A Review of Yaje - The New Purgatory

A Review of Yaje: The New Purgatory By Jimmy Weiskopf

In the past few years there has been many books written by western authors on the subject of the use of Ayahuasca or Yaje by native shamans of South America and although such books have served a vital role in reporting on the phenomenon of Yaje, few have captured the distinct experience of Yaje use in the context of a rapidly changing Latin America. In Yaje: The New Purgatory, Jimmy Weiskopf has successfully captured the mood that reflects the ancient practices of the amazon shamans against the backdrop of Columbia, a country that is a portrait of contrasts. In the book Jimmy recounts his repeated visits to Columbia to take Yaje and learn about its spiritual and physical healing power.

When reading any book on modern accounts of shamanism and psychedelics one cannot avoid comparisons with the works of Carlos Castenada and the enigmatic Don Juan Matus. In Yaje, Mr. Weiskopf has drawn a compelling picture of a modern shaman every bit as wise and wierd as Don Juan. In the personage of Taita Pacho Peaguaje we find such a character, with the added bonus of actual pictures which leave little doubt of his existance. The story details the authors stay with Pacho and his family as well as his experiences drinking Yaje repeatedly over the course of his stay.

Yaje is more than just a personal account of one mans experience with the sacred brew. Yaje also details the principals of the indigenous traditions of Columbia as well as the latest anthropological and botanical research. Yaje - The new Purgatory is first and foremost a literary work and as such it is both an entertaining and engrossing read. The author however has gone above and beyond the call by including the results of painstaking research on every aspect of Yaje use. At over 600 pages, including a glossery of terms, Yaje - The new Purgatory is not a light read but if you want to get some deep insight into the use of vision plants by indigenous cultures there are few books that can compare.