Wachuma Shamanism:
Interview with Dr. Rubén Orellana
Dr. Rubén Orellana is a Peruvian born and trained shaman who
has made significant anthropological and archaeological contributions to the
study and understanding of the Andean way of living. Dr. Orellana is Director of the Institute of
Inka Research (Inika) that is dedicated to researching and valuing Andean
culture.
Born in Cusco, Ruben has been following the shamanic path
since the age of nine. His career as an archaeologist culminated with being
named Head of Archaeology at Machu Picchu, where he discovered forty-four new
sites surrounding the Crystal City, including the North Inca Trail. For these
discoveries, he was on the cover of Time Magazine in South America. He has done
extensive research into the mystical aspects of many significant sites and
uncovered the true use of many temples in the empire.
Rubén has been interviewed in Ross Heaven’s books The
Hummingbird’s Journey to God and Cactus of Mystery in which he is described as
the ‘maestro’ of Wachuma (San Pedro), and has also been featured on Medicine
Woman among other documentaries for the Discovery Channel. He feels that his
role as a scientist and a Shaman is to bridge between the indigenous
Ayahuasqueros and Curanderos (Shamans) and the modern world. Ruben has been
holding ceremonial tours of Peru since 1976.
Rubén continues to combine his experience with his
excitement for the work and his deep love for all people into a vision of
subtlety and divine power.
As a world renowned
archaeologist and curandero, you are uniquely qualified to talk about the
history of Wachuma use, can you tell us how far back this tradition goes and
which cultures made use of this sacred medicine?
I would say that I am interested in spreading the traditions
of my ancestors and we can say that archaeological evidences appear of the use
of these entheogenic plants more than 5,000 years ago, as we also have records
of ceremonial places where this cactus appears, such as the Chavín, Moche,
Lambayeque, Chimu, Nazca, Wari, Lupacas and many more, before the Empire of
Tawantinsuyo (Incas) appears.
Wachuma is widely
known today as a sacred medicine for healing, for what other purposes has
Wachuma been used for in ancient cultures and is it still used for these purposes
today?
I think it is important to define "SACRED" because
for the Andean world everything that exists has a divine origin, therefore we
develop in a single sacred space, for the Western world everything develops in
between two spaces "THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE," this makes a big
difference. It is used and traditionally used to achieve well-being and health,
it is a plant that in ceremony helps "Curar (Heal) and Sanar" (Treat)
since the human being is the physical body and also spiritual (psychological).
Today tradition is not spread, but on the contrary, new ways and techniques of
working with these plants have been created, but some native communities still
resist globalization and follow tradition.
Curar y Sanar has two
different connotations in Spanish as well as native languages, it is not only
healing.
The Chavín de Huántar
archaeological site is intrinsically linked with the Wachuma cactus, in your
expert opinion, do you believe that the temples of Chavín de Huántar, were a
type of spiritual technology for enhancing the Wachuma experience?
I will begin by saying that Chavin de Huantar is a
ceremonial site and Mother Earth (Pacahamana) is the temple, our ancestors
looked for places to develop their
ceremonies, in modern language they looked for vortexes, this type of energy
contributed to a better connection with oneself and the help from the plant was
much better.
Has your
archaeological training and experience with ancient sites and cultures enabled
you to rediscover and revive certain ancient practices and traditions involving
curandismo and Wachuma?
Archeology is a science that allows you to decipher and
understand the past, each piece of ceramics, weaving, sculpture, ceremonial
place, etc. It is an open book that will allow us to rediscover the past, but
the most important thing is that mental and cultural filters pretend to
understand the past and the other excellent source are the traditions that
still survive of many of the peoples of Peru that have not been invaded by
technology and globalization. I keep learning from both science and tradition.
Many modern
curanderos today incorporate Christian belief and iconography in their Wachuma
ceremonies, how has this changed the use and experience of Wachuma?
As I said in the previous question I believe that the Andean
man that tried to conserve the use of these plants and knowledge has had to
play with Catholic syncretism and this has allowed the Holy Inquisition of the
16th, 17th and 18th century not to be in charge, so that all these traditions
disappear, a beautiful example is the name in Spanish of the cactus is San
Pedro (San Peter) that in the Catholic tradition he has the keys of heaven. I
would say that we still have places where the tradition is preserved but in an
esoteric way, obviously there are places where it has been modernized and the
essence of these ceremonies has been lost and in many cases it has entered a
competitive level of marketing.
You began your
training with Wachuma and curandismo from a very early age, can you explain
what was involved in this training and how it prepared you to become a
curandero?
