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Arara Encantada is not a retreat.
It is a portal into the invisible world
Here, you will work with the power of the rainforest and its medicine inside the territory of the Arara (Shawãdawa) people in Acre — held in direct reciprocity with them.
I have walked with this medicine for 36 years and worked in close relationship with Indigenous communities for 17. This path has shaped my life. And I do not open this portal casually. This container is for those who are ready to be rearranged. Healers who feel the ceiling of their current work. Leaders who know they are meant to hold more. Men and women who are done negotiating with their becoming.
This is not a retreat. It is an initiation. And it is not for everyone.
You will not come to observe. You will come to shed. If your body went quiet while reading this — listen to it.
Love,
Maíra
THIS IS NOT ONE OF MANY.
Most groups operating in the Amazon open their doors to 50, 80, sometimes over 100 people at a time — from multiple facilitators and lineages.
This is different.
I hold an exclusive agreement with the Arara Shawãdawa tribe. I bring a maximum of 15 people — once, sometimes twice a year. My team and I are with you every single day. Every person in the group is known. Every person matters.
There is no crowd. There is no conveyor belt. There is only the forest, the lineage, and the people who were meant to be there.
What You Will Experience
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Learn how ayahuasca is traditionally prepared with the Arara community
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Participate in daily ceremonies — sananga, rapé, and ayahuasca available from Day 2 onward. We follow the rhythm of the group, but those who are ready have access every single day. This is not a fixed program. It is a living process that moves with you.
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Receive structured preparation before arrival
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Daily integration support during the immersion
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Small, carefully selected group — maximum 15 people
The Arara SHAWÃDAWA Lineage
The Arara Encantada community is a protected Indigenous territory in Acre, Brazil.
They are not a tourist attraction. They are a living spiritual lineage with discipline, structure, and ancestral continuity. Ceremony is not a performance here — it is daily life.
Access to this territory is not open. For decades, I have built relationships of trust, advocacy, and shared responsibility with this community. This immersion exists because that bridge exists.
When you come here, you are not booking a program. You are being received by a lineage.
Guidance: Science, Spirit, and Safety
Deep ceremony requires grounded leadership. This immersion is held through the collaboration of Indigenous lineage and professional experience — ensuring your process is both spiritually authentic and responsibly contained.
Maíra Irigaray, PhD | The Bridge:
Doctorate in Geography.
Over 20 years working in Indigenous rights advocacy.
Initiated in the forest at age seven.
Participant in over 1,000 ceremonies.
Maíra holds the ethical structure of this immersion — ensuring cultural integrity, preparation, and integration support.
Gustavo Mendes | The Ground:
Biologist and environmental educator.
Over 23 years walking with ayahuasca.
Decades of relationship with the Arara leadership.
Gustavo supports the ceremonial container, safety, and on-the-ground coordination.
Our Protocol: We do not operate as tour guides. We operate as stewards of a sacred process. Every participant completes a medical and psychological screening before acceptance. Emotional stability, physical safety, and readiness for deep work are required. This protects you, the group, and the Arara community.
The Shift: Beyond the Experience
This immersion is not designed to create a temporary peak experience. It is an initiation into lasting change. This is not about intensity. It is about transformation that reorganizes your life.
Inside the forest, in direct relationship with Indigenous land and lineage, you will have the containment to:
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Confront emotional patterns at their root — not just manage their symptoms
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Release accumulated nervous system pressure and survival strategies that no longer serve you
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Restore connection to your intuition, clarity, and embodied authority
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Translate insight into irreversible shifts in how you live, lead, and relate
This work is held with preparation before you arrive and structured integration after you return. Because initiation without integration creates fragmentation. The work does not end when you leave the forest. In many ways, that is when it begins.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE CARRIED HOME
"You are not only a gifted woman of power — you are a facilitator of the light. This immersion was a journey of remembrance, of reclamation of my spirit, my purpose, my soul. Your passion for people and your gift of reuniting people with their highest potential is unmatched. You have truly found your calling in life." —
Audrey
"This experience brought me face to face with myself — gave me permission to seek forgiveness for events I had become unable to bear, and a chance to reconnect with joy. I cannot recommend this experience enough for anyone seeking to come to terms with dark shadows in their lives, or to rediscover awe and love for everything this world has to offer. Maíra, you are truly a powerful and kind guide."
Gerard
Traditional Medicine and Healing:
Over seven days, you will participate in a protected process rooted in the Arara tradition.
Location
Aldeia Arara Encantada, deep in the Acrean Amazon.
Accessed by small aircraft and boat.
Remote, quiet, and free from modern infrastructure.
GETTING THERE IS PART OF IT
Reaching the village requires small aircraft, boat travel, and physical endurance. The jungle is real — dense heat, mosquitoes, no wifi, no air conditioning, no modern comfort. This is not a hardship to be managed. It is the first layer of the initiation. Come prepared. Come willing. The discomfort is not a bug — it is a feature.
Ceremonies
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Sananga, rapé, and ayahuasca available daily from Day 2
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Optional rituals follow the rhythm and readiness of each participant
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Held with lineage discipline and supported by Maíra and Gustavo
Preparation of the Medicine
You will observe and participate in the traditional preparation process — understanding the physical and spiritual labor that precedes ceremony.
Community Relationship
You will be received by the Arara community — elders, families, and leadership — within a framework of mutual respect.
Integration & Support
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Daily integration sessions
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Structured preparation before arrival
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Post-immersion integration guidance
Seven days without digital noise, allowing your nervous system to recalibrate.
The Exchange:
Participation in this immersion is a financial and personal commitment. Your exchange supports:
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The Arara community and ceremonial leadership
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Fair compensation for all Indigenous participation
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Logistics to access remote territory
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Preparation and integration support
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On-site coordination and safety
This is an all-inclusive immersion from arrival in the village to departure (excluding international flights).
This Is Not:
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A commercialized ritual
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A social media experience
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A casual or recreational first encounter with ayahuasca
This immersion requires maturity, responsibility, and readiness for depth.
Begin the Process
This immersion is limited to 15 people maximum. It runs once, sometimes twice a year. If you feel the call — don't wait.
Participation is by application only.
The Process
1. Express your Interest
This is a simple step so we can book a call with you
2. Book an Exploratory Call
A call with Maíra to assess emotional and psychological readiness, medical availability, alignment, and safety.
3. Apply, and Confirm
Acceptance is confirmed only after screening is complete.
Safety & Screening
All participants undergo medical and psychological screening.
This is not about exclusivity.
It is about safety, responsibility, and protecting the integrity of the group and the Arara community.
