Our master shaman, Wiler Noriega Rodrigues, is 42 years old and originally from the Shipibo culture. He has been practicing with the medicine for the last 22 years. He started dieting mapacho (wild jungle tobacco) when he was 20 years old due to a fishing accident that took the vision from one of his eyes. In this way he was opened up to the world of plant medicine, and from that moment on has dedicated his life to learning from and working with them, and applying this knowledge to the healing of others.
He was born in a small community on the Ucayali River, and in his early teens he move to Limongema, a small Shipibo village near Pucallpa, where he has been living ever since.
He started working with passengers 10 years ago, in various ayahuasca centers, and is currently on rotation with us at Soltara so he can balance his family life and private practice in his village. His main desire is to help others heal, as well as help poverty-stricken people and homeless children around different communities, by creating projects to give them clothes, food, and/or shelter.
We at Soltara have been working with Wiler for the last 5 years, and are honored to bring him on board with us in Costa Rica. He is a loving and happy soul whose powerful icaros (healing songs) come to life and set the stage for truly profound and deeply healing work.
