Get Adobe Flash player


San Pedro, the ?miracle Healer?

San Pedro (Trichocereus pachanoi), the sacred cactus and visionary teacher plant of the South Americas, is especially associated with the shamans and healers (curanderos) of the Peruvian Andes. It has other names among these healers as well; including “El Remedio”: The Remedy, which refers to its healing and visionary powers which, they say, can help us to let go of “the illusions of the world”.

 

Even its post-Hispanic name, San Pedro, embodies these qualities because Saint Peter is the holder of the keys to Heaven and the name of the cactus therefore speaks of its ability to ‘open the gates’ into another world where those who drink it can heal, discover their divinity, and find their purpose on Earth.

 

It is also known as huachuma and this is how it is most often referred to by the shamans who use it, who call themselves huachumeros (male) or huachumeras (female). Its use as a sacrament and in healing rituals is as old as history itself. The earliest archaeological evidence so far discovered is a stone carving of a huachumero found at the Jaguar Temple of Chavín de Huantar in northern Peru, which is almost 3,500 years old. Textiles from the same region and period of history depict the cactus with jaguars and hummingbirds, two of its guardian spirits, and with stylised spirals representing the visionary experience. 

 

Another image, of an owl-faced woman holding a cactus, comes from a ceramic pot from the Chimú culture, dating to 1200 AD. According to native beliefs, the owl is a tutelary spirit and guardian of herbalists and shamans, so the woman depicted is most likely a curandera (healer) and huachumera.

 

Cactus ceremonies are held today for the

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Search Thorn & Oak


• Have your Advertisment   Featured here

Contact us now <<click here>> have your advertisment featured on our site.

• Welcome to Thorn & Oak
• Join the Mailing List

Keep up to date with the latest changes on this site join our mailing list sign up below.



FREE TAROT READINGS
Lotus Tarot card readings can show you a fresh perspective on your life.
Lotus Tarot
December 2024
S M T W T F S
« Feb    
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
Powered by WebRing.