“Tobacco allows us to see things as they actually are.”

When he finished the dream of creation, Buinaima [the Creator], left us something to remember him by. He left us tobacco. In this way we can dream like He dreamt. This plant grew alone by the mound where Buinaima sat, dreaming throughout the night. That’s why, when we take tobacco, we concentrate in meditation and think of the gods, and they advise us through our dreams. 

Tobacco can be smoked, inhaled, and also chewed when it’s prepared in a paste made from crushed leaves. We use it with respect and caution, because tobacco is a great traveler. Those who have envisioned him in dreams say that he is a very thin man, almost like a skeleton. He walks in space, aided by a cane where his leaves grow, and he wears a necklace of skulls and knees. They are the bones of our ancestors, so old and ghostly like his white smoke. He looks like he’s tired, but he keeps walking, always carrying for us the memory of all that has happened since the earth and her creation formed. 

In dreams we reconnect to Buinaima, the Creator, to Jusíguna, the tree-child, and to Buiñaiño, the mother of water from whom was born all that exists when Buinaima blew and illuminated the water with his white saliva. Since then, Buinaima wears a rainbow in his head of hair and dreams in color, and we also dream, because life is the dream of colors from the creator. We live and we dream in all the colors with which Buiñaiño is dressed when she stands up, holding the heavens to save us from storms and make the sun rise and shine again. 

Witoto creation myth from Rember Yahuarcaní

Tobacco holds a unique place among plants.  It was the crop most widely cultivated, used, and traded throughout the Americas.  Tobacco has been found in antiquity from the southern tip of South America all the way to the Northern territories of North America and everywhere in between.  

For the indigenous peoples of the Americas, tobacco was considered a sacred plant; for many peoples it was their most sacred plant.  Many creation myths center around the tobacco plant.

Tobacco is a plant in the nightshade family.  There are many varieties of tobacco but today only two are prominently used: Nicotiana tobacum is the species that dominates the tobacco industry and is what most of us think about when we imagine tobacco.  The other, nicotiana rustica (wild tobacco), an heirloom varietal grown almost exclusively in the Amazon, is a much stronger variety.

Nicotiana rustica is an old variety of tobacco that has been cultivated in the Amazon for many thousands of years.  This variety is very potent, often containing up to ten times the amount of nicotine that a standard leaf of nicotiana tobacum may have.  Nicotiana rustica was actually the original tobacco that was planted as far as North America.  But, probably do to its commercialization, nicotiana tobacum eventually became more profitable as its smoother, less harsh quality lent to people being able to smoke more.  

The Grandfather [architect of the Universe] sent tobacco to take his place among men.  Smoking, the people talked with God.

Carirí creation myth

Tobacco, or mapacho as it is called in the Amazon, is a sacred medicine of people all throughout the Americas, where it is indigenous to.  It is often said that tobacco is the grandfather plant, from which all other plants sprung forth.  In the Amazon, tobacco has an almost universe appeal as medicine, spanning most indigenous groups.  It is taken in different ways, either smoked, snorted, or drunk.  When smoked it us used as a way to clear energy; both of a space and of a person.  In North America the passing of the pipe is symbolic of this type of use.  When important decisions were to be made, before any man spoke, he and the entire group would first inhale tobacco from the pipe.  In this way it was said that a man would speak from his heart, and he would speak the truth.  

Tobacco is also said to help invoke the power of other plant medicines.  The indigenous people speak of other plant ‘spirits’ liking the tobacco spirit.  Anyone who partakes in an Ayahuasca ceremony, for example, usually sees the curandero smoking tobacco and often partakes in the ritual smoking themselves.  The curandero believes that the plant spirits are aided by tobacco.  Tobacco can clear the ceremonial space of energies and allow the curandero to enter a space where healing can occur.  On a scientific level, this could be explained as tobacco contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors which help the dimethyltryptamine in the Ayahuasca brew take effect.  Hence tobacco can literally enhance the experience in an Ayahuasca ceremony.

