At Willkamayu Spirit, John’s Andean heritage grounds our ayahuasca ceremonies in ancestral lineage, while Janeke’s integrative methods bring head and heart into dialogue—much like Eagle and Condor soaring together in harmony. In this conversation, we explore their shared vision, trace the evolution of Willkamayu Spirit, and highlight how integration, reconciliation, and plant medicine remain with our guests long after they leave the retreat.
Honoring Ancestral Roots: The Birth of Willkamayu Spirit
When John and Janeke first felt the call to create a space of profound healing, they were working at a large retreat center. But something felt off. The ceremonies were vast, impersonal, and drifting from the grounded practices they’d come to revere.
John remembers:
“In May 2016, we were both at a retreat center, but we felt things weren’t aligning. We felt the call to provide something in a family setting—it was just for me to connect these both energies, plant medicine and family, in a sacred space. It’s like for us the natural impulse to do it in a more organic way.
Willkamayu Spirit began with intimate ancestral ceremonies held in our family home, rooted in deep connection to the land and traditions of Peru. We grew a small community of trusted maestros and like-hearted people, sharing from our own healing journeys.
Over time, our path led us to the healing of the Inner Child. A gifted teacher from the Netherlands mentored Janneke in this work, which deeply transformed both her and Jhon. As we began sharing Inner Child sessions during our retreats, we witnessed the profound impact it had on our participants—helping them ground, integrate, and connect more deeply with their healing. This practice naturally wove into the ceremonies, becoming an essential part of our offerings.
Blending Ancient & Modern: A Ceremony for Today
While we honor Shipibo and Andean lineages, we also recognize that modern seekers benefit from supportive practices woven into the ceremonial framework. At our retreats, you’ll find:
- Inner-child Workshops: The Inner Child Workshop is a 5–6 hour guided journey, usually shared across three gentle sessions during your retreat. We work in an intimate space with guided meditations, regressions, writing exercises, storytelling, and reflection.
- Family Constellations: This method helps bring to light the unconscious blocks and inherited burdens that may be affecting your relationships, career, health, and overall well-being.
- Supportive Diets and Nourishing Meals: Technology‑free periods that foster deeper presence.
- Massage or Reiki: For those who feel called to additional therapies and modalities of honouring the energetic and physical bodies
- Rite of the Womb: helps women anchor their healing by releasing stored emotions and reconnecting with the wisdom of their womb.
Janeke explains:
“Sometimes it’s only high‑vibe bypassing and the integration can be missed.. It’s really about sitting with your whole spectrum of emotions… being with it, and that starts in preparation first, then integration. It is in taking this time that we step into reconciliation.”
By marrying ancestral ritual with these complementary modalities, we create a container that both honors the medicine’s lineage and equips you to sustainably integrate its teachings into daily life.
Weaving Inner Child Integration into Ceremony
For us, the journey doesn’t end when the final cup is poured. Integration begins both before and within the retreat, especially through our signature inner child workshops:
- Deep Connection Exercises: Guided meditations, a regression and reflections to meet your younger self.
- Embodied Practices: Embodied Practices: gently reconnecting with your emotions, finding safe expression, and creating space for deeper empathy with yourself and those around you.
- Compassionate Dialogue: Safe spaces to voice old wounds without shame. Being vulnerable and in deep connection together.
Janneke describes:
“The inner child work is where we go together and receive tools to connect with that part inside you—looking at answers within and learning to take care of yourself. If we still dismiss, healing cannot occur.”
Participants often report life‑shifting realizations long after the retreat ends:
Janneke recalls:
“Last week, a guest messaged to say she finally felt ready to switch careers. Integration can take years; it’s a real step‑by‑step process. It is not immediately after the ceremony, the work goes home too.”
By embedding this work into our retreats, we help you bridge ceremony insights into real‑world change.
Grounding: The Foundation of Deep Transformation
Without a solid foundation, even the most profound visions can slip away. That’s why we emphasize somatic grounding throughout every stage:
- Earth‑Connection Walks: Sharing in the beautiful surroundings of the retreat .
- Post‑Ceremony Rest: Gentle periods of quiet and reflection to allow insights to settle.
- Integration Conversations and Practices: Simple techniques for anchoring intense emotions.
Janeke emphasizes:
“If you’re not grounded, you can’t go deep. This connectedness to your body is super important—preparation, ceremony, and integration all depend on it.”
These practices ensure that you can face discomfort with courage—and metabolize it with grace.
Reconciling Self: Liberation Through Awareness
At its heart, an authentic Peruvian ayahuasca ceremony invites you into a paradox: true freedom arises by embracing the uncomfortable.
John reflects:
“Integration is taking time and space to really listen—to your emotions, to what your soul longs for, to what your body communicates… that’s where you reconcile fragmented parts of yourself.”
Through guided dialogue, creative expression, and ceremonial witnessing, we help you surface hidden patterns and reframe them with awareness. This inner reconciliation opens the mind and liberates you from outdated stories—making way for genuine healing.
In Summary: What Sets Our Ceremonies Apart
- Lineage & Intention
Small, family‑style circles steeped in Shipibo and Andean wisdom. - Modern–Ancient Fusion
Traditional ceremonies and modern approaches to unpacking and integrating. - Inner Child Integration
Workshops that transform ceremony into lifelong practice. - Liberation Through Awareness
Confronting discomfort is the path to wholeness.
Join Us for an Authentic Journey
If you feel called to an authentic Peruvian ayahuasca ceremony—one that honors ancestral lineage, modern integration, and deep inner work—we invite you to explore our upcoming retreats. Step into a circle where every voice matters, every emotion is welcome, and true transformation awaits.
Learn more and reserve your spot at https://willkamayuspirit.com/
With gratitude,
Willkamayu Spirit
