In the Andes, each person is seen as the bearer of a unique spiritual seed, nurtured through connections with the elements, sacred spirits, and those around us. Vilma Pinedo, a revered Peruvian medicine woman, shares:

“People from the West often feel a deep, inexplicable calling towards ancestral traditions. Many feel disconnected, searching for something elusive. In the Andes, we seek strength from the mountains, rivers, and lagoons, asking the spirits to aid them. Their inner seeds often lack connection to the earth, becoming like towering trees without roots. We seek balance and clarity for their paths, connecting these seeds to sacred spaces and portals through ritual. Only through Ayni, the exchange of energy in reciprocity, can we unlock their full potential.”

“Back to the Roots” is a transformative three-day workshop held in Salmo, 30 min. South of Nelson,BC. Guided by this land’s ancestral energy, Vilma Pinedo (Traditional Andean Healer) and Francisco Victoria (Cultural Interpreter), participants will engage in ancestral techniques and rituals designed to strengthen their roots and spiritual seeds. We will also understand and connect with the different ways water manifests: lagoons, rivers and waterfalls, fostering healing for ourselves and others.

During these three days, you will:

• Participate in a traditional Andean offering ceremony.
• Explore concepts like Ruru and Saphi, delving into the Inner Seed and Andean spiritual beliefs.
• Practice Kallpanchay techniques to fortify your energy root, focusing on specific body parts.
• Understand the spiritual importance of the water element for andeans.
  Perform rituals to nurture your connection to the land you live or work in.
• Connect with the water, animals, and ancestral spirits of where you live
  Receive a Cocoa Ceremony led by Vilma and Francisco.
• Join a supportive holding circle to aid in your spiritual awakening.
• Learn techniques to assist others in their cleansing and rooting processes.
• Immerse yourself in this profound journey, rediscovering your roots and unlocking the potential of your spiritual seed through ancient Andean wisdom.

VILMA’S BIO

Vilma Pinedo was born surrounded by the Apus, powerful mountain spirits from Cusco, Peru. Her initiation into the path of the healer arrived before she was even born. When her mother was pregnant with her, she was struck by a lighting that almost kills them both. In the Andes this is a strong sign of being called by the spirits, that’s why from a young age the eyes of the community were set on her to learn the “curandera” way.

Vilma grew among her grandfathers and grandmothers, whom through day to day labour and sharing, taught her the traditional healing rituals. And since she was 12, she helped them, reading the energy in the coca leaves, gathering the natural elements for the healings and offerings and using her intuition to advice the patients.

She comes from a lineage of renown healers in Cusco, and by studying at the university, Vilma did something that was new to past generations, allowing her to learn different languages, accessing and understanding more of the western and modern mindset

The subtle way in which she handles the coca leaves, lights up the incense, performs her prayers, and touches the cotton used in the rituals, shows her love and respect for this legacy of connection with the spirits of her land. Walking with her and learning patiently from her craft, and witnessing how she speaks with the other realms, we will recognize that her knowledge cannot be found in a textbook. Her teachings are about awareness and action.

For Vilma and her Elders “to heal” means to be aware of the energy around you and within you. To be a “healer” a hampeq or a shaman means to be connected to the sources of life and death, to the delicate balance that allows our presence in this world, and to open the gift of sharing this presence as medicine to our communities and others that seek our help.

Because in the end, the art of healing is truly effective once we allow ourselves to become the teachings and tools we receive along the way. Through the warmth in your hands and breath, you become the leaves that bring life; through the gratitude in your prayers you become the incense you offer to the spirits; through the cotton you gently caress, you become the wound you help yourself and others heal.

FRANCISCO BIO

Francisco Victoria has a major in International Affairs, He has investigated and practiced the spiritual and energetic traditions of several communities and lineages from the Andes for almost a decade. He founded Nunawana, an organization that focuses on the transmission of this wisdom, and has organized retreats, pilgrimages to Peru, Bolivia and Europe, online courses and training workshops. He travels with Vilma supporting the work of her lineage and bringing the knowledge he has integrated . In this workshop he will be supporting and guiding the group through the ceremonies, as well as offering Vilma complementation in her teachings.

Coca Leaf Oracle Online by Francisco / Individual Sessions energy reading with a therapeutic perspective.

For millennia, the coca leaf has been a central element in the connection of Andean women and men with the world of nature spirits, through its chewing, inclusion in sacred offerings or in the ritual of reading the sheet.

Coca brings energy of presence and truth. We turn to it to have clarity in the face of our life’s circumstances.
For this reason, I invite you to this oracular session that integrates the wisdom have received from teachers and spirits on the path of the mountains and lagoons in Peru.

-The reading is accompanied by a therapeutic guide based on what is observed in coca:
-We first see your energy and your environment in general.
-You bring questions and delve into the root of things, and their possible consequences.
-Advice is provided about the situation and eventually homework for you.
-To receive the energy of Coca we ask that you enter the space with good intentions and an open heart.
-The session lasts aprox 45 minutes.
-The contribution is voluntary and can be made once the session has ended.