Tobacco is also ground to a fine powder and taken as a snuff.  This was actually the most common way to take tobacco for a time amongst the newly arrived North Americans and Europeans.  The tobacco can be taken pure or mixed with other plants to produce desired results.  The tobacco is often applied using a long tube where one person blows the tobacco into another’s nostril.  A common name for this snuff is rapé (pronounced ha-peh or ra-peh).  Taken this way, the tobacco has a purging effect on the sinuses, releasing mucous and phlegm, and also tends to ground the recipient, clearing their mind and bringing them more to their center.

. . . . .

The woman and the man dreamed that God was dreaming about them.

    God was singing and clacking his maracas as he dreamed his dream in a cloud of tobacco smoke, feeling happy but shaken by doubt and mystery.

    The Makiritare Indians know that if God dreams about eating, he gives fertility and food.  If God dreams about life, he is born and gives birth.

    In their dream about God’s dream, the woman and the man were inside a great shining egg, singing and dancing and kicking up a fuss because they were crazy to be born.  In God’s dream happiness was stronger than doubt and mystery.  So dreaming, God created them with a song:

    ‘I break this egg and the woman is born and the man is born.  And together they will live and die.  But they will be born again.  They will be born and die again and be born again.  They will never stop being born, because death is an lie.

Makiritare creation myth

. . . . .

The other way tobacco is taken, and by far the most potent, is when it is blended into a tea-like concoction and drunk.  When we speak of tobacco as medicine, as a teacher, and its ability to cure disease, this is the manner where it has the most power.  The drink is an extremely powerful purgative and very effective in cleansing the intestines, the blood, and the body including killing parasites, viruses, and bacteria.  Whats more, on the mental/emotional level, the tobacco has a very grounding and clearing effect.  When people drink they often speak of a great clarity.  Unlike other powerful plants such as Ayahuasca, which often tends to transport people to other states of consciousness, tobacco, taken this way, leaves one feeling extremely present and grounded, with a very strong clarity and insight into the nature of life and oneself.  Blocks can be undone and answers to questions we have had are made simplistically clear.  Partaking in a tobacco ceremony is considered by many indigenous people to be the most powerful way of learning from the plant world.  Tobacco is considered the great teacher and the great healer.  The ceremonies can be quite intense and difficult to endure as tobacco has a very strong effect.  But when completed it leaves the participant grounded, clear, strong, connected to the Earth, and often with great insight into the nature of themselves and the world around them.  Caution must be taken to only work with someone who has experience working in this manner as the effects can be potentially dangerous if not administered correctly.

For better or worse tobacco has become a much maligned plant.  Sadly, when people speak of tobacco what they are often referring to is cigarettes.  Cigarettes are usually made with reconstituted sheet tobacco of very low quality.  The tobacco leaves are often grown with a tremendous amount of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.  Cigarettes also normally contain around 70% tobacco, leaving an additional 30% of fillers and chemicals.  In fact, the standard cigarette has over 600 added chemicals to it.  When combusted, these 600 turn into 4,000.  This doesn’t include the chemicals and bleaches and dyes that are added to the paper and filters.  A little known fact, when filters were first introduced, they were actually made of asbestos!  This melange of chemicals is what a person inhales into their lungs every time they light up a cigarette, often many times per day throughout one’s lifetime.  Many of the chemicals that are contained in cigarettes are know carcinogens, substances know to cause cancer.  Tobacco has been used medicinally for thousands of years, if not many many more.  Its sacred nature and medicinal properties have been used to learn and heal for many peoples throughout time.  Pure, natural tobacco, has never been associated with disease; quite the opposite, it is associated with the sacred, with the divine, with learning and healing.  The chemicals contained in cigarettes are know to cause disease.  And so we must ask ourselves, who is the culprit for disease, 4000 added chemicals, or a plant held sacred by countless people through time immemorial?  The answer, when investigated, and more so when experienced, should become quite clear.  

As with any and all strong medicinal plants, the quote of Paracelsus is true, Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy.  We must always approach all plant work with honor, respect, and knowledge and with a true desire to learn and be healed by the powers of the plant.  In this ceremonial space, true transformation can occur.

. . . . . 

In the beginning there was nothing but nights, and other Indian words call them the two nights—man and woman. They tried to create, to produce a child, but the child was lost before time for its birth. For four times the same happened. Then with a flash of lightning (num yum a wit) came strong twin boys. 

