Polizzi - The sacred science : an ancient healing path for the modern world

Praise for The Sacred Science

The Sacred Science is a fresh narrative about healing that is at once
ancient and pioneering. If you desire a deep dive into the psychological
blind spots that may block your potential to healparticularly
when conventional medicine has failed youread this book.
Polizzi is in a class by himself as a scholar of ancestral medicine,
a gifted storyteller brimming with integrity.

Sara Gottfried, M.D., New York Times best-selling author of
Younger, The Hormone Cure, and The Hormone Reset Diet

Part adventure book, part self-help book, part memoir, part guide into the
deepest parts of your soul... The Sacred Science by acclaimed filmmaker
Nick Polizzi will keep you on the edge of your seat as you explore the deep
wisdom found in our worlds ancient traditions. A Must Read.

Nick Ortner, New York Times best-selling author of
The Tapping Solution

Rarely are readers given the gift and opportunity to be introduced
to the deep wisdom and healing that the universal practice of
shamanism embraces. In The Sacred Science, Nick Polizzi honestly
shares how native rituals immerse us in both the light and the shadow,
carrying us through to a place of illumination. This book demonstrates
the raw and authentic power of shamanism without trying to soften
what is required to truly engage in such an ancient tradition that
can provide healing in ways many never imagined.

Polizzi and the brave souls he brought with him ventured together into
the jungles and experienced the magic of this earth-based practice.
Read this book slowly, absorb and digest the inspirational wisdom.
The Sacred Science truly honors the sacredness of shamanic work.

Sandra Ingerman, M.A., author of Soul Retrieval
and Medicine for the Earth

In The Sacred Science, Nick Polizzi tells a riveting tale of exploration,
hope, and wonder through his adventures into the Amazon. A regular
guy from Connecticut follows his own health journey and finds the
earths greatest treasureforgotten healing plants and the native
cultures who know how to use them. It was hard to put this book down
and the ending delivered a wallop that everyone needs to experience.

Dr. Pedram Shojai, New York Times best-selling author of
The Urban Monk

Copyright 2018 by Nick Polizzi

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design: Michelle Polizzi
Interior design: Draft Lab/Alex Head
Indexer: Jay Kreider

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-5291-4

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1st edition, April 2018

Printed in the United States of America

To my wife, Michelle, who taught me how to laugh from
the heart, no matter what life brings. And to my two sons,
River and Rowan, the greatest teachers Ive ever known.

This one is for you.

CONTENTS

Woven throughout this book are practices and other pieces of native wisdom that you can put to use in your life right now. These practices were shown to me by the healers you are about to meet, and it is with their permission that Ive included them in this book.

Please, for your safety and the safety of those around you, be careful when experimenting with these techniques. They can be life-changing but can also do harm if used improperly.

The afternoon heat in this place never disappoints. My left eye blinks away a nagging bead of sweat while trusty forefinger and thumb locate and remove a mosquito on the skin just above my sticky T-shirt collar. The breed in these parts comes handily equipped with an anesthetic on its proboscis that numbs you as it drains your blood, so you dont feel the itch until the feast is over.

No free lunches in this place, seor.

Im seated on the edge of a simple wooden chair tucked in the corner of a thatch-roofed jungle kitchen somewhere along the Amazonian border of Brazil and Perustaring down the barrel of a very intimidating albeit colorful jug of liquid. The weathered brown hands of the native fellow holding it out in front of me speak to the decades he has spent navigating the bush, like the generations who have come before him.

His name is Arturo and he is the village curandero. Men and women of this ancient profession are thought to have an extrasensory relationship with the local plant spirits, which allows them to harness their power to cure the sick. Ive heard it said that true curanderos, or shamans, are born with this skill and have little choice but to follow the calling.

Arturo, who comes from a long line of medicine men, promised to bring me some of his familys legendary elixir for strength and vitality. And, well, here it is.

The liquid inside the repurposed two-liter soda bottle on the table before me is mostly transparent, revealing a cluster of twigs, leaves, seeds, and insect thoraxes floating within.

This is what men and women in my tribe drink every day before we go out to work. Its got 20 different ingredients and packs quite a kick. We also use it to heal head pain. Arturo holds the bottle up to the light, proudly identifying each of the floaters and sharing a bit about what they do to enhance the brews potency.

The word heal is a tricky one. These four letters seem straightforward in the modern world, but around here, healing can involve just about anythingfrom a bandage and some aloe on a scraped knee to an all-night plant ceremony that brings you as close to your existential edge as you can get, short of death itself.

Heal stems from the old English word halwhich evolved into two other terms as well, whole and holy. Ten years ago, I would have thought these three words were totally unrelated, but staring into the eyes of the shaman before me, I now know better. Theyre as intertwined as the jet-black braid resting on his left shoulder.

Are those insects in there? I ask, knowing the answer.

These? Fire ants! They have a painful bite, but their bodies contain powerful medicine. Really good for you.

I smile and nod with feigned excitement.

He twists off the fat plastic cap with an Inca Kola logo on it, and to our surprise, the bottle burps out an effervescent hiss, like a bottle of, well, Inca Kola.