Dance of the Flower Medicine

By Sofia Chavez Hilton

This book encourages one to become involved in the re-emergence of Ancestral Teachings. The ancient prophecy of bridge building between North and South involves uniting people and concepts that were once thought of as opposites, into a common goal. Humanity is moving into a new dimension of understanding Folk Medicine, such as Curanderismo, consciousness, time and possibilities.

The book gives a mirror into seeing how we are opened to the world by means of peak experiences, loneliness, supplication in prayer and by trauma, all leading to a beautiful world that informs and leads.

Foreward by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sofia Chavez Hilton
• Release date: Nov 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9780996593113

Sofia Chavez Hilton

Sofia Chavez DNM is a Doctor of Natural Medicine is the owner of Estara Health and Wellness. She is trained in Curanderismo Healing Modalities and has a BS in Integrative Therapies, AOS in Occupational Therapy, is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Auricular Therapist, Registered Psychotherapist in Colorado, NADA Act-detox specialist and is a Clinically Certified Aroma-therapist

Book preview

Dance of the Flower Medicine

Sofia Chavez Hilton

RP-NLC, LMT, COTA, CAT, CCA

Published by: Estara Health

P.O. Box 151238, Lakewood, CO 80215

Copyright 2015 Estara Health. All rights reserved.

Cover Artwork by Ivan Tapia, Copyright 2015, Estara Health

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including email, messaging systems, photocopying, recording, or any information or storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

First Edition

ISBN 978-0-9965931-1-3

About the Book Cover

The Cover Artwork was influenced by spiritual visions of cosmic beings, global unity and the ant’s commitment to brotherly survival. The ants taught me that everything has its own particular beauty and that everything that exists is part of Creator’s Body.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreward by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Introduction

Chapter 1 Interpreting My World to Others

Chapter 2 Challenges of Childhood

Chapter 3 Curanderismo and Indigenous Healing Concepts

Chapter 4 Pain Body – Looking into the Smoky Mirror and Life Struggles

Chapter 5 Personal Healing and My Self Improvement Journey

Chapter 6 The Symbolic Visions

Chapter 7 Mother Earth (Tonatzin) Sacred Feminine and Plants

Chapter 8 The Star Nation, Moon and Holy Mother

Chapter 9 Training in Integrative Medicine and Indigenous Healing Systems

Chapter 10 Techniques

Chapter 11 Building Bridges

Chapter 12 Where Do We Go From Here

Chapter 13 The Journey

About the Author

Acknowledgments

I have been blessed by exceptional teachers, mentors and friends in my life. These people encouraged me to walk my path. I want to thank Dr. Arturo Ornelas and Maestra Elena Avila (who has crossed over). I also thank the Curanderas from my childhood who planted the seeds of Being a Woman who prays with the People.

I am grateful and appreciate all the friends and healers that I have worked with in community, Estara Health and Wellness friends, student interns and volunteers, Lisa, Samuel and Juan Carlos Solano. I thank my children, Tessa, the peaceful activist who wraps her arms around the children and shares the warmth of her heart through education and Ben, who shares his ideas of beauty, philosophy and working toward planet sustainability.

I would like to express a special word of gratitude to My Teacher and Mentor, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D. whose loving words of support and encouragement made this book possible.

Contents

Foreword

by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.

Dissociation is not a mental illness. It is a normal reaction to being traumatized. It also happens to be a doorway to an alternate reality. In psychology there is a made up name of Dissociative Disorder. I suggest it is called more accurately Associative. It can take years sometimes to deal with destruction, meaning not knowing what, why, how to use the new world in one’s down to earth life. This book gives a mirror to seeing how we are opened to the worlds by means of; peak experiences, loneliness, supplication in prayer, and by trauma, all leading to a beautiful world that informs and leads.

Contents

Introduction

This book, Dance of the Flower Medicine, is about re-emergence of Indigenous Medicine. The purpose of this book is to encourage others to become involved in the re-emergence of Ancestral Teachings. There is an ancient prophecy of bridge building between the North and South, uniting people and bringing together concepts that were once thought of as opposite with a common goal. This Mayan prophecy was shared with me relating to the Tzolkin Calendar which combines several cycles together of movements of the moon, Venus and the sun. It is a ritual calendar which is composed of 260 days. It pairs the numbers 1 through 13 with the sequence of the 20 forces of days called Nawales. I was told that humanity would move into a new dimension of time and possibilities. How can we encourage those that profit from ancestral healing modalities to take action to support the Indigenous Communities that have kept the knowledge alive? For healthcare, what might be daunting for Western Medicine or Integrative Complementary Medicine to accomplish alone can be accomplished with amazing results by working together.