    The name of the first one was Mo-Cot, and the name of the second was Mo-Cot-tem-ma-ya-wit, meaning creator. These were the first people. They were sitting in the air. There was no earth, no water, no light, nothing but darkness; so they could not see each other, but they could hear each other. They did not call each other “brother,” but “my man.” 

    Now this Mo-Cot, he asked, “What are we going to do, my man ?“ 

    Mo-Cot-tem-ma-ya-wit answered, “You should know, my man.” 

    Mo-Cot said, “We must create now.” 

    Then Mo-Cot created first tobacco. And Mo-Cot-tern-ma-ya-wit invented the pipe and gave it two names: man and woman. This pipe they filled with the tobacco, and not having light of fire or anything of that kind, they drew on the pipe with their mouths, and fire and smoke came into it. 

Cahuilla creation myth

Tobacco and Tree Dietas

A diet (or dieta in Spanish)  is a term used to describe a process of learning from a plant.  Unlike reading a book to learn about a plant, a dieta is a direct, experiential practice to learn from the plant.  In this way it is said that the plants teach us.  We can learn and heal using the plant as a medium to open us to this space of light.  Different plants have different healing properties and can teach us different things.  Every plant can heal specific conditions and also has the ability to teach us about its own unique light.  Ultimately all plants are pointing us towards the same truth, that which we are.  These plants are teaching us about nature, natural law, ourselves, our place in this world, and opening us to worlds beyond.  Beyond all, they are teaching us to be in harmony, to be at peace, and to live in accordance with Truth, and with Knowledge, and not book knowledge, but experiential knowledge.  

A dieta usually consists of going into isolation for a designated period of time; this could be anywhere from a few days to a few months.  The process in which we work is a series of seven day dietas, although the duration could be extended or shortened depending on the condition of the dieter. During this time the participant stays in her room, isolated from others.  He restricts his food to something very light, usually juice or soup, and only at breakfast and lunch.  The plant medicine is ingested every night and is drunk with the guidance of the curandero who accompanies the patient for the initial duration of the experience, which can be intense.  After drinking the plant and possibly purging, the dieter and the plant medicine will continue to work in her dreams. This medicine usually awakens strongly the dream world which usually brings information about the cleaning process that is being done. The curandero is available for questions and for guidance, but much of the process is spent in isolation with ones thoughts, mind, and being.  In this way repetitive thought patterns, beliefs, fears, and that which is holding us back can be brought to light and eventually released.  

The specific plant that you will work with will depend on a diagnostic by the curandero.  The plants are given specifically for what is seen will be beneficial to the patient.  Most of the plants are trees, which traditionally are seen as the bridge between the earth and the heavens.  They are strong and old and wise and have the ability to help us learn.  On a physical level they tend to be very cleansing, cleaning our blood and stomach and intestines - areas which we carry much sickness.  On the level of the mind, they help to clear thought patterns, belief systems, and mental systems that have been holding us back.  On an energetic level they help to clear blockages, opening ourselves so that life energy can flow freely again.  This the same concept of meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda.  

In general, the plants are administered with tobacco.  Tobacco is seen as the carrier plant, the plant which allows and regulates the other plants ability to work.  Tobacco is seen as the grandfather plant, the ancient energy that allows all other plants to exist.  Tobacco is a strong medicine, and a very powerful teacher on its own.  Often tobacco will be the first plant one works with, as it is a most powerful cleaner of the body on all levels: physical, mental, and energetic.

All of these plants are first working on cleansing the body.  As the body, mind, and energies are cleansed, then healing and teaching can begin to happen.  Often this process of cleansing can be challenging, as often a lot of purging can happen.  The action of tobacco in liquid form is mainly as a potent emetic and as a purge aimed at energy purification.  Purging can take the form of vomiting, diarrhea, crying, shaking, fits of heat and cold, etc.  It is important to mention that unlike what happens in our Western culture where the purge has an associated negative connotation, traditional medicines like in the Amazon and the Ayurvedic system for example, agree that it is extremely important to perform purges regularly in order to detoxify at the energetic, physical, emotional and spiritual levels, discharging and eliminating from the body/mind impurities and toxins, including negative emotions and thoughts.  Through purging the patient begins to notice changes within such as the liberation of stagnant energies and feeling a new sense of inner peace.

