My Great Endeavors : Curanderismo

Introduction

This is a form of shamanism that is practiced in Latin America. There are different modes of healing and types of healers. Herbs are used heavily in this practice. It has its own nosology and a very rich history. You can learn this traditionally or take classes. Certain countries are poppin with Curanderismo.

Definition

This is a mixture of (native) American, African, Catholic, Unani, and Jewish healing practices. Allopathic medicine as been incorporated into it later on. Females that do this form of shamanism are called curanderas & males that do it are called curaderos. They can heal your mind, body and spirit. This form of medicine is holistic and diverse. It deals with the whole person, not just the disease. Different practitioners have different methods of healing.

Modes of Healing

There are forms of healing that are physical, mental, or spiritual. Physical healing consist of rituals. Mental healing comes from psychic powers. Spiritual healing is mediumship and/or astral projection. Each curandera/o specializes in @ least one of these areas.

Physical Rituals

Baby Healing: They can be given a massage and oil can be used. I thought of this years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Platica: This is a 'heart 2 heart' conversation. The patient tell the curandero/a their issues. This is done b4 any rituals. It is similar to talk therapy.

Limpia: It is a spiritual cleansing; it removes negative energy. There are many different ways of doing it. Some people use cleansing herbs, rum and call upon ancestral spirits of the patient. Sum even use the energy of the stars!!!!! After you receive this you will be happier.

Incense Burning: There are different incense burners, which symbolize different ideas. They ask permission from the 4 directions b4 they light the incense. Fire has transformative properties. "It nurtures us, warms us, reinvents us, forges 'us', and destroys us." This ritual harmonizes and cleanses the body. They send positive energy to the patient. The incense is moved upward from the feet of the patient, while they blow it on them.

Temazcal: It represents the womb of our mother and the womb of Mother Earth. This is a sweatlodge; it's very therapeutic. B4 entering the sweatlodge a ceremony is done @ the altar. They ask permission from the 4 directions, heaven and earth. They used rattles when they create sacred space. I did something similar in shamanic healing class. While in the sweatlodge the participants sing, hit themselves with herbs and yell to get negative energy out. After it ova the participants drink water charged with positive energy. A baby can be blessed in the temazcal. The Mayans created this form of healing and taught to the Aztec.

Ventosas: This is fire cupping.

Feather Healing: They are used to get negative energy out the aura. They are also used in conjunction with incense.

Tonalli: It is a cleansing; it gets negative energy out of someone. It involves massaging different parts of the body. They rub out the knots in the patients body. The knots are energy blockages.

Juice Therapy: Various fruits & vegetables can cure the body of illness. Grapefruit and Papaya juice is good 4 the digestive system. Papaya juice is also good 4 you lymphatic and circulatory systems as well. Pineapple, celery parsley, and hibiscus flower are great 4 your kidneys. You can mix them together or drink them separately.

Geotherapy: It involves the use of Earth (dirt, sand, clay) 2 heal. The patient can be buried in the Earth to get rid of fever. There's a certain kinds of clay that is antibiotic and it makes the body more open to healing energies. It can also pull toxins out of the body.

Risaterapia: This is laugh therapy. They breath, relax and do different movements and laughs. It will help the patient relief stress throughout their body; which lessen the chance of them getting a disease. It is also a pain reliever.

Hidroterapia: This is water healing, commonly called hydrotherapy. You put herb in hot water and inhale the fumes. You can make a herbal tea as well and/or take a herbal bath. A herb can be used as a warm compress.

Sound Therapy: Spirits of the directions are used to heal in this modality. The practitioner get permission from your ancestors to heal you. Colyer conch shell is used; it represents the east. The east is protected by Quetzalcoatl. He's the god of transformation and gnosis. He communicates through the shell and helps the patient harmonize there life. Black Obsidian represents the north. It helps us understand the emotions that is causing us sickness. The north is protected by Tezcatilpoca. He shows us are true enemy, which is ourselves.

Music Therapy: It can help many people heal. "The drum is the heartbeat of Mother Earth." Rattles are used and some of them sound like rain. Flutes have a strong sound and can take you to another dimension. Some of them sound like birds. Sum sounds soothes and others awakens. Singing someone name helps them heal. In certain ceremonies drums are used to bring down the spirits. Sometimes people dance, which also attracts spirits. In sum rituals the 4 directions and 4 elements (earth, water, air, fire) are used. The elements represent physical reality and certain ideas. Illness can be sent back to wherever it came from.

Healing of the Elderly: Fire cupping is good 4 them and they are given dietary advice.

