Theatre of the Mind Podcast Episodes

Kelly Howell: Welcome to Theatre of the Mind. I'm your host, Kelly Howell. Last week I needed to brush up on my Italian, this week it's Spanish. Today's guest is Patricia Padialla, an eighth generation curandera. She is an extraordinary healer and psychic, and in a moment she'll be speaking with us about this ancient healing art. But first a few brief announcements.
Mary: Hi Kelly, my name is Mary and I have gotten several... quite a few of your products and I am in contact with you every single day on the CDs that I do listen to, so I hear your voice every single day, and I do enjoy them very, very much, and they have made a difference. Obviously I'm just leaving my message to you and my gratitude also.
Kelly: Mary, congratulations for winning the contest. I heard from the office that you were pretty happy about it. And to everyone who's called and emailed, thanks for participating. Next week, we have an instructor from the Hypnotherapy Academy of America coming to speak with us about their certification training and hypnosis in general and the ability of the mind to heal the body. So... and the following week, he's going to hypnotize us to lose week, so, since it's spring, bathing suit time is coming, if you know anyone who wants to lose weight, download that episode. It'll say what it is, hypnosis weight loss session. And I've got to tell you, we did the hypnosis session a few days ago, and I put on my pants today and their loose. Anyway, here we go with the interview.

I would love it if you could explain what a curandera is.
Patricia Padialla: Well, first off, Miss Kellster, it's an honor to be here. You're a visionary, I'm so excited about your work. I'm sure you'll reach a lot of people with your cutting edge ideas, and all of those wonderful things that you have to say in general. A curandera is one who cures. Curanderismo is the art of curing. It's an ancient art form. The closest we can peg it back to is Spain, old world Spain. But in the process of being brought over by the conquistidores, it's picked up the Indian influences, the Sephardic Jewish influences in Mexico, in Spain, in the New World, all of the indigenous shamanic practices have been woven into that. And layer on top of that, each individual who practices, it's like Chinese medicine. It's an art form and so it is interpreted by many people in many different ways, but the crux of it is, it is working with, and in, the realm of Spirit. It is not "Our will be done, " but "Thy will be done," hence the name of my book "Cidios Quera, " "Whatever God Wants, " and the patient is really the guide.
Kelly: So it's a very ancient healing art.
Patricia: Well, it is.
Kelly: Originating in Spain?
Patricia: Well, we track it back to Spain. The Spanish curanderismo, curandera, "to cure." So we kind of take it from that vantage point, but I suspect that it's the same practice of all ages and of all times, of particularly, even though men practice it too, women delivering babies and caring for the sick and helping the dying through the door of death. So, it is a particular brand, or approach, of healing. But, it encompasses many, many worldviews.
Kelly: Is it passed down through the generations? Did you learn it from your mother?
Patricia: It's like in the beginning of my book, the forward of my book. When I started practicing there was no such thing as getting a diploma in curanderismo. I'm an eighth generation practitioner. Eight generations that we know of, of people who are born into a lineage that carry the mantle of learning all they can about curing, about healing. And it's not a small concept, because it's about healing mind, body, spirit, soul, community, homes, animals, land. So, it is a way of life. It's not a job, it's a vocation.
Kelly: But how did you learn it?
Patricia: I was born into a family of six children. I was the third, and I was left with my grandmother, to work with her. And so, from infancy on, I would go and visit the barrios in New Mexico with her. I would get on the bus and travel to northern New Mexico with her. We would do everything from Limpiasa[sp], to delivering babies, to taking people through the door to death.
Kelly: We have to back up here a little bit. What's a "limpia"?
Patricia: A limpia is a clearing, a cleansing, a ritual, a prayer, where you ask that all dark forces be removed from a home, an individual.
Kelly: I remember the day that I met you. Peter Levine was giving a presentation...
Patricia: Right! Here in Santa Fe.
Kelly: ... And he introduced me to you, here in Santa Fe and we said hello. And then you looked at me, and you said, "You really need to be taking fish oils for those headaches of yours." And it just blew me away, because I'd had had a headache for about three or four days. And I got home, and started taking my fish oils and they went away. So I tell that....
Patricia: I remember that. I do remember meeting you.
Kelly: Well it stunned me and I've seen you do it so many times with so many people where you meet them and you just suddenly begin to tell them what you see. People are stunned at the accuracy.
Patricia: You know what's funny about that Kelly, is I never remember it. It's like a whole different consciousness evolves, and I guess that people are open to it, and they need it, and their soul is willing, it'll come through. But, it's not something that I consciously ever remember. Isn't that funny?
Kelly: You go into an altered state of some sort, and the words just come through you and out of your mouth.
Patricia: huh, that's true. I really... People say, "Do you remember when you told me to take a bath in red and white and pink carnations?" And I'll say, "No, have I met you before?" That's typical.

