, so that those who guide the process can decide clearly and responsibly if it is the right time. The integrity and health of the person must always be above all else.
How to continue the process after the ayahuasca encounter?
An encounter with ayahuasca can be very revealing, but its real value appears later, when what has been experienced is transformed into a way of life. Integration is not immediate: it takes time, requires attention and an attitude of honesty with oneself.
The days after the match are key to staying on track: with a clean diet, rest, and distance from distractions that divert energy. The encounter becomes profound when it modifies the way we move through the world, in which we talk to each other, in which we make decisions. That is integrating.
Why is it essential to receive the teaching of shamanism from those who have lived it for generations?
The path of shamanism does not begin in oneself, but in those who came before. To learn within an ancestral lineage is to participate in an encounter that unites generations, spirits and visions. It is not a matter of copying, but of receiving the living essence of a tradition that has crossed time with meaning.
Such an encounter is not only between people: it is a dialogue with nature, with the spirit, with dreams. True shamanic encounters happen when someone who has walked the path humbly guides those who wish to learn. Everything aligns there.
Learning without lineage is trying to understand a language without knowing its alphabet. On the other hand, when one enters a tradition, something older than the mind awakens: a memory that connects, that teaches from within, that orders from the root.
In a world of confusing paths, the encounters that truly transform are those in which lineage is present. Because there, each step is sustained by the wisdom of the ancestors.
How does the figure of the shaman (Uwishin) manifest itself during an encounter with ayahuasca within Shuar shamanism?
The Uwishin is not a director of ceremonies: he is a dedicated presence. From its union with the spirit, it becomes the channel and guardian of the sacred space. Their songs are not planned: they emerge from the now, as a living expression of what needs to be healed or awakened.
Singing is a spiritual language, which acts beyond the rational. To occupy that place, one must have received tradition, purified the path, and developed a stable connection with the force of the Great Spirit. Only in this way can a process as delicate and transformative as the one experienced in a ceremony be accompanied.
Why is ayahuasca honored as a master plant in spiritual encounters?
In the encounter with the Amazonian tradition, ayahuasca — called Natem by the Shuar peoples — is revealed as a master plant for its unique ability to guide, heal and transform. It is not just any psychedelic substance, but a living spirit that teaches from the inside.
During the encounter, Natem acts as a sharp mirror: he brings to light hidden emotions, ego conditioning, and deep wounds. It is a strong but healing experience that helps us to let go of what stagnates and to recover the most authentic of our being. The strength of this master plant is not only in what it shows, but in what it awakens: an energy that cleanses, orders and reconnects with the sacred.
Therefore, in an encounter conducted with respect for tradition and guided by true experience, ayahuasca becomes a powerful guide to inner transformation.
How is tobacco considered a sacred plant within an encounter with shamanic roots?
In a true spiritual encounter with ayahuasca, tobacco occupies an essential place. It is not an added custom, but a sacred plant that is part of the very heart of the tradition.
For Amazonian peoples such as the Shuar, it represents the blood of the Great Spirit, Arutam. It is prepared in water, not smoked, and inhaled at the beginning of the encounter as a spiritual opening, and at the end as a final blessing. Tobacco purifies, centers, sharpens perception, and guides toward clarity.
It is a deep and direct medicine, which acts immediately. During the most intense moments of the process, tobacco sustains, calms or boosts. In the shaman’s hands, it is transformed into prayer and alignment. Through its strength, many rediscover their dormant sensibility and enter a state of communion with life. It is the living touch of the sacred.
Is this encounter with ayahuasca a superficial experience or a serious process of inner transformation?
The encounter with ayahuasca, when it is authentic, has nothing to do with entertainment or passing curiosity. It is an act of dedication, a deep search that demands preparation, respect and guidance.
The ancestral cultures of the Amazon have transmitted this wisdom with great care, knowing that it is not a matter of playing with the unknown, but of opening up to the real. During the encounter, the master plant does not offer comfort: it offers truth. What emerges in the ceremony are not pleasant visions, but that which needs to be seen and transformed.
That is why it is so important that it is led by an experienced guide who knows how to sustain the most delicate moments of the process. And it is precisely in those moments that the meaning of the encounter is defined. Whoever comes looking for something superficial is going to find what they do not want to see, and will probably resist. That resistance cuts off the flow of work.
But those who come from the heart, with true will, will discover that the greatest gift is precisely where it hurts.
What kind of spiritual or personal transformation can the ayahuasca encounter bring?
An ayahuasca process can generate very profound changes in the body, mind and spirit. That transformation is not always comfortable: it often requires looking fear in the face, going through old wounds or letting go of old patterns.
But it is right there, at that crossroads, where the most luminous is born. When you go through it with dedication, courage, and determination, you strengthen your life energy, awaken a deeper connection to the sacred, and a clearer and truer inner guidance emerges.