“Yaas”: Awajún’s talent for overcoming difficulties
Young indigenous students are the future leaders of the Amazon. However, they face many obstacles, from having to adapt to a different culture,
The Palo Santo may not be the most impressive tree in the Amazon rainforest, but once it has fallen to the ground of its own accord and been given time to rest peacefully, it develops a concentration of essential oils that give its wood an irresistible aroma and remarkable healing properties.
If the Palo Santo is not the most impressive tree in the Amazon rainforest, once it has fallen to the ground on its own, and provided it has been given time to rest peacefully, it develops a concentration of essential oils which gives its wood an incomparable fragrance and healing properties undeniable.
Palo Santo, which means“sacred wood” or “wood of the saints”, has been used for thousands of years for energetic purposes. It is mainly used as incense, burning small sticks of Palo Santo to benefit from its smoke.
Traditional healers explain that the spirit of the Palo Santo continues to live in the wood long after the tree’s physical life has ended, which explains why healers treat this tree as a living entity!
Palo Santo’s main quality is therefore its ability to purify everything it comes into contact with on an energetic level. Wherever its smoke goes, it cleans and purifies. It can therefore be used to purify a room, an entire house, objects and above all people.
If the usual herbs are used to cleanse a space of negative energy and others are then used to attract positive energy, Palo Santo does both at the same time. It purifies and attracts positive energy. It’s also a powerful protector.
The spirit of Palo Santo is generous with its healing powers, its smoke penetrating the energy field of those it reaches to clear away negative thoughts and energies. When burned, this sacred wood releases its characteristic oils, purifying the space and the people it comes into contact with, attracting positive energy. Working on subtle levels, it also enhances concentration and meditative faculties.
For centuries, before its use in the Western world, Palo Santo was used by shamans to clear negative energies, attract positive energies, restore peace and balance, improve concentration and meditation, and heal people physically and spiritually. Traditional medicine says that plants have a spirit and that this spirit can be a powerful healer. The Currendero (healer) addresses the spirit of the plant and lets this spirit do the healing. The spirit of the Palo Santo carries a wisdom that allows the smoke of a tiny piece of wood to heal people physically, emotionally and spiritually. However, this spirit must be respected and never misused. This is one of the reasons why the tree can’t be cut down, and why we have to wait years after it has fallen down to harvest it.
The felling of Palo Santo in the Amazon rainforest is governed and regulated by very strict laws. These sacred trees can only be recovered after they have rested on the forest floor for several years. What’s more, the tree can never be felled. It can only be “harvested” long after its natural death. If this law makes sense environmentally, spiritually it’s an obligation. For it to give us what we need, we must respect it and harvest it sustainably. It is only through the process of this natural death, followed by years on the forest floor, that its essential oils and healing properties develop.
Unfortunately, despite existing laws, ever-increasing demand from the West and the lure of profit, many Palo Santo that do not respect this cycle are sold.
The Palo Santo sticks sold by Amazonia Sagrada respect this natural process and are fully authorized for sustainable management, export and sale. It’s a rare thing, but it’s essential to respect the powerful and generous spirit of Palo Santo.
Whether to enjoy their aroma or for an energetic cleansing, simply hold a piece of wood slightly upside down and light the end until there’s a beautiful flame. Let the wood burn sufficiently for its intended use, then blow it out to extinguish the flames and benefit only from the smoke. Place the Palo Santo in a fireproof bowl, for example, so that it continues to burn, and gently blow on the embers when necessary. The stick can be reused several times until it has been completely consumed.
For more smoke, here in the Amazon, we leave the Palo Santo sticks in a fireproof bowl and place embers on top. This provides dense smoke for the participants, but also for the Maloca (traditional Selva habitat) before an Ayahuasca ceremony, for example.
Young indigenous students are the future leaders of the Amazon. However, they face many obstacles, from having to adapt to a different culture,
Les jeunes étudiants indigènes sont les futurs leaders de l’Amazonie. Cependant, ils sont confrontés à de nombreux obstacles, qu’il s’agisse de devoir s’adapter à une culture différente,
It’s important to understand what “restraint” means.
Il est important de comprendre ce que signifie le terme “contention”.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Takiwasi Center, we are releasing this documentary which looks back over three decades of intense clinical and research work on traditional Amazonian medicines.
A l’occasion du 30ème anniversaire du Centre Takiwasi, nous vous relayons ce documentaire qui offre une rétrospective des trois décennies d’intense travail clinique et de recherche sur les médecines traditionnelles amazoniennes