There are those who know Iquitos and the Amazon and those who are 'blow-ins' as we used to say in Ireland. Alan Shoemaker has been in Iquitos for years, knows the region, the blow-ins from the authentic people who are really doing the work and if that wasnt enough organises the Amazonian Conference in Iquitos each year. So if I were you I'd be inclined to listen to what he has to say about the temple of the way of light.
My own experience, after 10 years of working in Peru at various medicine centres, is that the temple was at best mediocre. Its absentee landlord (Mat Watherston, lives in the UK, rarely visits) is a rather paranoid individual and believes that everyone is "doing brujo" on him and "wants his DNA". That paranoia rubs off on the centre so you can imagine it's not all that restful. It's also very costly for what you get (weak aya, average accommodation, confused healers). The real kicker for me though was that I took a group of 20 there and two weeks prior to our arrival (when some of the group were already in Peru) the owner, Mat Watherston, decided to double our agreed price - or cancel my group and leave people stranded in Peru. Blackmail by any other word. Lack of integrity by ANY word.
So when Shoemaker says there's hardly any management at the temple and it claims to be non-profit as a ruse to make MORE profit it's hardly any surprise to me.
I'd give it a major pass if I were you and for sure I won't ever go back there - but that's just me; do your own research and make your own choices.
Just as a sign-off here's a possible alternative: www.ayahuascaretreats.org - run by someone once employed by the temple but, like a few of the temple's managers and supervisors recently, no longer interested in working there. You might ask yourself why but again, make up your own mind.
Peace
Ross
My own experience, after 10 years of working in Peru at various medicine centres, is that the temple was at best mediocre. Its absentee landlord (Mat Watherston, lives in the UK, rarely visits) is a rather paranoid individual and believes that everyone is "doing brujo" on him and "wants his DNA". That paranoia rubs off on the centre so you can imagine it's not all that restful. It's also very costly for what you get (weak aya, average accommodation, confused healers). The real kicker for me though was that I took a group of 20 there and two weeks prior to our arrival (when some of the group were already in Peru) the owner, Mat Watherston, decided to double our agreed price - or cancel my group and leave people stranded in Peru. Blackmail by any other word. Lack of integrity by ANY word.
So when Shoemaker says there's hardly any management at the temple and it claims to be non-profit as a ruse to make MORE profit it's hardly any surprise to me.
I'd give it a major pass if I were you and for sure I won't ever go back there - but that's just me; do your own research and make your own choices.
Just as a sign-off here's a possible alternative: www.ayahuascaretreats.org - run by someone once employed by the temple but, like a few of the temple's managers and supervisors recently, no longer interested in working there. You might ask yourself why but again, make up your own mind.
Peace
Ross