My name is Sofia Chavez and I am of Spanish and Native American roots. I include ancient principles and practices of Indigenous Medicine in my work, and educate the public on the connection of physical and emotional disease with the health of the body, mind and spirit. I teach holistic health and Indigenous Reiki Classes. I offer Community Outreach Programs to reintroduce people to ancestral practices which strengthen the mind, body, spirit connection resulting in a state of wellness and better health. I offer Temezcal, Sacred Sweat Bath, which offers individuals the ability to experience authentic and sacred healing modalities.

This book contains stories about my life experiences, personal mission, spiritual and professional work as an individual who walks with one foot in both worlds as a health practitioner. I provide holistic healing modalities which help others connect to their body and emotions. The intention is that people who come to see me feel their connection to their ancestral wisdom and to the Divine.

I teach classes that combine the ancient teachings with modern science. I work with health professionals promoting the evolution of medicine. This can be done by strengthening the connection between allopathic medicine and holistic integrative therapies which include indigenous perspectives. The focus is directed at research and education.

Contents

Chapter 1: Interpreting My World to Others

There is a healer, a mystic and magic in all of us. My spiritual mission is to help others connect to their ancestral wisdom, the world of nature and divinity. I often begin my presentations and classes with the phrase, I am not here to convert or convince you, but to share with you how I see the world.

You have a mission and a destiny. You might be the healer in your office or automotive shop. You might be the mystic in the factory, hair salon or supermarket. More than anything else, I hope that my work brings an understanding of how gifted and unique every individual on our planet is and what society refers to as the supernatural, is really part of the natural world that has not yet been defined by science.

I have worked and trained as a health practitioner for 20 years and I have a breadth of education in health practices. I have a Bachelor’s degree in The Promotion of Health and Wellness, which focuses on the science behind Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), and an Associate’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. I am a Registered Psychotherapist and I have professional certificates in Holistic Health, Biofeedback, Advanced Auricular Medicine and Clinical Aroma-therapy. I am working toward a Doctorate in Natural Medicine, licensed in massage therapy and have years of training in the ancestral teachings of Curanderismo Folk Medicine. As you see, I am a lifelong learner.

Although some of this book may be difficult to understand at first, if one ponders the concepts, much will resonate with what you already know, or remind you of experiences you cannot explain.

The way I write, offer my healing services and teach are a result of unique personal experiences and Indigenous background. My life has been filled with visions and dreams that have guided me and taught me how to listen to my inner voice. There are times when I have been shown a painful experience that is to yet to come, for example a divorce from a marriage of 20 years. Although I was unable to save my marriage, I was, as a result of seeing, able to respond and react to the changes in a more productive manner.

These visions and guidance have prompted me to be more engaged in my spiritual journey. Such as, I have learned that prayer and spirituality are about positive words and thinking, and service is offering good will and reaching out to others. As you read my story you will see that I am alive and productive because others lifted me with positive words and have reached out to help me, and so the sacred circle is completed.

Curanderismo comes from the word curar, which means to heal. My Curanderismo Teachers talk about this healing as the medicine of los Antipasados, the Ancestors. European conquerors brought people together that mixed their medicine with that of the wisdom of African slaves and blended it with the medicine of the Mayans and other Native Peoples of the Americas, creating a complex, spiritually-based Medicine of the People. People retained the healing customs of their ancestors while blending certain aspects of others’ medicine, coloring it with their own personalities.

Some Spanish speaking healers who practice Traditional Folk Medicine are called Curanderas. The modalities that curanderas use can be influenced by region; New York curanderas are often influenced by Puerto Ricanos traditions, Florida curanderas by Cubano traditions, and Southwestern curanderas by Mexicano, Spanish and Native American traditions.