We begin to diet trees as trees are considered some of the Master Plants.  Trees symbolically connect us to heaven and earth.  Their roots go into the ground, connecting us with Mother Earth as well as the symbolic nature of the underworld, or in Andean philosophy, the Ukhu Pacha, and the realm of the emotions.  The trunk symbolizes our physical body and this world which we call reality, in Andean the Kay Pacha.  And the branches spread skyward to the heavens, representing our spiritual body, in Andean the Hanaq Pacha.  Through the dieta and fasting and isolation, these trees therefore have the ability to heal us on all three of those levels: the physical body, the mental/emotional body, and the spiritual body.  Each tree has its own personality, its own characteristics.  Each tree is good for treating certain physical conditions, it works on certain aspects of our mind and emotions, and it has its power and teaching in the spiritual or shamanic realm.  When we complete the dieta we have a connection with this tree.  It can be said that this tree is now our ally and we have a spiritual contract with it; a connection has been made.  This tree will continue to teach us as time goes on, much like how at first there is a seed and then with proper care the seed begins to grow and eventually becomes a strong tree which gives us its fruits, flowers, wood, shade, protection, strength, wisdom and medicine.

As with all strong plant medicines, a true desire must be present to work with these plants.  The experience is not always easy, rarely so in fact, but the rewards can be great if the person has the willingness and courage to undertake the journey.

The Role of the Curandero

The word curandero is a Spanish word that can roughly be translated as “one who cures” or “healer” or “doctor.”  There are different types of curanderos.  There are vegetalistas - doctors who work with plants, much like herbalists.  There are curanderos - healers who have access to other states of consciousness and have the ability to guide and to heal in those spaces.  And there are, in some traditions like the Shipibo, moraya - mythical curanderos who have reached a level of mastery of the world.  Within the world of curanderos there are different specialities.  Some may be an ayahuasquero - a curandero who specializes in working with the master plant ayahuasca.  There are sanangueros - a curandero who specializes in working with the master plant chiric sanango.  There are tabaqueros - a curandero who specializes in working with the master plant tobacco.  And certain curanderos may further specialize in areas such as women’s health issues, bone setting, attraction, etc.

The easiest way to view a curandero is perhaps to think of them as a doctor.  They are someone who the patient comes to when the patient is sick and needs help.  The patient may have a physical ailment, or as is becoming more present in our times, psychological ailments such as depression, anxiety, lack to joy, loss of purpose of life, trauma, chronic pain and the like.  The curandero may use specific plants to help treat the physical symptoms of the patient, but he potentially must also seek to find the root of the problem.  And the root must often be pulled up and out from one’s psyche.  This is where the knowledge of master plants such as tobacco, ayahuasca, and innumerable trees and plants come into play.  The curandero gives the patient specific plants that will begin to try to affect the root of their ailment.  This may happen in a ceremonial setting such as working with ayahuasca.  Or it may be through a process of offering a dieta, where the patient goes into isolation, restricts their diet, and drinks their plant every night to experientially heal and learn from it.  Some diets are administered to specifically heal certain conditions, and some diets are offered in order to learn from, to “dominate,” or to acquire the plant as an ally that aids us throughout our lives.

The disciple becomes a curandero through a very intensive process of working with plants.  This process of doing plant dietas usually involves a prolonged period of isolation working with different plants.  The disciple works with a curandero who becomes his maestro, or teacher.  The curandero helps to guide the disciple in his process of learning.  The process can be very arduous.  The act of being in isolation for such prolonged periods of time can be very challenging for the mind.  It forces the disciple to go into her mind and to begin to learn about the nature of the mind.  Eating little to no food for prolonged periods weakens the body.  It is said that when the body is weak, the spirit is high.  And this allows the medicine to penetrate deeply into each disciple.  But the challenges of forgoing food for such times also can cause great distress.  And the process of ingesting master plants on a regular basis can be the most challenging aspect of it all.  It brings up her suffering, doubts, fears, separation, and all of the blocks and traumas and belief systems that we have been holding onto.  And though the process of constant working with plants, the disciple begins to slowly see into the nature of herself.  She begins to learn about reality, about the human condition, about nature and natural law, and about how the plants have the ability to open us and to help us to heal.  

