Sound Healing & Guayusa Tea Winter Solstice Community Gathering

Guayusa Tea Sound Healing with Mitzy Clementina & Special Musical Guest Kira Salen

Venue: Valley Spirit Acupuncture & Internal Arts

Date: December 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM

An evening of honoring Indigenous Tradition

Hello. My name is Mitzy Clementina Bautista, Anka Uma Kuntur Sonqo (Eagle Mind Condor Heart). I am Quechua Aymara living here in the Mahicantuck (Hudson) Valley, and a binational of the Tawantinsuyo territory now called Bolivia, and Turtle Island.

I invite you to an evening of stories, Amazonian immersive sounds, and community tea with "The Watchman", one of many names given to Guayusa for its dreamtime properties.

Guayusa was introduced to me through my Indigenous advocacy & Medicine work in Ecuador with several traditions, including the Seikopai. My gratitude to Elder Basilio and his community for the many lessons and teachings offered through their deep relationship with nature.

As we enter the Winter Solstice, our relatives in the Abya Yala (south) welcome the summer. With the Spirit of Guayusa and the Spirit of Summer from the South as honored guests, we will invite their medicine to help us welcome the Winter cycle will now gift us.

In community, we will drink tea and enjoy an Amazonian sound healing experience. My gratitude to Kira Salen for joining us with her sound healing to accompany the Andean instruments we will offer for a deep shamanic journey.

This event is open to all levels of experience. Come connect with community, honor the season, and enter the winter threshold with clarity and intention.

What does it mean that Guayusa is an invited guest?

We often hear the importance of connecting to nature and the proper way to show respect to the different plants that are considered spirits through all of the Andean traditions. We will talk about how that looks in practice as a mechanism to combat appropriation and living in right relationship.

About Guayusa
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is a sacred Amazonian leaf traditionally cultivated by the Seikopai and other Indigenous communities of the Upper Amazon. It is a non-hallucinogenic tea rich in antioxidants and known to help decrease inflammation.

Sometimes known as “The Watchman,” it is prepared in evening or early-morning gatherings to support clarity, night-vision practices, and communal dreaming rituals. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and is appreciated for promoting gentle alertness without the agitation often associated with other stimulants. In its traditional context, it is valued for its ability to awaken the senses, support focus, and open a pathway to deeper introspection and visionary insight.