We don’t do sound baths or yoga. We have a lovely friend who some might call a shaman, but he calls himself a yerbatero. He doesn’t wear feathers, and I have never seen him blow a conch shell. In fact, he usually wears his only white shirt, a pair of old slacks and a very cheap pair of flipflops. . . . For I do believe it is the magic that becomes the medicine. But it is not an easy magic nor one that can be quantified or explained. Rather it is experienced, in all its raw

A simple white taper candle, short and unobtrusive is standing on a plate in a tiny mountain of wax drippings. Can you imagine its calm flam

Gods and goddess ringed the circle, Ixchel the goddess of childbirth, Yum Kaax the lord of the forest, and most importantly, Chaac, the red

It is called a sastun in Maya and is powerful, magical, and necessary to be considered a shaman in the Yucatan. It is extremely rare!

The next night, something amazing happened. I went to bed and as things began to quiet down around me my mind began to drift. I remembered

He prayed in Mayan for a few minutes. I sat with my eyes closed, still a bit in awe and just trying to relax and take it all in.

And, though it may be powerful, it is humble and does not attract attention to itself. It is not filled with fanfare nor is it beautiful.

San Pedro is the name of the remote pueblo. It boasts no church, nor central park. I am not sure if it even has a tiny store where you can

Don Francisco drying wild harvest medicinal plants When we arrived, Don Francisco took us out into the garden behind his traditional Maya...

Don Francisco, our good friend and shaman, has often spoken of finding answers in your dreams. One day I was visiting with him and asking...

I was thrilled. We stopped the car and I got out and approached the shrine. It was small, unassuming. Nothing about it shouted, “Here I am!”

I just returned from the wedding of the youngest daughter of my good friend and shaman (healer/herbatero), Don Francisco. It was a 3 day...

I ventured into the heart land of the Maya world on the Yucatan Peninsula to see what the local people have to say.

I was stunned at its size and its depth. A bit nervous, I moved toward the edge, assured by the men that the ground would not give way.

The is a story about heavy warnings from a shaman, shapeshifting, and pottery. I loved a book called Incantations. It’s written by Maya wo

The cows were getting sick without a known cause. Something unexplained was infiltrating the farm. Something evil.

The winds devastated the fields, knocking down underdeveloped plants and prophesying a hungry future for the people in the farm villages

So, what is a mala vibra? And can you be attacked by a mal viento? We sat in Francisco’s home with its green painted cement walls and two...

Temple to Ixchel in the Muyil Ruins Shaman or Charlatan? This is a subject often brought to our attention by local Maya people. First, I...

On my last visit to see Francisco, my shaman friend , I was so happy to gain more insight into the life of the alux ! Just when you think...