Since I was very young, I had contact with people who had
knowledge about different Andean traditions, I never thought about being a curandero,
I believe that the life experiences that took me to extremes gave me the
guidelines to understand that I am a healer and I am still in the way of
learning, of course I also help with a lot the practical teachings of my
teachers such as learning to use plants, knowing the cycles of light from the
Sun and the Moon and having a very acute sense of observation.
In your opinion does
someone need to be trained by a maestro to become a curandero or is it possible
to learn directly from the Wachuma cactus itself?
I think you have to apply what is called intelligence, logic
and reasoning (Homo Sapiens), there are people who initially learned directly
from plants, of course some left the path, because they did not understand or were
blocked, but if there are Masters who have the knowledge, why waste time? I
mean true MAESTROS.
Can you explain how
Wachuma works in healing ceremonies, is it used to diagnose illness and
treatment, or does it heal itself, or is it both?
Wachuma is used for “curación and sanación”, that is to
restore the harmony in the being, this goes from the psychosomatic to the
physical, from the beginning the Ph level of the body goes to alkaline when
taking the medicine and this is something that is very important and is
accepted as such.
A popular subject in
what is commonly known today as shamanism or neo-shamanism is the process of
‘ego death,’ with some people (particularly westerners) claiming to have
permanently removed their ego, can you clear up the confusion regarding this
topic and explain what really happens with ‘ego death’?
I think that the human being must have their ego, to be able
to grow and evolve, I also think that if you eliminate your ego you will be
hidden or hidden from the greatness of your ego. What happens in our tradition
is what is called the White Death, which is when our body is reset.
Another widely talked
about subject is what is known as soul loss and soul retrieval, how does one
suffer soul loss, where does the soul go and how can a curandero retrieve a person’s
soul?
The loss of the soul or the division of the soul can happen
by a serious accident, a fright, a serious illness, in general when the
organism is exposed to a high dose of adrenaline, this energy moves out of the
body, but the body to the “It” is like the umbilical cord and there are many
techniques to recover or call the soul, such as working on the top of the head
with tobacco.
The title of brujo or
sorcerer often comes with a negative connotation as opposed to the title of
curandero or healer, can you explain what the differences are between the two
and if brujos are necessarily bad and evil, can they also be good? Is it a
matter of intention perhaps?
There is day and night, good and bad, this duality fosters
personal growth, there is Paccò (White Magic) and laicca (Black Magic) in our
Quechua language and I believe that without both, we could not evolve and
transcend. Everything is a matter of intention, because it moves energy and the
universe exists because it is an exchange of energies.
Many curanderos sing
icaros or medicine songs during Wachuma ceremonies, why is this done and what
effect does this have upon the experience?
It is important that in order to achieve changes such as
healing or personal growth, it is necessary to provide the body and mind with
relaxation and the songs in ceremony would be like the cradle songs that
encourage relaxation.
Commonly a portable
altar or mesa is used during Wachuma ceremonies, what does this entail and what
function does this serve for the curandero?
The healer and the MESA are the bridges so that the person
who is participating in the ceremony reaches his curacion and sanación. I
understand that it is a table because around this piece of furniture the family
feels, to feed, talk and share and that is the end of a ceremony and there are
many traditions to organize the MESA that have been recorded since the
colonialism (judgments of the Inquisition) and in the 19th and 20th century by
research of different scientists who have given their contribution to preserve
these traditions.
How do you personally
conduct your Wachuma ceremonies, what is involved?
It is very difficult to explain how a ceremony takes place,
basically permission is requested both to the medicine and to the place so that
the ceremony for curacion and / or sanancion is propitious and I will repeat
what a Master told me, the rule is that there are no rules because we are
talking about human beings and each one is unique, there are not two equal
human beings, we do not work with a linear time, at the end of the process the
ceremony is closed and we appreciate what is received. Basically in each
ceremony I use the rattle, "whose" (special stones) and aromas and
the dynamics of the use of space and time, dictates the plant.
What advice do you
have for those that are being called to Wachuma, but are new to this sacred
medicine?
I think you should listen to your inner Self and find out
what it is that you need and what you want.
Dr. Rubén Orellana conducts a number of retreats and
ceremonies both in Peru and around the world. If you would like more
information, please visit https://shamanicspace.com/
About the author: Brett Lothian is an Australian
writer/researcher and ethnobotanist. He is a regular contributor to New Dawn
magazine and has also been published in Sacred Hoop magazine and Dragibus
magazine as well as numerous websites such as Waking Times and Truth Serum
News. He is the creator and author of the Tricho Serious Ethnobotany blog and
can be contacted at bretloth@gmail.com.
