Percy Lozano Entrevista

8/13/2019 Percy Lozano Entrevista

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PERCY GARCIA LOZANO

Percy Garcia Lozano comes from a tradition of curanderos and was

initiated into the science of ayahuasca at age ten. Now in his early

30s he is one of the new breed of indigenous shamans straddling two

worlds his indigenous heritage and the globalized 21st century. He

lives in Iquitos and balances his work between treating locals and the

growing rise of Western ayahuasca seekers.

translation by Chuck

RAK: Percy, how long have you been a curandero?

PERCY: I come from a tradition where you are born to become a

curandero. You dont choose to become a curandero. And the person

who wants to enter the science of curandismo when he is older, it is

because he will be called. He will have a calling.

The tradition I have learned has been handed down to me by my

grandfather, who was himself a powerful maestro. So I have been

preparing myself [to be a curandero] since I was ten. I am the only

grandson that follows the tradition with healing plants. My grandfather

Enrique Garcia Mozombite prepared me to have the strength to

complement ayahuasca and to be strong enough to work with this

most sacred of plants. It was a long and enduring initiation, in that the

apprentice curanderomust come to know not just the kind of plants

available and the properties of each, but establish a relationship withthe spirits in the plants. Its a very demanding job being a curandero,

and many youth arent carrying on the traditions.

RAK: What Is your understanding of ayahuasca and the world of

the spirits?

PERCY: Ayahuasca is Quechua for vine of the dead (souls), but

at the same time, as a healer, we dont call the dead spirits we call

them Allies. Ayahuasca is medicine. It is strength, intelligence,

wisdom and healing. In this way everything is in accord withtradition. While nature represents what life is, ayahuasca is the

mother of us all. I have used the vine since I was 14 years old and


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I am only a leaf in allthis mother nature. TheDoctors are the teachers,those who guide me toperform the healing.


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started on a long series of diets with the master plants. The diets were simple to begin with

and as the years progressed my ability to do more intensive diets increased, as did my

connection with the plants. It is a long and hard road to travel to become a vegetalista

healer, one who heals with plants, especially when this knowledge starts when you are a

child. But I learned about the spirit in the vine of souls, ayahuasca, and how to prepare it, as

well as other medicinal plants like chacruna and others.

What I came to realize is that the plant medicine is not just for the body but for the mind

and the soul as well. And ayahuasca is the medicine of life. And through the connection we

share with the plants we can enter the spirit world all around us, which is what happens in a

healing ceremony. At the beginning of an ayahuasca ceremony I will call on the plant doctors

and the spirits to help guide me and heal my patients of whatever affliction or condition they

might present with. The spirits are protectors; they are the doctors and the teachers and it is

through my icarosor power songs that I connect with them. But all that was difficult to

understand when I was just a boy of ten or 14 years old; back then I didnt really understand

the depth of the plants and spirit worlds.

RAK: Why did your grandfather chose you, out of all your family to be a curandero? What

essential ingredient did you have that none of the rest of your family had?

PERCY: Well, I dont know exactly what it was that he saw in me; it was more like a spark,

a potential to grow into the type of person that acuranderomust be to work with the plants

and the spirits. It is not for everyone. Maybe he saw in me that same essence that he himself

had, maybe thats how he was able to identify it in me at such an early age. I didntt really

understand what he expected of me back then; he taught me his knowledge and lessons and

it was only during those lessons as time went on that I came to understand what it was he

expected. He said that I was the chosen one. He taught me everything he knew. After he

died I started meeting a lot of people, trying to learn from [them] to continue my education.

RAK: Percy. Ive heard that there are many different types of curanderos, from those that

work with perfumes, plants, tobacco, stones, etc. Why do you think there are so many

variations in the way indigenous healers work, and do you have a preference yourself?

PERCY: Well, each curanderohas a different way to [approach the matter]... Most

curanderosuse singing as part of their healing approach... The plants, the stones, all of

nature is a tool and a friend that we can establish relationships with, its simply a matter of

your personal connection and the connection of the teacher that introduces you to themedicine. Everything can be done if the curanderoovercomes himself and achieves as a

base his diet.

To the doctors and the mother ayahuasca, they love that one diets. In the opposite way [not

dieting] they dont come near the curandero. Nor will he be able to receive teachings. The

diet is the strength of the curandero. And with our spiritual force we perform healings. But

everything is based on the diet, and then it doesnt matter which tool you use to heal once

you have dieted and established a connection. I myself am a vegetalista one who works

specially with the healing essence of the plant doctors, and as part of that I also perform

work as aperfumero, healing and cleansing through flower baths and essences, usuallybefore and after an ayahuasca ceremony. Within the science of curandismothere are also

persons which practice oracionismo, which is like, prayer and things like that, working with

God. They also guide us and teach us and give us the gifts of wisdom and intelligence.

PERCY GARCIA LOZANO 19


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RAK: If the plants are the Teachers does that make the

curanderos the students?

