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Woman Who Glows in the Dark: A Curandera Reveals Traditional Aztec Secrets of Physical and Spiritual Health (Paperback)

~ (Author), Joy Parker (Author) "Curanderismo treats problems that are recognize as illnesses in Western medicine, as well as many that aren't..." (more)
Key Phrases: soul retrieval, greatest medicine, fifth direction, New Mexico, Mexico City, Ghost Ranch (more...)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the border towns of south Texas, the Mexican "folk" medicine called curanderismo is often regarded as witchcraftAa means for hex removals and love divinations. Avila was therefore surprised to learn in her masters program in psychiatric nursing at the University of Texas that curanderismo is a broad-based fusion of Aztec, Spanish and African traditional medicines with hundreds of useful applications. This discovery, coupled with her dissatisfaction with the limitations of conventional mental health practices, motivated Avila, who grew up in a first-generation Chicano family in El Paso, Tex., to apprentice with an Aztec master and eventually to become a full-time curandera. Her first book, co-written with Parker (coauthor of Maya Cosmos), is a clear-sighted introduction to the fundamentals of this alternative healing practice. It describes the healers, who range from spiritual counselors to general practitioners and massage therapists; their counseling techniques, ritual purifications and soul retrievals; characteristics of common diseases; and formulas for achieving a balanced lifestyle, a rich spiritual life and good nutrition. The down-to-earth explanations of such afflictions as envidia (envy), susto (fright or loss of soul) and mal puesto (bad luck) will help dispel misconceptions about these "folk" ailments that, in curandero terms, are common to all people. Particularly thought-provoking is Avila's perspective on mainstream mental health and her preference for the holistic curandero approach to treating mental diseases, including psychosis and imbalances induced by severe trauma. "A good curandera," she writes, "can help us find the middle ground in a culture where balance, reality, and enlightened compromise are not always part of our support system." Agent, Elaine Markson; author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal

Curanderismo is a kind of integrated medicine, an amalgam of African, Spanish, and Native American medical systems. Avila is a registered nurse who apprenticed herself to an Aztec teacher to learn this form of folk healing, and here she relates her journey toward becoming a curandera, a spiritual healer. Like other New Age medical practitioners, Avila believes that Western medicine is not responding adequately to the deeper needs of sick people, treating only the biological symptoms and neglecting the spiritual ones. Avila describes her training through a series of case studies recounting different healing experiences. The book is somewhat simplistic and uncritical, but as a study of a different medical belief system, it may be of interest to many public library readers.?Helaine Selin, Hampshire Coll. Lib., Amherst, MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Tarcher (May 18, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1585420220
  • ISBN-13: 978-1585420223
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #149,279 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #27 in  Books > History > Ancient > Aztec
    #32 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Native Healing

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Elena Avila
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Curanderismo treats problems that are recognize as illnesses in Western medicine, as well as many that aren't. Read the first page
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soul retrieval, greatest medicine, fifth direction, trance journey, soul loss, folk practitioners, healing room
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New Mexico, Mexico City, Ghost Ranch, Woman Who Glow, United States, Woman Who Glou, Low Dog, Virgin of Guadalupe, Congress of Traditional Medicine, Native American, Los Angeles, New Zealand, Ana Castillo, Auntie Mae, Eliseo Torres, Maestro Andres Segura, Mother Earth, Sandia Mountains, Tata Faustino, Wonzan Who Glow
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69 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From the Horse's Mouth, August 27, 2005
By Joy Parker (San Clemente, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I am the co-author of Woman Who Glows in the Dark. I had not visited this page for quite some time and was deeply troubled to read the review written by Edward B. Holman. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I feel that Mr. Holman has made some grave misjudgements about an author he has never met. He has also reported information, inaccurately and out of context, regarding a book I find it difficult to believe he has read. None of his references get beyond p. 28, and Chapter 1 starts on p. 41.

I spent eight months writing this book with Elena. That work involved traveling through Guatemala and Mexico with her, meeting her Aztec teacher Ehekateotl, staying at her home in New Mexico for weeks at a time, and meeting and interviewing her students and some clients. As someone who knows her personally and had to do extensive research to write this book, let me tell you, from the proverbial horse's mouth, what really happened and something of who this woman is.

Mr. Holman writes "Curanderismo is mainly the province of the people who are, essentially, exorcists, and their conterparts, brujos, brujas, and hechiceros, are people who are paid by their clients to place hexes on others."

This is incorrect. First of all, many modern curanderos are midwives, herbalists, chiropractors, bone-setters, and counselors. For a more in-depth discussion of this topic, please see, Chapter 1: Types of Curanderos and Their Specialties (beginning on p. 69).

Second, to infer that this class of healers, and Elena by extension, deals only with the darker arts is a gross mistatement.

Elena is a healer of the highest integrity--and, I might add, an inspiring humility. Every time we met to write, she spoke of the responsibility that healers have toward their clients. She never claimed any "magical powers" for herself but emphasized over and over that she was just God's instrument.

