The Reluctant Curandero - Part 3 (Conclusion)
(Continued from Previous Post: The Reluctant Curandero - Part 2)
Within a few seconds of rising up within the copal smoke I passed a thin plane, almost like a very short and narrow floor of a building. Somehow I instinctively knew to enter this plane while thinking of the location that Manny Gammage was hospitalized, and in an instant I was transported to the hospital room. Though, I wasn’t in my own body… I was sort of sharing his body, or kind of moving within it. Hard to explain, but I was able to have a look around for anything that seemed like it shouldn’t be there.
First, I found a dark red, and nearly blackened cancer tumor with tendrils embedded in the tissues surrounding it. I pulled at the tumor and through it away from me, then did my best to dig the rest of the embedded tendrils out. Another look around and there was yet another one that I did my best to get rid of as well. Then I sort of used my own energy to kind of give the whole body a quick blast in order to try and kill cells that remained.
Eventually, I didn’t feel like there was anything else I could do and started backing away the way I arrived. Back into the thin plane where I moved at the speed of thought. Back into the column of copal incense smoke, as I descended back down toward the campfire and returned to my own body.
Opened my eyes and thought, “Whoa!, that was a really vivid imagining I just had. And I haven’t even had any of the Derrumbes yet. Heh, I wonder if I really need any organic help to get me to that level of imagination?”
Didn’t think about the experience for all that long. Brushed it off as a goofy wild imagining for the most part, but the vivid quality of it stuck with me.
The next night I partook in the activity I’d come there for and continued on my journey. I don’t remember where I went after that location, but most of the time I’d carry on toward Oaxaca City, then down the mountains to the Oaxaca coastline around Puerto Angel, and then either zig-zag my way east toward Chiapas, or continue South into Guatemala. Vaguely remember that trip taking me to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean coast and exploring the Yucatan Peninsula region. At that time the Yucatan wasn’t as developed and a backpacker could get a simple hut with a sand floor, right on the beach for as little as $1 a night. That was indeed a magical time.
That trip lasted just short of two months or so as I recall... before I was on the long bus crawl back North toward the Texas/Mexico border and back to Austin. I’ve always been fortunate enough to travel just long enough that I’m looking forward to getting home, and this time was no different. The exhilaration from the trip usually lasted about a week before fading back into the regular every day routine.
It was a good month or so after I’d returned that there was a need to call up Joella at Texas Hatters about some business related detail. I’d been doing some photography for them as well as a catalogue and some print ads.
The last conversation I’d had with Joella came rushing back and I began to dread the sadness I’d hear in her voice as she gave me the news. Might’ve dragged my feet until the last minute before making that call and was hoping someone other than Joella would pick up:
“Texas Hatters.. Joella speaking… How can I help you?”
“Oh hi Joella, Skip here”
“Hi! You’re back from Mexico! How was it?”
Joella didn’t depressed down at all. I thought it was pretty remarkable how peppy she sounded, considering she’d just lost her father. Seemed she and her father were pretty close.
“It was great and sometimes weird. Overall spectacular though.”
“You’ll have to come by and tell us about it… don’t we also have some business to attend to as well?”
“Yes, definitely. Looking forward to it… but… um… if it’s not a good time it can definitely wait.”
“No time like the present, and I’m sure Manny would love to hear some Mexico stories!”
“Manny? He’s ok?”
“Yes, he’s fine. Oh that’s right, he’s in remission!”
“Wow! That’s great news!”
I hesitated a bit, and then told Joella that I did something that she would likely make her think I’d definitely lost it. She asked, so I told her the story of thinking about her father while sitting by the fire up in the Oaxaca mountains.
She didn’t say anything for a few seconds. I said:
“You think I’m a complete lunatic now don’t you?”
“No, I don’t think you’re a lunatic… not at all… Do you happen to remember what day it was when you did that ceremony thing with the copal incense?”
“Hmmm… let me think… I left on July 9th.. spent the night in Mexico City… then on toward Huautla de Jimenez, but I had to spend a night of the 10th in Teotitlan del Camino before catching the bus on up into the mountains. So, it had to be July 11th. Why?”
Joella was quiet for a few seconds.
“Hello, Joella? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here. That is very strange.”
“Why?”
“Well, it was July 12th that the doctors came in and said that all the evidence of cancer had disappeared… that the tumors appeared to have vanished… and they said he was in remission.”
“Whoa! That’s crazy… it’s just a coincidence though.”
“I don’t know… I think things like that really are possible… so does my father.”
I was thrilled that Manny was still around for a while more. At least for however his remission lasted. I didn’t really think it had anything at all to do with my wild imagination by a fire outside a mud and thatch-roof hut in the mountains of Oaxaca. It did stick with me though.
I mean, it had to be just pure chance right? Even if those dates lined up kind of eerily?
This was the first time I attempted this, but it wasn’t the last. So far, with over a dozen or so similar attempts, there was only once that it failed. That’s up there around 90% accuracy rate and hard to write off as pure coincidence as this point.
What do I think is going on? Well, I’ve thought about this quite a bit and I believe it has something to do with earnest focussed intent. I’m not a religious person, but I bet it works similarly to group prayer, when several focus their healing intentions on the ailing. Only, I don’t believe the effort is calling on some external being to do the bidding. I think it’s the focussed intent itself. And, I think pretty much anyone can do it. Though, some may be better at it than others. Likely has to do with the individual’s sensitivity and ability to focus their will.
There will be other examples of this in other stories, but this one was the first attempt and evidence that there may be something to it.
Or, I may indeed be a lunatic. Who's to say? :)
Try it out for yourself. Just get somewhere quiet where you can concentrate without distractions. Imagine the person you want to help. Visualize whatever healing activity you perceive needs to take place, and focus. Go with your intuition. Maybe take a couple stabs a day with it if you’re so inclined, and enlist any others who might be game. Who knows? It might just work. And, it certainly couldn’t hurt to try.
You can call it "prayer" if that fits better with your believe system. It likely makes no difference how it's named, as long as the strong, focussed intent is there.