I don't believe in charity as a one-time gesture. Showing up, giving money, taking a photo, and leaving doesn't help anyone in the long run. After a year, there's nothing left of that kind of help.
That's why I build long-term partnerships with the traditional artisans and communities I learn from and trust. These partnerships aren't about gifts. They're about sustainable connections where both parties benefit.
The community receives a regular influx of my students, who come there to study, participate in ceremonies, and immerse themselves in the tradition. This provides employment for local shamans, supports the settlement's economy, and helps the tradition survive in the modern world.
My students have the opportunity to learn from true traditional masters—not Western interpreters. This is a rare opportunity, and it changes people.
I personally invest in infrastructure: I help with construction, hosting guest receptions, and individual projects at the communities' request. All investments are personal, earned primarily through the HypnoCoaching program.
Sacha-Wasi is a community in the Ecuadorian Amazon, in the province of Pastaza. Its leader and ceremonial master is Jesús Dagua, a Yachak (a bearer of the medicine tradition) and the tribal president of the community. He has over fifteen years of experience practicing traditional ceremonies, and his work is described by those seeking it as one of the most powerful in the region.
I met Jesús in 2020, when I first went to Ecuador. We've been working together ever since—five years of ongoing partnership.
[NEXT – Pavel: how he first came to Sacha-Vasi, who introduced him, what his first impression of Jesus was. One or two vivid details – how they sat by the fire, what Jesus said on the first day, how he received him. This is where the page begins to breathe.]
I personally invested in Sacha-Vasi's infrastructure at the start—money earned through Hypno-Coaching. Together with the community, we built what was needed to welcome visitors: a kitchen, ceremonial rooms, and guest housing.
[NEXT - Pavel: what exactly was built, in what years, what were the stages.]
Then the partnership model took hold. Over the past five years, hundreds of my students from the Academy have passed through Sacha-Wasi—they came to study, attend ceremonies, and work with Jesus and his assistants. This created a sustainable economy for the community: the shamans received a steady income, and the settlement continues to grow.
Jesus is currently planning to build a new temple. My students, who have completed training at the Academy and have become practitioners themselves, are helping him with this—some financially, others with on-site labor.
Mexico is our second center of work with traditions, and the work here is structured differently than in Sacha Wasi. In Ecuador, we built a deep partnership with one community. In Mexico, we have developed a network of relationships with several masters representing various Mexican traditions—Aztec-Mexica, Wixárika, Aztec-Toltec, and others.
All of them are hereditary bearers of their lineages, recognized within their own traditions. I have developed relationships with each of them—some long-standing, others more recent. We share one thing: a serious approach to our work and mutual respect.
[NEXT – Pavel: one or two real-life stories about how we met these masters. Who first, what year, under what circumstances.]
Chieftain, Shaman & Nagual · Aztec-Mexica tradition · Mexico
Keeper of the Mushroom Altar and Tonalpohualli—the sacred calendar. Thirty years of ceremonial practice, combining ancient Mexican knowledge and Eastern wisdom.
Traditional Chief & Hereditary Healer Aztec tradition Mexico
Heir to the Nagual tradition, custodian of the Teonanácatl mushroom altar, and official ambassador of the Native American Church (INAIT) in Mexico.
Medicine Man · Mexica tradition · Mexico
More than fifteen years of practice working with the elements, temazcal and the sacred calendar Tonalpohualli.
Medicine Woman & Moon Dance Mentor Aztec-Toltec tradition Mexico City
A bearer of tradition whose ceremonies connect participants with ancestral wisdom and the power of nature.
Medicine Man & Tradition-Carrier · Wixárika tradition · Mexico City
Connects people with their roots, nature and spirit through sacred plants and music.
Our students are currently working in Mexico City, undergoing in-depth training with these masters. It's the same model as at Sacha Wasi: we create a flow of students, the masters receive students and earn money, and my students gain access to the authentic transmission of traditions—directly from the hereditary bearers.
During this time, seven graduates of the Academy have become independent guides and are now part of our group of guides.
Twice a year we hold a large festival in Cancun. It features about ten traditional shamans from various lineages, sixty ceremonial participants, and over three hundred artists and musicians. A documentary from one of these festivals is at the bottom of the page.
[NEXT – Pavel: certificates and regalia that masters gave to Pavel personally or to the Academy – what they are, in which line, under what circumstances. This is a powerful asset that must be showcased.]
All these traditions are living branches of the vast historical tree of Mexican ceremonial culture. This same tree, on one of whose distant branches worked María Sabina in Huautla de Jiménez—the Mazatec curandera whom Gordon Wasson visited in 1955. His 1957 Life magazine essay introduced the Western world to the power of Mexican mushrooms and became the starting point of modern psychedelic culture. The Mexican tradition is broader than a single essay or a single figure—we work with its various branches.
Over five years of working with communities, we have developed several principles that we adhere to in every partnership.
There are several directions of work currently in progress.
Jesus is building a new church in Sacha-Wasi. We are participating financially and through the work of our students on site.
In Mexico, our partnership network with masters from various traditions continues to expand. Seven of our guides work independently, and the number of apprentices undergoing advanced training with Mexican masters is growing. The next festival in Cancun is planned for the coming months.
At the same time, we are building similar partnerships in other regions where we operate—Jamaica, Spain, the Netherlands, and Nepal. These are still early stages, but the focus is the same: sustainable relationships with local masters and traditions, not one-off retreats.
[NEXT — Pavel: If there are specific plans and deadlines, add more. If there are no specifics, leave it as is.]
If community work is something you enjoy, there are several ways to get involved.
You can go there yourself—with a group of my students who regularly travel to both Sacha Wasi and Mexico City to visit our Mexican partners. It's the best way to see everything with your own eyes.
