Limpia Ceremony in the MesoAmerican Tradition
Word Smith: Limpia
A word for spiritual cleansing, Hispanic communities turn to Curanderas, or folk healers, to help them with Limpas to release the powers holding them caught in a web. Limpia ceremonies have been in the shadows. Many Curanderas are older women with their collection of candles, Palo Santo and sage, and religious icons, who have operated in the shadows of society for centuries. Now the ancient Healing Art practitioners are entering the age of Instagram.
Limpias do not replace visits to medical doctors. Instead they are powerful media for removing spiritual illness and help with physical health problems. The limpia ceremony tools include an herbal bundle for the Curanderas, which they bring to shower peace, rejuvenation, protection, clarity, and opportunity all over the recipient.
What Do you Want in an Herbal Bundle? And Why?
The Curanderas bring an herbal bundle to absorb the negative energies of the body as they pass it over the entire body. In addition to Palo Santo, sage and tallows, the bundle may include rude (rue), pirul (pepper tree), romero (rosemary), albahaca (basil) and tobacco. The bundle is beaten over the back of the knees and in the front of the recipient. The Curanderas exhorts the spirit of the patient to “come” and return to the body “so that you are where you are.” [1]
The herbs absorb the negative energies of the body, and, in return, provide their positive energies to bring peace and harmony to the person being cleansed.
A bird’s egg, an element of the female womb, is then used in much the same way, removing the heavy vibrations, and bringing balance and equilibrium. While the egg is rubbed over the entire body, special attention is paid to the head, hands, heart, stomach and feet.
Mezcal, an alcoholic spirit derived from the Agave plant, which is in the family Asparagaceae, is then sprayed over the head, heart, stomach, hands and feet. To tribes in Mexico, mescal is a spiritual drink consumed to return the spirit to the body.
The healer blows smoke from the incense, Copal, a resin from the elephant tree (Bursera microphylla), over the recipient’s body.
Finally, the Curanderas places a candle in the person’s hands. The healer says a prayer that the candle be a symbol of light, that the person goes forward with good energy and vibrations, that the bad energy be removed when the candle is burn, that the light may provide peace and harmony, and help the person choose their path.
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References:
[1] https://theherbanalchemistdr.myshopify.com/blogs/medicines-of-the-world/zapotec-healing-ceremony-limpia
Henry E. Hooper 