The stories she tells in this book are of clients who were healed in a profound way. You have only to read them to see the love and commitment she brings to this work. Writing this book with her brought profound healing into my own life.

I also saw the fruits of her work in her students, whom I met and interviewed for the book. The foundation in healing that she gave them was solid and rich. I refer you to Chapter 6, which is filled with stories about what she taught them about curanderismo. Read the book and let these students, who have worked and traveled with her for years, speak for themselves.

Mr. Holman goes on to say, "she replaces it [the 'conventional wisdom of curanderismo']with a concoction that she largely invented herself, with the help of a couple of fraudulent pretenders from Mexico who claim to be the heirs of the magical and religious traditions of the Aztec Indians."

Again, I was there. I traveled with her to Mexico and spent time in the community center of her teacher Ehekateotl, who is truly one of the spiritual heirs of the Mexica (Aztec) tradition. How do I know this is true? Because I met the people he helps in his community and found them to be good and intelligent souls. I helped them to build a huge altar for the Dia de los Muertos ceremony and did ceremony with them. I was permitted to visit some of their sacred sites. I listened to their stories, I met other healers who deeply respected Ehe.

All I can say is that Ehekateotl is a man of deep humility, great humor, and dedication to his people. To call such a kind and generous man, sight unseen, a "fraudulent pretender," as Mr. Homan does, is inexcusable. Ehe lives very humbly, has little money, and spends his days healing people who come to the community center where he lives. (And they keep coming, obvously, because they get results.) He is really quite overworked and kind, and carries on with a lot of courage.

To really understand how a culture could go underground to survive the Spanish Conquest, take a look at Chapter 7: The Gods That Refused to Die. It's not unthinkable that cultures go underground. When I wrote A FOREST OF KINGS and MAYA COSMOS with Linda Schele and David Friedel, it was the same story. The Aztecs, as well as the Maya, are alive and well.

On the subject of cursing, Mr. Holman quotes Elena as writing, "'Some times the "cursed" individual is suffering from some kind of chemical imbalance, such as schizophrenia, and needs medication and psychiatric help.'... That is the impression I get of her. People come to her expecting to be treated in the way that any other curandera would treat them, and she sends them off to someone who will get them started on Prozac. Thanks a lot, Ms. Avila!"

This is taken entirely out of context. I quote from p. 53 of the book, "Recently, I saw an elder named Anna who had give a 'curandero' her life savings--ten thousand dollars--to take away a hex. I was deeply saddened by her story. Her thirty-six-year-old daughter had been diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia but was refusing to take her medication."

Elena goes on to say that the daughter was becoming violent and was unable to care for her small children. When the woman brought her daughter to Elena, who is also a trained psychiatric nurse, "It was obvious to me that her daughter had a chronic condition and needed to take her medication. Not taking her medication was what was causing her to become violent with her children."

This brings up an important point, that there is, as Mr. Holman implies, some sort of "right" or "orthodox" way to be a curandera. This is a terribly limited way of looking at any healing modality. A true healer applies the APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE cure for the situation, not some kind of rigid prescription.

What Elena writes about in this book is how she has taken what she learned of curanderismo and applied it to THIS culture. Sometimes that looks very, very traditional indeed; and sometimes it looks creative and appropriate and effective. The stories told in the book, particularly the story of Donna and her soul retrieval in Chapter 4: The Weeping Soul, p. 193, attest to how skillfully Elena works with her patients and how astute she is about finding ways to help them.

I would also like to address Mr. Holman's remark "I am quite sure she charges for her sessions, her lectures and tours and workshops, and anything else she can charge people for. And I doubt if she is cheap, either." It is true that in traditional cultures a healer works by accepting donations. But it is also true that they never have to go without food or lodging or the necessities of life because the community values them and takes care of them. To expect a curandera in America to accept only donations is just absurd. Elena started out this way, she told me, but soon discovered that people would give her $15 for two hours of work. One wealthy client, who had a $100-a-day cocaine habit, handed her a twenty for hours of work.

Why do we believe that traditional healers don't deserve to be paid? We pay our medical doctors, don't we? Yes, Elena does charge, reasonably, but I also know for a fact that she would not turn away someone who really needed her help. When we were in Mexico City together doing research for the book, the owner of the hotel we stayed at found out she was a curandera and sent his whole staff to her. She didn't charge a penny and willingly worked on everyone because that is her calling.

It is also very interesting that the book that Mr. Holman holds up as the ideal, CURANDERISMO by Robert Trotter, does not seem to have been well-reviewed by him. I quote from his review of that volume: "This book is what one would expect from a team of American academics starting from scratch trying to assemble a definitive body of knowledge while based on US soil and focusing on a population located inside of the US." On the other hand, Elena has lived her whole life in this culture and WOMAN WHO GLOWS IN THE DARK is written with depth and intelligence, honesty and passion.

