Sacred snuff, rapé, is a traditional Amazonian medicine that is made from the ground-up powder of sacred plants, trees, and flowers. It is used as a way to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and can be applied in a variety of ways. In this blog post, we’ll explore the different styles of blows for applying sacred snuff rapé.
The secret to a great application is in the way the rapé is blown into the nose. First things first.. clear your mind and set your intentions. Take a moment to connect with yourself and the medicine. Your intentions flow through your breath.
There are many different breath strengths and styles that can be used for blowing. The most common blows are the beija-flor (the hummingbird), and the jiboiá (the boa constrictor).
The beija-flor is a short and fast blow, whereas the jiboia is long and slow. The beija-flor is a more uplifting hit, waking you up. The Jiboia starts gently and gains strength towards the end. With smaller amounts it is gentle and meditative; with bigger amounts, it slowly creeps up on you and gains strength at the end.
Finish the blow by bringing the point of your tongue to the tip of your mouth. This gives an ending to the application, so to speak. It’s a good idea to train a bit without rapé – just use your kuripe or tepi on its own and practice your techniques!
Catch one of our workshops to learn more about these techniques for applying medicine as well as others!