Get to know us & our mission
Phillip Carpels
"Life is meant to be free, to learn, to grow, and to be able to give something back."
The story
The root in the Dominican Republic
United by the universe through a "coincidence", our paths crossed.
Through Isis's work with her NGO WeThroughTheWall and Phil's desire to give something back to people, the first joint projects came our way.
After a ceremony with the Shipibo people, our connection and friendship deepened even further, and visions for more joint projects emerged.
This journey eventually led us together to Denia as a base, where we work for the NGO and integrate various medicines and healing methods, creating a combination of deep, direct 1:1 connection with people and collective giving back through our NGO. Along the way, we are always ready and excited to explore new things and learn from cultures, teachers, and friends.
The Shipibo tribe
The Shipibo-Conibo tribe lives in the Peruvian Amazon region along the Ucayali River. Their culture is shaped by a deep connection with the rainforest, which they understand as a living, conscious being. Nature, humans, and spirit form a unity for them, where knowledge is passed down orally and community life is sustained through rituals and traditions.
Central to their practice is the art of healing with medicinal plants, particularly Ayahuasca. In ceremonies, Ícaros—sacred songs received from visions—are central, believed to carry healing vibrations. The geometric Kené patterns make these spiritual orders visible, serving as protection, healing, and connection to the spirit world. To this day, many Shipibo preserve this knowledge despite external influences.
The Maestros
Don Elmer & Doña Maria
Doña María and Don Elmer (son of the extraordinary “Mama Selmira”) are Master-Healers from the “Shipibo” people in the Amazon. They are making this journey from the Amazon with the mission of helping our PachaMama and her children to come into a better balance. They maintain a strict diet and participate in profound ceremonies where they ask for the blessings of the spirits of the Amazon. Doña Maria and Don Elmer have been practicing these ceremonies since their youth and are deeply connected to the mother plant and, through it, to all who participate in this sacred ceremony.
Ikaros
To achieve deep cleansing and healing with the mother plant, it is important that Ícaros are sung during the ceremony.
This enables participants to find their way to new, extraordinary spiritual levels. Doña Maria and Don Elmer have preserved the ancient Ícaros of the Shipibo, and they look forward to singing their Ícaros during the ceremonies.
Ceremonial Elements
Doña María and Don Elmer have spent a long time wandering through their vast Amazonian territory, seeking and gathering the finest Mapacho or wild tobacco, which is used as a cleansing agent before and during the ceremonies. Ana and Achiote are the master plants from which they make the pigment they apply to the energetic areas of your bodies, allowing new gateways to personal and universal integration to gradually bloom. Seeds, fruits, and other plants are important elements that help balance masculine and feminine energies.
The Yawanawa tribe
The Yawanawá tribe lives in the western Amazon region of Brazil, in the state of Acre. Their name means "People of the Wild Boar" and reflects their deep connection to nature and animal spirits. The life of the Yawanawá is strongly community-oriented, with clear roles, rituals, and a profound respect for the forest as the source of life, knowledge, and identity.
Central to their spiritual practice are medicine rituals with plants such as Ayahuasca and Rapé. Through songs, dances, and ceremonies, they make contact with the spirit world to experience healing, clarity, and alignment. An important part of their culture is also body painting and jewelry, which symbolize protection, belonging, and spiritual power. Despite long-term oppression and external influences, the Yawanawá actively preserve their traditions today and consciously share their knowledge with the world.
Life in the Jungle
We were allowed to live in the Yawanawa village for some time, gaining deep insight into their daily and ceremonial life. The village is located deep in the Amazon, which we finally reached after three days of travel and a four-hour night journey by river.
Throughout our time in the village, we learned many new things.
This includes the sacred ritual for making Hapé (Rapé), for which we had to fast to participate, and it lasted about 12 hours.
Kambo and Sananga ceremonies, which are extremely potent in the jungle with fresh medicine, and the grand Ayahuasca ceremonies where several villages came together to celebrate collectively.
Beneath the sacred trees of the Amazon, there were various cleansing rituals, for example with plants or clay, and the elders told us stories about the origins of the different medicines, the history of their tribe, and much more.
Daily, we had the pleasure of learning the typical songs of the Yawanawa and absorbing their joyful way of life.