My work has been influenced by Spanish, Mexican, African and Native American traditions. My parents, grandparents and great-grandparents blended so many healing modalities that it is difficult to trace back the origins. I was exposed to several traditional healers in my childhood who influenced my own medicine. A Curandera from Cubero, New Mexico, lived in a modest home filled with santos - saints, and there were candles burning at all times. She did miraculous things with massage and prayer. Another Curandera, a beautiful young woman who lived in the South Valley of Albuquerque; her gifts included Agua Florida which is a form of aromatherapy, water filled with plant and flower medicine, ceremony and ritual. There was an especially gifted African American woman, with a piercing second sight. She worked with rose water and platica- heart to heart conversation. She helped me initiate a relationship with Archangel Gabriel. She offered a beautiful treatment that included working with the dynamics of time and space. They were fascinating women who used body work, plants, prayers and ceremony in their healing work.

In general Curanderas believe that individuals have a sacred contract with our Creator, God, and that people heal because it is Universal Will. I follow the idea that a healer or practitioner is thought of as a hollow bone, one who reminds people of their connection with the subtle energy, which looks to me like a golden web and linked to cosmic virtues. Curanderos hold up a candle to guide others to remember something important. Many believe their work is a divine responsibility and part of their life mission, and they become intrinsically connected to every individual they work with. Whether a Curandera worked with you a day ago, a month ago or a year ago, when you come to mind, you will be prayed for and sent healing thoughts of love.

Many people would agree that Western Medicine does not always provide adequate support for the core of who people are. This can be especially true for people with a strong connection with their Indigenous Self. Many Curanderos offer services that support and communicate to the Indigenous Self. My children inherited fair skin, light hair and blue eyes from their father, but they are also indigenous. They come from the land of this planet. Many people dress and incorporate native traditions into their lives because they have a strong sense of indigenous self. They feel a connection to their own ancestors, ceremony, spirits and the earth. We are in transition in modern culture as we learning boundaries and respect around different indigenous traditions, we are also learning about showing sensitivity toward all people.

What I learned from the Curanderas and from spiritual experiences is that I am never alone and we are all connected in a Web of Life. Much of what I received and still receive is not about a grand plan, but the constant message is about loving myself and others, and about striving to forgive so that I can have peace and move on. I was and am often told to project light, send love, and shown how to be of service.

Contents

Chapter 2: Challenges of Childhood

As a child I lived in difficult conditions of poverty and violence. I have both beautiful and horrific memories that are part of the fabric of my being. I lived in a barrio where there was a gang of teenage boys. There were times when they got hold of me and pulled me down into an outdoor cellar where I repeatedly experienced emotional, sexual and physical abuse. I was dragged to the cellar many times during my elementary school years. During the abuse, my consciousness split away from my body. In psychiatry this is referred to as disassociation, when certain mental processes split from the main body of consciousness as in amnesia. Initially I was always terrified when dragged into the cellar, but soon after, my mind would slip away.

Although I could see my body and the old mattress and blood stained horse blanket from a bird’s eye as though I was suspended over it all in the ceiling, there was no emotional or physical pain registered at that time.

Disassociation became more pronounced as time went by, as my consciousness was no longer being anchored to my physical body. My mind was observant in new ways. I saw and explored other dimensions of thought and reality. I could see and hear the colorful moving energies that make up our subtle world of nature and stars in the sky.

Many Medicine Men and Women train to separate their minds from their bodies and develop this skill over time in service of healing others. In my case, my response to severe trauma opened that same door. As I look back with the knowledge I have now, I see that even though terrible trauma opened the door to another world for a time as a child, I have healed and developed a unique relationship with the living world around me. I do remember getting confused at times between the physical realm and the subtle realms we don’t usually pay attention to.

My dissociation response posed a special problem for me during my junior year of high school. My realities started to bleed into each other. In my confusion, there were times I was unable to differentiate between the physical realm and the more subtle realms which are invisible to most people. One day in high school I stood up on the bus and was talking to someone who was addressing me. I felt my friend tugging at my coat and telling me to sit the F--- Down! I was talking to someone from the invisible realm, not visible to other students on the bus. It was the first time this had happened. It was frightening when my realities bleed into each other and I had to learn discipline to adapt and cope with this new development.

During this time I felt Holy Ones reaching out to me and developed beautiful spiritual relationships. They taught me how to integrate my splintered mind, and to consider what I saw before responding to the images or information my consciousness was experiencing. For most of a year and a half, I prayed and held on to the safety line that was connected to them. They were my anchor to returning to my wholeness and