Background info: Curandera or Shamen

Philosophy:
We are of the same body as other people, animals, fish, plants, stone, minerals, the earth, and all life in the universe. The body is a manifestation of the soul and of spirit. Illness will occur when one does not live in balance with all these aspects of self and earth. The curandera or shaman has the knowledge to guide the client back to balance.

Practice:
Clearing and balancing, also known as Limpia, is the technique that helps bring energy back to balance, allowing one to think more clearly and be centered. Feelings of tension, anger, discomfort, or fear affect the energy body and influences mental and physical symptoms. A shamanic clearing helps rid the body of heavy energies and helps one regain emotional, physical, spiritual and mental balance. Moon ceremonies help maintain our relationship with nature, and should be used regularly to keep our bodies and minds in balance. Plant medicine helps to naturally balance one's body, and allows one's body to balance itself through muscle testing. Illumination and soul retrieval are other techniques used to help heal great emotional or physical wounds.

Moon Ceremony:
Following the phases of the moon helps us to tune ourselves with Nature. The moon ceremony is one way which healers even chose to heal themselves and the Earth. By observing the moon while doing Peruvian breath exercises, or meditation techniques one will connect to the earth and them self, completing a circle of healing power.



Plant Medicine:
Muscle testing allows ones own body to speak its strengths and weaknesses, and pick out a plant that will help most through the healing process. Coming from traditions present in Mexico, Peru, America and India, Ayurveda, the science of life, is the oldest continually practiced medical system in the world. Offering a complete system of health and healing, it has been practiced for over 5,000 years by millions of people.

Illumination:
Every emotional, karmic and genetic imprint in our luminous energy field is linked to a chakra through which it releases its information into the central nervous system. The imprint in the energy field is the guidelines from which the chakras create their energy. The energy's vibration is then released through the nervous system. Illumination therapy clears negative energy and recurring patterns by riding heavy energy and deposits which attach to the chakra. Negative energies often originate in ones thoughts, or the thoughts of others. Spirits who have not transitioned will attach themselves to a person's chakra, and drain their energy. To rid the body of this toxic energy, the Curandera must remove energies from the affected chakra and flood the chakra with Divine Light. This process clears the way for our physical, emotional and spiritual healing to take place. Once lessons caused by emotional wounds are learned and released, it is unnecessary to relive painful experiences. Our perception of reality is able to shift, and healing becomes a gift of love and strength to our world.



Soul Retrieval:
Before doing a Soul Retrieval one must have gone through an Illumination. Soul Retrieval is the process of bringing back parts of one self that have been lost from to abuse or trauma. Situations that tend to soul loss can be anything from a fearful child watching parents fighting, a traumatic accident or experience, unexpressed grief over a loved one's departure, or even lovers or a mother giving a part of her soul away. It is possible for someone to "borrow" a part of your soul unknowingly, however, no one can take a part of your soul without your consent. In some cases, the soul will return on its own. Unfortunately,sometimes the person may live a lifetime without being fully present. A shaman can assist the return of that missing piece. The shaman or curandera journeys on behalf of the client to retrieve the missing soul parts which are then reintegrated into the client. Time must be spent after the ceremony to help one understand and welcome back the lost part of the soul.

"Her eyes swept the surrounding hills and through them I saw for the first time the wild beauty of our hills and the magic of the green river. My nostrils quivered as I felt the song of the mockingbirds and the drone of the grasshoppers mingle with the pulse of the earth. the four directions of the llano met in me, and the white sun shone on my soul." - Rudolfo Anaya



People are of the earth, created of dirt, sun, air, and water. All to often, we think we own the earth and its elements, but in reality the earth owns us. As our fathers before us, and their fathers before them, we can use the stars to help guide us both metaphorically and literally. If we are of the earth, when we feel lost isn't it natural to find ourselves through nature?

Across all cultures, there are natural ways to heal. The chemical medicine used in our modern day society works, but it is not a method of healing used in our past.

Traditionally, native people of the America's (native american's and chicano's) used herbs and energy to offset physical or mental illness. Medicine men, curanderas, and even priests have been used for centuries to heal the soul and repel evil spirits that may cause harm to the body or mind. Such energy was used extremely cautiously, for native people understood the extreme power such medicine held.

"You must understand that when anybody, bruja or curandera, priest or sinner, tampers with the fate of a man that sometimes a chain of events is set into motion over which no one will have ultimate control. You must be willing to accept this responsibility." - (Bless Me, Ultima p. 85)

Although tampering with spiritual energy may have many consequences, there are many personal and safe ways one can heal one self. Introspective techniques are also ways one can heal themselves by connecting their mind and body with their surroundings. Characters in Sherman Alexie, Rudolfo Anaya, and Silko's stories show how they heal by reconnecting their identity with the land.

People find their identity through their morals, cultural, social, and environmental surroundings. Such elements combined create unique traditions practiced by different societies around the world. Ceremonies are formal religious or public occasions, typically celebrating events or anniversaries. Ceremonies are used to continue or celebrate tradition, and can range from celebrating Christmas to using herbal remedies to heal.

Sherman Alexie

Practicing ceremonies help one find their identity by uniting them with their beliefs (religious, spiritual, etc) and allows them to put such beliefs practical, or celebratory use. Such practices usually encourage one to learn about their heritage and bring them closer to surrounding people, ultimately causing one to learn more about oneself and ones own identity.

Rudolfo Anaya

Ceremonies are often controversial since many stem from religious or cultural backgrounds. An example of a controversial ceremonies are the healing spells Ultima preforms in the novel, Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Ultima's ceremonies confuse many of the towns people, and cause them to believe she is a witch. However, many ceremonies are processes of one growing and learning about themselves. In the novel, Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, Silko shows the transformation of the main character Tayo through multiple ceremonies he endures trying to find health. Tayo endures many internal ceremonies, and two formal ceremonies preformed by medicine men. Although the ceremonies Tayo goes through eventually restore his health, they would be considered controversial by many (particularly modern day) societies. In Sherman Alexie's short story, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," the main character Victor goes through the internal ceremony of letting go of his father by releasing his ashes.

Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremonies can bring people together, or push them apart; they can create controversy, or help heal.