PERCY: Being here in the jungle you may consider me

a teacher... but as a matter of fact I consider myself just

another student of mother nature I am only a leaf in allthis mother nature. The doctors are the teachers, those

who guide me to perform the healing. I feel myself I am a

healer, not a master. All my life I will be an apprentice. The

spiritual masters, they fill me up with their gifts, but Im just

an intermediary.

RAK: What are some of the things that the plant

doctors have taught you?

PERCY: The plant doctors are the most wonderfulteachers. Through them I have learned about the world,

and the world beyond this world that connects us together

in an unbroken thread. We are all connected and the

spirits have shown me this and much, much more

besides. They show how to heal, to give knowledge and

wisdom, how to live correctly in unison and harmony so

that all people live correctly and in balance with the way

mother nature intended. They have a lot to teach us all if

only we we listen with an open heart.

In terms of healing the great medicine ayahuasca is

unparallelled. Thanks to my grandfather showing and

transmitting his knowledge to me, I am now able to treat

many different diseases that appear in each one of my

patients.

RAK: Percy, you began your healing work in your local

community, and its only been in the last few years that

you have treated Western tourists and been part of the

developing ayahuasca backpacking circuit. Do you still

heal locals? How have you found Western drinkers?

PERCY: Yes, I still work with my local community and

make myself available to heal the villagers, as I have

done for many years. I have come to the Amazonian

Shaman Conference for two years now, and talked about

ayahuasca and conducted ceremonies for the gringos as

part of that, as well as ceremonies outside the

conference. Western students of the medicine are

increasing; there is a large interest in ayahuasca as a

medicine in the West and I am happy to hold circles forthe many tourists that are coming here to Iquitos. It is a

great thing that so many of you are wanting to learn about

the plants and the medicine.


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We are allOne right

now.


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RAK: Percy, youve begun marketing your services as a curandero, printing up business

cards and the like. Is it your vision to one day have a lodge and treat Westerners from there?

PERCY: At the moment I am just starting out working with many Western students, and I do

the work the spirit of ayahuasca demands of me. I have a gringo friend who has helped me

with business matters like promoting my services and business cards and the like before Ihad no need of them and no knowledge of how to approach it. But now I am working more with

Westerners and I must adapt to their needs and how to connect with them. In my humble work

of treatment I am forming a center for ayahuasca ceremonies out on the Iquitos-Nauta highway

out by Kilometer 48.5. It is a half an hour walk into the jungle from the highway, and it is good

that it is accessible but still in the jungle and amongst the trees and the plants and the spirits of

nature.

There is a river nearby where I conduct my work with flower essences and bathe the ceremony

participants and the village is also close by.

RAK: As you say youve been a participant in Alan Shoemakers Shaman Conference for two

years now; whats your take on the conference and the influx of Western interest in

shamanism? Is it a good thing, or is there a bit of cultural appropriation going on as well?

PERCY: Theres been a lot of questions raised at the conference and with some of the

various curanderos saying different things. But I believe that everyone comes to know more

from at least what we as healers perform. It doesnt matter who is better or worse than

another.

Ayahuasca is for everyone;the plant teachers are forevery person who wants tolearn and have a deep spirit

connection.

And as you Westerners are learning from us curanderos and the plants, we also learn from

you.

RAK: Could you explain how you use the magical sounds the plants transmit, the icaros, to

heal? And are there different types of icaros for different situations or for different persons?

PERCY: The songs are for all. I sing all kinds of icarosand different icarosbecause they are

for different kinds of sicknesses. So I dont have to sing icarosfor each person. All the icarosare one by themselves. We are all One right now. So all the icaros, being one, will perform

whatever everyone needs at this point.

22 INDIGENOUS CURANDEROS


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PERCY GARCIA LOZANO 23

RAK: Is the spirit of ayahuasca interested in what we can do for it, and the plant world?

PERCY: Yes. The spirit of ayahuasca is seeing all your needs and all your desires. And

according to that she will give that to each one of you what you need. She is interested in

whatever you can bring to her if you bring goodness, she will bring you goodness. She will

also be grateful to each one of you, also. Most of all, the spirit of ayahuasca is looking forrespect.

RAK: What happens within the ceremony itself, how do you approach the taking of the

medicine?

PERCY: You will have to find where is the most comfortable spot for yourselves. You can

be sitting or laying down. The doctors [the spirit doctors in the plants] will come to you to help

heal you when youre in the best and most comfortable position to be in. Try not to lie back,

and always face me. Near the end I will go with each one of you and hit you with a chakapa

fan and perform thehealing. But during

the ceremony the

doctors are the ones

who will be with you.

From theicarosyou

will be receiving

the healing but at

the same time I put

a part of myself in

you so I will also be

performing healings

inside of you.

RAK: Thank you,

Percy. It is refreshing

to talk with a humble

curandero like

yourself and I hope

all goes well in your

work and bringing it

to the world.

PERCY: Thank you,

my friend. I am here

to help heal and do

whatever I can and

what the plant

teachers command.

percygalosha@@hotmail.com

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Percy Lozano Entrevista