I just do not believe that Mr. Holman carefully read this book and I am curious about the virulence of his attack.

I can only urge you to read this book and judge for yourself. It is a wonderful record of the history of curanderismo, of love and service to others, and of deep respect for a wonderful, endlessly creative, living healing tradition.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredibly empowering, inspiring, enlightening book!!!, May 17, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Woman Who Glows in the Dark (Hardcover)
Not only does Elena (with Joy) explain clearly the essential concepts, tools, and techniques of curanderismo, but she also illustrates how these principles and practices can be applied in a variety of contexts and settings in very individualized and meaningful ways. Filled with wonderful stories about her own evolution as a curandera, and her experiences with teachers, friends, family and clients, Elena speaks to us with tremendous honesty, compassion, and a beautiful sense of humor. I smiled, and cried, many times, sometimes simultaneously, as I read this book --it was like poetry for my heart and soul. Elena teaches us just how important it is to respect and honor the needs of the soul, which she regards as sacred. She shows us how we can better listen to, communicate with, and heal the deepest, wisest, and most authentic parts of our being. She explores the value of emotions, intuition, instincts, relationships, humor, creativity, touch, prayer and ritual; and she suggests how we can acknowledge and integrate these resources into everyday personal life as well as professional practice. I don't want to say too much about the book or give away La Curandera's "recipes" for happiness and health, because each reader should have the pleasure of discovering them for herself or himself. Suffice it to say that this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to achieve greater physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance and clarity in their lives and in relationships. It is also essential reading for anyone involved in the healing professions who desires to assist and support others in the healing process, especially those working with culturally diverse populations. This is a timely and timeless book that is filled with, to quote Elena and Joy, "practical spirituality". I have already recommended it to family, friends and colleagues, and, as a healthcare social worker, I plan to recommend it to clients. It is a pure joy to read, and I am certain that I will reread and consult the wisdom of 'Woman Who Glows in the Dark' many, many times in the future.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully alive & full of wisdom--just like Elana herself!, April 20, 1999
This review is from: Woman Who Glows in the Dark (Hardcover)
Elena's book is wonderfully alive, and full of spirit and wisdom--just like Elana herself. The people who had the good sense and great fortune to be treated by her were very lucky people, and so are we as we take the opportunity to read about her life and work. WOMAN WHO GLOWS IN THE DARK not only takes us into the primary world of healing through curanderismo (expressed for the first time by one who is actually practicing it, rather than someone outside looking in), but also has the capacity to inform our own life and spirit. Joy has helped Elena do a wonderful job of telling this fascinating story. Beginning with Elena's own experience and on into the healing stories of others, this book will keep you deeply interested. OPEN YOUR MIND AND HEART AS YOU OPEN THIS BOOK - THERE IS MUCH TO GAIN.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Change the World!
It's always suspect, isn't it, when you get a bunch of reviews for a book which give 5 stars and then one review appears with one star. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Zoeeagleeye

5.0 out of 5 stars informative and interesting
I knew nothing about this subject before reading this book and I have to say as a former R.N. myself I was enthralled by the concepts of healing explained in this book. Read more
Published 18 months ago by L. Scott

1.0 out of 5 stars Another New Age book for the gullible
Lewt me start off by saying that I have been interviewing curanderos and curanderas in Mexico, along with their clients, for 15 years now, and I have read all of the major books... Read more
Published on August 21, 2005 by Edward B. Holman

5.0 out of 5 stars invaluable wisdom and knowledge on modern Curanderismo
One of the most, if not the most important book of Modern Curanderismo. Lovely book, that is hard to place down, and belongs in every Healer's shelf. Read more
Published on September 15, 2003 by El Brujo

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful book
There is no end of thanks for such insight as is reflected in this book. Elena Avila is a selfless healer. What she does is the blessing of the Creator. Read more
Published on March 24, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional writing by Joy Parker
This book is a beautiful and powerful testimony of the potential that lies within each of us to heal. Read more
Published on May 29, 2000 by Lorien Eck

5.0 out of 5 stars Patch Adams, meet Elena Avila
It is fitting that with next millennium upon us, western medicine is beginning to break out, and away from the dark ages of medicine as Industry, and focus on medicine for... Read more
Published on December 1, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Open your mind an dyour heart
Elena Avila describes a compassionate healing art with soul and love. She also points out how we need to regain our own power to heal ourselves rather than giving up all... Read more
Published on October 8, 1999 by S. Vrooman

5.0 out of 5 stars The vision of a new health system for mind/body/spirit.
Elena Avila's vision is years ahead of our present health care system, which fails to treat the whole person. Read more
Published on May 17, 1999 by Gloria Cook (gjcook@gloriacook...

5.0 out of 5 stars A STANDING OVATION FOR ELENA AVILA!
As a practicing Curandera I found WOMAN WHO GLOWS IN THE DARK inspiring, helpful and right on target. Read more
Published on May 9, 1999

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