Freakyboo

Having a San Pedro cactus is legal in Australia - just brewing it into a tea is not legal (you might want to check out the Corroboree forums for buy/sell/swap). But like Julian Palmer says, when was the last time Mr Plod came knocking on your door asking you "what is that tea you are brewing on your stove?" Also, there are people in Aus doing ceremony - you just need to know where to look .

Rape' is a great companion to ayahuasca or other plant medicines (including Kambo, the frog venom) as it enhances the medicine and can aid the medicine in bringing up stuck/blocked energy that would otherwise remain stuck. It's pretty intense and brings up a lot of mucus.

That doesn't sound like Ramana - more like the Neo Advaita teachers who are trying to pass themselves off as Ramana's "lineage" and teaching the instant gratification consumers guide to enlightenment.

Yes, don't expect miracles in your first retreat. I have done 7 Vipassana 10 day retreats and the absolute best thing is the inner silence that comes towards the end, which is then ruined when you have to go back into the outside world. But just experiencing that for a while is marvelous . Another awesome benefit is the experiential lesson that suffering is completely and utterly in the mind. Because you are tuning in more and more to subtle energies, you begin to see all, including pain in your body (as you sometimes have to sit for one hour without moving a muscle) as merely sensation. Pain is a heavy sensation, other sensations are lighter and lighter - and you realise that 'pain' is merely a label we put on what feels like a heavy sensation. I have never seen lights/colours or had an 'awakening' while on Vipassana, though I have seen people's auras. And the benefits do not last unless you continue the practice at home, for which is proscribed 2 hours of meditation per day - too much for most. Good luck and I hope the retreat is beneficial for you.