SACRED PRACTICES OF A LIVING TRADITION
Many of the most ancient Shipibo rituals have fallen into disuse due to the gradual loss of knowledge following the disappearance of the Merayas — healers who had reached the highest level of shamanic mastery. They were said to travel, fully conscious, through each of the four worlds known to Shipibo cosmology, harmonise their auras with the beings of nature, and communicate with the supernatural beings that dwell within the forest and the great aquatic and cosmic realms.
The rituals they practised trace back thousands of years — and most were lost with them.
The grandfather of Maestro Niwen Koshi (Heberto García), Don Guillermo Ramírez — known by his Shipibo name, Yosi Ocha — is widely believed to have been one of the last Merayas. Upon his death, Don Guillermo entrusted his grandson Heberto with a precious gift — his handwritten records, which carefully preserved hidden treasures of the Shipibo tradition, guarded through countless generations. It came with an immense responsibility: to guard this ancestral knowledge in its purest possible form.
It was a gift that arrived not as a privilege, but as a calling. Today, this legacy continues at Onikano through the preservation of ancient Shipibo rituals from the Meraya lineage.
SACRED STONES RITUAL
Within the Shipibo worldview, many health problems are believed to arise when energy no longer flows correctly. The energetic organs are directly connected to the physical organs of the body. When their energy diminishes, the defences weaken, and the person becomes more sensitive and vulnerable — this is when illness begins to manifest.
At Onikano, Maestro Niwen Koshi uses the energy of stones to strengthen the defences of the body’s different energetic organs, as stones carry energies of magnetism, protection and stability.
During the Sacred Stones Ritual, the Maestro activates the magnetic axis of each stone, setting its two poles in motion. The negative pole absorbs dense and stagnant energies from the body, while the positive pole transmits the stone’s own light and vital force back in — helping the body restore its natural energetic balance.
The stones are placed directly on the body, working with precision on each area that requires attention.
Their energy complements the energies received from each medicine during the dieta, helping them stabilise and integrate in a deeper and more lasting way.
When the ritual is performed during an Ayahuasca or San Pedro ceremony, the effect goes deeper. The medicines amplify the body’s own energetic and magnetic field, and the Spirit of the Stone helps purify the aura, transmitting light and supporting the healing process through every layer of the being.
The Spirit of the Stone creates a bridge between the energy of the earth and cosmic energy — helping to centre the mind and offering support to those navigating emotional difficulties or psychological challenges.
Certain stones are believed to carry a spirit of their own — these are known as incantos — and their energy is so powerful that only a healer can work with them. If someone were to use an incanto without proper preparation, it could make them ill. The curandero must first work with the stone, harmonising its energy with the person until the two become compatible. Only then can the incanto be carried as a talisman or used as an element of spiritual protection. Incantos often take remarkable forms — resembling animals or other symbolic shapes, marked with unique natural patterns, as if shaped and painted by nature itself.
SACRED FIRE RITUAL
Fire has been revered across cultures and traditions since time immemorial. Not all fire, however, is the same.
Among the Shipibo people, the Sacred Fire Ritual holds a place of special significance — not only supporting release and purification, but also strengthening the light of the aura and brightening the person’s inner fire.
According to ancestral wisdom, the aura exists both inside and outside the body. It must remain strong and luminous, because through it we receive, nourish and sustain the vital energies that keep us alive.
When the aura grows weak or dim, the person becomes more vulnerable. Physical, emotional or mental difficulties — as well as family, work or personal conflicts — may all reflect a weakened aura. For this reason, strengthening and protecting the aura is an essential part of the work at Onikano.
A simple fire carries energy, but is not necessarily activated on the spiritual plane. This is why the first part of the ritual is devoted to activating the fire and invoking the Spirit of Fire. When this spirit settles within the flames, and the curandero establishes the connection, the fire ceases to be ordinary — and the Sacred Fire begins.
Participants can then connect with the energy and the Spirit of Fire in a deeply personal way. They may write on a piece of paper — or blow into a mapacho — whatever they wish to release and leave behind. As it is cast into the flames, those energies are surrendered to the Spirit of Fire to be purified and transformed.
Depending on the purpose of the work, different plants and materials may be burned: achiote leaves, dried palm leaves, palo santo, copal, cotton, comején — Amazonian termite nests — cows’ horns, and other elements known to the healer. Each carries its own quality and spiritual function: some are used for cleansing, others for protection, activation, grounding, or calling specific forces into the ritual space.
