Isabella’s, dedication and passion for the protection of the Jaguars in the Jungle remains as a presence within the cells of her body, since she is one of the original founders of HOJANAY, now known as Alianza Jaguar, Nayarit Mexico. Her work in the healing arts reflects her deep connection to the natural world and her understanding that the state of balance in each individual has its relationship with the all living creatures on our planet.
Isabella is a Curandera, Healer of Natural Medicine, who has spent several years and precious time with Jaguars, studying and learning from the “stillness” of these mystical creatures.
There are experiences in our lives that shape the very fabric of who we become. These experiences become resources in times of sadness, grief and loss. Heracles, the Jaguar is my most precious resource. In the field of Craniosacral Therapy we use resources to help bring in a sense of familiarity, comfort and peace. For me, animals have always given me so much joy and adventure. Heracles, taught me what it meant to be fearless.
You see, it began when my mother was preparing for her departure. She said to me that she wanted to be a Jaguar in her next life.
Two years later I found myself in the jungle of Mexico where I bought 2 parcels of land, a beautiful jungle overlooking the sea and a mango plantation.
My intention was to someday build a quiet space where I could be silent with nature and deepen my practice of yoga, healing and meditation. What I loved most of the jungle was the freedom and rawness of the elements, and how that felt on my skin. I felt alive.
One day, “out of the blue” a hunter found me and asked me if I wanted to care for a baby Jaguar for a small price of 2,000.USD. He had shot the mother for her pelt, and found two babies in her cave.
I committed to caring for the Jaguar. I had no idea what this meant. I researched and became friends with the veterinarian of the Guadalajara Reserve, so that I could provide the proper care and survival of this baby Jaguar. I order the feline milk from the US and I documented his daily progress. It was the truly one of the most incredible times of my life. I experienced the intimacy between a mother and a wild animal of prey. This was beyond my wildest imaginations, and yet I knew that this experience would touch my soul and teach me how to connect to deeper states of consciousness through the presence required to be in communion with the top of the food chain. A moment of unconsciousness could potentially cost me my life.
He grew and flourished and became too playful to keep him in my jungle dwelling He kept jumping off the high deck and would run into the jungle then get lost and cry. I spent many hours looking for him and bringing him back. The wild was calling him, so in order to protect him while he grew I build a cage on the property of 1/4 acre in the tangle of the jungle with a platform in the trees where I could sit and meditate with him for hours. This was where I learned the true sense of fear to the bone. He had grown strong and powerful and I knew that if I was not in a neutral place that he could unintentionally hurt me. After all his true nature was to hunt and kill for his nourishment. So I practiced accessing neutral, a deepening state of meditation before entering the cage.
He would leap out of the jungle and embrace me, we would climb up to the platform and I would sit with him and continue to access this deeper state of being. It was not difficult as I felt such a deep love for him, but the fear would sometimes rise as his strength and power grew. He could have easily hurt me with his claws and teeth .He would suck my finger for a long time after her drank the 2 bottles of feline formula. Sometimes as I lay with him in my arms, I dropped into that deep state of stillness while he fell asleep. I realized that I longed to be a wild creature myself. Although I still grieved the loss of my own mother, I opened myself to this experience, this state of grace with our true nature and the natural world.
Heracles out grew his enclosure and I knew that he needed more space to grow. I searched for a reserve that could give him a sense of freedom, but found that all enclosures meant captivity. This has been my pain. I was not able to give him his freedom. The last time I went to be with him last year I spent the night outside the fence, meditating with him. He lay close by me the whole night; the metal fence between us.
As we gazed into each other’s eyes I saw that it was I that was in the cage, and he that was free. In his jaguar essence he traveled into other worlds unknown to me, and the wire that stood before us was only an illusion. I am forever grateful to him. He has been one of my greatest teachers. He gave me the strength and courage to bring a new soul into this world, with the understanding that life is a great adventure, and must be lived to the fullest…beyond your wildest imaginings.
Heracles the Jaguar remains my resource for accessing deeper states of presence in my practice as a healer, as a mother, and as an everlasting being.
Alianza Jaguar (AJ)/HOJANAY is a civil association that is dedicated to promoting the conservation of the jaguar and its habitat in harmony with human activities.
The jaguar has shared its habitat with man since he came to The Americas, and the two have coexisted peacefully. The Aztecs and Mayans considered the jaguar a deity, a symbol of power and magic and is revered and respected to this day. http://www.alianzajaguar.org La Sierra de Vallejo, San Francisco, Nayarit, Mexico.
Since the treatment, I've had a glimpse of energy, joy and light come back - very grateful!