A story within a story of healing

It was 2003 and I lived in an apartment in Panama City. This place was also Panama Yoga Centre, and in a way had become the headquarters for Embera people while in the city

It was in the look of Tililas eyes that the real message was revealed to me one day. In my home she came to me, there was energy between her words, her look, and her declaration. " Raymond I want to prove to the world that with the hidden botanical science of Embera traditional medicine we can cure AIDS. " She continued her talk with thoughts of all the sick people, and her knowledge of the healing power of plants. Tilila explained to me that the Great Mystery has left in plants the cure to all sickness and that an elite group of Embera botanical healers are the custodians of this knowledge. She felt that it was time to share with the world the benefits of this science, that people sick without hope could be cured. She as Embera was not in a position to teach this hidden science, but that she felt a calling to cure. I held my breath as my words conveyed my complete faith in her ability and that I would dedicate my life to aid her on this path. That was and is now years ago. Now the real story will unfold.

In the early nineteen eighty’s adventure and the prospect of gold brought me to the Darien Province in the Republic of Panama. Ever since, I have developed a brotherhood with the indigenous Embera people. Their culture and ways were well known to me, but it was still a surprise when Tilila approached me in December of 2003. She was accompanied by Norman Cabrera one of the regional Chiefs of the Embera-Wounaan. They had come to my apartment in Panama City with a proposal. Tilila is a healer whose warm expressive eyes and empathic nature inspire confidence. So, when she told me that she could cure cancer and aids I believed her right away. Our conversation revolved around what they call their hidden science, one aspect of which is botanical knowledge applied towards healing. She explained to me that God has left the cure to all illness in the plants and that this knowledge has been entrusted to her people.

This became a sacred mission to prove to the non-indigenous that aids, cancer, and diabetes have a cure. Our aim was to find out if the world was ready to accept this indigenous healing practice.

My thoughts played around the facts that if these cures were not possible that it would be no big deal. However, if these cures were valid it would be a very big deal indeed. The real importance of this issue was simply that if people are sick we must heal them. If the world is a violent dying place, that we must heal the world. I started to find her patients.

An American friend living in Panama gave me a lead. I followed it to a local hospital to meet the family of a woman dying of cancer. With careful respect I approached the husband and grown son in an adjacent waiting room. After having explained to them an alternative to their family member’s condition, they agreed to an Embera intervention. They were told of this botanical knowledge, and that of the handful of those who possessed this skill there was one willing to accept non-indigenous patients. After a few attempts to get through to the single pay phone in her village on the reservation I got lucky. Tilila was back on her way to Panama City.

As unexpected twists go, it was a pleasure to meet Bienvenido, Tililas husband. Also a healer and her male counterpart, an empathic soul who cares for the sick. Upon her arrival, they were quickly ushered into a family car and off to the home where the woman was left to die after being released from the hospital. The routine became for the healers to be picked up early mornings in one of the metro areas worst crime ridden barrios, where they would stay overnight, to treat the bed ridden cancer patient until late afternoon.

To hear Bienvenido tell the story is to be entertained by gesture and facial expression. He and his wife were alarmed at first sight of their patient. She was diagnosed with brain cancer and in coma. She was all swollen up with bed sores all over her body taking her last breaths. The couple looked at each other for support. This patient was more dead than alive as they administered herbal infusions and baths to attend her ails. After two days, the twenty four hour nursing staff installed in the home was amazed by the condition of the skin and how the swelling had gone down. After four days a doctor called it a miracle that she was lucid enough to recognize her family after having regained her sight, and was enjoying watching TV.

The patient had not yet regained her voice, could not speak. Her recovery was remarkable but she had developed a bad cough which concerned the family enough to send her back to the hospital. There was a break between her indigenous treatment and what the family thought was the correct action to take. As this was presented to me it became more obvious the difficulty of proving to the non-indigenous the value of the old ways.

You must first understand that here, as in many parts of the world, the indigenous population are viewed as second class citizens by those whose bloodlines are European. For this and other reasons, communication between cultures has been difficult at best. I first explained to the family that it was a prerequisite for them to accept fully the Embera method before undertaking the services of the healers. The understanding was that we were looking for people who were unsatisfied with their modern medical treatment, would consider this healing alternative, and would understand that there was no payment due unless there was a cure and that upon being cured that they would serve as a testimonial to the effectiveness of the cure.

Part of accepting the Embera method was to respect and follow through the instructions of the healers. The family, unfortunately, broke this pact. The healers were upset as that felt that the patient wanted their care, and as she could not speak for herself, her right to live was being relegated back to modern medicine which had failed in the first place. Bienvenido and Tilila were frustrated, insulted that their practice was interrupted without due consideration. If anything was to be done it was pretty much in my hands.

The doctors were concerned that as the patient was coughing so much, and in such a weakened condition, that food or medicine could infect her lungs. They opened a hole in her stomach to feed her directly. The botanical savants informed me that they could have treated the patient using their methods that her coughing would improve. That the family was not responding to the special diet they insisted be followed by the patient. It was all too clear the communication problem. It pressed my mind this insult to my companions and my compassion for this man whose wife was dying as I spoke with him.

He was resigned to her death and wanted her to die with dignity, with family, and without pain. My words for this man were simply put by the observation of Tilila. That this woman was a fighter and that she wanted to live, that if there was a chance that she should be given the opportunity. This talk was enough for the patient to receive a bit more medicine while she was in the hospital. As Tillila told me, the patient the patient did not want to let go of her hand and gladly took her medicine without coughing.

We were all in my apartment discussing what to do about the situation. It was Sunday during carnival celebrations and Tilila knew that her patient’s husband spent his Sundays at home. She called the family and was informed by his mother that he was not available but that she would be there all day. Our agreement was to let matters lay. Tilila wanted only to return to the home to gather a few medicinal plants that she had left there. There was also the possibility of speaking with the husband to see if we could reach some accord. The fact was that the patient who was near death was still alive a month after receiving an Embera healing. Of course, the method was not respected and prematurely interrupted. In spite of this, the healers were convinced that it was the plant medicine that kept her alive.
After having called the family myself and being informed, by their maid, that no family members were there, we decided to stop by just to pick up Tililas remedio.

Arriving to their opulent family home on the outskirts of Panama City, we were surprised by the number of cars in the driveway. Apparently they were having a late Sunday lunch. We played out our characters with Tilila approaching from the maid’s entrance, while I went to the front door. A maid addressed me with the facts of the matter. The family was at lunch and not to be disturbed. I fought against my natural tendency to impose myself choosing the gentler approach of retreat. In retrospect we all agreed that it would be better to find other patients. We were after all on a mission in Gods hands.

Part of our pact was to develop a consensus amongst the other Embera-Wounaan botanical healers. One aspect was to insure that this hidden science dot be taught to non-indigenous. If we were successful in opening an Embera healing clinic that the proceeds would go to the entire community, to projects that protect the Earth Mother, the plants. We understood the real value of this mission was spiritual in nature not commercial. All this while we had maintained communication with the Embera-Wounaan traditional leaders as to keep consensus. In a practical way, one with the whole community through its traditional leaders. (Even though her treatments were interrupted the patient lived with her family for two more years)

Now in 2007 I look back at this story within a story while looking forward to being able to being able to share more of our struggle to bring traditional healing to the forefront.
Namaste,
Raymond Hermenet
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