Curandera translates to one who cures. The etymology of the word is from the root "curar" in Spanish, which means to cure/heal. So, "Curanderismo" was birthed out of the Spanish colonization of Latin America and the emergence of traditional Indigenous medicinal practices and European Roman Catholic rituals.
The scope of the Curandera is vast like the Ocean herself, covering physical, psychological, and interpersonal ailments. Most modern practitioners usually have a couple areas of specialization,
which include but are not limited to herbalism, midwifery, counseling, massage/bodywork, energy work, psychic healing, entity removal, trauma integration, lifting curses, ancestral lineage healing, communication with the deceased, divination, prayer, and so on.
I personally identify as a Curandera because of the wide variety of healing modalities I offer and my training within its lineage. My first teachers of Curanderismo were through the stories of Carlos Castaneda and Lynn Andrews. My curiosity was greatly piqued, as I journeyed through the pages of their writings.
Fifteen years later, I found myself with an opportunity to apprentice with a local Curandera who directly studied with Don Juan, the Medicine man Carlos Castaneda based his books upon.
I had an appointment with Athena Wolf for a consultation and limpia. Upon my arrival, I immediately got the message from my guides to investigate an apprenticeship with her. During the limpia, a simple chakra/energy balancing ritual, we culminated the session at my crown. Athena saw a garden residing there. It showed her how my relationship with plants is how I access the Divine. We closed the session and I lay there on the table integrating the simple yet profound energy work that I had just received. When I stepped out of the healing room, Athena shared with me the beauty she witnessed in my crown and invited me to apprentice with her. I didn't even have to ask. The guidance to be her student unfolded itself right in front of me, like an unfurling fern leaf, effortless with beauty and grace.
My journey as a Curandera truly started in my youth amongst the gardens of my mother and grandmother where my allegiance to nature and her healing presence began there. My life continued to place me amongst healers, teachers, and opportunities to gather the tools of the Curandera. It wasn't until I apprenticed with Athena that I identified as one. Her training gave me the framework to share my gifts with the world. I am a wholistic Curandera. I offer support in all the areas I mentioned above. These modalities gift clients with tools for integrating trauma and initiating their healing process to reclaim the health and wellness of our Divine birth right.