Bryant" <bryanth@presidiotex.com> Add to Address Book
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2004 20:13:39 -0000
Subject: [newagefraudsplastichshamans]
He appears to be doing something that is common these days, which is using language that can later be used as the basis for a disclaimer without actually making the disclaimer forthwith. He is billed as "a shaman, healer and ceremonial leader in the Huichol Indian tradition of Mexico." He claims that he "completed a 12-year apprenticeship
with Don Jose Matsuwa, the renowned shaman, who died in 1990 at the age of 110", which is something that could probably be investigated
if one were to go down there and have the proper sort of entree in order be able to interview people there and see what the facts are.
Since he is, at the same time, selling their arts and crafts, they might be unwilling to burst the guy's bubble. However, he would not be the first or only dubious looking character to have claimed to
have been initiated into their culture and religion. There is another guy, another of "Blue Otter's" buddies, a certain Jaime Perez, of El Paso, Texas, who also claims to be a Huichol "shaman". One reason people are so drawn to Huicholes, I think, is because they use peyote, and this has a big attraction for drug users, following in
the tradition that Castaneda modeled after the legacy of his hero Tim Leary. In addition, they are highly accessible. They like to cater to new agers, because they do so in order to augment their arts and crafts sales. I know this because I interviewed a woman who had spent a lot of time down there with them, and she knew most of the Americans who had spent any time there also, and she was very erudite, and I asked, I think, all of the right questions, and I got a lot of important background on this matter from her. I did all of
this after having carefully analyzed the whole world of this Jaime Perez guy and all of his pretentions and the environment into which
it is framed. I would love to just go down there and investigate all of this stuff myself, because I usually have a pretty easy time getting curanderos to open up to me, be they Mexicans or Indians (in
Mexico, that is). The ones who are the actual leaders of their community are friendly with one of my contacts, Antonio Vazquez, a Tarahumara curandero who spent some time with them at an event organized to get indigenous curanderos together from all over Mexico.
See
http://www.ojinaga.com/tara/curandero/index3.htmlSo, this person, Mr. Secunda, is careful not to claim that he is an actual Huichol or a member of their religion, either. But that is not entirely clear, of course. He is like so many of these types, looking
for ways to have his cake and to eat it, too.
Bryant "El brujito de mentiritas" Holman
http://curanderismo.net "Mientras haigan pendejos habrán vivos"
--- In
newagefraudsplastichshamans@yahoogroups.com, "debbieredbear2000"
<debbieredbear2000@y...> wrote:
> Being a breed doesn't matter so much, I think. At least around where > I live. The person who is likely to have stuff taught to them, is the > one who is willing to learn. But Blue Otter is William Scott, another > fraud.
>
> That reminds me, what do you think of that Brant Secunda guy? Claims > to be a Huichol shaman.
>
>
http://www.shamanism.com/secunda.html
