ENERGETIC & SPIRITUAL PURIFICATION
In Shipibo culture, energetic and spiritual cleansing baths are a deeply rooted practice, encompassing a wide range of baths tailored to individual needs. Some are intended to heal and purify, while others help restore energetic balance, strengthen protection or support spiritual flourishing.
At Onikano, these traditional baths form an essential part of the healing process. Prepared with plants, flowers and special colognes, and activated with mapacho smoke, intention and the invocations of the maestros, they accompany each stage of the retreat and help harmonise the physical, emotional and spiritual body.
From the Shipibo perspective, cleansing is not limited to the physical body. It also acts on the person’s energetic field and, on a deeper level, performs a spiritual purification, helping to release dense energies, restore inner peace and clarity, and strengthen the connection with the medicine of the jungle.
PLANT & FLOWER BATHS
At Onikano, cleansing baths prepared with plants and flowers from the jungle are an essential daily practice. Combined with other purification rituals, these baths help strengthen the physical and spiritual body, supporting the integration of each stage of the healing process.
The energetic and medicinal properties of the plants are understood to cleanse and strengthen the aura, calm the nervous system, ease stress and support a state of balance, vitality and inner harmony.
Before beginning the ritual, guests are introduced to the ancestral practice of working with mapacho — the sacred jungle tobacco. The smoke is blown over the water to activate the plants, asking them to release their healing qualities into the bath. Infused with purpose and intention, the ritual becomes a conscious act of purification.
The rush of fresh water on the skin brings you instantly into the present moment — the body awakens, the senses sharpen, and the connection with the surrounding rainforest becomes more intimate and alive. What remains is a sense of lightness, clarity and freshness: a reminder that every day carries within it the possibility of a new beginning.
As part of the retreat, guests learn to identify and gather medicinal plants and flowers from the rainforest, preparing their own baths with leaves, petals, floral waters and mapacho smoke. This practice allows them to participate consciously in their own purification process and deepen their connection with the healing essence of the plants.
Bathing with these plants complements the deep healing work performed during Ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremonies, helping to clear stagnant energies, soften inner tension and create space for renewal.
As the kano — the energetic essence of each plant — is absorbed through the baths, a relationship with its spirit begins to form. In dreams, visions or ceremonies, these spirits may appear, revealing their specific qualities and ways of healing.
This is how the ancient curanderos learned: not from books, but directly from the plants — through dieta, plant baths and intimate dialogue with the spirits of the teacher plants. To those who listened with humility, the plants revealed their remedies, ícaros and the knowledge of healing itself.
MUD BATHS
Mud baths have formed part of Amazonian healing traditions for centuries. Beyond cleansing the skin of impurities, mud has traditionally been used to treat fever, heal wounds, soothe inflammation and support the body’s natural healing processes.
At Onikano, this ancestral practice forms an integral part of the treatment. Carried out during daytime ceremonies, mud baths help ground and release stagnant energies and emotional heaviness that may surface during the work with the medicine.
In preparation, the mud is infused with intention, awakening its healing properties. As the mud is applied, one enters into direct and symbolic contact with the earth — a gesture of surrender, humility and reconnection. To cover oneself in mud is to wear the skin of the Earth.
There is something in this experience that recalls childhood — that unconditional surrender to the physical world, to what can be touched and smelled. The texture of the mud and its earthy aroma awaken the senses. It is a return to a forgotten part of ourselves.
Once the body is covered in mud, the ceremony continues under the guidance of the Maestro — which may include the Sacred Fire Ritual or the Pachamama Ritual, or a quiet period beneath the sun, on the lake platform, allowing the mud to dry slowly while the body absorbs the warmth and energy of the light.
The experience concludes with an immersion in the reddish waters of the lake — a symbolic act of purification — from which one emerges feeling fresh, light and renewed.
Depending on the guidance of the Maestro, this final stage may also include the Yacumama Ritual — a traditional Shipibo practice of honouring and connecting with the Spirit of Mother Water.
