I am so honored to know these two amazing people let alone collaborate with them. There is something miraculous in what these shamans/curanderos offer so generously to our ailing world, our ailing selves—beyond ayahuasca, beyond the jungle, for those who are ready and willing to listen.

​

Lucho Rimachi

Lucho is the oldest brother of twelve and has a surgeon-like way of describing his healing work in ayahuasca ceremonies, "emotional gastritis," for example. He has the spirit of both a sweet child and a powerful bear and loves to share his wisdom, huge heart, and joyful belly laugh with everyone around him. Lucho studied at seminary and became a Catholic priest. When this didn't work so well with the traditions of his people and his shamanism, he left the church and now embraces all spiritualities. He went on to study in Lima and got degrees in psychology, theology, and philosophy. He also studied anthropology and went to three years of medical school. He worked as a psychologist and professor of psychology before returning to the Amazon to open Selva Madre, his own ayahuasca retreat with his family. He incorporates many perspectives into his work healing people and has big dreams for helping the world.

​

Guido (G-ee-do, not Gwee-do) Rimachi

Guido is playful and positive, he is the mystic poet and dreamer of all the shamans I’ve met. He became a curandero for several reasons. At the age of nine he was bitten by a snake, a bushmaster, with a bite so strong it can kill you in an hour. He survived through a traditional diet and plant medicine. Then some time later his brother, one of his 12 siblings, got very ill and the monks at the hospital couldn’t cure him. By the time he was taken to a shaman-curandero, it was too late. Guido decided to learn the old healing ways to protect his family and those he loves. He started a clinic in his village and has healed people now for decades. He also co-founded with a westerner a long-running ayahuasca center outside of Iquitos. Guido was my shaman and maestro in the months I was trapped in the Amazon during the Peruvian Covid lockdown and I was amazed at his skill, power, and gentle nature. 

​