At a certain point, after potentially years of training, the disciple slowly begins to work.  This may initially take the form of apprenticing his teacher, and then beginning to administer plants himself, and eventually going out on his own and working as his own curandero.  Each curandero’s process is different and unique to them.  Good curanderos have undergone a rigorous training, a deep process of self reflection, and have acquired an experiential knowledge of working continuously with plants.  And when the teacher feels her student is ready, she sends them out to begin working on their own.

The curandero, through his own process, learns a great deal.  He begins his process of self mastery and acquisition of his own power.  He sees and trusts the healing power of the plants, which are a gateway to an even greater power - that of the Universe, of Creation, of God.  He knows that ultimately it is not him who is curing.  He is a guide who is creating a space, through his own hard work and dedication, that allows his patients to experience the healing power of that higher force.  He has the ability to guide the medicine, to heighten or lower its affects, to know the dosages, and to guide the patient through the most challenging and beautiful of experiences.  It is not a role to be taken lightly, as that space, if not held, can open the patient to potential harm and suffering.  It is much like an open-heart surgeon.  If we are having our hearts operated on, we want to make sure that the surgeon has done their training!  The curandero has worked on herself, gone deep into herself, so that she can work on and help others go deep into theirselves.  

Programa de Aprendizaje

El programa de aprendizaje es un proceso de entrenamiento tradicional y de iniciación que uno embarca para aprender sobre uno mismo y aprender de y trabajar con plantas. Por lo tanto es un proceso de automaestría, de  iniciación y entrenamiento para trabajar como curandero.

Iniciación 

Las Iniciaciones eran prácticas comunes en muchas culturas alrededor del mundo. En nuestra cultura moderna hemos ganado y aprendido mucho. Pero una cosa que ha sido negada como parte importante del viaje de un individuo es el rito de iniciación. En muchas culturas la iniciación era otorgada a los adolescentes entrando a su etapa adulta.  Una prueba  y un ritual  de transición. Era un desprendimiento del viejo yo, el niño, y un renacimiento en un nuevo rol propio, el adulto. Este proceso de iniciación fue continuado por un grupo selecto de individuos quienes escogieron, o fueron escogidos, para ingresar a una clase especial, a menudo el elenco sacerdotal, curanderos o líderes. Para ello fueron sometidos a  un proceso muy estricto y  rígido que desafió al iniciado en todos los niveles: físico, mental, emocional y espiritual. Estas iniciaciones variaron con el tiempo, pero seguido tomaba su curso en meses e incluso años. Muchas iniciaciones encarnan el proceso arquetípico de la muerte y renacimiento. Las viejas creencias, traumas, formas de ser, patrones, y visiones se abandonan  o son transformadas y emerge una nueva forma de ser. Esto puede ser una experiencia similar a la muerte o una serie de experiencias similares a la muerte. Se dice que el camino del curandero es un camino de muchas muertes. Muy similar a una cebolla, cada capa debe morir para revelar lo que está más y más cerca a nuestra verdadera esencia. 

Qué es el Proceso?

En este proceso iniciatorio nos embarcamos en el viaje más grandioso. El viaje del ser. Como fue escrito en el Templo de Apolo en Delphi, la base de toda sabiduría es, Conocerse a sí mismo (el autodominio). A través de un proceso profundo de autorreflexión e indagación, iniciamos este proceso.

El programa de aprendizaje que ofrecemos se  basa  en el proceso iniciatorio que nosotros mismos hemos pasado en el linaje de mamancunawa. Combinando también en este proceso todas las lecciones que aprendimos fuera de esta tradición. Es este proceso el que nos permite ganar el título de Tabaquero, un curandero especializado en tabaco y árboles. El proceso iniciatorio es largo, arduo e implica un tiempo considerable de aislamiento, ayuno de alimentos y otros estímulos, y beber cocciones muy fuertes de plantas.