You can support a specific project—for example, the new church that Jesus is currently building. We transfer funds directly, without intermediaries or commissions.
You can simply follow along with what's happening. Sacha-Vasya's Instagram account is open, and his video archive is available on Vimeo.
Chieftain, Shaman & Nagual · Aztec-Mexica tradition · Mexico
Tonalxayakatl, whose lineage descends from the indigenous peoples of Chiapas and Toluca, has devotedly followed the path of service to tradition for over 30 years. He is the Keeper of the Mushroom Altar and the Keeper of the sacred Tonalpohualli calendar. Throughout his life, he has led spiritual societies and taught sacred arts rooted in pre-Hispanic Mexican tradition.
His practice possesses a rare, extraordinary depth. He graduated from the College of Wushu and Traditional Chinese Medicine, where he studied acupuncture and the concept of chi energy. He integrated this knowledge into his ceremonial work with temazcal, music therapy, and the sacred mushroom Teonanácatl. Few masters combine these two traditions with such dedication and commitment.
His ceremonies combine dance, drums, and rituals to awaken what he calls "ancestral memory." He relies on the Tonalpohualli calendar for diagnosis and rituals, and conducts ceremonies at the Teonanácatl mushroom altar, which are the result of decades of continuous practice.
Tonalxayakatl sees his work as an integral part of his service. His entire life is dedicated to awakening consciousness through sacred ceremonies, the elements, and plant teachers. Everything he does is based on the unwavering belief that transformation occurs not through teaching alone, but through living example and shared experience.
Traditional Chief & Hereditary Healer Aztec tradition Mexico
Cuauhtémoc was born into this practice. Raised in the sacred region of Cuauhtémoc, he was initiated into the mysteries of the elements at the age of four, learning directly from his grandfathers and shaman aunt—heirs of the Nagual tradition.
He is the keeper of the altar of the sacred mushrooms of Teonanácatl, a guide and companion of the Huichol (Wixárika) people in peyote ceremonies, and a keeper of time according to the Tonalpohualli calendar. He founded numerous councils of elders and is the official ambassador of the Native American Church (INAIT) in Mexico.
His ceremonial work includes rituals with Teonanácatl and peyote, sacred dances, and diagnostic practices based on the Tonalpohualli calendar. He sees his mission as protecting indigenous cultures and awakening spiritual memory in those he works with.
In his own words: "A shaman is not just a person, but a being chosen by divine design, marked by a sign on their skin, struck by lightning, and imprinted in their spirit to heal and protect humanity. I did not come upon this path. I was born into it."
Medicine Man · Mexica tradition · Mexico
Tlatchitonatiuh is a name that carries the power of the Sun. For over fifteen years, he has been traveling the lands of Mexico, combining ancestral traditions with the voice of the elements to help people return to themselves.
His practice is rooted in restoring harmony between body, soul, and spirit. He works with temazcals (sacred baths), medicinal plants, minerals, and a profound knowledge of the Tonalpohualli—the sacred calendar of the Nahua and Toltec peoples. Using the calendar, he reads stagnant or fragmented energy within a person and guides them toward healing. Each encounter with him is a return to the natural rhythms of the Earth.
His ceremonial work includes Tonalpohualli-based diagnostics and healing, temazcal ceremonies for purification and transformation, work with teacher plants, and elemental rituals that restore connections to earth, water, fire, and air.
He is also known as "Walking with the Rain," and his very presence brings purification, growth, and a new lease of life. He helps people discover forgotten strength, shed the burden of the past, and find inner wholeness.
Medicine Woman & Moon Dance Mentor Aztec-Toltec tradition Mexico City
Nahui (Diana Jacqueline Soto Resendiz) is a practitioner of traditional Mexican medicine, a temascalera, and a visionary. She is the general representative of Saberes Ancestrales (Ancient Knowledge), an organization dedicated to preserving and transmitting the wisdom of pre-Columbian Toltec traditions in the heart of Mexico City.
Her path is one of service through ritual, dance, and a deep connection with nature. She places a special emphasis on working with women, helping them reclaim their power and find harmony through ancient ceremonies that purify the body, mind, and spirit.
Her ceremonial practice includes the Moon Dance (Xiuhxochihumeh), where she teaches women sacred dance; temazcal ceremonies for purification and rebirth; rituals with cacao and tonalli to open the heart and harmonize life energy; and purification rites using smoke, incense, and sacred plants such as maguey (agave).
In her own words: "At the age of 17, I realized how important a connection with nature is. I realized that my purpose is to help, to share this beautiful wisdom, and to change the way each of you, sisters of humanity, perceives life."
Medicine Man & Tradition-Carrier · Wixárika tradition · Mexico City
Rubén Medina bears the spiritual name Paritzika, meaning "mediator between worlds." He is a conduit of ancient knowledge, a temazalero, and a performer of healing songs (medicine songs). His calling is to be a bridge between the human and spiritual worlds, returning people to their true nature.
From childhood, he received messages from invisible teachers. Through a deep connection with sacred plants—peyote and Teonanácatl—he came to understand the essence of these messages and accepted his mission. Today, he is the representative of the Center for Ancient Knowledge and the Saberes Ancestrales association in Mexico City.
His ceremonial work includes Teonanacatl and peyote ceremonies for healing and deep immersion, the Temazcal for purification and spiritual renewal, the Sun Dance where he keeps the sacred fire, and musical ceremonies where healing occurs through vocal vibrations and sacred songs.
In his own words: "My voice carries the power and knowledge of the Spirits. My task is to help people return to themselves through song, silence, and a sacred circle where everyone can hear their own soul."
