… On the first morning, Doña Enriqueta stood up from the breakfast table and politely greeted us, “Buenos días.” Doña Enriqueta paused for a moment allowing us to give her our undivided attention. “I understand that you’ve come here because you want to become healers.” She scanned us with intense interest. “Then, before we get on with this agenda, let us pause and take this opportunity to look deeply into our souls and find the reasons why we are who we are so we can better help others.”

That invitation began the spiritual adventure of our lives. We sat around the table for fourteen hours straight, barely breaking for lunch and dinner. Each woman wove her story into a collective tapestry that seemed to collapse time and transcend dimensions. At the end of each story, Doña Enriqueta leaned forward, sending waves of compassionate energy towards the now emotionally spent woman. The midwife-healer then shared an assessment of that woman in physical, emotional and spiritual terms, as only a traditional Zapotecan healer can. We ended at 11 p.m. that night. When we finished the raw and revealing process, Doña Enriqueta looked at the lot of us. “Now, we are ready to resume our agenda.”