What happens
in a rapé ceremony
Not in the Amazon. Not around a fire in the jungle. In a basement, in a city, at night — with people who came after work, carrying the weight of ordinary life.
Rapé doesn't belong
only to the forest
In the Amazon, the Huni Kuin and Yawanawa don't hold special rapé ceremonies. Every day is a rapé day. They take it before hunting, before working, before singing. They offer it to each other at dawn and at dusk. There is no occasion — it is simply woven into how they live.
What we did in the city was different. We created a container — a dedicated space and time — for people who had no forest, no village, no daily practice to return to. Office workers. Artists. People carrying stress in their bodies. People who had heard about hapé and wanted to understand it from the inside, not just read about it.
We held these circles in a basement. At night, after the city had quieted a little. We dimmed the lights, cleared the space, brought the medicine. What happened inside that room was not a simulation of an Amazonian ceremony — it was its own thing. The medicine working in a new landscape, on bodies shaped by a different kind of life. And it worked.
"The medicine doesn't care where you are. It cares how present you are."
Altar OriginHow the circle
unfolded
Every circle was its own living thing. But the structure below reflects how we held these ceremonies — the rhythm that allowed the medicine to move, and the people in the room to move with it.
Gathering & the Story
People arrived and settled on cushions in a circle. Before any medicine was offered, we told the story — where rapé comes from, who makes it, what it means to the Huni Kuin and the Yawanawa. Not as a lecture, but as a way of honouring what was about to be shared. Many people in the room had never heard these names. By the time the story was finished, the medicine had already begun its work — through understanding, through respect, through the shift from the rush of the street to the stillness of the room.
Yawanawa Songs
We played Yawanawa icaros — sacred songs of the forest — through the speakers. Sometimes the room was already shifting before anyone had taken a single breath of rapé. Music is medicine. The Yawanawa understand this more than most — their songs are not entertainment, they are calls. To spirits, to plants, to the deeper parts of the self. Letting those songs fill the room was a way of saying: this space is now something other than a basement in a city.
The First Round of Rapé
The medicine was administered one by one, using the tepi — the blow pipe used to share rapé between two people. Each person received the rapé into both nostrils in turn, held by the intention of the giver and the openness of the receiver. This is not a casual act. The tepi creates a direct transmission — breath, medicine, intention — from one human being to another. For many people in the room, it was their first time receiving rapé. The intensity was real. Some cried. Some purged. Some sat in absolute silence, eyes closed, somewhere far from the basement and much closer to themselves.
Release & Support
Rapé moves what needs to move. For some people, this meant physical purging — nausea and vomiting that was swift, complete, and followed by an unexpected lightness. For others, it was emotional — grief surfacing, tension releasing, the body finally letting go of something it had been carrying without knowing. Nobody was left alone in this. We stayed present with each person, held space without intervening, trusted the medicine to do what it came to do. This part of the ceremony is often what people remember most: the permission to release, and the safety to do so.
Silence, Meditation & Sananga
Once everyone had come through the first wave, the room found its silence. This was not the uncomfortable silence of waiting — it was the silence of people who had been rinsed clean, sitting in the aftermath of something real. It was in this silence that we gave the sananga — Huni Kuin eye drops made from the Tabernaemontana undulata root. Applied directly to the eyes, sananga burns fiercely for a few minutes and then settles into a remarkable clarity. In the silence following rapé, sananga felt like it sharpened something — the inner vision, the sense of presence, the quality of what remained. Songs were called softly. The room breathed together.
The Second Round — An Open Offering
After the silence, we opened it. Anyone who wanted more rapé was welcome to receive it. This second round was lighter in energy — less about the first encounter and more about integration, deepening, or simply closing with the medicine on your own terms. Some people came forward. Others stayed in their stillness. There was no expectation either way.
Integration — Singing Bowls, Somatic Music & Sharing
We closed with singing bowls and somatic music — sound designed to help the nervous system settle and integrate what had moved through it. Then the circle opened for questions, sharing, or simply sitting together in the quiet. People spoke about what they had experienced. Questions came — about the tribes, about the medicine, about how to continue the practice at home. The circle typically lasted two to three hours in total. People left quieter than they came in, and noticeably more themselves.
