Healing Ceremony

Before leaving for Machu Picchu, we went to a healing ceremony in a shaman's house (the word shaman is not an exact translation, but it is the term Cesar used). We gathered in his backyard, and the first thing we saw was a variety of small articles and candies on a piece of paper. When Juan Pedro arrived, he explained that many people pray to Mother Earth to provide for them. They may wish for beans, or quinoa, or other foods; money; a car; even a house. He poured numerous different items into the middle of the paper, which indicated that they were items the people participating in the ceremony wanted. After he had poured all of the items onto the paper, he handed each of us three leaves with an impatiens glued to the center. We each took one, he prayed on it, and then we placed each one on top of the pile of items. He then wrapped the items in paper and tied it like a present. He then wrapped it in a square piece of cloth. In the next step, he went to each of us, tapped us three times with the package, and then we exhaled three times onto the package. The final step of the ceremony would be to burn the package in hopes that we would receive our wishes, but we did not stay to watch that portion. He then sat to answer questions we might have. One thing he did say is that one of our group had a headache, which indeed she did. I couldn't tell - but he could.