Rapé (also known as hapé) is a traditional shamanic snuff used by Indigenous tribes of the Amazon rainforest for centuries. Pronounced “rahpeh” or “hapeh”, this sacred medicine plays a significant role in the spiritual practices of these communities.
At its core, rapé is made primarily from finely ground tobacco and other medicinal plants, tree bark, seeds, and ashes. Often, each tribe typically creates its own unique blends of this sacred medicine, resulting in a wide range of rapé types –each with its own distinct healing properties, effects, and capabilities. The final product is a fine, ash-like powder that is typically administered in small, pinch-sized doses.
The tobacco used in rapé, typically Nicotiana rustica, is considered sacred and is much more potent than commercial tobacco products, containing higher levels of nicotine and other alkaloids such as nornicotine, myosmine, anatabine, anabasine, and isonicotein. This sacred tobacco is believed to have powerful healing properties, aiding in removing negative energies, aligning the chakras, and restoring balance to the body.
In Amazonian spiritual and healing ceremonies, rapé medicine is a key component used to cleanse the body and mind, ground into the present moment, connect with oneself, and be open to receiving guidance from spirits. What is rapé’s purpose in such rituals? Like all plant medicines, it holds ancient healing properties that, when used consciously, have profound effects physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The rituals surrounding its use are deeply rooted in the tradition of shamanism, where it serves as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. The application of rapé or hapé is an intentional, deliberate, and sacred act, often under the guidance of a shaman.
There are two main tools or pipes used to administer rapé: the “tepi” and the “kuripe.” The tepi is a longer pipe used by one person to blow the rapé into another’s nostrils, while the kuripe is a smaller, V-shaped pipe designed for self-application. Often, in ceremonial spaces, it is administered using a tepi.
The rapé ceremony
In a rapé ceremony, the experience often begins with a solemn and mindful atmosphere. Participants, whether alone or in a group, sit quietly in meditation, receiving rapé while focusing on setting a clear intention for the session. The shaman, after preparing the rapé, administers it through the tepi, first to the left nostril and then to the right. This order is symbolic, with the left representing death and the right representing rebirth.
The forceful application is believed to cleanse and clear emotional, mental, and spiritual blockages, fostering a deeper connection with one’s inner self and enabling one’s mind to open. The rapé ritual is a unique experience; no two rituals can be the same. This is owing to the dosage, one’s intention, and how the body and mind respond to the experience. What is rapé’s significance in the ritual? In short, it is a sacred and transformative process that brings healing and clarity to the participant.
The effects of rapé
The rapé effects are immediate and can be quite powerful. These effects vary depending on the blend used, the amount taken, and the individual’s sensitivity. Generally, rapé induces a strong physical and emotional response, beginning with a deep clearing of the sinuses and often leading to increased focus and heightened awareness.
The physical effects of rapé
The initial sensation can be intense, characterised by a sharp, tingling feeling in the nostrils, pain at the back of the head, stinging eyes, and sometimes a strong urge to purge, such as sneezing, coughing, or even vomiting. This purging effect of rapé helps to detoxify the body, removing physical impurities and energetic blockages, and is seen as a beneficial cleansing process in shamanic traditions.
The emotional effects of rapé
Emotionally, rapé can support bringing unresolved feelings to the surface, offering an opportunity for healing and release. Like many other plant medicines, rapé’s use is to support people in connecting more deeply with themselves, offering healing and understanding. It is because of this that often, after taking rapé, one might feel a profound sense of calm, introspection, and a deeper connection to nature and the spiritual realm.
Individuals have shared that it can support alleviating feelings connected to stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, promoting a sense of peace and well-being. Many users feel a stronger connection to nature and the Earth after using rapé, experiencing a deeper sense of gratitude and presence.
What is rapé’s role in shamanic healing?
Rapé is supportive of helping individuals connect with spirit. In ancient healing practices, shamanic healing involves connecting with the spiritual, non-earthly realm to address and heal physical, emotional, and spiritual imbalances. Like other shamanic healing tools such as drumming, other sacred plant medicines, sacred touch like reiki, and many more practices, rapé’s role is to support us in experiencing heightened spiritual connectedness.
Beyond emotional and physical experiences, spiritually, hapé medicine is believed to open the third eye, enhancing intuition and connecting the user to higher states of consciousness.
