About Shawi Steward Eda Zavala Lopez
Eda Zavala Lopez is a Curandera, or medicine person. She holds bachelors degrees in Anthropology and Sociology from Catholic University, in Lima Peru, and has spent decades working with indigenous people throughout the Peruvian Amazon to help protect their lands, gain access to education and resources, and be treated with dignity and respect by the Peruvian government.
A direct descendant of the Wari-Ashaninka People she has inherited ancient knowledge related to plants, spirits, and magical beings. Her indigenous wisdom combined with western methods of thought give her a unique viewpoint bridging two ways of seeing and thinking. Her life's work is to protect Mother Nature and to guide souls towards ethical and integral ways of living, and heal the wounds of modernity that make people believe they are separate from the earth.
Eda's Healing Work
Eda seeks to reunite people with their knowledge that Mother Earth is a living being, and by living in balance with nature and healing our soul wounds we too can walk with confidence, power, humility, and respect to all living beings.
A wisdom keeper, Eda works with the spirit medicines of Ayahuasca, San Pedro, and Peyote to connect to the universe, and Mother nature to find answers. Plant spirits provide tools to manage human disorders wisely, while plant medicines work with the physical body to bring balance and healing. Curanderas work with both the physical plants, whose bio-active compounds we have evolved with for all of human history, as well as the plant spirits, which interact with the body through chemistry and unseen forces. As Eda will tell anyone who sits with her for medicine work, these master plants are "not psychedelics," as the wisdom provided in ceremony is more profound and revelatory than hallucinations of the subconscious.
Her time in the Amazon has allowed her to develop a unique relationship where humans are intimately connected to the spirits of the jungle. These vibrant, magical, and constantly transforming energies whisper secrets of ancient knowledge, and range from mischievous, playful, to malevolent, and to caring and healing. Eda is careful to be selective of which spirits she connects with and prefers those who are in a lineage of ancient feminine wisdom. These spirits play a key role when she ingests and shares her powerful plant medicine to create a sacred connection to cosmic wisdom. She is equally careful to protect patients from dark energies, which people can be vulnerable to at any time but particularly during times of medicine work. Healing can only be done in a safe container, and for this reason Eda prefers to work with very small groups or individuals to guide their journeys carefully.
Working with Eda
Amazonian curanderas heal and show patients a tiny piece of the outside universe to reestablish their own internal ecosystem, while sacred plants cure mind, body and soul. The initiation process takes time, mental training, solitude and calmness in order to connect with one's own wisdom. When participating in a set of healing journeys, it is important to follow a cleansing diet and to be in deep meditation with nature so the patient can hear it's whispers and connect beyond temporality. This is the crucial legacy of indigenous wisdom in complex current times.
Living in the jungle has given Eda a perspective of embracing diversity. In a complex ecosystem where so many creatures live so close together, she sees Mother Nature has precisely created imperfections to teach us where we may converge and bring one another new balance.
Rituals are a key part of spiritual connection and protection. If joining Eda to partake in sacred medicines you will drink them at night, while jungle sounds will mix with the embrace of Eda's voice as she sings sacred icaros, enchanting your spirit to drive you to unknown terrain. Here you may feel like a leaf, or infinitely small creature digging around your underground essential life. These medicines encourage you to leave your mind labyrinth and walk through the spiritual world of the jungle- an exercise in facing your shadows and working through difficult feelings. You may experience colors, figures, sensations, visions and whispers. You may have several chances to ask questions and may have answers revealed to you, or be given visions to decode over time. Eda will also journey on your behalf, asking Mother Nature and wise spirits for information relevant to your healing journey.
Ceremonies are usually performed in a private Moloko on the outskirts of Tarapoto city, at Hampichicuy healing center. She offers sacred encounters with Ayahuasca in the tradition her Elders and ancestors have practiced for hundreds of years. To be fully prepared for a healing journey, it is recommended to visit for 7 to 15 days, with a special diet to be maintained before and after
Eda and the Shawi
Since beginning her studies in college, Eda has hiked into the most remote areas of the jungle to meet and work with indigenous groups throughout Peru. After 40 years of this work she has focused on one group in particular, and devoted her efforts to them. She works tirelessly with Shawi leaders and the government of San Martin province to get education, medical help, solar panels, and to secure the land rights in a area under extreme threat. Traveling between Tarapoto and the Shawi villages monthly, sometimes weekly, her efforts have brought bilingual primary education to the villages, secured secondary education for those who are interested, saved many lives by bringing medicine or arranging transport and identity cards for hospital access. Soon a health clinic will be staffed in the largest village, giving access to first aid which would otherwise be days away. With all her work she hopes to raise up Shawi leaders to have the understanding of the outside world necessary to advocate for themselves and be heard.
Contact
For healing journeys, interviews, and speaking engagements. Please email. I don't check everyday but at least every week or two :)