16.) 31.07.08 Of Demons and Sirens

Last night the turning point of my stay in the jungle occured. Now everything makes sense and I am full of ideas and images..

We sat around the kitchen eating dinner (usually banana soup and some thin coffee) when Angel came back from El Barrio (the port of the Amazon river). He had spent all day there drinking with his mates in a port bar and was quite wasted. He is in a chatty mood and offers me a cigarette (which I accept, because smoking in the jungle at night keeps the zancudos away and is really peaceful. I bought some hand rolled cigars at the market and smoke a bit every night watching the stars..)
Then Angel starts telling me by the light of a candle that he is the local Shaman called Icuro. I had no idea and can not quite believe it. He explains how he sucks out bad spirits (diabolos del Cuerpo - devils of the body) and sends them away. He gives me a demonstration which is quite impressive and scary. His hole body and face transforms and he becomes another person. He tells me that he speaks two different demon languages, which sound like a sing-sang, quite ancient deep and calming. He uses the local halocinogetic drug called Ahuyasca to diagnose patients. The drug gives him the vision to see where the illness is located and he can tell the future with it too.
He holds my hand and foot for a while and tells me that I am very well and have no demons. I am glad.
However absurd the whole thing sounds at first, the later the night, the more he talks in his demon languages I start to let go of my western scepticism and feel that there is something to it, as the Inkas have been healing this way for over 3500 years, much longer than any "western" medicine existed.
Then Angel tells me that with his camera (I gave him one too) he took a picture of a demon called Toronja in a super chacra. He explains what a super chacra is: it is a garden like the families chacra but in a total illogical location, many hours into the forest and far away from any human settlements. It would be impossible for anyone from the village to maintain this chacra because the way to any house or port is too far to travel within a day and you could have your garden much closer by. The locals believe that those so called super chacras are haunted by a demon of the forest. They walk far around it if they ever come accross one and leave some cigars as offerings for the demon.
They also believe in sirens, that live at the river and drown anyone that dares to swim in their waters. I find out that we have been to a place where a siren lives last week, which has a waterfall. I ask, why we could go there and he explains that it is ok, if you go with many people and somebody keeps watch. Now I understand why Nilsa never joined us to swim, but sat on a rock overlooking the waterfall the whole time..
There is a lot of mysticism and ancient stories of ghosts and spirits here. I can not believe that I am living in the house of a Shaman! How cool!
I ask him if I may join him for a healing and if I can take pictures. He allows it.

At night in bed I have a lot of images going through my head of pictures I have already taken and ones I still want to take. It sounds like the humming of hundreds of insects, it smells rich, sweet, green and moist and it feels dark and ancient. It all comes together now and I can see the whole clearly in front of me. It will be amazing!!