Ayahuasca icaros, or ikaros, are traditional indigenous Amazonian songs that are performed as accompaniment to sacred plant healing ceremonies. They are musical prayers that embody the powers of spirits of plants and animals, deities, ancestors, and elemental forces. Channeled into this reality by Ayahuasca facilitators and Shamans, they are employed as efficient healing agents, powerful spirit weapons, or ineffable realm creators. Shamans learn icaros through years of training and communing with the plants, whose powers they are to use in healing or divinatory purposes. This training is commonly known as the ‘dieta,’ During the ‘dieta,’ shamans spend days & weeks in isolation from the community (but, not uncommonly, alongside other shamans in training), fasting on a basic diet which includes rice & plantains with no salt. They commune with the Master Plant once or a few times per day slowly gathering power, insight, and knowledge from the spirit world. Aside from food, they abstain from all other activities as well, leaving ample space for the Master Plant Teacher lessons to come through. Over the course of their training, future shamans slowly establish a strong connection with their plant teachers. As this resonance grows, the dreams, artistic inspiration and aptitude of the shaman diversify and develop as well. At some point, the apprentices are gifted with songs and chants, which they are to use for calling forth the lost souls and their spirit allies, and strengthening or modulating the actions of the plant spirits. I was gifted this haunting Icaro while I dieted an organic version of Agua De Florida. Florida Water is a mixture of several plants and has been used for centuries by healers for protection, cleansing and personal rituals. It is known as the Shaman's cleanse.
