Welcome. My name is Alicia (she/her/hers). I am a curandera who helps people listen to the call of soul, land, and ancestors.
"Curanderismo" comes from the Spanish word curar, which means "to heal." Curanderismo is a way of life—a medicine path—based on the knowledge that everything is connected in a web of kinship—mind, body, soul, spirit, ancestors, humans, land, plants, animals, fungi, insects, water, earth, air, fire, minerals, the cosmos—everything seen and unseen. Practitioners of curanderismo are called to many different paths in helping us tend to our well-being. Some offer bodywork, herbalism, midwifery, temazcal, and many other healing practices. My path is to assist people in recognizing and listening to the call of their souls through reconnection to land and the ancestors. |
Healing Our SustosHave you ever heard of susto? In the traditions of curanderismo, susto is the condition in which parts of our souls are impacted by emotional fright, shock, or trauma. Parts of our souls may go into hiding or feel inaccessible, and in their wake we are left with trails of disruption and disconnection. We know something isn't right. There are times we know exactly what has caused our susto; however, there are also the sustos we don’t even know we carry. The work of the medicina is to help us reclaim our souls again.
Our souls want to be found. |
Our Ancestral RootsSustos are held in our families, our peoples, and in the land. We can be born into susto. The violent legacies of colonization, heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism are stored in our DNA and in the patterns of disconnection in our bodies, families, and communities. Curanderxs have been tending these wounds for generations. The medicina teaches us that our ancestors are not lost to us, even if we have lost the historical names and origin stories of our people. The work of the medicina is to reweave us into the web of ancestral connection, healing the ruptures that leave us feeling isolated and rootless.
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The Web of BelongingAs a species, we are caught in a wound of perceived separation from Madre Tierra, Mother Earth. Yet, nothing happens apart from the Land. The Land is our body. Our bodies are the Land. We are alive because the Earth herself is alive. Healing our sustos is nothing short of allowing ourselves to be reclaimed by the web of creation. This is not a DIY project. This is the work of the Lands that hold us, the Land that birthed us, the Lands our souls have known. It's the work of beloved ancestors, the ancient powers that call to us, the elements, the seen and unseen beings, our communities, skilled helpers. We are not alone.
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©2024 Alicia Enciso Litschi, The Wayward Curandera
All rights reserved. Contact me at [email protected] |