Voluptua

Ellen, a young professor, gives up a promising university career to immerse herself in the mysterious world of Amazonian shamanism. There, drawing on untapped courage, self-reliance and a spirit of adventure, she fulfills her highest potential in a way she never dreamed possible. The novel provides a satirical look behind the scenes in academia, and also takes the reader into the world of Amazonian shamanism, a subject Ellen studies in her research. When she meets Hugo, an enigmatic stranger with first-hand knowledge of Peruvian shamanism, her life takes an unexpected twist. Hugo brings about a remarkable transformation in Ellen?s sick mother, and also introduces her to ayahuasca, the most powerful entheogenic healing plant in the Amazon. She then, too, begins to change. Through a series of events at the university, including sexual harassment and a suicide, Ellen heads to the Amazon for a rendezvous with Voluptua, an elusive forest spirit calling to her in her dreams. There she participates in ayahuasca ceremonies led by Hugo?s shaman, and spends time in a native village before going off to stay in the jungle on her own. Living in a simple hut, she learns the rhythms and ways of t