Our Lineage & Sacred Tradition
Ancient wisdom, living relationships, and a tradition carried forward with reverence and responsibility
The Shipibo-Konibo Tradition
The Shipibo-Konibo are an indigenous people of the Ucayali basin in the Peruvian Amazon. They are among the most respected holders of sacred plant medicine knowledge in the world. For generations, Shipibo curanderos and curanderas have worked with the sacred medicine as the centerpiece of a rich spiritual tradition — one that encompasses healing, prayer, vision, sound, and an intricate understanding of the energetic structure of all living things.
At the heart of the Shipibo tradition is the concept of Kene — a visual language of spiritual geometry that encodes the patterning of the universe itself. Kene appears in the elaborate textiles, body art, and ceremonial objects of the Shipibo people, and it is also experienced in sacred ceremony as visions of intricate, flowing design. The sacred medicine is understood to teach Kene directly to the spirit. It is not just a plant — it is a teacher, a living intelligence, a doorway into the sacred order underlying all creation.
ECC's ceremonial practice is rooted in this lineage through direct apprenticeship with Maestro Enrique Lopez, a Shipibo curandero whose knowledge and spiritual standing anchor the authenticity of the work we carry. Our relationship with this tradition is not borrowed or appropriated — it has been formed through years of direct, respectful, and ongoing engagement.
Icaros: Songs That Carry Spirit
In the Shipibo tradition, icaros are sacred songs that serve as the primary vehicle for ceremonial guidance. They are not simply melodies or chants. Each icaro carries a specific spiritual intention, an energetic structure, and a direct transmission from the plant-spirit or ancestor whose knowledge it encodes. A practitioner may carry hundreds of icaros, each suited to a different moment: opening ceremony, calling protection, guiding a participant through a difficult passage, clearing energetic blockages, or closing the ceremonial container with gratitude.
Icaros are not composed intellectually. They arise from direct relationship — from time in ceremony, from dieta, from prayer, and from the plant teachers themselves. They come as gifts. A facilitator who sings with sincerity is transmitting something that reaches beyond words and concepts into the deeper registers of consciousness where the sacred medicine operates.
Kano's training has produced a deep well of icaros that he brings to every ceremony. The quality and depth of the songs, and the presence from which they are sung, are among the most significant factors in the quality of the ceremonial container. When you hear the icaros in our ceremonies, you are hearing the tradition itself speaking — through a human voice that has been shaped by years of practice and relationship.
"The icaros are the language of the medicine. They tell her what to do, where to go, what to show. Without icaros, the ceremony has no guidance. With them, it has a clear and loving intelligence at work."
The Dieta: Deep Relationship With Plant Teachers
The dieta is one of the most important practices in the Shipibo tradition — and one of the least understood by those who have not experienced it. A dieta is a period of intentional retreat with a specific master plant. The practitioner withdraws from ordinary life: simplifying their diet, abstaining from intoxicants, refraining from sexual activity, limiting social contact, and spending extended time in prayer, silence, and focused presence with the plant they are dieting.
During this period, the plant-spirit — which the Shipibo tradition recognizes as a conscious, communicating being — teaches the practitioner. This teaching comes in many forms: through dreams, visions, songs that arise spontaneously, and direct knowing that deepens over time. The relationship formed in dieta does not end when the dieta does. The plant teacher remains as a kind of inner guide and source of knowledge for the rest of the practitioner's life.
Both Kano and Brett have completed dietas with Noya Rao (the "tree of light," a plant used for clarity and protection) and Bobinsana (a plant associated with the heart, love, and perseverance). These are among the most respected master plants in the Shipibo pharmacopoeia. The knowledge and icaros that emerged from those dietas are carried into every ceremony ECC holds.
The dieta practice is one of the clearest markers of genuine engagement with the Shipibo tradition. It is not comfortable. It asks for real sacrifice. That willingness to sacrifice for the sake of deeper knowledge and service is part of what makes our facilitators trustworthy holders of this sacred work.
Cultural Respect and Living Reciprocity
ECC's relationship with the Shipibo tradition is not simply a matter of adopting techniques. It is a relational commitment — one that carries obligations. The Shipibo people have maintained and transmitted this sacred knowledge across centuries, often under conditions of tremendous difficulty. To carry their tradition into the context of the United States is a privilege and a responsibility, not a right.
We honor this responsibility through direct, ongoing relationship with the teachers and community from whom our lineage flows. We practice ayni — the Andean and Amazonian principle of sacred reciprocity — by giving back materially and relationally to the sources of this tradition. We do not treat indigenous wisdom as a resource to extract and repurpose. We treat it as a living inheritance held in trust, to be respected and returned to in humility.
We are also attentive to the risks of distortion that arise when any tradition moves across cultural contexts. Western participants can misunderstand the nature of the work, projecting therapeutic frameworks onto what is fundamentally a spiritual and religious practice. We are careful in how we describe the tradition — honoring its depth and complexity without simplifying it into something more palatable for a secular audience. The sacrament is not an experience or a tool. It is a holy teacher, encountered through prayer, ceremony, and sincere spiritual seeking.
We reject commodification
Sacred practice is not a product. We do not sell experiences. We offer ceremony as an expression of genuine religious community — open to sincere seekers, and protected from misuse.
We honor living teachers
Our connection to the Shipibo lineage flows through real relationships with living human beings — not from workshops, books, or certificates. That living connection is what gives this work its integrity.
We adapt without diluting
Ceremonies in the United States operate in a different context than ceremonies in the Amazon, and certain practical adaptations are necessary. We make these adaptations thoughtfully, in consultation with the tradition's source, never sacrificing spiritual depth for comfort or convenience.
Common Questions
About the Tradition
Who are the Shipibo-Konibo?
What is Kene in the Shipibo tradition?
How is Earth Connection Community connected to the Shipibo tradition?
What are icaros?
What is a dieta?
What plants have ECC's facilitators dieted?
Ancient Wisdom, Alive in Our Time
The tradition we carry is thousands of years old. It is also alive and present in every ceremony we hold. If you feel called to this path, we invite you to learn more about what it means to join us.