[laughter]
Kelly: Have you always done that, from the time you were young, or is it something else?
Patricia: Well, I've never known anything different, and I'm not sure what marks a certain person in a family for that. I'm sure that it was being around my grandmother. She pulled that from me, and helped me to learn a lot of what I know, and always told me that it was my obligation to God, or to Creator, to continue to learn.

She would often recite in Spanish the story about the man who had a home, and he had gotten a message that Christ was coming to visit. So, he cleaned his house, and he prepared his home, and he set the table, and put the finest linens on his beds. And the visitor kept coming. The first guy, he says, "No, I'm preparing for Jesus, I can't take you in." The second guy was hungry, "I'm sorry, I'm waiting for the Saviour and I can't give you this food." The third guy was really tired, and his feet were bleeding, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. I'm really I'm preparing for Jesus to come." And so finally, Jesus came to the door and said, "I came to you three times, and you didn't take care of me." And I'm sure it's a story that's been told in many ways, and many cultures. But, she would say that to me everyday in Spanish.

So, the programing was that, "Whoever comes to your door, whoever comes to you, is a face of Christ." And you care for that being, in the best way you know how. Not everybody is willing or able to accept that. But, when it's needed, it just comes through.
Kelly: I've known you for a few years now, and that's certainly the way you operate.
Patricia: Yeah. Gracias Abilita. This is a path of faith. You have to believe that, "As you care for others, you'll be cared for." And that's the hallmark of it.
Kelly: It's also a path of complete and total surrender.
Patricia: Absolutely, and if you can't do that, then you can't be directed from the spirit realm.
Kelly: That's probably why you're so gifted in seeing.
Patricia: Don't know. [laughs]
Kelly: Well I think we do. I think it's that perception, or that point of existence where you surrender your mind to a greater mind.
Patricia: And your life.
Kelly: And your life, and allow something much greater to come through you.
Patricia: That's exactly right, and you don't know what is, from day to day.
Kelly: Well, that's probably the hardest thing for any of us to do. To really surrender our lives to a greater power.
Patricia: You know, I really don't know any other way. I really don't. It's an adventure, it's a journey. You really don't plan, or think of where you might be in the next six weeks, or two years. It's difficult to have a job doing that, because Spirit may call you to work at a homeless shelter, or go and sit with a woman who's dying. Spirit may call you to take a distant relative that's ailing. So, it's difficult to keep a bunch of commitments that you've made for a future, and listen each day to listen to what Creator's telling you to do. I get in trouble for that a lot, as you know. Maybe somebody's having a baby, or someone's son has just died, or they're having an anxiety attack. They reach my doorstep, or reach me by phone, and the world stops, and everything else becomes secondary. Well, it's not really good for the people close to you. But, I have a lot of loving friends, and community that really understand what it is I do, and they give me a lot of leeway. They love me anyway.
Kelly: We do. We love you. [laughter]

Now, you mentioned before when we were talking earlier that are there schools now?
Patricia: There are actually.
Kelly: For curanderismo. There are schools. And who is teaching this art?
Patricia: Well, I know in Albuquerque they have a program, and I wish I had the names, and the curriculum name in my head, but I don't. But, I know there's a program where they bring in curanderos from Mexico, and from the local area that teach. And it's actually within a degree program, so...
Kelly: And do they learn all the things that you can do with acupuncture, and childbirth, and...
Patricia: You know, I'm sure they learn a lot about herbs, and about ritual, and some people may go on to med school, or to traditional Chinese medical school, or to become masseuses, or yaverras [sp], herbalists. But, I think that the real value of it is, it's sparking an interest to serve. To learn about curanderismo there's no way to do it, but to live it. It's not a job, it's a vocation. It's like being in the priesthood. And so, can you teach somebody to let go of every bit of security the world offers? I don't think so.
Kelly: No, people have to be ready for it, or have a very strong calling, right?
Patricia: Yeah, to have a very strong calling. It's a way of life. It's a world view. It is moving through the ethers knowing you'll be led. Not knowing what's around the bend, or who might come to you.
Kelly: Is there preparation for that only in doing it?
Patricia: I think I had the best education possible, because my abuelita, my grandmother was unconditionally loving with me, and there for me, and walked with me, and encouraged, and corrected me when I needed to be corrected. It was on going for years, and years, and years, as it was with my mother. And then, I went to nursing school for a while, to traditional Chinese medical school. I got the certification in massage, went to herb school, just to enhance the knowledge that she gave me.

And for myself, more to understand the scientific underpinnings of what I was doing. It is my obligation to continue learning through out my life, because the people, places, and things that I will encounter are changing. And the practice, and the world view, and the medicine, must change as well. I still use herbs, poultices, prayers certainly lemons, eggs, feathers, ritual when it's needed. But, there's some additional knowledge that also comes to fore with it.
Kelly: Before we started the interview, you had a whole, entire conversation with my dog, "Gus."

