Key Points
- Hilot is a traditional Filipino method of healing that involves intuition and massage.
- The Ngangkari are Indigenous healers of the Anangu of the Western Desert in Central Australia.
- Lorelie Luna Ladiges and Wyarta Miller found a friend and collaborator in each other.
Listen to the podcast
Indiginoy Episode 4: Similarities between the traditional healing practices of Hilot and Ngangkari healers
SBS Filipino
06/07/202412:21
Hilot practitioner and teacher Lorelie Luna Ladiges said she found both a friend and collaborator in Ngangkari healer Wyarta Miller.
"Wyarta told me that intuition told her she would meet someone in Sydney who would be important in her journey. She didn't know who it would be; but when we met, things clicked. She said, 'Ahh, you're the one I'm supposed to meet!'" Ladiges said.
Wyarta Miller (left) and Lorelie Luna Ladiges (right). Credit: Lorelie Luna Ladiges
Fated meeting
"I lived in NSW, and Wyarta lived in the bush in South Australia. Our paths were not likely to cross; but we were meant to meet. It was fated," Ladiges said.
She shared that someone in Sydney had seen and consequently, reached out to Miller to invite her to their city.
At that time, a friend and student of mine told me that she saw on Instagram that a Ngangkari healer was coming to Sydney. She said, 'She does the same thing you do'.Lorelie Luna Ladiges, healer
"I thought I would try contacting her. We talked and I sent her my details. She said if she was in Sydney, maybe we can meet," Ladiges said.
Ladiges' interest in Ngangkaris grew after meeting the executive medical director for Western New South Wales Local Health District, Dr Clayton Spencer.
Ladiges then connected Spencer with Miller.
Over a year ago, Miller finally had a chance to visit Sydney and meet with Ladiges in-person.
A gathering of spiritual healers. L-R: Dom Sutton, Myrna Reyes, Lorelie Luna Ladiges, Dr Clayton Spencer, Tanja Korac and Wyarta Miller. Credit: Lorelie Luna Ladiges
Holistic healing
Ladiges shared that both she and Miller had received healing from each other.
"The traditional Filipino method of healing is very similar to the Aboriginal practice as well," she said.
I've received a healing session from her and she's also received a healing session from me. We look after each other. We learn from each other.Lorelie Luna Ladiges, healer
Ladiges shared that both practices had the most important aspect of traditional medicine in common - holistic healing.
"The purpose of hilot is to bring harmony in all layers of being a human being - the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual connection, and the ability to listen to your soul where it wants to lead you," she said.
"This sounds eccentric, but there are different parts of you that make you up and connect you to your source ... whether you call it 'Bathala' ['God'] or something else."
For Aboriginal Australians, health is also about the whole body, mind and spirit.
CEO of the (ANTAC) Dr Francesca Panzironi stated in her
The only traditional medical system which fulfils the WHO’s definition of traditional medicine in Australia ... is Aboriginal traditional medicine.Dr Francesca Panzironi, CEO of the Aṉangu Ngangkaṟi Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation (ANTAC)
"Traditional medicine is the sum total of knowledge, skills and practices on holistic health care, which is recognised and accepted by the community for its role in the maintenance of health and the treatment of diseases," she said.
Finding pain
Before healing can take place, finding pain is a critical pre-requisite.
Ladiges said that when it came to finding pain in someone she and Miller shared a focus on intuition, empathy and a heightened sensory sensation in their hands.
"First, there's the physical side of locating pain," Ladiges said.
When there's a body on the table, I would feel for what we call as 'lamig', which translates to the 'cold'. I can literally feel the cold on my fingertips.Lorelie Luna Ladiges, healer
"I put a white sheet on top of the person and where the 'lamig' is, I see shadows. You can also see the 'lamig' as lumps or feel the lack of a pulse in the area because of low blood flow."
Energy was also a determinant of pain, Ladiges said.
"Wyarta has intuition in her modality. She can see through a person's body and know the state of their organs. She is able to feel what is not right in someone's body and make suggestions.
Both of us can feel the energy of people. Remember that pain isn't just physical. Sadness can bring a lot of heaviness to the body as well.Lorelie Luna Ladiges, healer
"Wyarta and I can take on our clients' pain too. We can actually feel the pain of our clients in our own bodies."
Permission to pass
Much like hilot, a Ngangkari's healing practice combines hands, breath and the use of plants and balms. Credit: Wyarta Miller
She will stop the car wherever she might be and she'll ask permission from her ancestors and the spirit of the land when it comes to picking bush medicine.Loralie Luna Ladiges, healer
Ladiges said the request for permission is similar to when Filipinos say "tabi-tabi po"['May I pass?'] when walking in nature.
"We say this so we don't upset the spirits when we're in their area. We have to remember that we're not the only inhabitants of a place," she said.
Ladiges said Miller created a concoction from the materials she got from the land.
I actually have some of the bush medicine she creates with me. She does small batches of her oil.Lorelie Luna Ladiges, healer
"Much like her, we Filipinos also create concoctions from what we get from the land," Ladiges said.
"Filipinos also create concoctions from what we get from the land," healer Wyarta Miller says. Source: SBS / Envato/Kuchina Svitlana
"I do my own oil now as well."
The device and the source
Aside from sourcing medicine from the land, part of the practice is respecting the device used to heal and the people from which they learned healing.
When I rediscovered hilot, it felt like I was chosen; much like how Wyarta said she was called upon to do the work.Lorelie Luna Ladiges, healer
Ladiges said that being called to do the work also meant a deeper respect for the hands used to heal.
"Ngangkaris don't let just anybody touch their hands. I'm the same because our hands are our main devices. We protect them. I don't even get manicures," Ladiges said.
"When someone touches our hands and the energy is not right, I have to flick the energy off. Wyarta does the same."
The work can be 'lonely'
Helping people heal and consequently taking on their pain can be lonely and exhausting.
Ladiges said she and Miller were "bound" by their care for one another.
Wyarta Miller (left) and Lorelie Luna Ladiges (right). Credit: Lorelie Luna Ladiges
"Sometimes when she feels wrecked, I'll work on her body and help her heal. She does the same for me.
"Sometimes when she feels wrecked, I'll work on her body and help her heal. She does the same for me." Credit: svitlanah/Envato
"It's funny - we both have healing blankets as well that we use after sessions.
“Healing is a way of life for me. It’s a way of life for Wyarta. There may be those who are sceptical about what we do. We're not here to convince them otherwise; but I'm glad that traditional healing is making a comeback."
