Arutam

Arutam is a Holy Spirit of the Shuar in Ecuador which is is all-powerful and can transform into any kind of different form. Arutam is the holy power of the Shuar and it is the hope for the Shuar. In their culture, to encounter Arutam, they have to choose it. When you’re living in the jungle together with nature, at any moment there could be an enormous, powerful storm. This kind of storm can be like a hurricane. At this moment, a father can say to his son, “Today is your day.” Of course, in this monstrous, strong storm, a child would be afraid. The child needs to take his spear and go into the jungle in the middle of this powerful storm. The boy has to walk into the jungle, right into the middle of the storm. As the child is searching for Arutam, he will encounter a huge monster in his path. This monster can make the entire universe dark. It is total panic. But this child cannot be afraid. One false move and he could lose this whole experience. He knows that his defense is this spear. He has to fight against this monster that has presented itself. He is there with the spear in his hand. As he inserts the spear into the monster, he speaks these Shuar words: "Chaii Apachi Iwitkata," which means, “Give me your power.” At that moment the monster disappears, and the child is in another world. He has received the power of Arutam and he is in a completely different space. In this space, the monster is not really a monster; it transforms into this beautiful image and begins to speak to the boy. It tells him, “You are a very strong boy. For this, I’m going to give you all of my power.” The monster begins to tell the boy all of the things that will happen in his future life.After the monster has spoken to him and told him all of the things he needs to tell him about what will happen in the future, it disappears. Then the child returns to this world and begins to recover his energy and returns to the house. The father is ready and waiting for the child to return to the house. The father can recognize the child from far away, but the child cannot enter the house yet. He waits outside while the father prepares the sacred plant Natem. Then, together they enter into the jungle and go to a sacred place called Ayamtai. He gives his son the sacred plant, and when the plant takes effect, the Holy Spirit, Arutam, presents himself to the boy to continue telling him what is going to happen in the future. After this, the child will have a long life.