Cleansing Rites of Curanderismo: Limpias Espirituales of Ancient Mesoamerican Shamans - Erika Buenaflor M.A. J.D. 2018

Epilogue

Delving into the records that explained my ancestors’ shamanic traditions enabled me to become more secure and grounded in my practice as a curandera, and to nuance it with ancient sacred Mesoamerican philosophy and beliefs. I am not claiming that my mentors were necessarily unaware of these ancient traditions and were unable to teach all of them to me. Perhaps they had not read all of the ethnohistorical records that I gained access to in graduate school, but these traditions, philosophies, and understandings were typically passed down orally.

Nonetheless, I was often unaware of the questions or thinking that would elicit the responses and teachings I obtained from these records. Although I had been culturally exposed to shared underlying traditions, I still was not fully aware of what I was doing intuitively in my practices that resembled curanderismo rites or why. I needed to completely immerse myself in the ancient Mesoamerican histories of curanderismo to fully appreciate the critical subtleties of this practice and feel more comfortable with it, so my clients could realize even greater benefits from my training and practice.

My mentors were invaluable in teaching me the fundamental steps and methodologies for conducting effective platicas to help clients eject the energy of their stories—so they can feel lighter and more at peace after a session—as well as the importance of cleansing my ritual spaces during and after platicas. But when I began, I did not fully understand the solemnity of the spoken word and the transformative rebirthing processes platicas could instigate.

It was not until I read about the numerous and elaborate state and community platica rites the ancient Mesoamerican peoples engaged in to spiritually cleanse themselves and their communities, invoke and manifest divine aid, and ensure graceful life transitions, such as being born, coming of age, cosmic rebirthing, and death, that I began to understand on a deep soul level the necessity of releasing through platicas regularly and that the word is sacred; through it, we can purge, heal, create, invoke, and manifest. Most importantly, I began to understand that platicas should be facilitated in a ceremonial setting, where the energy undergirding them is effectively cleansed and not picked up by any listeners.

While I saw and aided my mentors in holding sacred space for their clients during some of the platicas for which I acted as a translator and mentee, learning of their significance and reverence in ancient Mesoamerica inspired me to treat them as a sacred ceremony in and of themselves. Some of my mentors observed formal platica rituals, while some did not. Mirroring the ancient Mesoamerican shamans, I began to approach platicas in a more ritualistic and sacred manner. I always make sure I am in a space to hold sacred space for others—the clothes I wear are light-colored, the food I ingest supports my clarity, my physical space is clean and has been cleansed. I set the stage by always lighting a New Fire at the beginning of the platica, and I treat the word as being sacred. My clients constantly comment that they immediately feel and know that they have a safe and loving space to release in. While I may not have my clients eat earth promising to tell the truth like my ancient predecessors, I know the word is sacred and always hold them accountable for what they say. After the platica, I also give them homework, so they can remedy a situation, step into their power, balance their karma, or deepen the healing process.

As for the fire limpias, my mentors taught me to make offerings to the fire during cleansing rites and their versatile uses for cleansing. While the teachings that fire has its own sacred essence energy completely resonated with me and helped me to understand why I had always been drawn to treat it as such, the magnitude of what this meant and how sacred essence energies interact with one another to facilitate transformation, purification, rebirth, and much more did not hit home until I engrossed myself in these ancient records and teachings. My mentors, for example, taught me that the sacred essence energy of homes and tools could be cleansed and revitalized with fire limpias. But I did not yet think to ask them whether fire could facilitate a renewal of their soul or sacred essence energy or whether fire could house the spirit of a deceased or some other divine force. Absorbing myself in these ancient traditions enabled me to ask more poignant questions of my mentors and also deepened my work with fire as a sacred limpia tool.

My interactions with water and water limpias also changed, after learning about these ancient traditions. I knew that water limpias could cleanse, revitalize, and facilitate a rebirthing of the spirit and soul. But I gained a more profound connection with water when I learned of its importance in so many ancient Mesoamerican rites. It became my polysemous limpia ally, wherein I always thank the water, thereby setting the intention that the water cleanses, heals, revitalizes, facilitates a positive rebirth, acts as and is treated as a sacred offering, and functions as a portal to divine realms. Water always takes a prominent role in all of my in-person private sessions, and if they are remote sessions, it typically plays a role in the homework I assign.

These ancient teachings also motivated me to perform limpia sweeping at a transitory point in the session. This is typically when my client has stated that they are ready for a shift; essentially when they agree to begin or continue to open up to all the love, bliss, joy, and happiness this life has to offer them. The limpia sweep removes the old energy and opens pathways to more positive outcomes and situations.

The importance of cleansing my space did not hit home until I experienced an episode of severe insomnia and used regular white fire limpias to clear the energy that I was bringing home. After this unpleasant remembrance/awakening, inspired by my ancient predecessors, I took up renewing the essence of my sacred spaces on my birthday. My mentors did not teach me to renew the essence of my ritual spaces on my birthday. But learning the ancient concepts of how we can share tonalli (sacred essence energy) with our sacred tools and living spaces and the ancient Maya fire drilling ceremonies of buildings that marked and shared critical transitory points, such as for a ruler’s accession, inspired me to revitalize the essence of my spaces, during my transitory periods, such as my birthday.

While my mentors’ curanderismo teachings have been absolutely invaluable, learning the ancient roots of this practice deepened my connection to it and added breadth and multilayered dimensions to my practice. It also allowed me to heal, embrace, and integrate a dissociated disdained identity and history. This integration and awakening allowed me to love myself even more, an immeasurable gift that I have the honor of sharing with you.