El aislamiento es una tradición consagrada en muchas culturas como un rito de iniciación en sí mismo. Al aislarnos del mundo exterior, y todo estímulo, uno es forzado a estar exclusivamente consigo mismo y su propia mente. Esto puede presentar muchos retos. Aburrimiento, depresión, ansiedad, miedos, pérdida del control, y muchas otras cosas pueden surgir. En verdad comenzamos a observar nuestras mentes,  la naturaleza de la mente, y cómo funciona. Sin nada que hacer, ni con quien platicar, y sin ninguna distracción, nos vemos obligados a adentrarnos en nuestro interior y observar nuestro propio ser. Comenzamos un proceso de indagación propia y comenzamos a aprender cómo funciona la mente. También comenzamos a tranquilizar la mente y al hacerlo, comenzamos a ser más sensibles con todo en la vida. Comenzamos a escuchar, ver y oler de una manera muy diferente. Nos volvemos conscientes y sensibles a todas las cosas sutiles que siempre estuvieron presentes pero que pasamos por alto debido a las fuerzas y  estímulos externos. 

El ayuno es la segunda parte de este proceso iniciatorio. El ayuno fue, también, usado por muchas tradiciones alrededor del mundo. Ayunar es una manera fantástica de sanar el cuerpo por sí solo. A medida que comenzamos a restringir los alimentos, el cuerpo puede reasignar los recursos para descomponer los alimentos y utilizarlos para reparar el cuerpo. Al comenzar a abstenernos de la comida, nuestro cuerpo comienza a tener antojos. Al principio, esto puede resultar muy difícil, ya que no estamos acostumbrados a estar sin comida, pero a medida que continuamos, nuestros cuerpos llegan a debilitarse mucho debido a la falta de alimentos. Pero es en este estado debilitado que nuestra sensibilidad aumenta enormemente. Frecuentemente, se dice que cuando el cuerpo está muy débil, el espíritu está muy alto. Tal vez muchos de nosotros lo sabemos, si pensamos en cuándo estamos enfermos, por ejemplo, si contraemos la gripe. Nuestros cuerpos dejan de desear comida, ayunamos y nuestros cuerpos entran en una modalidad de curación. Dado que, en ese estado, aunque estamos débiles, hay una apertura y una tranquilidad en nuestras mentes. Los pensamientos pueden comenzar a fluir, nos volvemos reflexivos y sentimos cierta sensibilidad y conciencia del momento presente. Al ingerir un mínimo o ningún alimento, e  ingiriendo solo la planta que estamos dietando, desarrollamos una fuerte conexión con esa planta, ya que esa planta es nuestro único alimento. La planta es lo único con lo que estamos durante la dieta, aparte de nosotros mismos. La planta  suele mezclarse con tabaco también,  ya que el tabaco es un gran regulador, maestro y se considera alimento para los espíritus.

Cuando ingerimos estas plantas fuertes, primero buscamos limpiar y despejar el sistema. Esto a menudo implica una gran cantidad de purgas. Estos árboles y el tabaco tienen cualidades muy fuertes para limpiar la sangre, el tracto gastrointestinal y varios órganos donde se dice que llevamos gran parte de nuestra enfermedad. Cuando comenzamos a despejarnos en el nivel físico, también comenzamos a despejarnos y a abrirnos en un nivel energético. Las cosas comienzan a moverse y fluir como fueron diseñadas para hacerlo, como cuando éramos niños. Si estamos familiarizados con la Medicina Tradicional China, los meridianos se abren y el Qi puede fluir. Cuando el cuerpo se limpia y la armonía y el movimiento comienzan a ocurrir, es importante que el cuerpo / mente / espíritu se fortalezcan. Muchos de los árboles brindan fuerza y ​​protección para que, al entrar en este nuevo estado, seamos fuertes, arraigados, despejados y protegidos de lo que la vida pueda enviar en nuestro camino. No es que seamos invencibles o estancados, sino que fuimos renovados y tenemos nuevas herramientas para poder navegar por la vida de una nueva manera.

