Animal Medicine by Erika Buenaflor

Description

Animal Medicine by Erika Buenaflor explores the animal mythologies, spirit journeying techniques, and shapeshifting practices of ancient shamanic traditions and modern-day curanderismo.

Erika examines how indigenous Mesoamerican peoples used animals in their ceremonial healing and divination rites. She explains the innate gifts and powers that different animals embody. Exploring why certain animals are associated with, and provide access to, the non-ordinary realms. The Underworld, Middleworld, and Upperworld. Here deities, ancestors, supernatural beings, and medicine can be connected with or obtained.

This book also explores shapeshifting practices in detail. Looking at the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits we can gain by engaging in shapeshifting practices. Erika also explores how to strengthen our connections with our spirit animal guides.

Offering an alphabetical guide to 76 animals most prevalent in ancient Mesoamerican legends, ceremonies, and medicinal rites. The author details each animal’s:

• spiritual gifts
• shapeshifting medicine
• the realm they are associated with
• their symbolic meaning when they appear in a dream or vision

Providing multiple methods to connect with animals for spiritual guidance, self-empowerment, and healing. Erica Buenaflor reveals how each of us can enrich our lives with ancient Mesoamerican wisdom for working with animal guides.

Erika Buenaflor has a master’s degree in religious studies with a focus on Mesoamerican shamanism from the University of California at Riverside. A practising curandera for more than 20 years, descended from a long line of grandmother curanderas. Erica has studied with curanderas/os in Mexico, Peru, and Los Angeles and gives presentations on curanderismo in many settings, including UCLA.