Plant & Flower Baths and Mud Baths form part of all retreats at Onikano
HOW TO PERFORM THE BATHS AFTER THE RETREAT
After the retreat, the energy of the medicines you received continues to work within you for a long time. This healing process unfolds over many months, supported by two powerful forces: kano — the energetic essence of all the plant medicines you received — and Arcana, your spiritual protector assigned by the Maestro during the ceremonies. However, over time, toxic energetic particles may begin to accumulate again. Regular purification baths help maintain the purity of your energetic and spiritual body.
To support this process, the Maestro recommends performing two consecutive baths every 30 days after your departure — a purification bath, followed by a flowering bath.
- Day one begins the day after your retreat ends.
- If you departed from Onikano on a Sunday, that Sunday is counted as day one.
- On day 30, perform the purification bath.
- On day 31, follow with the flowering bath.
- This cycle continues every 30 days for three months after the retreat.
These baths are optional, but they help preserve the healing work begun at Onikano, keeping body, mind and spirit cleansed and aligned.
PURIFICATION BATHS
You can choose either of the two methods below to cleanse your aura and energy channels:
1. Epsom Salt & Vinegar Bath
- Use three glasses (200-250 ml each) of Epsom salts and three glasses of apple cider vinegar.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly with your hand in a bathtub filled with warm water.
- Immerse yourself for about 15 minutes, allowing the mixture to cleanse your body and energy field.
- As you soak, set an intention of renewal and release, allowing it to draw out any lingering impurities.
2. Beer Bath (without a bathtub or while travelling)
- Use three litres of any beer with alcohol. Warm the bottles in a bucket of hot water if necessary.
- Start by rinsing yourself in the shower.
- Pour the beer slowly from the head (or neck) down to the feet, allowing it to soak into the skin for a few minutes.
- You can either dry yourself with a towel or rinse off in the shower.
- For best results, perform this bath in the evening.
FLOWERING BATHS
The day after the purification bath, take a flowering bath to help stabilise the energies of the medicines flowing through your body and support emotional balance and energetic renewal. Flowering baths can be done at any time of the day.
1. Fresh Flower Bath
Treat yourself to a flower bath with fresh petals — a nourishing ritual that awakens the senses and opens the heart to the gentle wisdom of the plants. The type or colour of the flowers does not matter — mix different colours and allow your intuition to guide you.
To prepare the bath, gently pluck three handfuls of petals from fresh flowers and place them in an empty bucket. Add a small amount of water, then crush and squeeze the petals with your hands to release their essence. Stir in a tablespoon of cologne and let the mixture rest while your bath fills. Once ready, pour the fragrant infusion into the tub.
Light a candle, set an intention and immerse yourself for at least thirty minutes. Let the fragrance fill the air as you relax and absorb the subtle energy of the flowers.
Once finished, do not rinse off. Allow the liquid to dry naturally on your skin, letting the petals remain attached for as long as possible. This allows the essence of the plants to continue working long after you step out of the water.
2. Alternative Flowering Baths
If fresh flowers are not available, you can use 100 g of dried flowers combined with 3 tablespoons of a special cologne (made from plants, woods or flowers — except Agua de Florida), commonly found in barbershops or speciality stores.
If you do not have a bathtub, you can perform this bath in the shower. Begin by rinsing yourself, then, using a bowl, pour the prepared mixture over yourself from head to toe — just like you did at Onikano — allowing the water to flow naturally and the essence of the plants to be absorbed into the body.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
If you experience a significant energetic disturbance — such as an argument, a funeral, a hospital visit, a prison visit or any environment charged with dense energy — it is recommended to perform an extra purification and flowering bath immediately afterwards. For intense experiences, three consecutive baths may be necessary:
- Perform three consecutive purification baths (either Epsom salt or beer baths).
- Follow with three consecutive flowering baths to restore balance.
You may also perform purification or flowering baths whenever you feel the need. Please note that these additional baths do not replace the programmed 30-day baths.
ESPAÑOL
DEUTSCH