[laughter]
Patricia: Yeah, Gus was really pissing and moaning.
Kelly: [laughs] So, you speak to animals, or they speak to you?
Patricia: They do, they do. Animals are great guides, as are clouds, and trees, and plants. And if you cultivate a relationship with them, they speak to you. Gus was telling me, as I walked into Kelly's studio that he was really angry that he wasn't getting more walks. And I know Gus is very spoiled. So, I said well can you be a little more specific? "Well I just have not been walked lately." Well it has been snowing here and very cold, Kelly has been busy and she was waiting for good weather." So, we kind of calmed Gus down and he is still moping around a little bit with a promise of a walk later today.

There is a natural door of communication between animals and nature and people. And for those of use who work in this art form, we watch for those signs and symbols. I was doing a conference with a good friend of mine, Peter Lavine in Taos two years ago. As I drove him to Taos I kept seeing crows everywhere and we went to the meeting site and there were crows all over the front wall of the building. I thought, "Oh my goodness, I wonder what this communication is about?" So we finished the conference at about ten o'clock and went and checked into our respective hotel rooms. There was this huge crow on top of the roof of where I was going.

I knew it was trying to communicate with me but I was really preoccupied and busy, and had yet to make a trip to Colorado after the conference. So I went into the room and I laid down and this huge crow from the spirit realm and was gliding over me and not letting me sleep. So I went out into the parking lot, pulled a chair up and sat and looked up at the crow on top of the roof and I said "Let me know what it is I need to know." All I could get was go to Colorado, where my sister, and my nephew and nieces live. I had some patients up there that I was dealing with. So I said, "well, I am on my way tomorrow morning."

Went back and was finally able to sleep for an hour or so. Went to Colorado took care of my business and got very busy, visited with my family. I was driving out of Colorado back to New Mexico and a crow flew up against my windshield and wasn't killed, just grazed. I pulled over off the highway by the side of the road and I said "I am going to sit here until you come back and let me know what it is I need to do." The crow came back and as the bird flew back in my direction, I got a visual sign of my nephew who I hadn't seen when I went to visit my sister. It allowed me to see that he was very suicidal.

I said, "OK." So I turned around. I went back to Boulder about 50 miles and I sat at the house. My nephew came in a couple hours later and said "Aunt Patti what are you doing here?" I said, "I came to talk to you John Paul, you are in trouble." He said, "Well, how did you know?" and I said, "It is not important how I knew, but a crow told me if you really want to know." And he said, "God, you know that was two days ago, and I really wanted out of here I really was thinking about ways I could just kill myself." I said, "Well, how are you now?" and he said, "Well, I am through it." And I said, "Well, I am going to stay here with you for a couple of days."

So, I spent a week with him and we had a great time we painted, we talked, we talked about how he got there and how not to get there again.
Kelly: When you see something that is a sign, how do you ask to know what the sign means? People see signs I think a lot.
Patricia: This is a big one in curanderismo Kelly. It is sidious quiere [sp]. It is a way of life everything has significance, everything. So, what that means is you are in total prayer, It does not mean you do not get pissed and you know ruminate about things, but everything is of significance.
Kelly: So, is there any advice that you could give people in how to look for signs or notice signs and be able to interpret them without being superstitious?
Patricia: There is no room for superstition. You either experience what you experience or you do not. To trust yourself, to trust your own experience is paramount. It doesn't matter what people think of it or what it looks like to someone else, it's your reality. God speaks to us in that space. It's about stilling yourself and being in that prayerful space. I am going to give you another story because it really does happen like this. My daughter was in Miami having trouble a while back and I thought well maybe I shouldn't go. Maybe she is going to find her strength if I do not go.

So I went outside and sat on my portal and asked spirit to show me what I needed to know about that. Within about 30 minutes the clouds formed and there was an airplane in the clouds and just as clear as a bell looked like a huge 747. And I thought, "OK. I will go." Then the front of the airplane opened up and a smaller plane came out of the front of the airplane that was etched in the clouds. Then I thought "Not only will I go but I will take a commuter flight." That is not usual because you just take a big plane and no stops, get off, get the cab. Sure enough, I booked a flight for a day later, got on a big airplane that ended up docking in Atlanta and we had to take a commuter plane into Miami. It's like that.
Kelly: Very literal.
Patricia: Very literal.
Kelly: So Patricia, how can people get in touch with you?
Patricia: Well, they can call my home at 9891586 or they can reach me by email. That's This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Kelly: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Patricia: Mmhmm.
Kelly: Well thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Patricia: Well, thanks for having me Kelly, and blessings upon your work.
Kelly: Thank you.

[music]
Man 1: You have been listening to Theatre of the mind Podcast, accelerating the evolution human consciousness. Visit Theatre of the Mind online at www.kellyhowell.com. Leave comments, questions and feedback and join the conversation about conciseness. We want to know what you are thinking. Or you can call Kelly. The phone number is 206 339 8686. That's 206 339 8686. Theatre of the Mind Podcast is brought to you by brainsync.com. CD's and Mp3's downloads for peak performance. Find them at www.brainsync.com.