About this Retreat
Don Juan Ortiz, from Jalisco, Mexico, carries the ancestral lineage of the Wirrarika (Huichol) Traditional Healers, one of the most ancient and spiritually rich cultures of the Americas. Recognized as a Marakame, he serves as the First Chant Leader (Primer Cantor) of his community — a sacred role passed down through generations, entrusted only to those who have demonstrated unwavering devotion, discipline, and purity of heart.
As a Marakame, Don Juan is a spiritual guide, healer, and guardian of sacred sites, responsible for tending the energetic balance of his people and the lands they inhabit. His mission includes “planting light” and activating places of power, ensuring that the spiritual pathways between the human world and the divine remain open and alive.
He is also one of the few individuals officially permitted by the Mexican government to perform living offerings — ancient rituals dedicated to honoring, calming, and harmonizing the elemental forces of nature. These ceremonies are considered essential for maintaining the equilibrium between humanity and the natural world.
With more than 35 years walking the path of the Blue Deer Medicine — Hikuri (Peyote), Don Juan leads the traditional Deer Hunt in the Wirikuta desert, one of the most sacred pilgrimages of the Wirrarika people. During this journey, the community gathers the “Stars of Peyotito,” reconnecting Heaven and Earth through prayer, song, and ceremony.
This pilgrimage is not merely a tradition — it is a living cosmology, a renewal of the covenant between the Wirrarika and the spirit of the Blue Deer.
A true bridge between the visible and invisible worlds, Don Juan’s chants, offerings, and prayers keep alive the heartbeat of the Wirrarika tradition. Through his voice, the ancient songs continue to travel across time, carrying the wisdom, protection, and blessings of his ancestors.
His presence is a reminder that the sacred ways endure — that the light of the Blue Deer still guides those who walk with humility, devotion, and reverence for the Earth.
Devi Chandra Ma is a Mexican healer and curandera who has walked the Sacred Path of Power Plants for more than 23 years. Her life is a prayer in motion — a continuous offering of service, devotion, and love for humanity and Pachamama.
As a Medicine Woman, mother of three, and devoted student of the teachings of Saint Germain, Devi embodies the union between ancestral wisdom and the path of spiritual mastery. Her presence carries the softness of the Divine Mother and the strength of the ancient lineages she represents.
Initiated in multiple traditions, Devi is a Reiki Master and Fire Guardian in the Temazcalli lineage. She guides Ayahuasca ceremonies, Cacao Ceremonies, Women’s Circles, Rapé rituals, and Toad Medicine Ceremonies, always honoring the sacredness of each medicine and the responsibility that comes with carrying them.
Her work is rooted in humility, prayer, and the understanding that true healing arises when the heart opens and remembers its original purity.
For more than two decades, Devi has walked alongside respected shamans and elders from Amazonia and Mexico, receiving teachings through dietas, ceremonies, and years of service. Her path has been shaped by silence, discipline, surrender, and a profound communion with the spirit of the plants.
She carries these teachings with reverence, offering them only in spaces where safety, integrity, and respect for the lineages are upheld.
Her voice is one of her deepest medicines.
Her songs are living prayers, woven from the threads of her devotion — melodies that open portals, soothe the soul, and guide the spirit back to its essence. When she sings, she becomes a bridge between Heaven and Earth, allowing the medicine of the Divine Mother to flow through her as a blessing for all who listen.
Her latest album is a prayer for humanity, a call to remember peace, unity, and the sacredness of life. It is an offering to awaken love and harmony within every heart, a reminder that healing is possible when we return to the truth of who we are.
Devi walks this path not as a title, but as a living commitment — a vow to serve the light, to honor the ancestors, and to support each being in remembering their own inner medicine.
Her presence in ceremony is a sanctuary: a space where the ancient and the celestial meet, where the plants speak, and where the soul remembers its original song.
Nupa was first initiated into the Maya web of wisdom around the year 2000 in Tulum, during a pivotal moment of planetary transition. Captivated by the depth of this ancestral knowledge, he immersed himself fully, eventually founding Galactic Peace Garden — an intentional community of healers, yogis, and artists that flourished in Tulum for 15 years. Through this living experiment, he witnessed the transformative power of applying Maya Cosmovision to collective spaces and community life.
In 2008, he launched Mayarama, a festival space dedicated to sharing the teachings and creative fruits of this community with a wider audience.
By 2013, he published Advaita Maya, offering a fresh and integrative perspective on Maya calendarism to the world.
Nupa continues to share his wisdom internationally, regularly presenting at festivals such as Ometeotl (Mexico), Boom Festival (Portugal), Eclipse gatherings, and other global cultural events. His work bridges ancient cosmology, contemporary spirituality, and community activation — inviting people to remember their place within the cosmic order.
Details of this retreat
Important – Please Read Before Booking
Before confirming your reservation, please contact us at info@pranafoundation.org to receive the medical questionnaire, required for participation.
Once the questionnaire is submitted, you will schedule a Initial Guidance Call with our founder and main healer to ensure that this retreat is aligned with your needs and intentions.
We also invite you to explore our work on social media:
@prana_foundation
About Prana Foundation
Prana Foundation is a collective dedicated to the preservation, protection, and respectful transmission of ancestral Earth medicines.
