Tobacco Cleansing

Today, tobacco suffers from an unfortunate reputation. Mixed with chemicals and rolled into cigarettes with fiberglass filters, it has become a symbol of vice and depravity. However, this is not the case all over the world, and one may be surprised to learn that among mestizo shamans, tobacco is considered to be the king of all the plants, praised for its medicinal and spiritual uses. Whether it is smoked, taken as a syrup, insufflated into the nose, or simply called into the room through song, tobacco is the pillar upon which the shaman’s power rests. Those who spend long enough in training with it develop the ability to see a patient’s condition, diagnose a problem, and make the adjustments to a patient’s energetic body that will fix that problem. Tobacco is vigorously masculine in character - calling upon it will strengthen one’s masculine side. This is useful for helping patients who struggle with feeling grounded, setting boundaries, and using their backbone. Tobacco is often used in conjunction with other plants, opening the portal through which other plants may appear in a session. In practice, I generally have my patients sit in a chair while I perform a diagnosis. If outdoors I will use tobacco smoke; otherwise I will personally imbibe the tobacco syrup and work with medicine songs. Gradually, I receive a diagnosis, which will tell me how to continue. At that point, I determine whether or not I ought to work with another plant as well. During the process, energy will start to move around the patient’s body and rise to the surface - at this stage, any energetic blockages are noticed and addressed. These blockages appear as small energetic objects and are usually representative of traumas undergone by the patient. Together with the patient, we will try to identify the nature of these traumas and work through them one-by-one in order to successfully bring the cleansing to completion.

To learn more, find me on my Contact page.