About Chumash Medicine and Cecilia

Below are articles written about Healing with Natural Medicine, Chumash Culture and Cecilia Garcia. If you have an article that helps share the knowledge Cecilia brought us, please email: firepithome@gmail.com.

Chumash Healing With Spirit In the olden days, Chumash saw the spirit, mind and body as inseparable entities that could not be treated separately in disease. All healing involved the spirit, the mind and the body. The first steps in healing were more spiritual, which opens the mind and body to healing... Read the article >	Self-Healing with Chumash Native Plant Medicine Chumash traditional spirit healing with prayers, laughter, dreaming, herbal medicines and aromatherapy, leading to mending the body’s physical processes... Read the article >
Spirit, Mind and Body in Chumash Healing This article discusses the importance of the spirit and mind in health and well-being among Chumash people. Prayer was the first step in healing since prayer invites the participation of God. Initiation practices are discussed that encouraged young people to develop the maturity and spiritual strength to become productive members of society... Read the article >	Using Pearly Everlasting The benefits and uses of Everlasting for treating bad attitudes, colds and flus, weight loss and cancer patients... Read the article >
A Comparison of Chinese and Chumash Medicine Chinese and Chumash traditional medical approaches are similar in terms of disease causation, use of acupuncture or healing touch, plants, spiritual and philosophical approaches. This article provides a brief comparison and discussion of Chinese and Chumash traditional medical practices... Read the article >	Chumash Treatments for Stress and Anxiety Stress is a constant problem in our society with many people turning to alcohol and other self medications for relief. Anxiety attacks are a problem for many people and can seriously hinder the ability of some people to lead productive lives... Read the article >
About Cecilia
Topanga Messenger For Messenger contributor Meghan Walla-Murphy, Garcia was “my long-term mentor, elder and friend. The amount of wisdom and knowledge that she left with us is tremendous. Stories, songs and dances have been passed down and Cecilia’s joy, laughter and tenacious capacity for love, healing and compassion carry forth in all who knew her... Read the article >	Grateful for Cecilia's Teachings I remember turtle shells and deer antlers. Gourds were filled with sun-fermented Momoy plants for the purpose of foot baths, which made the patient feel massaged from head to toe. Cecilia and Jim began with a Chumash prayer, chanting loudly with rattles... Read the article >
Sharing Healing Ways Garcia began her apprenticeship at age 5. “Her grandparents began to educate her in the ways of her people at an early age because, in the Chumash way, there is more to medicine than prescribing a remedy... Her grandparents taught her where to lay her hands on a person in a respectful way to work with them in their healing... Read the article >	Los Angeles Times Story Garcia snapped a small branch of sage in two, inhaled the aroma of its sap and said: "People change in the pit. Call it psychotherapy -- whatever. A fire is a connection to family, health, hobbies, positive attitudes. You don't have to be an Indian to feel its goodness." Read the article >