insisted that our group of sixteen stay overnight with him, sharing food prepared by his large extended family who lived scattered about the rural community. He had constructed a large circular building to house overnight visitors willing to make the long trip to his remote mountain village. He generally took no money from outsiders, but reluctantly accepted a meager sum from those whom he healed in our group.
Following a very palatable vegetarian evening meal, the shaman situated himself on one of two logs placed alongside the open fire pit in our guest lodge. With little ceremony, he began to quietly chant as one of the women from our group cautiously approached him. He motioned for her to be seated and began by gently brushing her with wild sage gathered by the children of his family. He did not inquire about her medical needs but seemed to know where to direct his attention. Although his technique consisted mainly of chanting, touching, brushing, and talking, all who experienced his healing were certain that he had accurately diagnosed their ailments.
Interestingly, his healing work took place amid seemingly distracting conversation, laughter, and activity on the part of his large family. The activity took our group by surprise, as I think we each expected the kind of reverent ceremony we knew was common to Brazilian healings. Several times during the evening, when one of his small children would approach him, he would cease what he was doing and gather the youngster lovingly in his arms. After being comforted, the child would leave and the shaman would resume his curative actions as though nothing disruptive had occurred.
The Transformation Method
There are a variety of basic healing techniques embraced by shamans worldwide, some of which I will define and discuss thoroughly in chapter 5. Many of these healing methods focus on the transformation of energy in the patient's astral body. The astral (or subtle) body is defined by A. E. Powell in his book, The Astral Body (Theosophical Publishing House, 1972) as:
. . . a vehicle, to clairvoyant sight not unlike the physical body, surrounded by an aura of flashing colours, composed of matter of an order of fineness higher than that of physical matter, in which feelings, passions, desires and emotions are expressed and which acts as a bridge or medium of transmission between the physical brain and the mind . . . .
The Quechuan shaman who we were visiting works by tapping into the natural forces of nature to transform the negative or disruptive energy of his client's astral body into a more positive state. He trances or channels the natural forces of fire, earth, water, and air through the ritual and rhythm of his chanting and movement. Although he offers suggestions of diet, herbs, or specific verbal affirmations, it is his channeling of the natural power of nature that measurably revitalizes the body. When the ceremony is complete and the state of mind has turned positive, the rehabilitation to good health begins.
Occasionally, the Quechuan shaman would physically remove the offending negative activity, discarding it to Pachamama, the earth. The earth then acts as the means of transformation, recycling the negative waste into positive and useful energy just as a plant, after being provided animal waste, restores the necessary balance that nature prefers.
Do these methods work?
One woman from our group, who had previously stated that she could not remember the last time she was without pain from her rheumatoid arthritis, began to quietly sob soon after her healing. She was pain-free. A second woman, who had partially lost her sense of smell from a bicycle accident several years prior, began to smell fragrances that she thought were lost forever.
When it was my turn, I sat before the Quechuan healer and became immersed in the peace and tranquility that he radiated. Since shamans seem to live in the continuous moment of now, to be in their presence is to take on a portion of their essence.
The healer began to focus his attention on my abdomen and groin—areas that have traditionally been the source of my greatest maladies. He chanted while passing his hands over my body and I could feel myself relax as if I had just ingested a drug to relieve tension and tightness. When he informed me that my karma was to work as a spiritual healer and that I was not to take my gift lightly, I knew we were connected.
He then smiled and turned to our Ecuadorian interpreter. He said something in his native tongue. I noticed that they were both regarding me with much more intensity than just a few moments before.
"What's wrong?" I questioned, not sure that I wanted to hear the answer. Juan Gabriel smiled and said that the shaman had a special cure for me, but would be unable to administer it until the following morning.
"Special cure?" I inquired cautiously, exchanging looks with Shirl who had moved in closer, and was equally concerned about the sudden change in the shaman's manner.
Juan Gabriel began to fidget and mumbled that I shouldn't worry because this is something he had seen the shaman do several times in the past. Sensing that I required more information, he again assured me that there was definitely no reason to overreact.
And then he added, "He is just going to sting you with a bee."
"No,” I quickly stammered."I am highly allergic to bee stings.”
Shirl nodded her head in confirmation, having witnessed the immediate and dangerous swelling in my body that occurred the last time I was stung.
I listened carefully as Juan Gabriel translated my thoughts back to the shaman, though his sentences seemed much too short to accurately portray my mounting concern. The shaman just smiled, nodded, and muttered a few words in my direction. Then he quickly shifted his attention to the next healing·.
"He will take care of it," Juan Gabriel said quietly.
Take care of it? Take care of what? What was he going to do? Did he fully understand my anxiety—and the potential danger? How many hundreds of miles away was the nearest hospital emergency room? Maybe I needed to sleep on the bus that I knew was parked somewhere nearby . . . I wasn't so sure that the shaman's language and cultural differences had permitted my concerns to be fully understood.
It was late by the time the shaman finally chose to terminate his healing work for the night. We all climbed into our sleeping bags around the fire pit, but the highly charged energy from the healings made it difficult for anyone to doze. Nevertheless, the next morning I awoke to a wonderfully relaxed body—and an apprehensive mind.
A Healing to Remember
We were served a light breakfast of fruits, breads, and juices prepared by families in the community. Following our meal, the shaman returned to his seat near the fire and conducted several more healings. When he finished, he got to his feet, smiled, and nodded at me. He then located Carol, a woman from our group who he had determined also required a bee sting. His eyes went back and forth between Carol and me, as though preparing us for what was to come. Then he walked away.
After a few moments, though it seemed to me like an eternity, he returned, walked directly to Carol, and raised the back of her shirt. In his cupped hand, he held a bee which he placed on her back. Seconds later, we saw Carol wince as the bee inserted his stinger.
Then the shaman turned and walked toward me. I desperately looked for Juan Gabriel, reminding him that I was not willing to take the risk associated with being stung by a bee. My mind was suddenly swimming with the horror stories that our family doctor had related about people suffering from allergic reactions similar to mine who had died from a single potent sting.
The issue of fear had been presented to me once again.
Within
