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While wandering through central Cuenca, Ecuador, I came across Plaza Rotary at the corner of Gaspar Sangurima and Vargas Machuca. There I met the woman pictured above. She was part of a group of healers who meet each Friday performing “limpias” for a small price.
A "limpia" is a spiritual cleansing ritual thought to cleanse the body, emotions, mind, and soul removing any negative energies or thoughts. It is therefore also thought to attract the reverse or happiness, love, health, and abundance.
Limpias are known to have spiritual benefits as well like improving communion with the spirit world or as a preparation ritual for a ceremony or a "trabajo" (spiritual work).
From what I found out, there are many types of limpias and there are many different tools that a Curandera (practitioner) can use to perform a limpia. These shamans might use specific plants like a rue (ruda), pepper tree (pirul), rosemary (romero), basil (albahaca), lavender (alucema), tobacco (tabaco), as well as crystals, alcohol, spiritual baths, smudgings, incense, candles, or eggs to perform their ritual.
It is believed that the best days to perform a limpia are Tuesdays and Fridays and the best time is at midday when the sun is at its height. What a coincidence that I happened to be in the Plaza Rotary at exactly noon on a Friday. Or was it?
While I was there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go through the ritual because you can't ever have too many cleansings right? Just know, if you decide to go through the experience, be prepared to have the shaman spit alcohol in your face, put ashes on your forehead and back, and beat you over the head with tobacco leaves. If you cooperate, they might even ask you to pull up your shirt so they can rub an egg all over your chest. If you are uncooperative, they just won't ask and do it for you.
After my cleansing was complete, this woman stood still like a statue off to the side of the ritual area. Seeing her face and the life story it held, I had to capture the moment.
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Wow. I cant imagine what the experience would be like. Knowing how I usually am, if the ritual was done on me, I would be having trouble stopping myself from exerting weird facial expressions, especially after being spat on. Haha. But definitely interesting! Let me know how it improved your communion with the spirit world! Hope it isnt anything too creepy though. Or maybe Im just paranoid.
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if you try it out, I hope it brings an experience like no other!
Safe travels <3
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Hello, love the first picture BUT it's a huge image file. Maybe you want to resize and re-upload :)
thanks for the tip
So how did you feel afterwards?
like I had been beaten with tobacco leaves. :)
Lol
cool!
I had a very similar experience in Mexico City a few weeks ago. In my experience it was burning incense all over the body, and rubbing a specific type of herb over the front and back on the neck, and on top of the head as well. It is fascinating how the indigenous cultures of the Americas all have their own unique traditions.
Thanks for the post, I read it because we spent some time in Ecuador and even in the same spot in Cuenca. I had never heard of any of these rituals though. Very interesting. You're right, I guess there can never be too many cleanses :)
This is a wonderful portrait!
I wonder what she thought of you taking her photograph... She didn't stop you from capturing her soul? Or maybe she likes selfies! ;)
Actually she did not even notice I took her photo.
No wayyy! She looks like she's posing for you... Maybe as you said, she stood still like a statue to aside, she might have been in a trance-like state? A cooling down thing...
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