Dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the Spirit World” by the New York Times, Alberto Villoldo sought out and befriended the Q’ero shamans of Peru long before it became fashionable. A nascent medical anthropologist, he was looking for new approaches to age-old illnesses—by going back to nature. What he discovered would change his life.

Born in pre-revolution Cuba, Villoldo was exposed at an early age to the Afro-Indian healing traditions practiced by his nanny. While pursuing doctoral studies at San Francisco State University, he traveled the Southwestern United States, the Amazon, and the Andes researching native healing methods. He later directed the Biological Self-Regulation Laboratory at SFSU, where he investigated mind-body medicine and the neurophysiology of healing.

Villoldo eventually returned to Peru, where his quest for academic knowledge evolved into a spiritual journey spanning four decades of study, training, initiation, writing, and teaching the science, practice, and philosophy of shamanic energy medicine. He discovered that we are more than flesh and bone—we are made of Spirit and light, surrounded by a luminous energy field (LEF) whose source is located in infinity. This unending LEF exists in every cell of our bodies, acting as a matrix that maintains our physical and spiritual health and vibrancy. He learned that the wisdom and skills of the shaman are available to all who are called to immerse themselves in this ancient knowledge.

At the request of his Q’ero mentors—who were alarmed by a lack of interest in shamanism among younger generations—Villoldo founded the Four Winds Society and Light Body School to train a new group of modern-day shamans. The Light Body School is internationally recognized as the gold standard in energy medicine education, bridging ancient shamanic wisdom teachings with cutting-edge practices in nutrition, biology, and neuroscience. The Light Body School certification trainings take place in California, Germany, and Chile.

Alberto Villoldo’s wealth of knowledge has germinated 17 books, including Shaman, Healer, Sage, and the Top-Ten Wall Street Journal bestseller, One Spirit Medicine. His newest book, The Heart of the Shaman: Stories & Practices of the Luminous Warrior, teaches us how to tap into the creative power of the Universe which allows us to dream a new world into being. A number of Dr. Villoldo’s books have been translated into Spanish, German, French, Italian, Rumanian, Chinese, and various others languages.