FAQ

A former software and data engineer with two decades of experience building systems. Laid off in August 2024. Instead of finding the next job, I found Ayahuasca. What followed was 78 ceremonies across Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia, a book, a social experiment, and a 70-day immersion. This site documents all of it.

It is three things at once. A live documentary of a 70-day Ayahuasca immersion in Costa Rica. A book on Hermetic Philosophy and human transformation. And a social experiment in radical vulnerability called Love Is In The Air. The thread connecting all of it is the same question: can a person actually change their nature?

I spent 20 years writing technical documentation for complex systems. The soul, it turns out, runs on a set of principles just as precise. The 7 Hermetic Principles from The Kybalion are not metaphors. They are operating instructions. This site is my attempt to document how they actually work in a human life.

No. This is one person's documented experience. No affiliation, no organization, no doctrine. The work is rooted in Hermetic Philosophy and plant medicine tradition, but it belongs to no institution.

Ayahuasca (sometimes spelled Ayawaska) is a plant medicine from the Amazon, traditionally prepared by indigenous healers from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (also called the Ayahuasca vine or caapi vine) and the Psychotria viridis leaf, commonly known as Chacruna. It has been used for centuries in South American indigenous traditions for healing, ceremony, and spiritual development. The experience is intense, non-linear, and deeply personal. It is not recreational.

Yagé, sometimes spelled Yage, is the Colombian name for Ayahuasca. It is used primarily in the traditions of the Colombian Amazon and Putumayo region and is also commonly referred to as Colombian Ayahuasca. It is prepared and administered differently than Peruvian Ayahuasca traditions. I began working with Yagé in July 2025 at MahaDevi in Putumayo, the first time drinking in the Colombian tradition.

Crudo is a raw, uncooked form of the Yagé vine preparation used in some Colombian traditions. It is stronger and more physical than cooked preparations. Part of the Colombian medicine tradition I began working with in Putumayo.

Kambo (also written Kambô) is a purgative frog medicine derived from the secretion of the Giant Monkey Frog, used traditionally in Amazonian traditions for physical cleansing and energetic reset. It is applied to small burns on the skin and works quickly. Intense purging followed by clarity. I used it twice in September 2025 between Ayahuasca retreats in Colombia.

Ayahuasca's legal status varies by country and jurisdiction. My ceremonies have taken place in Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia where it is used legally in ceremonial contexts. Nothing on this site constitutes encouragement or advice to use any controlled substance. You are responsible for understanding the laws of your own jurisdiction.

A plant dieta (sometimes called a plant diet in English) is a traditional Amazonian practice of working with specific plant medicines over an extended period under strict dietary and behavioral restrictions. During my time at Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual in Peru, I completed two dietas. An Ojé dieta focused on cleansing and a Bobinsana dieta focused on emotional healing and intuition.

The Shipibo, also known as Shipibo-Conibo, are an indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon with a deep tradition of plant medicine healing. I worked with Shipibo healers during nearly two months at Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual in Iquitos, Peru. 33 ceremonies across that single retreat. The Shipibo tradition is one of the most respected lineages of Ayahuasca healing work.

Ah Ha is a practical spiritual guide to human transformation rooted in Ayahuasca and the 7 Hermetic Principles from The Kybalion. It unfolds in three movements. The Foundation, The Catalyst, and The Work. Each one guiding a reader from inner chaos toward clarity, softness, and self-mastery. It is the same alchemical process I used to transmute addiction, alcohol abuse, and a life shaped by anger.

It is written for two kinds of people. Those who have had a profound spiritual or plant medicine experience and are struggling to integrate it into daily life. And those who have never touched plant medicine but know something in how they are living is not working and are ready to look at it honestly.

July 15, 2026.

85% written as of early 2026. The final chapters are being completed during the 70-day immersion in Costa Rica. The book is being lived, not just written.

The 7 Hermetic Principles come from The Kybalion (sometimes referenced simply as Kybalion), a foundational text in Hermeticism rooted in the ancient philosophy of Hermes Trismegistus, also known as Thrice Great Hermes. They are Mentalism, Correspondence, Vibration, Polarity, Rhythm, Cause and Effect, and Gender. In Ah Ha they are not presented as abstract spiritual ideas but as laws that shape how we perceive, respond to, and co-create reality.

Sign up on the Ah Ha page. One email when it is ready. Nothing else.

Ten weeks in Costa Rica beginning March 22, 2026. Approximately 40 Ayahuasca ceremonies. Documented live online. It is the culmination of 78 previous ceremonies across three countries and the final crucible for completing the Ah Ha manuscript. Everything before this was preparation.

The medicine told me to. During the final preparation retreat in January and February 2026, it became clear that a deeper commitment was necessary. Not a weekend retreat, not a week. A full immersion. Ten weeks to put every principle, every insight, every theory through the hardest possible test.

Live on TikTok at @TheIntrinsicExperience. Reflections, ceremony experiences, and the practical meaning of Hermetic principles in daily life. The deeper teachings are being kept for the Ah Ha manuscript.

Yes. TikTok is the primary live channel. The Chronicle on this site tracks every key milestone. The video documentary will be released after the immersion is complete.

Through community sponsorship. Every contribution unlocks a real reward and directly funds the documentation of the journey. Visit the Sponsor page to support it.

Three things. Preparation, Integration, and Alignment. Preparation is a conversation before ceremony about intention, what to expect, and how to enter the experience with clarity rather than fear. Integration is a conversation after ceremony focused on building a practical plan for living what you learned. Insight without integration is just a memory. Alignment is for those at a crossroads, using Hermetic Philosophy to map inner clarity to outer decisions.

No. This is not licensed therapy, medical treatment, or psychological counseling. It is personal philosophical guidance. Conversation, clarity, and a map forward. If you need clinical support, please seek a licensed professional.

Fill out the vetting form on the Work With Charlie page. All fields are required. I review every submission personally. If there is a fit, I will reach out to schedule an introduction call. Authenticity is the only currency accepted here.

A small number. This is not a program with open enrollment. It is one person working directly with a handful of people at any given time.

Yes. Preparation conversations are specifically for people approaching ceremony for the first time. You do not need prior experience to apply.

A social experiment in radical vulnerability. Numbered cards left for strangers to find. Each card contains a poem and a QR code leading to a guided exercise. Every person who participates becomes a dot on the Map of Love, a live growing record of human connection.

April 1, 2026.

Go to theintrinsicexperience.com/love-bridge or scan the QR code on the card. You can connect via SMS or WhatsApp. The chatbot will guide you through the exercise.

Four steps. Read the poem on the card out loud. Send a video message imagining you are speaking to yourself at age seven. Share your name, age, zip code, and card number so we can track the card's journey on the map. Then pass the card on to someone who needs it.

Your name, age, and zip code are used only to place an anonymized dot on the Map of Love. Your phone number is never shared, sold, or used for marketing. Full details in the Privacy Policy.

Download the card design and printing instructions on the Love Is In The Air page. Print a batch. Leave them where they will be found by the person who needs them most.