Detailed Information:
Icaros are medicine songs, used by shamans and
curanderos in the Peruvian Amazon Basin. The doctor spirits teach the shamans their
icaros.
Icaros are expressed in the form of songs and are how the shamansÆ deliver spiritual energy. They are used to bring on
mareaci?n (the visionary effects of
ayahuasca), take it away, call in different plant spirits, call in the spirits of others or the deceased, take away dark spirits and dark energies, and manage the ceremony.
Icaros are either whistled or sung, and can be expressed in any language. The shamans generally sing in a spirit dialect that is a mixture of their native language (i.e. Quechua, Shipibo-Conibo, Ashßninka, Spanish and different evocative sounds.
Icaros represent a system of communication between the shaman and the spirits, and the shaman and the participants in the ceremony. Shamans believe every living thing has an icaro and that these can be learned. Their singing is sometimes accompanied by the chakapa, shacapa, a leaf rattle, used to carry the rhythm of the ceremony. The shaman uses his shacapa to direct energy and the icaros, and send away dark or unwanted energies. Each icaro is used to contact a different spirit, for use in healing.
Source: Wikipedia