PACHAMAMA RITUAL — OFFERING TO MOTHER EARTH
In Shipibo cosmology, Pachamama — Mother Earth — is a living, conscious and sacred being. Not a ground to walk upon, but a force that sustains, nourishes and heals. Connecting with her is not a metaphor: it is a ritual act that requires presence, intention and surrender.
At Onikano, the Pachamama ritual takes place in a natural pit in the heart of the jungle, where the earth itself becomes the ceremonial space. Practised under the effects of Ayahuasca or San Pedro, the ritual invites participants to release mental control and enter a state of trance and deep connection with Mother Earth.
To the rhythm of the Maestro’s drum, participants enter the mud and dance barefoot inside the pit. Often, the ritual follows a mud bath — so that the entire body is already covered in earth when the dance begins.
As the body moves, the earth is felt directly — cool, dense and alive. There is no distance between the body and the earth. Only contact. The mud is no longer perceived as something dirty, but as a sacred substance capable of absorbing what no longer serves and restoring a sense of balance, humility and presence.
The ritual is at once grounding and liberating — a way of releasing heaviness and awakening in the body a memory older than the mind can recall. Through movement, rhythm and contact with the earth, participants remember their most ancient bond: the one that connects them to nature and to Mother Earth.
YACUMAMA RITUAL — OFFERING TO MOTHER WATER
In the Shipibo tradition, Yacumama rituals are performed as an offering to Mother Water — to receive her vital energy, her protection and her support in the healing process.
At Onikano, all participants receive a channelled treatment — a very ancient and personalised way of working with each person according to their individual process. During a channelled treatment, many emotions are stirred and begin to shift. The medicine works deeply, cleansing and releasing old blockages.
In those moments, the energy of water becomes essential. When a person enters the water, its magnetic force draws dense energies and emotional burdens out of the body. Participants are encouraged to enter the water whenever they experience emotional turbulence, sadness, distress or a heavy emotional load — a practice that helps to calm the body and mind, release tension, and receive the healing force of the Spirit of Water.
There is also a practice at Onikano that may seem unusual at first — yet tends to stay with people long after the retreat: submerging and screaming underwater.
Why the scream?
The scream is not only an emotional release. It is heard by the Spirit of Water — the great Yacumama. Upon hearing this cry, the Spirit of Water unites with all the medicines received during the retreat — Ayahuasca, San Pedro, mapacho, plant baths and the dieta.
In that moment, the three portals activated by the curandero at the beginning of the treatment are open — love, medicine and protection. The body is ready, and Yacumama can act on all three planes with full force. This work can be deepened through a ritual led by the curandero, with a focused invocation of the Spirit of Yacumama, connecting it with each participant and supporting the healing process from within.
SHIPIBO MEDITATIONS — JOURNEY WITHIN
The ancient Shipibo Merayas practised different forms of meditation through silence, breath and inner vision to deepen their connection with the spiritual world.
At Onikano, these practices remain alive today. Among them is candle meditation — where the flame becomes a portal to stillness.
At the beginning of the ritual, the curandero activates the energies of the third eye and the physical eyes of each participant. Upon lighting their candle, each participant focuses their attention on the flame, while the curandero accompanies the process — playing the maraca or shacapa, singing ícaros, or performing sopladas with mapacho smoke.
After a period of contemplation, the eyes are closed, and attention turns inward — towards the point of light that remains within. In that state of heightened sensitivity and inner focus, the Maestro guides the energetic and emotional work, according to the intention of the ritual and the needs of the group or each individual.
During a retreat, it is natural to move through a wide range of emotional states — from joy and openness to sadness, heaviness or even anger. To navigate these stages with greater ease, it is recommended to spend some time each day in stillness.
No prior experience is needed. Simply sit in silence and turn attention inward: feel the body, observe the breath, smell the air, sense the temperature on the skin and listen to the sounds of the jungle. Watch thoughts as they arise without following them. Rest in stillness. Be present.
After the retreat, continuing to meditate at home can be of great help in the integration process. The practice helps consolidate the work begun during the ceremonies and strengthen the connection with the medicines received. What began in the jungle continues in the silence of each day.
ESPAÑOL
DEUTSCH