Somewhere in the Andes, Ecuador –
Sploosh!
Good thing…
Sploosh!
my eyes are closed…
Sploosh!
because these Yachak keep…
Sploosh!
spewing some sort of…
Sploosh!
alcoholic liquid across…
Sploosh!
my face as they…
Sploosh!
make their way…
Sploosh!
around the circle.
The air was crisp and cool. We were gathered in a circle around an altar in the yard that was covered in fresh fruit and other offerings as the Yachak, Ecuadorian Shamans, formed a circle between our group and the altar, performing a cleansing ceremony on us.
First, they started with an incantation. Raising their hands in the air, they were calling to the Great Spirits to cleanse our spirits and make us worthy of witnessing the healings that would follow. Soon, the four Yachak began making their way around the circle, blowing cigarette smoke into our cupped hands. We were then directed to splash our faces with the smoke. Next, they went around the circle again, spewing some alcoholic liquid on us, both front and back.
Once we had been sufficiently cleansed, we were told that we were welcome to eat from the fruit that had been laid out around the altar for the ceremony. Then we were then directed inside.
Once inside, they asked for volunteers. Only they couldn’t be just any volunteers, they had to have a need to be healed of something.
As each volunteer in turn stood alone in the middle of the room, the Yachak would take turns, incanting, spewing more of the alcoholic liquid, and blowing more cigarette smoke on them, from head to toe. They also would take a handful of wispy twigs, full of leaves, and smack the “patient” all around, roll an egg over their body, spew chewed-up leaves at them, and hold candles in front of their mouth as they spewed more of the alcoholic liquid at the patient, setting it aflame (the liquid, not the patient).
One-by-one, each of the volunteers was subjected to this, until everything came to a sudden halt. The egg that one of the Yachak was rolling over one patient’s body went falling to the ground. The Yachak doing the egg rolling stood there, looking down at the broken egg, and then over to the others. Finally, the lead Yachak spoke through our interpreter, informing the patient that she was very sick, and needed to go see her doctor when she got home. The woman stood there, listening, and reacting as if this wasn’t news to her, nodding her head in understanding.
Once this sobering moment was over, the healings continued, until all of the volunteers had been treated. Soon, we were filing back out, heading back to our hotel, and the other adventures that awaited us.
High in the mountains.
At the middle of the earth.
For more photos of the cleansing and healing ceremonies, click here.
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