T
he master Andean
curandero de soni-
do (sound heal-
er) Tito La Rosa
has meticulously laid out an
altar with ancestral Peruvi-
an instruments arranged in
the four cardinal directions.
As our guide into the use of
these ancient healing tools,
he has asked our group of 10
to sit in a circle around this
"acoustic altar," as he calls it.
In my hands I'm carefully
cradling a ceramic Peruvian
whistling vessel—two con-
joined bowls with slender
necks like herons—which
La Rosa has fi lled partway
with water. I slowly tip the
vessel toward my right, and
the water pops and gurgles,
By Diana Rico
Is
Medicine
Powerful
Sound
Ancestral instruments
& modern therapies
that heal and reveal
december/january 2016 23
