Transformations

To heal a baby, a shaman might call the horse. As his thoughts change, his face and head change too. When he performs a soplada on the baby, the baby receives the horse’s strength to struggle with its illness, and will not give up. In another case, the agility of a bird may be called for.
If the shaman transforms himself into a monkey before performing a soplada on a fidgety, restless boy, this will prevent the boy from falling ill.
A soplada from the head of a boa would help a girl grow her hair long and beautiful like a boa. They healed my mother like this, and that is how she grew hair down to her waist.
Above you see the yangunturo (giant armadillo), which has armored scales that shield it from harm. When a shaman performs soplos with the power of this animal, a person can fall from a high tree without injury and have protection from fire.
I saw this when I was a boy in Tamanco. My grandfather, Ambrosio Amaringo Vasquez, was a powerful palerò and held in awe by people who dared not speak in his presence. Once he gave a soplada of the yangunturo to a man who was later thrown off a precipice without suffering any harm.
Above is the bufeo colorado, whose body parts are used as ingredients in pusanga to magically attract the opposite sex. Sometimes people are strongly affected by this power, which can lead to their becoming emotionally overwhelmed and even losing their sanity. If a shaman chants the ícaro of the bufeo and gives soplos to the affected person, this will restore emotional and mental equilibrium. Such a thing happened to my sister, who, as stated in the commentary for the painting Supai Pucabufeo, was so powerfully overcome that she had to be restrained by seven men.
The sachavaca (tapir) is mainly nocturnal and has few natural predators due to its bulk and thick protective skin. They find shelter in the undergrowth or in water, as they can remain submerged in rivers for long periods of time. A person imbued with the energy of the sachavaca can venture deep into the jungle without fear, knowing he will be safe and not get lost.
The huangana (white-lipped peccary) has a rank and penetrating odor produced by its scent glands. It has a very acute sense of smell, and despite its poor eyesight, it is adroit at finding its way through
the jungle by tracking scent trails. When a shaman makes a soplada with the head of a huangana, the person never needs a compass or map and will always find his way.
To the right you see a cocha and in the clouds above are the puyurunas (cloud people). By learning their ícaro a shaman can heal with the power of the rain and static electricity in the sty In the cocha is a sachamama, which embodies the vital force of the earth and preserves the rain forest. Extraterrestrial ships constantly visit us and bring beings from unknown dimensions to inspire and encourage humanity using ultrasound ícaros.
On the right-hand edge of the painting you can see neutrinos (nuclear particles) and electromagnetic energy, which is the foundation of physical matter and the splendor of terrestrial life.
A sumiruna who has mastery of the four elements can sing the ícaro of the volcano, which imbues him with spiritual and imaginative fire, and with his soplo he can harness the power of an erupting volcano to cure any illness.
A great radiant light like the sun encircles the temple to the left. The purpose of this illumination is to celebrate the divine energy that forms our physical bodies. The human body is a sacred temple that is like a universe in itself, with the physical organs and glands performing different functions. The body consists of trillions of cells, and each individual cell has an incalculable number of constituent elements; all these work in total unison and harmony.
To the lower left are the sweet-smelling leaves and flowers of the albaquita (Ocimum micrantbum), also called huacrasisa (horn flower). The uplifting aroma intensifies the concentration and perception of the shamans as they undergo their transformation.
Plants have evolved to produce nectar that entices birds and insects to propagate their pollen and seeds. Amazonian shamans learn the ícaro of the albaquita to bring separated couples back together, a practice that is called amarres amorosos (love magic, or “ties”).
These methods of healing require the maestro to follow the dieta. You can also use the energy of flowers for a soplada to bring out the grace and charm of a woman so that people love her.
On the upper left, surrounded by tingunas (electromagnetic patterns), is a door to the temple of alquimia palistica. This door is hidden from most people and only those who have been purified by their deeds and courage are allowed to enter the temple.
Chanasmancho umanki implies that the way my head looks determines how I think, because it is the same thing. A soplada with the moon will make a woman very beautiful and people will love her because she is like the moon. It is best to wait for a full moon and sing quilla sumac (beautiful moon) to her while she receives the gentle rays. The ícaro ties the moon’s energy into her body as spirals, and makes her like a mother, or a queen. When the moon rises, everything in the jungle transforms, all the animals move to different locations. The moon has an important influence on the metabolism of plants and animals, and affects the minds of humans.

when you explore the selva you should restrict yourself to an area not more than twenty to thirty hectares (fifty to seventy-five acres). In the morning you prepare yourself for the day with the leaves of the mishquipanga {Renealmia alpinia). When rubbed over your face, arms, and legs, this plant will give you protection for a whole day. The next day you should use huancahuisacha (Aristolochia pilosa), which has a bad smell and keeps away snakes, spiders, scorpions, salamanders (some of which are poisonous), and ronsapas (Apismellifera scutellata, or African honeybees), whose sting is worse than a wasp and makes your body erupt in spots. Later you can cover yourself with half-rotten zurrapa (humus from the forest floor) mixed with earth, to protect you from harm from falling branches.