Mental Healing

This is talk therapy, it is psychology. The curandera/o give the patient advice on their reasoning, emotions and/or behavior. They help the patient improve their life. Talk therapy is very effective in helping people betta themselves.

Spiritual Healing

Meditation: Helps them get in touch with spirits and/or make healing energy stronger.

Visualization: They can visualize the patient being healing by energy.

Concentration: They can focus on the disease dissipating.

Trance: The practitioner shuts the conscious mind down so they can get possessed by a spirit. Then the spirit will heal the patient through curandera/o.

Astral Projection: They go in the spirit world and get the cure 4 the disease.

Types of Healers

Partera: These are midwives, they help mothers in labor and childbirth. They also help newborn babies.

Conejero/a: They help patients by listening 2 their problems and giving them advice.

Hierbero: These are herbalists, they use many different herbs to heal their patients.

Sobadoro/a: They are something like massage therapists.

Huesero: They manipulate bones like an chiropractor and osteopaths. They also have similarities to a physical therapist too. They can help you if you have joint problems.

Acupuntarista/o: They put needles in certain parts of the body for energy flow. This practice helps people heal faster and relive or alleviate sum disorders.

Senor/Senoras: They are tarot card readers and they use other methods to divine as well.

Espiritualista: They are mediums that may be able to astral project.

Herbs

You should connect to the plant b4 using it. You do this by talking to it. You can make teas, tinctures, oils, and baths with these herbs. Herbal smoke can cure or relieve disorders too.

Tobacco: It is a portal 2 the spirit world. It helps get negative energy out of the body. The juice helps get rid of rashes and wounds. The smoke is a road opener and it protects.

Calendula: It helps get rid of inflammation. Sum people use it in massage oil. You can rub on your belly, so you can see your shadow.

Dandelion: This is good against breast cancer. It can used in massage oil and it cleans the lymphatic system.

Mullein: It's improves the thyroid, lungs and menopause.

Sweetgrass: It is good 4 smudging, attracting positivity, and protection.

Watermelon: It is good @ cleansing and improving the root chakra. If you drink it for 7 days it will cleanse your whole body.

Yerba mate: It's good for the colon, stomach and throat.

Pin Pitch: They get it from a desert pine tree. It helps get rid of rashes, wounds and infections.

Silk Tassel: It's good 4 all kinds of cramps.

Aloe Vera: It's good 4 constipation and skin disorders.

Chili Pepper: Improves the digestive and circulatory system.

Rosemary: Improves the mind, liver, skin and hair.

Ginkgo Bilbao and Gotu Kola helps the brain get more oxygen. Basil can help you sleep if you have insomnia.

Nosology

Practitioners have discovered different diseases and ways of healing it. Fear can hurt the kidneys and anger can hurt the liver. Sum of the diseases correspond to illnesses in allopathic medicine. That's amazing people knew about mental problems for millennia!!!!!!! There is much to learn from this form of shamanism.

Susto: It is a traumatic experience that may cause soul lose and PTSD. Music healing and limpias are effective in getting rid of this.

Mel De Ojo: This is the evil eye, which is caused by someone looking @ you menacingly. A limpia may be able to get rid of this too.

Melarchico: This is depression, which could weaken your immune system. Risaterapia and seeing a conejero/a will help alleviate that.

Billis: This is surpassed anger, which is bad 4 the heart. A herbal bath can get rid of anger, also you write a poem when you are angry. That's a positive to express that powerful emotion.

Empacho: This is a intestinal obstruction. Juice Therapy and Mayan Abdominal massage can get rid of that.

Mal Aire: That means bad air, which is cold air or switching from cold to warm air to quickly. Negative energy can be transmitted through the air. This illness can lead to death! This illness can be cured by certain herbs and incense burning.

Mollera Caida: This is a fallen fontanel. This illness affects infants. You can get rid of it with Juice and Hydrotherapy.

Maleficio: These are curses, which could ruin your life! Hidroterapia and sound therapy could knock that right out.

Student

The traditional way of learning Curanderismo is to be mentored by a curandera/o. If you are unable to do that. You can take a in-person and/or online class. There are many of them. Coursera.org has 4 of them. Some colleges in southwest U.S. offer classes as well.

Poppin

It practiced all ova Latin America, but it's most popular in Mexico. Many people practice it in southwest U.S. as well. You can also find it in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, and Honduras. Curanderismo is very diverse, so it is done differently in every country.

Conclusion

Curanderismo is a form of shamanism popular in Latin America. It has 3 different modes of healing and various types of healers. There many magical and medicinal herbs used in healing people. It has its own nosology, sum of which agrees with modern medicine. There 3 main ways of learning it and you can find it in Mexico, Central & South America.