Ayahuasca Calling: Sacredness and the Emergence of Shamanic Vocations in Denmark and Peru
Anthropology of Consciousness August 9, 2022 Margit Anne Petersen, Sarah Feldes, Victor Cova 7 citations
Ayahuasca ceremonies are revitalizing forms of sacredness in contemporary societies, particularly for individuals who feel called to lead them. Comparing facilitators in Peru, a Catholic society with Indigenous Amazonian populations and a tourism sector, and Denmark, a secular society where Ayahuasca is illegal, reveals tensions around the need to both justify and resist the rationalization of Ayahuasca. Drawing on Weber's concept of vocation and Durkheim's theory of the sacred, the article argues that shamanic vocations in differently modernized societies create pressures to navigate between legitimizing the practice and preserving its sacred, non-rational character.