HAPé Ceremony
Hapé, or rapé, is pronounced ‘haa-pay’ in English. It is a sacred shamanic snuff medicine used by tribes of the Amazon, South American indigenous cultures, and ancestors across the world. Tribes have been working with this medicine for thousands of years to heal their communities and to connect with the Creator. Hapé is ceremonial tobacco blend made from ash of medicinal plants, leaves, trees, bark, roots and seeds. It is grown for the purpose of ceremony. It is not the same tobacco that is used in cigarettes, but rather Nicotina Rustica, a type of tobacco also known as mapacho.
Working in ceremony with hapé helps to open a deep connection to the plant kingdom and Mother Nature. When served in a manner that honors this tradition, Hapé is a powerful medicine. It can provide insight, guidance, protection, cleansing and healing. It is a spiritual experience, not a substance. When working with Hapé, we work with the Hapé Spirit, and each blend has a different spirit associated with it.
The experience of Hapé is quite powerful and can last from a few minutes to several hours. The cleansing medicine can help to let go of bad energies, past traumas and more generally, hit a spiritual “reset button” that can physically and emotionally detoxify you. But, ultimately, medicines like hapé are tools to help carry out an intention—they are a means to an end, not an end themselves. Snuff blends and pipes are the tangible materials needed for a successful hapé ceremony, but the most important tool, though less concrete, is your intention.
It is only by giving this sacred medicine the reverence and attention it deserves that you can gain the most value and insight from the experience.
What are the benefits of hapé?
As a medicinal snuff, hapé may help to cleanse the mind, purify the thoughts, bring spiritual alignment, and clear negativity and heaviness from the body, mind, & soul.
Some of it’s benefits include:
Opening up the 3rd eye and decalcifying the pineal gland which naturally hardens and calcifies with age
Purifies and cleanses the sinuses and respiratory tract, helping to soothe sinus issues and reduce mucus
Offers energetic protection that comes from connecting with the plants as allies for strength, clarity, and focus
Connects you to the Earth, helping you to ground and center yourself for meditation and prayer
Clears negativity and stills the mind
Releases physical, emotional and spiritual dis-ease
Realigns and balances your energy
Connects you with your heart, developing self forgiveness and forgiving others
Connects you to your higher-self so you may set and manifest your intentions
Is it legal?
Hapé is legal in the USA i.e. it does not contain any hallucinatory agents. It is a mean to focus the mind and release energies that do not serve us—and much, much more.
OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HAPÉ
Q : Can I take Hapé when I am on medication or antidepressants?
A : Yes, Hapé is still safe to use while taking pharmaceuticals.
Q : Does all Hapés contain mapacho/tobacco? What are the ingredients ?
A : Yes. The recipes are each tribe’s secret. However, all contain sacred tree ashes and many different amazonian plants, roots, flowers and herbs.
Q : Does all Hapé have side-effects ?
A : The hapé side effects that you will notice right away include automatic body cleansing outcomes. Sometimes it is just a running of the nose, increased saliva, and sometimes there is a need to vomit or go to the bathroom. These conditions are part of the normal process of purging to remove toxins from the body.
My hapé ceremony with Yvonne was really beautiful and having experienced that medicine before, I appreciated how gently it was administered. The container of sound and song that she crafted which held the experience was as much medicine as the tobacco was. I left feeling closer to my ancestors and more connected to a primal lineage of medicine women in my own line and across cultures. I highly recommend session work with Yvonne and the energy she cultivates for clients. Kelly L.