Introducing Avigael Ochavano – Saken Rawa – The one who carries the living design of ayahuasca, he embodies an energy that connects slowly like the vine itself, revealing its vision little by little

Avigael is 37 years old and has been studying and dieting with plants for 30 years as of 2024. We welcome you to read his story.

I Was Born Into This Path — A message from the Maestro

My name is Abrigael. I’m from the community of Santa Rosa de Dinamarca, located along the Ucayali River. I was born into a lineage of traditional healers—curanderos—where knowledge of the plants is passed from one generation to the next. This path, for me, began as a child. I didn’t choose it. The plants and the spirits chose me.

My father was a powerful vegetalista. I began my training with him. From a young age, I saw him working with the medicine—preparing, dieting, healing people. He initiated me when I was still very young. My first diets were not with Ayahuasca. They began with master plants. Ayahuasca came later, after the foundation was laid. That’s how it must be done.

At the beginning, I learned by observing. I watched how he cooked, how he sang, how he moved in ceremony. Then, when I was old enough, he gave me my first diets—Bobinsana, Ajo Sacha, Chiric Sanango. I was alone in the forest, eating bland food, drinking the plants every day, listening for their teachings. The plants teach you through dreams, visions, and sensations in the body. That is how we receive knowledge.

In my first ceremony with Ayahuasca, I saw a vision of a jaguar. It came right up to me and stared into my eyes. At first I was afraid, but then I understood—it was showing me that I was protected, that I had strength inside. That same night I also heard icaros for the first time—not from outside, but inside. They came from the plants I had dieted. This is how the songs are given.

The dieta is the most important part of this work. Many people think they can just drink Ayahuasca and become a healer. That’s not how it works. The dieta is what gives you the power. It is how you learn to manage energy, how to clean, how to heal. Without the dieta, you have no foundation. With the dieta, you build a relationship with the spirits of the plants, and they begin to guide you.

I have dieted many plants. Bobinsana opened my heart and taught me compassion. Chiric Sanango is very strong—it teaches protection and clears heavy energies. Ajo Sacha helped me cleanse deeply. Piñon Colorado is a warrior plant, used for defense. Marosa is sweet and brings softness. There are many plants, each with its own spirit and song. Each dieta is a new relationship. Some are soft, some are strong, some are very strict.

Through these diets, I began to receive icaros—healing songs. They are not invented. They are given. Sometimes in ceremony, sometimes in dreams, sometimes during the dieta when you are in silence. The icaro is the voice of the plant—it calls the spirit, guides the purge, brings the vision. Each icaro has a purpose—one to clean, one to open the heart, one to close the ceremony. When I sing, I am calling the spirits I’ve dieted. They work through me.

I also learned how to diagnose illnesses. When someone comes, I listen to them, but more importantly, I listen to their energy. I look at their body, their color, their pulse. In ceremony, the plants show me what’s wrong. Sometimes I see a vision of a snake wrapping around their stomach—that means there’s trauma held there. Sometimes I hear a whisper that tells me what happened to them. This is part of the training. You learn to see beyond the surface.

Not everything is light. There is also darkness. I’ve faced many challenges—spiritual attacks, envy, jealousy, even other practitioners sending darts. That’s why you must be strong. You must diet plants that give you protection. You must keep your body and your space clean. Tobacco is important. Mapacho cleans and seals the energy. It’s not just for blowing smoke. It’s a tool. The song and the smoke together are what protect us.

I’ve also had to heal myself many times. This path is not easy. You go through fear, sickness, loneliness. You doubt yourself. But the plants are always there. When I am lost, I return to dieta. I go to the forest, I stay in silence, and I listen. The plants remind me why I am here.

Now, I serve others. People come to me with all kinds of problems—emotional, spiritual, physical. I don’t heal them. The plants do. My job is to guide the process, to protect the ceremony, to sing the right icaro at the right time. Sometimes it’s hard work. Sometimes the energy is heavy. But I trust the medicine.

I don’t consider myself a master. I am always learning. The forest is my teacher. Every plant is a book. Every diet is a new chapter. There’s always more to learn, more to clean, more to remember.

I tell people: if you come with respect, the plants will open for you. But you must be humble. You must be patient. This is not a game. It’s sacred work. And it never ends.

— Maestro Saken Rawa, from the Upper Amazon of Peru