Ancestral Wisdom Retreat

Cesar Lezama was born in the rural village of Chaparral within the southern region of Colombia and immersed throughout childhood in sacred teachings and mysticism of the region’s indigenous people. Carrying the bloodlines of the Seberuco tribe from his father and Coreguaje tribe from his mother, Cesar was guided by his ancestry to the path of the shaman. By age six, Cesar ventured into the Putumayo jungle to begin drinking Yagé with his elders Taita Juenal, Taita Humberto and Taita Fernando. Receiving the blessings and guidance of the masters, he drank medicine, learned the native chants and songs of the jungle, while channeling his own unique icaros, and was educated in the ancestral teachings of the curanderos using plants to prevent and cure illnesses. As his training in Shamanism and discipline in the medicine deepened, Cesar earned physical, emotional and spiritual strength. He began to learn the harmonica at seven years old, a magical instrument included in his ceremonies today, and by this point was drinking medicine every other day. By twelve years old, he was entrusted with the process of preparing and brewing the Yagé medicine, and would go on to serve hundreds of people in the next six years. During this time he worked on assisting the Taitas in ceremony, taking care of participants and being a guardian for the community. His training took him across different tribes, learning from the Siona people in the Putumayo jungle. Then, in 2006, he was ceremoniously initiated by the elder Taitas and granted permission to begin serving medicine on his own. At this point he embarked on a journey around the world that took him to over ten countries and for sixteen years has been sharing the wisdom and medicine of the jungle with over 10,000 people. Cesar has been involved with other communities like Madre Tierra and has developed his own artisan carpentry skills by building malocas, communal dwellings in the jungle used for ceremonies and living, working with the National University and National Museum of Colombia to produce indigenous art and support artisans across the country. Today, Cesar lives in the US with his family, continuing to share the knowledge of his ancestry. He has founded Jungle Harmony, a holistic healing center for wholistic healing in the Putumayo jungle of Colombia where he and his community host week-long retreats with lodging, excursions and traditional ceremonies.