We are an Ayahuasca & San Pedro Shamanic Retreat Center in the beautiful and magical Andean mountains of Ecuador. We offer various retreats and ceremonies to our guests from all over the world. There are miles of country roads to hike on; 30 guests per retreat; and about 15 work exchange and staff positions. (Must volunteer first if wanting to apply to be Staff). Be a part of our Angel Dream Team! Enjoy being with spiritually focused and like minded people in a heavenly paradise nestled in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador near Cuenca. We are all a real family and laughter and fun is all around us!
We seek the help of volunteers during Ayahuasca & San Pedro retreats. Tasks include general work around the center; helping the shamans with their work; and assisting guests during ceremonies. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in transformational and life changing shamanic ceremonies (ayahuasca; san pedro) at a very low cost; a rare and unique opportunity indeed. Work includes: cooking; kitchen cleanup; laundry; housekeeping; gardening; setting up ceremony spaces; helping at ceremonies; leading yoga sessions if you are yoga teacher; general work around the center; helping guests during ceremonies.
There are miles of country roads in the mountains to walk or run; amazing views; and peace and quiet of the real countryside of Ecuador. Come and experience the magical Andes of Ecuador; with a friendly indigenous community all around us who you will meet as you walk the roads. Enjoy being with spiritually focused and like minded people in a heavenly paradise nestled in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador near Cuenca.
Volunteer housing is modern and comfortable; includes dorm bunk beds (male and female dorms separate) with comfortable; thick; new mattresses; 24 hr hot showers; hot tubs; wifi in the community center; and plenty of books to choose from. The food is tasty vegetarian fare; no meat. Go to tourist attractions between retreats and travel a little. There is a lot to see in Ecuador!
Work exchangers are required to pay US$150 per retreat and this includes 1 ceremony per retreat and covers laundry as well as the first ride to Gaia from the airport on the date of your arrival. We do this not to make money but to make sure that the right kinds of volunteers come here who are aligned with and interested in being with the medicine but don`t have enough money to do a retreat. There are plenty other places in the world to do work exchange without medicine ceremonies as an option; but no medicine center that we know of that is this affordable. This is a rare opportunity. We want to make sure the right people get these positions because the goal of this program is to make medicine ceremony opportunities possible for those who don`t have a lot of money. If you want to do more than one ceremony per retreat and there are openings; you can do additional ceremonies for US$100 each. This is a very discounted cost for the Ayahuasca Ceremony or San Pedro Ceremony opportunities.
There is a minimum 2 month commitment (3 retreats) for volunteer positions (4 retreats maximum). We don’t accept less than a 2 month commitment.
To apply; please fill out a volunteer form on our website; follow the link in the Volunteer at Gaia Sagrada page. We do not process applications through email; we only do so through our volunteer application form.
We pick staff from those who come in a volunteer work exchange position first; as we would like to see how you work; get along with others; and get to know you a little bit. If you are interested in being staff; we offer a US$150 per month stipend unless you take on bigger responsibilities; you get a shared room with another staff member; and staff works 40 hours per week; but it`s easy work! Let us know when you get here that you`re interested in being staff and we`ll see how it goes! Staff positions entail cooking; grounds; managing the volunteers; and just being a general go-to person!
Volunteers are required to arrive Wednesday afternoon before the retreat starts and the required orientation meeting is on Wednesday evening at 7pm. Volunteers must be able to stay until Saturday morning after each retreat is over (they end on a Thursday) to help with clean up.
Year round
2 months minimum
Adults of both sexes 19+
Any skills are applicable, none in particular required. Just a good attitude and a smile required! No drugs or alcohol – please! This includes NO marijuana. If you need to drink alcohol, smoke pot, or do any drugs on a regular basis, including pharmaceuticals, we can tell you right now it`s not going to work out. Please do not apply. You will be asked to leave without notice, no second chances. This is not a party zone! Drugs and alcohol create disharmony for our shamanic work and bring in energies that don`t mix well with the energy of the sacred medicines. It is important our ceremonies and spiritual work have no interference and everyone is fully functional. There are always 1 or 2 participants who come to work on their addictions in each retreat, so that energy simply cannot be here in order to be of service to them. If you are ready to be clean and self disciplined for 2-3 months, for the time you are working with us on the Angel Dream Team at Gaia Sagrada, then feel free to apply. It might do you some good to be free of drugs and alcohol for 2-3 months anyway. Try it! You might like it! Between retreats, if you want a little beer or wine when you are off premises, that`s fine, but no more than that. Please honor this rule. No drunkenness or drug stupors will be tolerated, even between retreats because you are representing this medicine center even when you are not on the grounds, especially if you travel with some guests between retreats to visit tourist destinations. This is important, transformational work that changes lives for the better. We need to keep the space clean.
In exchange for 32 hours work per week you stay for free. Includes modern and comfortable accommodation, healthy food, Wi-Fi access, use of hot tubs, and use of all facilities. There are no other ayahuasca centers that we know of working with the medicines that offer this opportunity. Most charge YOU money to work there! There are no other costs except if you want to participate in extra ceremonies beyond your first one that is covered by the US$150 per retreat charge. The only other costs are transportation or spending money if you go into town or go on tourist excursions between retreats. There is also a US$200 deposit required which is returned to you when you go as long as all hours are completed.
Cuenca
