Rain forest shamans ready to share healing ceremonies

c. 1997 Religion News Service UNDATED _ Just 10 years ago, outsiders were forbidden from participating in the secret healing ceremonies of rain forest tribes. But to shamans, the prophecy symbolized by the”eagle and the condor”is a sign the time has come for them to share their healing techniques with the West. Those who arrive […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ Just 10 years ago, outsiders were forbidden from participating in the secret healing ceremonies of rain forest tribes. But to shamans, the prophecy symbolized by the”eagle and the condor”is a sign the time has come for them to share their healing techniques with the West.

Those who arrive in the rain forest suffering from either emotional pain or physical illness receive individual healing by shamans.


Many report they have been miraculously cured of ailments such as depression, migraine headaches and even cancer.

Joyce Ferranti, for example, says after her healing by an Otavalan shaman, she lost more than 50 pounds.

Shamanic healing rituals are subtle, and take place on more of an invisible energy level than in the physical realm, experts say.

Shamans, for instance, may pass their hands around a person’s body in order to balance their energy. Or, they may”blow”fire on them, ridding participants of negative spirits.

Most of what the shamans do is described as”soul retrieval,”as they believe illness is due to loss of soul. According to Ferranti, shamans discern what contemporary psychotherapists are beginning to discover _ many so-called modern”neuroses”are caused by a way of life that has been tragically sundered from nature.

In fact, the rain forest Indians seem to be skillful masters of the art of integration. With no apparent conflict, they have seamlessly blended their ancient tribal beliefs with the Roman Catholic faith inherited from the Spanish colonists.

It is not unusual to enter a shaman’s hut and see an icon of the Virgin Mary surrounded by shamanic healing stones or spears, Ferranti said. And, as Perkins writes in his book,”The World Is As You Dream It”(Destiny), some Indians regard Jesus as a powerful shaman because of his power to heal.


A significant, though controversial, part of some shamanic religious ceremonies involves the use of a natural hallucinogen called”ayahuasca.”Derived from a vine that grows in the jungle, some Indians regard the plant as a spiritual teacher.

To the shamans, ayahuasca is not a drug, but a”plant medicine”that has been a sacred part of their ritual life for thousands of years. And while not all outsiders who participate in these all-night healing ceremonies take this”sacrament”_ it is a choice left up to each individual _ many do.

Guided by a shaman and accompanied by a friend, most describe powerful spiritual experiences in which the forces of nature _ the moon, plants and animals _ come powerfully alive.

MJP END PEAY

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!