Meet Our Shaman
This is Rolando's journey as a Shaman
Have you ever wondered how you got to this point in your life? In the following lines I'll be sharing my journey with you, and in doing so I'll express my appreciation and gratitude for every part of that journey. My intention is that by the end you'll understand, not only how I got here, but also why, and maybe you can also see your journey in it.
The beginning of my healing journey was clearly marked by the book "Your Erroneous Zones" by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer which I read in 1994, at the age of 18. That book was a life changing experience for me, as it showed me a new perspective on things I thought were "right" or "normal". Then I read more books to awaken my mind and spirit. "The Silva Mind Control Method" by Jose Silva was one of them and I've been practicing his method on-and-off ever since. Also, my best friend sent me one called "Sophie's World" by Jostein Gaarder and Vincent Zabus. And I read many more books on self development, which allowed me to open myself to new perspectives and concepts.
By the time I was 24 I was ready to step into a new world, the world of Holistic Healing. I started with Massage Therapy, which I learned in a school of Oriental Medicine. So, I also learned about the Oriental perspective on healing. Not just Chinese, but also Japanese, Indian, Thai, etc. I became fascinated by their philosophies, and wisdom. So for my first five years in practice I practically discarded all western knowledge of the physical body and focused mainly on the Qi, or life force (Ki in Japan), the meridians, acupuncture points, the Tsubos, the Five Elements, the Yin and Yang, the Chakras, etc.
Then I took a course on Neuromuscular Therapy, which focused on the physical body, and finding and releasing Trigger Points. This took me back to the western mentality, and I looked for ways to integrate the two very distinct approaches to healing. So, every pain that a client complained of, I would search for the trigger point that caused it, then I would check which meridian it could be close to, analyzed which organ it could be related to, from there what emotion manifested it, etc. It was like solving a puzzle every time!
A few years later I finally accepted the invitation to take a course on CranioSacral Therapy. This felt like a 180 degree turn in my journey, as the practice requires a VERY LIGHT touch and I was used to work using deep pressure for many years. Also, it is highly intuitive and I had been working using knowledge and logic. So, both my hands and brain felt like novices! This practice however, taught me to listen to the body rather than my knowledge, and to trust that the body knows more than I do. It also introduced me to the concept of trapped emotions in the body, the muscles, the tissues.
For the next several years I worked combining all those practices and philosophies to be able to provide the most complete service I could deliver. Then, by the time I was 37 I got trained in Qigong and Breathwork. This was the first time that I was able to feel the Qi that I had learned about in massage school! I practiced and taught Qigong and Breathwork, and this helped improve my practice by being able to not only feel the Qi, but also manage it and direct it.
A couple of years later began a seven year journey of self discovery, where I put myself under the magnifying glass, and turned from outward learning into inward learning. I saw what were the self-limiting beliefs that were running in my mind and that I was living under. All the books I had read since I was 18 began to go from concepts to experiences. And I became able to turn past mistakes into valuable lessons. This allowed me to make new choices and get out of the proverbial "hamster wheel" I was living in.
So, by this point I was merging all my knowledge and experience into my sessions, and I embarked on a quest to get to the source of the pain and ailments that my clients carry. And I could see that when pain presents itself, there's usually an emotion that brings it up. Furthermore, it could be related to how we feel about a certain person close to us, our parents or even ourselves and our masculine or feminine qualities. These feelings and emotions are based on beliefs or stories we have about ourselves and the world around us. Then the question in my mind became, how can I help them release that?
Then, I took a course on Myofascial Release, and it changed my perspective on, first of all, fascia, and also on how this web of tissue is connected to everything, and everything is connected to it. This concept alone opened up many possibilities for my clients, because as their fascia released, so did the physical restrictions, their emotions, and sometimes their stuck energies. And, of course, my level of intuition and sensitivity to energy was heightened.
It was around this time that a friend figured out that in Human Design I am a Reflector. She did a reading for me, and based on all the information she had, she said I would be a great Shaman. I basically laughed it off, as I had a negative concept of Shamans.
Then, shortly thereafter, I was introduced to the concept of Energy Medicine of the Andes. This was new to me even though I am originally from Peru. But, growing up in Lima, the capital, I was raised with the concept that everything from the Andes was dumb, they're uneducated, they don't know real medicine, or real science. Therefore, I always looked down on it as a ridiculous concept. Ironically, when I learned about Oriental Medicine I was fascinated by their wisdom and wished I had grown up there... And now, many years later, I come to find out I grew up surrounded by the same wisdom!
The Medicine Men and Women of the Andes shared the same concepts of Qi, Chakras, Energy Fields, Meridians, etc. only they had different names for them and different ways of working with them to generate healing. And of course, the Spanish conquistadors taught us that all those concepts were ridiculous and called the Shamans "Witch Doctors" to diminish their wisdom (this is why I also had a negative view of them).
Now, since the age of 24 I had learned about the physical body, the way in which our thoughts and emotions affect it, the Life Force in our bodies and how to work with it; and I knew I was missing something, but I didn't know what it was. Once I learned that Shamanic Energy Medicine is transformative on all levels (Energetic, Mental/Emotional, and Physical) then I was certain this was the next step in my journey, so I jumped in with both feet!
What I wasn't aware of was that the journey to be the healer I aimed to be, was an intense one. I needed to come face-to-face with the deepest darkest parts of myself so I could heal from them. I broke patterns in my life that I was stuck on. I healed relationships with important people in my life. I freed myself from ancestral wounds. I released old stories and beliefs which no longer served me. I learned to live in harmony (Ayni) with all living creatures and Mother Earth (Pachamama).
All of this provided me with the lessons, tools and wisdom to help others heal. On the other side of this journey I see myself fully, and I love every aspect of myself. I see my worth, and things I used to tolerate no longer have a place in my life. I choose to live an honorable life, where I honor my ancestors everyday by the way I live, thus creating a new future for my descendants so they don't have to deal with the same wounds my ancestors and I carried. And, of course, pouring every lesson and experience from the past 20+ years into every session of Shamanic Energy Medicine I provide now.
I am grateful for every part of this beautiful journey and everyone in it. Including clients who have been with me since the beginning, and trusted me to practice new techniques with them. Teachers and instructors who helped me grow in ways I never imagined possible. Friends, colleagues and co-workers who shared their wisdom with me. And I'm specially grateful for my dad who instilled in me the desire to keep learning everyday, because "there's always something new to learn". He was so right!
And of course, thank you to you reading these words, for being here with us on this journey. I hope this email helps you see your own journey and I hope I get to walk with you in your healing journey!
In Ayni,
Rolando
Peruvian Shaman
Ayni Holistic Healing