WHAT IS A SHAMANIC HEALING?
The Huichol Indian tribe of Mexico has practiced its sacred healing traditions for millennia. Unlike most of the indigenous cultures of the Americas, the Huichol never had a warrior class. Instead, they devoted all of their time and efforts to spiritual endeavors, working on polishing their ancient healing and ceremonial arts.
Healings and blessings are an everyday occurrence in Indian life. The shamans act as doctors for the entire community, helping to cure all forms of sickness, both spiritual as well as physical. It is because of this that Huichols shamans are so revered.
In the past few decades, even Mexicans have begun to search out Huichol shamans to cure an illness or ailment. Today, people in the modern world have been gifted with the opportunity to experience this ancient healing practice through Huichol shaman and healer Brant Secunda.
THE DANCE OF THE DEER FOUNDATION
Don Jose always emphasized that the cultural survival of the Huichol people depended upon external awareness of the Huichol way of life. In 1979, Brant Secunda established the Dance of the Deer Foundation Center for Shamanic Studies to disseminate and preserve Huichol culture, practices, and traditions, and to provide direct assistance with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency and economic independence.
Nearly four decades later, the Dance of the Deer Foundation continues to support the Huichol people. Each year, the organization donates cooking equipment, clothing, farming tools and other essential supplies, as well as complete funding for the 250-mile springtime pilgrimage into the high desert to the mountain where the sun was born. Additionally, the foundation helps the Huichol conduct their Drum and Harvest Ceremony, which is a special gathering to honor the tribe’s woman and children.