Learning from the plants
When speaking about shamanism, everybody, almost in a reflex, starts thinking about his own idealistic
dreamings of indians and native people elsewhere. Entering the world of shamanism today is highly appealing,
since the scientific concepts of "What is the world?" - concepts that rule our economic life hiddenly in
many ways - are losing their grip on well formatted readers. Shamanism still bewares traces to cultures
of the past, whose incredible beliefs almost completely disappear in the dark.
But what is shamanism? It's unlimited dealing with overwhelming powers that are capable of invading and
occupying mind and body of selected people. Shamanism is the hard way of living, without assurances.
Shamanism means to die early in the childhood. Shamanism means dying, means suffering, means sacrifices,
means poverty, means desperation. Shamanism is religious business. It brings us back to the roots,
existential roots. That's religion. Shamanism always means crossing the lines of death and life.
The Amazon tradition of the "Curanderismo" is based on intimate dealing with plants in the form
of diets. Dieting plants means eating and drinking them under strict conditions of resort, in the
depths of the jungle, respecting strict prescriptions of diet: No salt, no sugar, no sex, no contact
with other people. Only smoked fish, rice, platano-bananas and wheat of "Yuca", and that for
weeks, perhaps even months. Dieting plants means being prepared to sink down into crazyness out of
suffering. Means being swept away by the elemental power of rememberings, touching deep traumata.
Dieting in Otorongo means living in the wilderness, where jaguars, snakes, spiders, monkeys, bats,
ants and termites etc. say good-night to the apprentice, and the latter again will have to spend
another night in complete darkness in his personal hut. When reality slowly but surely looses
its frames and the hallucinations sink in. When the fear gets its voice, only in order to die
one day - out of strength - and when, perhaps, the Spirit takes place. The unlimited authority.
Dieting is challenging and nothing for the undecided. At primar instance periods between 3 weeks
and 3 months are recommended.
"Otorongo" is a spiritual eremitage in the deep jungle of Tamshiyacu, run by Dr.Himmelbauer,
Austrian psychologist, since the year 2002. He cooperates closely with 3 healers, Doña Eugenia Medina
Tananta, 67, Don Santiago Guerra Lopez, 79, and Don Luis Panduro Vásquez, 50, all of them specialists
in their field and highly authentical, spiritual humans. Together with the Otorongo-staff they provide
close, but discrete service to the apprentice. Mr.Himmelbauer serves as translator in English,
German and French.
Contact:
 himmelbauer@operamail.com
Cost structure for orientation: 40,- Euro/day.
Further conditions: A two-weeks-visit within a regular group at Otorongo or Yushintaita is
recommended. The applicant has to be interviewed about his intentions. Before the real diet he has
to pilgrim to one of the religious spots of his country or, preferably, to Medjugorje, Bosnia
Hercegowina, where 5-days-meditations under diet conditions are offered. As a second task beforehand
the applicant has to work out his personal booklet with at least his 500 intimate weaknesses.
This booklet serves as basis for his later studies in the jungle-hut.
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