Forum of Healers

The Forum of Healers is a meeting that brings together diverse healers and invites the participation of people open to being acquainted with and internalizing the universe of alternative medicine.

Myths, truths, perceptions, cultures, questions and responses coexist around this very broad, integrated, and above all, interesting concept.

When we were invited to participate, we were very attracted by the opportunity to know and to learn about the cultural and ancestral riches that today we know little about or take advantage of (and sometimes from ignorance, reject).

Through living is born empathy.

The meeting began during sunset with a blessing of space, nature, and the gathering, inspired by the local shaman, Daniel Pool Pech. The blessing was transmitted through two Mayan ceremonial elements: copal incense and balché native wine. Then we followed a procession around altars located in each area of the complex where we were being hosted (www.ecotulum.com). Each altar contained traditional offerings such as fruit, flowers, grains, corn and candles.

A vigil of integration and harmonization in turn at each new altar culminated the what would barely be the beginning of a full event. During the evening event, a traditional Mayan midwife, Casilda Dzi, shared, in her native language, the most natural form of giving birth to a new life, using simply hands and herbal medicines.

It was five days of surprises, of searching, of becoming acquainted, and of great spontaneity. A full choice of learning and energy interacted every moment with a common goal: harmonize our body and spirit and value more the riches of nature. I would like to share a few bits:

*Isabel Quevedo, from the Náhuatl University (Cuernavaca, Mexico) spoke of the ancestral richness of the milpa field as the basis of the Mexican nutritional diet: "The food of the Mexicans is their own medicine" and their similarity with the native people of America. "The food that unites Latin America is corn." The Aztec or Mexica diet is based on seven elemental foods considered the seven warriors: corn, maguey (agave), nopal (prickly pear), chile, beans, squash, and amaranth. It was a message of valuing and becoming conscious of mother earth in order to survive as our ancestors did.

*Fabiana and Pedro Chak, Kiché Mayans (Guatemala) shared a full introduction to the Mayan calendar. The Mayan calendar is represented by a circle that symbolizes a cyclic life. Each day has a name in the Mayan language that stands for an element to be honored, and that element corresponds to a mission which is represented by and animal. For example, there is a day called "K" that means wind or air and the animal is the hummingbird. The mission of the day is to respect the air, the oxygen that we inhale, to consciously feel each breath. Air is a vital element, respiration is the action: protecting the air and dedicating time to breathing is our mission. How much time and consciousness do we dedicate to breathing daily?

*David Chagall, Acupuncturist, (U.S.A.) took us inside Chinese medicine through acupuncture, runes, and I-Ching. The basic root of these is the Yin-Yang, which symbolizes constant equilibrium and mutual dependence of two contrasting and complementary elements. In acupuncture, the human body is composed of a system of elements that function in a dependent manner: the pain of one element is connected to another. In this way, the acupuncturist will work on both parts. Acupuncture is based on the theory of the existence of insufficient or blocked energy. From that, the derived treatment tries to heal and reestablish the balance of the body and its parts.

*Richard and Diana Daffner, teachers of Tantra (U.S.A.) gave us the concept of Tantra as the art of sacred intimacy and the symbol of love energy. It may seem metaphorical, but it is as simple and real as the words indicate. Tantra is an experience in which we constantly search to synchronize our energies to achieve full spiritual connection with each other. "Tantra is not sex, it is the energy of life." The mission of a Tantric experience is rooted in transcending consciousness.

*Theresa May, Asian Medicine therapist (U.S.A.) treated us to a lively chat about how our beliefs and interpretations affect our health and wellbeing. And showed us through her experiences how, through techniques of harmonization and energy balance, we can achieve becoming conscious of what is happening to us mentally and spiritually and thus heal our body.

*Roxana Montenegro, Hyperventilation (Capilla del Monte, Argentina) guided us in this technique of which the object is to unblock those patterns and beliefs that block our energy and do not permit it to flow naturally, generating illnesses, pains, and negative psychic states. The exercise was through continuous respiration on different levels achieving a very intense meditational trance. A sublime experience.

*Viviane Querino, Sacred Song (Sao Paulo, Brazil) invited us to experience a very peculiar and mystical healing technique. During a state of meditation, our own energy inspired her spontaneous song causing the same to penetrate into us and to balance our energy. An experience of pure harmony and relaxation.

*Ester Elsztain, Tibetan bowls (Buenos Aires, Argentina) introduced us to the art of Tibetan bowls, whose aim is to harmonize our energy by means of the vibrations that they generate in contact with the human body.

Among these profound happenings, there were two final very special ceremonies: the ceremony of the full moon and the final farewell ceremony. The ceremony of the full moon, conducted mostly in the Mayan language by Fabiana and Pedro from Guatemala, took everyone to the beach at the edge of the sea and then to a huge fire. The ceremony was in the name of Mother Nature and for the same was a ritual of offerings to the sea, to the fire, and to our ancestors. The most marvelous was to realize that on this same night of the full moon, other indigenous American groups were meeting for the same reason.

The last night again there was a great fire and great light from the full moon. So soon was the farewell. This moment was led by the hosts of the Forum of Healers (www.ecotulum.com). The last time represented literally the spontaneous conclusion of a great get-together: the natural interconnection of all the participants (healers and spectators). In this night, one could feel the synergy that naturally flowed during those days that had marked a track on our road.

"Love is not only a feeling, but also a way of living."