A través de este proceso de aprendizaje, las plantas que dietamos nos enseñan sobre nosotros mismos, sobre la naturaleza del mundo y el mundo de las plantas. Se nos dan herramientas para usar y nuevas formas de ser. En este proceso también somos instruidos por nuestros maestros, nuestros maestros humanos, cómo emprender este camino. El curandero / maestro está con nosotros en cada paso del viaje. Él o ella no puede recorrer el camino por nosotros. Esto lo debe hacer cada iniciado por sí mismo, pero el maestro crea el espacio y guía al iniciado a través de cada parte del proceso. Esto incluye brindar un espacio, preparar los remedios, ayudar al iniciado a comprender lo que está surgiendo dentro de ellos, ayudar a interpretar y enseñarles las herramientas para hacer el trabajo. Las herramientas que se enseñan en este proceso son cómo trabajar con  tabaco y árboles, cómo hacer y preparar remedios, cómo soplar con tabaco (limpieza energética), cómo hacer perfumes, cómo cantar icaros, cómo dar dietas, cómo trabajar con una chacapa (un manojo de hojas que se usan para limpiar), cómo hacer y trabajar con una pipa, cómo hacer y trabajar con baños de plantas, cómo limpiar espacios, cómo preparar varias limpiezas corporales y de órganos, y cómo hacer remedios para diversos malestares comunes.

También a través de este proceso, el maestro está enseñando al discípulo a través de la presencia y a su vez, de la experiencia. La forma de ser, el campo energético y la energía y el poder del maestro también pueden transmitirse al discípulo. Hay una transferencia de conocimiento, herramientas, forma de ser, vibración y visión. Hay una sincronización del trabajo y las energías del maestro hacia el alumno. El maestro está presente tanto física como energéticamente para el discípulo durante todo el proceso. Y entre dietas, el maestro está disponible para preguntas y para trabajo de integración. 

¿Cuan Largo es el Proceso? 

En la tradición en la que trabajamos, normalmente se empieza dietando tabaco. El Tabaco es visto como una de las pocas plantas maestras que tiene la capacidad de enseñar sobre el Ser y de enseñar a cómo convertirse en un doctor (curandero). El tabaco es muy útil como primera dieta porque funciona en todos los niveles. Limpia y aclara. Nos abre. Y luego comienza a fortalecer y proteger. Nos deja limpios, abiertos, fuertes, claros, con los pies en la tierra, perspicaces y con protección.

A partir de ahí se empieza a dietar los árboles. Hay una serie de árboles que se consideran aliados, árboles que nos enseñan y pueden ayudarnos en este camino del curanderismo. Los árboles también se ven como el puente entre el cielo y la tierra. Ellos echan raíces en la tierra y crecen para alcanzar los cielos. Cada árbol es seleccionado por el maestro y entregado al estudiante en base a lo que el maestro ve que será más beneficioso para el estudiante en ese momento. Se dietan Doce árboles en total. Una vez que el iniciado ha hecho la dieta con doce árboles diferentes, ha tenido suficiente entrenamiento para pasar a la fase final de la iniciación.

En la fase final se regresa al tabaco. Esta dieta final se llama maestría o dieta del maestro de maestros. Esta es la dieta que alinea oficialmente todos los árboles que uno ha dietado. Al mismo tiempo, es donde el iniciado bebe una gran cantidad de tabaco que le permite encarnar completamente el nuevo rol que está asumiendo. Si bien esto puede parecer abrumador, al hacer todas las dietas anteriores, el iniciado está listo para la iniciación final.

Cada dieta suele durar siete días. Esto puede parecer largo para algunos y corto para otros. Algunas dietas se pueden extender a dos semanas si el iniciado desea profundizar en una dieta. Es importante recordar que estas dietas tienden a ser más cortas que algunas otras dietas tradicionales porque el proceso es más intenso. La duración de la dieta con una planta depende del maestro y de la intensidad del proceso. Por lo general, las dietas más largas son menos intensas físicamente, pero pueden ser un desafío dado el tiempo de aislamiento. Por lo general, se administra mucha más comida y el cuerpo necesita alimentos durante períodos de tiempo más largos. Y la planta generalmente se ingiere a intervalos más espaciados. Con estas dietas, en los siete días, por lo general se abstiene de comer y solo se da jugo dos veces al día. Adicionalmente, la planta se ingiere todos los días durante la dieta, muchas veces invocando una fuerte depuración física y mental y un proceso muy profundo.

¿Para Quién Está Eirigido Este Programa de Aprendizaje?

