Male

38

I was born in San Francisco in July of 1971. As a youth growing up in San Francisco's Mission District, I witnessed the effects of poverty, gangs, and drug abuse. This led me to dedicate my life to social awareness and led to a spiritual reawakening in my early twenties after the birth of my son Cruuz, whom I've raised as a single parent since he was three years old. My ancestral roots are from Jalisco, Mexico, my mother being of indigenous Huichol heritage. Huichol, also referred to as Wixalika, translates to "healers" or "prophets". They are a very spiritual people whose ceremonies and spirituality form the core of their lives. Having a diverse backround in the healing arts and shamanic studies, I've participated in sacred ceremonies with indigenous healers in the Amazonian rainforest of Peru and Mazatec elders of Oaxaca, Mexico. This includes the ceremonial use of transformative plants such as Ayauasca, awakening the internal wisdom that has been lost in today's fast-paced society. After these initiations, I began studying healing arts from one-on-one learning with healers to formal study in classroom settings.