Our work is rooted in the principles of safety, integrity, and conscious facilitation, ensuring that every participant receives guidance within a sacred, ethical, and culturally respectful container.
For the past six years, we have been offering healing retreats and ceremonial work throughout Europe, creating spaces where individuals can reconnect with themselves, with nature, and with the ancestral wisdom that supports deep transformation.
Our approach bridges traditional medicine lineages with modern therapeutic integration, honoring the teachings of the elders while supporting participants in grounding their experiences into daily life.
Introducing Marakame Don Juan Ortiz
We are deeply honored to welcome Marakame Don Juan Ortiz, a Traditional Wirrarika Shaman from the Sierra Madre of Mexico. Don Juan is recognized as a First Singer within his community, a title given only to those who have completed decades of training, prayer, and service.
He comes from the Wirrarika Nation, one of the most well-preserved Indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Wirrarika people have safeguarded their language, rituals, ceremonial clothing, and spiritual practices for centuries. Their connection to Hikuri (Peyote) is a living relationship, rooted in devotion, responsibility, and ancestral memory.
As a Marakame, Don Juan carries the songs that guide the ceremony, the prayers that open the path, and the authority to share this medicine beyond his land. Only Marakames who have been given this responsibility by their community may bring Hikuri to the world. Receiving his ceremony in Europe is a rare privilege and a profound blessing.
About Peyote — The Spirit of the Blue Deer
In the Wirrarika tradition, Peyote is known as Hikuri or Blue Deer. It is considered a Teacher, a Messenger, and a Guide that reveals the path back to one’s true essence.
For the Wirrarika:
- Hikuri is a living Spirit, not a plant
- The Blue Deer is the guardian of visions
- The songs of the Marakame narrate the steps left by the Blue Deer for humanity
- The ceremony is a pilgrimage of the soul, guided by fire, prayer, and ancient chants
This medicine has been preserved in its original form for centuries, and the Wirrarika remain one of the few tribes in the world who still practice their ceremonies exactly as their ancestors did.
Blue Deer and Temazcalli Retreat
We invite you to join a powerful and transformative retreat guided by Marakame Don Juan Ortiz and Devi Chandra Ma, founder of Prana Foundation.
This gathering offers a rare opportunity to sit with one of the most authentic ancestral ceremonies of the Americas, held with integrity, devotion, and deep respect for the lineage.
Blue Deer Ceremony
During the ceremony:
- A sacred fire is tended throughout the night
- The Marakame sings in the Wirrarika language, invoking the teachings of the Blue Deer
- Participants journey through prayer, vision, and inner clarity
- At sunrise, the circle welcomes a new cycle with gratitude
This is a night of profound healing, remembrance, and communion with the Spirit of the Desert.
Temazcalli — The House of Steam
The retreat includes a traditional Temazcal (sweat lodge), a purification ritual that works with fire, steam, and prayer to cleanse the body and renew the spirit. Inside the womb of Mother Earth, participants chant, pray, release, and open space for a new beginning.
Integration and Support
Integration is essential for grounding the teachings received during ceremony. After the medicine night, we gather in a sharing circle guided by Devi Chandra Ma, who helps translate the insights into daily life. Prana Foundation also offers online integration support for those who wish to continue their process with guidance.
Wirrarika Market
The Marakame brings handcrafted ceremonial items, jewelry, and sacred objects created by families from his desert village. These pieces carry prayers, symbols of protection, and the artistic tradition of the Wirrarika people.
Facilitators
Devi Chandra Ma
Founder of Prana Foundation, healer, medicine woman, and mother. With over 20 years of experience in the Vedic path and plant medicines, she creates a powerful and loving atmosphere for healing and initiation.
Nuno Parameshvara
Portuguese medicine man, sound guide, yogi, and guardian of ancient traditions. He bridges ancestral wisdom with modern consciousness through devotion, presence, and service.
Retreat Flow — Daily Guide
Day 1 — Arrival and Opening
- Arrival and settling into the space
- Nourishing lunch
- Welcome talk and introduction to the lineage
- Breathwork session to prepare body and mind
- Light dinner and early rest
This day is dedicated to grounding, arriving fully, and opening the field for the work ahead.
Day 2 — Preparation and Blue Deer Ceremony
- Optional Kambo session at sunrise (extra)
- Breakfast and gentle morning yoga
- Optional individual therapies with the Marakame (extra)
- Wirrarika market with sacred crafts
- Lunch and free time for rest
- Evening preparation for ceremony
- Blue Deer Ceremony begins at night and continues until sunrise
This is the heart of the retreat, a night of prayer, vision, healing, and communion with the Spirit of the Desert.
Day 3 — Integration and Temazcalli
- Abundant breakfast
- Rest and optional individual therapies
- Temazcal (sweat lodge) to purify, release, and renew
- Dinner
- Breathwork and integration circle
This day supports grounding, understanding, and integrating the teachings received during the ceremony.
Day 4 — Closing
- Breakfast
- Closing circle for participants of the full retreat
A moment to seal the process, honor the journey, and step into the new cycle with clarity and gratitude.
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Verified
Plant Medicine
Spirituality
A preparation course valued at $109 is included with the retreat at no extra cost