En verdad, para cualquier persona que busque entenderse mejor a sí mismo puede beneficiarse enormemente del Programa de Aprendizaje. Muchos de los que han realizado el programa, no tienen ningún interés ​de trabajar con plantas en lo absoluto. Personas de todos los ámbitos de la vida han hecho dieta para curarse a sí mismas, aprender sobre sí mismas y fortalecer su conexión con su yo interior y con el mundo que las rodea.

Algunos vienen para una dieta y tienen una experiencia tan transformadora que terminan quedándose durante el proceso completo. Muchos se han abierto a otras formas de mirar y ver el mundo. Y muchas personas comienzan a incorporar aspectos de estas enseñanzas en su propio trabajo. Estos podrían ser psicólogos, masajistas, consejeros, maestros, trabajadores energéticos, curanderos, entrenadores, en verdad cualquier persona. El programa tiene la habilidad de profundizar en lo que fuera que le interese.

Y si está interesado en trabajar con plantas y posiblemente algún día crear y mantener el espacio con plantas, entonces el Programa de Aprendizaje es ideal para usted. A través del proceso aprendemos a trabajar con tabaco y árboles y a continuar en este linaje. Es un proceso muy poderoso y el cielo es realmente el límite de la profundidad a la que uno desea llegar y aprender. Y este programa puede funcionar como una base increíble para las personas que ya trabajan con otras plantas o les gustaría trabajar con otras plantas como ayahuasca, San Pedro (huachuma), coca, etc.

Tiempo y Costo

Cada dieta es de siete días. Hay catorce dietas en total (1 tabaco + 12 árboles + 1 tabaco maestria). Algunas dietas se pueden extender a dos semanas. Por lo tanto, el tiempo mínimo sería de unas 20 semanas en total, normalmente repartidas entre 1 y 3 años. Los costos del Programa de Aprendizaje son los mismos que hacer dietas de manera individual. No hay ningún coste extra por la enseñanza adicional. Cuando usted dice que le gustaría comenzar el programa, es cuando comenzamos el proceso adicional de enseñar todas las herramientas adicionales. Ofrecemos un 10 % de descuento en las siguientes dietas después de que una persona haya completado seis dietas de árboles (lo que se encuentra a la mitad del aprendizaje).  Ciertamente es una inversión de nuestro tiempo, energía, compromiso y finanzas, pero ese es también el camino del médico occidental. Para ser considerado para el programa y ser aprendiz con nosotros, todas las dietas deben completarse con nosotros (puede haber algunas excepciones). Al finalizar la maestría, ofrecemos a nuestros estudiantes la oportunidad de realizar un aprendizaje con nosotros. Tendrán la oportunidad de sentarse con nosotros en varias ceremonias y de observarnos en dos retiros diferentes (dietas). Esta es una oportunidad de observarnos directa y experiencialmente y aprender de primera mano el trabajo que hacemos. Al final del aprendizaje, ofrecemos un diploma de certificación, así como un documento de herramientas, técnicas, remedios y guías.

El programa de aprendizaje es un viaje difícil. A menudo se dice en muchas culturas chamánicas que el camino del chamán es un camino de sufrimiento. A través de la iniciación, el estudiante debe pasar por un largo proceso de aislamiento, privación, limpieza, purga, auto-indagación y luego reconstrucción. Este es un proceso muy desafiante. Es el arquetípico viaje del héroe. El viaje más grande que podemos hacer, el viaje interior. Pero a través de esta desaparición de lo viejo, podemos renacer en lo que es posible. Podemos empezar a ver nuestro propio potencial, magia y belleza de lo que la vida tiene para nosotros. Podemos empezar a ver que la vida sucede para nosotros, no a nosotros. Ya no somos prisioneros de nuestras historias, sino creadores de nuestros destinos y amantes de lo que es. Se abre nuestro espacio de ensueño y nuestra sensibilidad hacia este mundo. Al ir hacia adentro, nos despojamos del viejo yo y comenzamos un viaje en nuestro camino de sabiduría y poder. Para aquellos que están dispuestos y se sienten atraídos por embarcarse en este camino, puede ser la única decisión más gratificante de nuestras vidas.

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