Coca and the Shamanic Traditions of the Andes

Spiritual Traditions of the Andean Shamans

Preparing for the Future, traditional Andean healer Doris Rivera Lenz

Doris Rivera Lenz talks to Howard G Charing and Peter Cloudsley about the effect of belief on health, how we get sick, and how she helps patients recover, and she looks to a future when we will need to keep balance as material values no longer isolate us from the Earth

First Published in Sacred Hoop Magazine Issue 57, 2007





Coca and the Shamanic Traditions of the Andes

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Non-fiction Books peru shamanism

Andean Shamanism Retreat - Web Album

Andean Shamanism Retreat - Peru March 2008

This week expanded on our work with the shamanic tradition of the Andes. Working with San Pedro Maestro Shaman Juan Navarro, and Coca Leaf Diviner & traditional Healer Doris Rivera Lenz. This is an opportunity to experience the rich and powerful spiritual legacy of the Andean civilization which is only now being properly recognised after 500 years of obscurity.

For information about our Retreats and the shamans we work with, visit our website:

San Pedro and Coca - Shamanism Retreat, Peru March 2008

San Pedro and Coca - Andean Shamanism Retreat, Peru March 2008.

A video collage of our week in the Andes, which expanded on our work with the shamanic traditions of the Andes. Working with San Pedro Maestro Shaman Juan Navarro, and Coca Leaf Diviner & traditional Healer Doris Rivera Lenz. This is an opportunity to experience the rich and powerful spiritual legacy of the Andean civilization which is only now being properly recognised after 500 years of obscurity.

Visit our website for info on our Peru Shamanism Retreats

UN wants to ban ancient Andean traditions of chewing coca

UN wants to ban ancient Andean traditions of chewing coca This month the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board recommended a ban on coca chewing and the use of coca in mass-consumption products such as tea in Peru and Bolivia. This is part of an attempt to crack down on cocaine production. Both Andean countries have defended the use of coca which has been used for medicinal and religious purposes for centuries and is part their cultural identity.

The Peruvian and Bolivian governments criticised the UN report for only concentrating on coca cultivation as the basis for cocaine production and that it lacked respect for indigenous cultures. To protest against the UN recommendations, dozens of Peruvian Congress members chewed the coca leaf publicly. Indigenous activists led by the Congress woman Hilaria Supa also gathered in central Lima to raise awareness about the spiritual and cultural uses of the coca leaf.

Click to view aticle on Andean Shamanism and Traditional use of the Coca leaf.

Visit our website for info on our Andean Shamanism Retreats in Peru