About Hapé

ABOUT HAPÉ

What is Hapé (Rappeh)?

Hapé Medicine (Pronounced Ha-Pay) is also commonly referred as Rapé Medicine (pronounced as Ra-Pay), is a sacred Amazonian snuff made from mapacho strain of Nicotiana Rustica and often mixed with alkaline ashes from plants, seeds, leaves, and tree barks. Hapé has many different names on the Spanish side of the Amazon known as rapé, rape, or rappeh plant medicine, this powdered snuff is traditionally used by indigenous cultures of the Amazon for spiritual, ceremonial, and healing purposes.

At Collective Journey Art, we use the term "hapé" to honor its sacred nature and its deep connection to ancestral traditions.

The Ingredients of Hapé

Hapé is typically made from cured mapacho, a tobacco plant that has 8-20 times more nicotine. It may also include other natural elements like tree ash, seeds, leaves, and plants. Each ingredient is selected with intention, often accompanied by prayer, to create specific energetic or healing effects. There is also hapé blends that does not carry any nicotine. Yopo and Apurina hapé variations may not contain mapacho but still carry profound spiritual significance.

How to Use Hapé?

Sitting & Setting Intentions

Sit comfortable on the floor or the ground. Scoop half the amount you intend to use onto your palm. This amount will serve your first nostril. In order to focus, take 3 deep breaths. First one to ask the blessing of Mother Earth, second the blessing of Father Sky, third one to the top of your lungs to bring the focus into the heart.

Breathwork & Serving

Using one of the blowing techniques, most common breath is called deer breath, blow the medicine from the short side of your kuripe (self-applicator) or tepi (serving a partner) into the side of nostril you choose to start with. Our usual ritual is to serve the first one with an intention to push out "what is no longer serving" or let the "undesired /death out".

Journey Through

This is the step to invite the rebirth; what is being desired or set as an intention. Serve the second nostril with a longer and slower breath. After the serving, exhale through mouth and continue breathing through your mouth for the following few breaths. This is to let the medicine settle on your upper nose bridge and be absorbed.

Receive The Blessings

Now you are in the compassionate hands of the medicine. Please surrender to the unfolding spirit of the medicine with no resistance. Stay un-engaged in meditative state and seated for about 10-15 minutes. Avoid the urge of blowing your nose during this process and simply wipe your nose as needed. Blowing the nose should be executed when upper respiratory system feels highly fluid.

The use of the applicators is important. The reason why we blow this medicine is because the particles in this mapacho and ash blend are too fine to ingest into our lungs with our breath. The goal is to get the medicine on top of the upper nose bridge and allow the body to absorb it. Thus it is primordial to use a blow pipe Kuripe to self apply or a Tepi to serve a partner.

With that in mind, scoop the medicine from your palm by the tip of your applicator that goes to the entry of the nostril. For beginners, use a pea size amount of hapé per nostril or amount you intend to use for both. This amount will serve your first nostril. In order to focus, take three deep breaths and then ask for blessings. When sharing hapé with a partner, we recommend taking three breaths together as a way of connecting with each other's energy before serving the medicine.

For the first breath, hold the hapé and the blowpipe towards the earth and breathe in the blessings of Pachamama (Mother Earth).

On the second breath hold the pipe towards the sky and breath in the blessings of the Father Sky.

On the third deep breath, hold the air in at the maximum capacity of your lungs, and bring the pipe to your heart, praying and calling in any personal allies or guides to bless the medicine, and ask for these blessings to come from the heart.

Blow the hapé into your left nostril first. If blowing for someone else, tell them to hold their breath before blowing it in, and then afterwards, to breathe only from the mouth.

As soon as possible, scoop the remaining hapé into the pipe and serve the right nostril.

Whether you are serving or receiving, please just remember that the lungs must be filled with air completely before receiving the medicine, then we exhale through mouth after the serving of the medicine.

While it differs from one tribe to another, we believe the left nostril symbolizes rebirth, what one could wish for and the right symbolizes death, what one wishes to let go of. Nonetheless, what is truly important is the intention itself.

After the application of the medicine, breathe only through the mouth while the medicine is being settled and absorbed.

We recommend sitting with it in a meditative state in stillness. Avoid blowing your nose despite the urge for 10-15 minutes to maximize the intake from the properties this medicine brings to you. It is highly normal spitting out excessive fluids or swallowing the back throat leaks as one could feel comfortable with.

The most basic and common breath is the Deer Breath to use to blow the medicine. Begin by taking a deep breath in through the stomach to connect with your power and medicine, and then blow long. At the end, blow hard while simultaneously closing your throat. This is just the beginning of what you can learn about hapé: the real benefits come from experiencing and practicing it yourself.

This medicine can be a very powerful way to cleanse your body and energy, as well as connect with your spirit allies through prayer and ceremony.

The real beauty of this medicine is that it can be used expertly in the hands of a master, but it is still effective when used by a beginner. Just remember to be mindful and respectful of the medicine and prayers that come with it from the hearts.

Hapé as a Ritual

Singing medicne song or a mantra can enhance the effects of this medicine, while prayer serves as a powerful alternative. Often, the hapé naturally guides you into a meditative state, although it may occasionally induce intense purging or release. Though less frequent with smaller doses, purging, bowel movements, shaking, or other energetic releases can occur. Such purging is a testament to the medicine's profound capacity for healing and release.

Our collection features sixteen distinct hapé blends, each originating from diverse tribes across the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon. Collective Journey’s hapé medicine remains deeply rooted in its traditional origins. Each hapé is meticulously crafted with prayer and intention by Indigenous elders in their ancestral villages, imbuing each blend with unique purpose, healing properties, and spiritual essence.

Some hapé blends are designed for protection, while others focus on cleansing or grounding. Within our selection, you’ll find blends that embody a feminine essence, enriched with flowers or plants, as well as those with a more masculine energy. For instance, the Rose hapé, created by the Huni Kuin women, and the rappeh Nunu from the Matses tribe, our founder's masters, are known for their warm and nurturing qualities that have tandency to open our hearts. Conversely, our Mulateiro and Murici hapé, also by the Huni Kuin, exude a masculine force that promotes focus and a warrior spirit.

Furthermore, each hapé blend activates specific chakras and energy channels within the physical and spiritual body. While some may anchor you deeply to the earth, others might open channels in the third eye or crown chakra.

When & How Often to Work With Hapé?

Hapé, embraced by various indigenous cultures, offers a multitude of applications on a daily basis or as desired. The importance is to remain balanced and harmonious with your body. Hapé is not only beneficial physically but also impacts the mental psyche, emotional state, spiritual alignment, and energetic field. It possesses the remarkable ability to clear mental static, facilitating focus and mental clarity, which helps ground the individual. Additionally, it can heighten physical and spiritual senses, enhancing self-awareness while purifying and activating the pineal gland.

In Amazonian traditions, hapé is frequently employed before, during, or after ceremonies to foster grounding. It harmonizes well with numerous rituals and sacred plant medicines, including Ayahuasca and Kambo. Traditionally, it serves as a focal element within its own ceremonies or as an adjunct to others. Hapé is also used recreationally or prior to hunting to enhance sensory perception, awareness, and concentration. Known to indigenous tribes, hapé poses no contraindications to human health beyond the individual’s personal comfort level.