More significant rapé benefits are its ability to enhance spiritual insight and intuition. Recent findings have shown that it supports decalcifying the pineal gland, enabling greater levels of relaxation, internal balance, and creativity. By opening the third eye and connecting the user to higher states of consciousness, rapé can facilitate deep meditation, vision quests, and other spiritual journeys. This makes it a valuable tool for those seeking to deepen their spiritual practice and connect with themselves and their spirit.
It has also been believed to help individuals with expressing their emotions, moving past fear of death and the need to be in control. It is because of these incredible properties and effects that it is often used in conjunction with Ayahuasca.
The rapé effects can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the strength of the rapé and the depth of the ritual.
How long does rapé last?
Rapé typically lasts between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the dosage. It is usually within 5 minutes of taking the shamanic snuff that users often experience a strong sense of grounding and mental clarity. The more subtle effects of rapé, like heightened awareness and emotional release, can persist for longer periods, with reports being up to 24 hours and longer. The subtler effects of rapé have been known to support individuals to experience profound insights and personal revelations. Regardless of the duration, rapé is known to help quiet the monkey mind, allowing greater connection to the emotional and feeling body and creating states of conscious concentration.
The different types of rapé
What are the strongest varieties of rapé? This is the most common question among people new to plant medicine. Often, two people may have opposing experiences based on their body needs. For example, some people define strong as sedative and others as an arrow to the brain. Again, this highlights how personal the experience with the medicine is.
For some people, a strong variety has a very sedative effect, with an intense nicotine sensation,
which can be overwhelming and comparable to the physical sensations that can be experienced with Ayahuasca, for example. On the other hand, other people perceive varieties with a pronounced “arrow to the brain” sensation as strong.
The effect of taking rapé depends on many other factors besides the composition of the rapé itself. For example, the blow of the person applying the rapé makes a huge difference. Few people are skilled at applying rapé so that it has the most potent effect. The amount of rapé intake and the prayer regulate the intensity of the experience.
Therefore, the same variety can be used for strong and soft intakes. What defines each variety’s composition is the mixture’s personality and how it will interact with us.
Air and earth rapé varieties
Rapé varieties can be classified into two large groups: air varieties and earth varieties. In reality,
they are a spectrum, like musical notes or the visible electromagnetic spectrum, in which the colours are ordered in a journey from density to subtlety. On one end, you can find the purest expression of density; on the other, you can find the purest expression of subtlety. The extreme density is on a lower note, masculine, and has a slower vibration. The extreme subtlety is on a higher note, feminine, and has a faster vibration.
Air varieties
Air varieties have a higher proportion of ash and less tobacco. Their colour is more greyish or silvery. Ash works as a catalyst and chemical activator, making the blend stimulating in effect. These blends have more subtle physical effects, and at the same time, they are the ones that offer a more pronounced “arrow in the brain” sensation.
Air varieties are appropriate for everyday moments when we want to benefit from a mental and emotional state of presence and connection. Still, we need to continue paying attention to our surroundings.
Earth varieties
Earth varieties are those with a higher proportion of tobacco and less ash. Their colour is brownish and earthy. These varieties have the characteristic effect of the tobacco plant: they take us to the ground and within.
These blends have more pronounced physical effects and can become very overwhelming and
even purgative if you have a strong intake. Usually, the “arrow in the brain” effect is milder in these varieties. They are ideal for ceremonies or moments of introspection.
There are endless intermediate proportions between the two extremes of air and earth. An intermediate proportion may be the best choice for most occasions, as it will combine positive characteristics from both extremes, albeit less pronounced.
Interested in experiencing the magic of rapé?
If what you have read interests you, we’d love to invite you to join us at Avalon’s Ayahuasca retreats in Europe and become part of the family. Here, you can experience the wonders of this enriching and deeply sacred plant medicine that we know can contribute to overall well-being and growth. Our ultimate goal with our retreats is to support you in deepening your relationship with yourself, overcoming limiting beliefs, connecting more deeply with nature, and having a truly transformative experience.
Before finishing, we would love to express profound gratitude to our dear friend Rama for contributing to this article by supporting his project, Sinchi, where you can buy rapé from the Amazon rainforest online.