Why rapé works
in the city
In the Amazon, the Huni Kuin take rapé every day because their life demands full presence — tracking animals through dense forest, reading weather, navigating rivers. The medicine keeps them sharp, grounded, and connected to the world around them.
The demands of city life are different in form but not in weight. Deadlines, screens, noise, disconnection. The body accumulates tension in the same way it always has — in the shoulders, the chest, the breath. Rapé doesn't know it's in a basement in a city. It does what it does: it clears the noise, drops you into your body, and restores something that the pace of modern life quietly strips away.
What we found, consistently, was that the people who came to these circles didn't need to be convinced that the medicine worked. They felt it. And the question they left with was not does this work in the city — it was how do I bring this into my own life.
The medicines
in the circle
Rapé (Hapé)
Sacred Amazonian tobacco snuff prepared by indigenous tribes including the Huni Kuin, Yawanawa, and Katukina. Administered through the nostrils using a tepi or kuripe pipe. Grounds the body, clears the mind, and creates the conditions for deep inner stillness. Each tribal blend carries its own character and intention.
Learn about rapé →Sananga Eye Drops
Made from the root bark of Tabernaemontana undulata by Huni Kuin practitioners. Applied to the eyes in the stillness after the first round of rapé. Sananga burns intensely for a few minutes before settling into a profound visual and energetic clarity. In ceremony, it sharpens inner vision and deepens the integration of the rapé experience.
Learn about sananga →Tepi Pipe
The tepi is the blow pipe used to administer rapé between two people — the giver blows the medicine into the receiver's nostrils with focused breath and intention. It is the instrument of shared ceremony, of transmission from one person to another. Using a tepi requires presence, care, and respect for both the medicine and the person receiving it.
Shop tepi pipes →Rapé ceremony
FAQ
What is a rapé ceremony?
A rapé ceremony is a structured gathering in which rapé (hapé) — sacred Amazonian tobacco snuff — is shared and received with intention. Unlike casual use, a ceremony creates a held container: a dedicated space, a clear opening and closing, and a progression of medicine, music, and silence that allows the plant to work at depth. Rapé ceremonies draw from Amazonian indigenous tradition but can be held in any setting — including, as we found, a basement in a city.
What does a rapé ceremony feel like?
The immediate effect of rapé is intense — a sharp clearing sensation in the sinuses and head, a forced drop into the present moment. Many people experience a wave of nausea that passes quickly, followed by stillness, mental clarity, and a profound sense of being grounded in the body. Emotional release — tears, laughter, grief, relief — is common. The experience typically settles into a deep, quiet presence that can last several hours.
What is the difference between a rapé ceremony and regular rapé use?
Regular rapé use — taking a small amount alone before meditation or work — is personal and practical. A ceremony is intentional and held: a specific time set aside, a guided process, often music and prayer, and space for the medicine to move more deeply than a quick solo dose allows. In a ceremony, the group energy and the held container amplify what the medicine can do.
Is rapé safe to use in a group ceremony?
Rapé is safe for most healthy adults when used with respect and awareness. In a group ceremony setting, it is important that the person administering the medicine — the one using the tepi — is experienced and present. People with severe respiratory conditions, cardiovascular issues, or who are pregnant should not participate. First-time recipients should receive a modest dose and be supported through the initial intensity.
Why was sananga used in the ceremony?
Sananga was given in the silence after the first round of rapé — in the stillness that followed the purging and clearing. In that quiet, the sananga deepened the inner clarity and sharpened presence. The combination of rapé and sananga in ceremony is a traditional pairing among Amazonian tribes — rapé clears the body and grounds the mind; sananga opens the inner vision. Together they create a layered and complete experience.
Can rapé ceremonies be held outside the Amazon?
Yes — and they are, increasingly, all over the world. The medicine does not require a jungle to work. What it requires is intention, respect, and a properly held space. We held our circles in a city basement and the medicine worked exactly as it should. The setting shapes the texture of the experience; the medicine's nature does not change with geography.
How do I start my own rapé practice after a ceremony?
Many people leave a rapé ceremony wanting to continue the practice alone at home. A personal kuripe pipe allows you to self-administer rapé without a partner. Begin with small amounts, in a quiet space, with a clear intention. Choose a blend aligned with what you need — grounding, clarity, energy, or stillness. Our rapé guide covers the full range of blends and how to work with each one.
