As I climbed the hills in the Sacred Valley, every step was a prayer of gratitude.
Pausing often to catch my breath in the high altitude, I drank in the beauty of the mountains, valleys, small towns, and roaming llamas. I felt the hum of power of the Sacred Site moving up from the Earth to bless my body and offer me nurturance and strength. While I saw and heard my fellow journeyers, I was immersed within my own experience of quiet wonder as I prepared for the ceremony above.
I arrived to find the Paqos (shamans) had prepared the space and had laid the first layers of the Despacho.
This offering (meaning dispatch in Spanish) is a traditional offering of the shamans in the Andes. It is a sweet gift of sugar, spices, nuts, seeds, candies, flowers, and other items representing the cosmic journey we share with all living beings. Laid upon paper, it will be wrapped and used to cleanse the energy of all participants before being offered to the fire.
As we settled in a circle, the shamans gave a k’intu to each participant.
“Anay” (thank you). I dropped within for a moment to explore what prayers wanted to be blown into this small offering. With intent, breath, and quiet voice, I offered my prayers in the tradition of the Andes. I first called upon the lineages, celestial bodies, and archetypal powers to be present. I then recognized my humanness which included all that I did not know and the mistakes I inadvertently made. I moved on to offer my gratitude for life and all things within this experience. Lastly, I shared my personal prayers for the wellbeing and harmony for myself, my family and friends, all those I serve, and all projects I was called to offer. I offered my prayers for all people, creatures, and Pachamama.
The k’intu is a fan of three cocoa leaves with a red and white carnation petal.
The k’intu may serve as a Despacho, of which there are many varieties, as an offering of thanksgiving and reverence to Pachamama (Mother Earth), the mountains and sacred spaces, and the celestial beings that watch over Earth. It may also, as in this case, be placed in a larger Despacho which gathers the prayers of many.
The three leaves of the k’intu represent the three worlds and the three Divine attributes of human equilibrium.
In the Andean cosmovision, there are three worlds or realms known as the upper world (hanaqpacha), middle world (kaypacha), and lower world (ukhupacha). These mythical realms each serve a purpose, have guardians to guide your journeys, and offer support to the human experience.
In the Peruvian tradition, there are also three energetic centers (belly, heart, head) which empower living in connection and right relationship with all life.
Each center represents and fuels one of the three Divine attributes of human equilibrium. The belly, or llank’ay (yank eye), represents creative expression, work and loving service. The heart, or munay (moon eye), represents pure loving and being in right relationship. The third eye, head, or yachay (yach eye), represents wisdom, clear knowing, and clear sight.
When it was time, I went to the shaman and offered my k’intu, vibrating with the power of my prayers.
Using this trio of cocoa leaves, she blessed my three centers before offering it to the shaman who was creating the Despacho. My prayers, along with all who participated, entered this sweet gift to life. I sat in the fresh air, hot sun, amidst the ancient ones residing in the mountains, and felt my body vibrating with this blessing.
I prayed to live this blessing in the moments of my life. And to be reminded of this ceremony and place of power when I fell into the slumber of my conditioned human self.
I believe in the practicality of translating this tradition of the Andean ceremony into the everyday journey of living. I see this as a practice which has no end and no score card. Just the simple desire to evolve into a kinder, more peaceful human being who offers something beneficial to the world. The key word here being practice.
To practice munay, you have to open and clear your heart. To practice yachay, you have to let go of judgments, opinions, and the idea that accumulated information equals knowledge. To practice llank’ay, you have to act and express your creative work imbued with loving service.
If you are able to travel to New Jersey at the end of July, you’ll have this direct experience with the Peruvian shamans during the Seeding the Light Gathering.
This primoridal light, known as Ti in the Peruvian tradition, may be known by other names as well. It is the chi, ki, prana, holy spirit, and pure light of the Divine. That which animates all life and connects all living energy.
You may think of all ceremony, shamanic healing, and the Munay Ki initiations as a sharing of this light.
The light is information. It is energy. And the Ti informs your energetic system so it may uplevel in vibration as it clears the old, dense energy from your system. All activities in the Seeding the Light Gathering are offering you this energy transmission so your LightBody may upgrade. This empowers your intent to practice wisdom, love, and creative expression in your own life.
You are an expression of this pure Ti and have your own way of sharing your wisdom, love, and creative work with the world.
While the Peruvian shamans and ceremonies will enhance your capacity to do this, there are many ways in which you may grow your light. Clearing out the dense or stagnant energy from your field is an essential health and growth process. However this is done, it benefits the free flowing of life force (chi, prana, Ti) so that your innate wisdom may expand your capacity to live and serve with wisdom, love, and creative work.
50% of tickets for the Seeding the Light Gathering have been sold. If you are interested, please book your Weekend or 5 day Immersion now.
When you register, you’ll also be given the opportunity to have a private healing session with one of the shamans. This is a chance to experience the traditional healing methods which clearing your field of old energy and receiving an infusion of the high light.
I’ve also experienced the power of ceremony and healings on ZOOM. Seems funny, yet the Sacred healing practices know how to use every technology.
If you are unable to make the Seeding the Light Gathering, yet would like to experience a Despacho ceremony, Munay Ki initiation, or Andean Energy Medicine healing session, I’d be happy to offer this for you. Please visit my Andean Energy Medicine page or reach out to me if you’d like to bring a group to Soul Sanctuary in the future. I have limited availability in mid August and then am booking in mid October.
Please know that when I blow my prayers into my k’intu during ceremony in the Seeding the Light Gathering, I’ll be including you.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
Fair trade products from Peru are available via many resources. When I first learned that quinoa, a staple for the Peruvian diet, was becoming too expensive for locals due to the high demand of overseas consumption, I was dismayed. That led me to research how to purchase not only quinoa but all Peruvian products from Fair Trade certified suppliers. This certification, across all countries, meets rigorous economic, social, and environmental standards. Do your research so those producing the product benefit. This honors Ayni (reciprocity) which is an embedded social and spiritual aspect of Peruvian culture.
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
In September, I’m returning to the Temples of Humankind in Damanhur, Italy. It feels like an understatement to claim that this is a place of power, mystery, and majesty. Yet, I’ve found this to be true for myself and those I’ve met who’ve traveled within the extraordinary to the Temples and the community of Damanhur.
One cool Spring morning, I stepped on the treadmill at the gym looking forward to walking a few miles. Recovering from an injury, I had to walk at a moderate pace so I had brought my copy of What Is Enlightenment? magazine to explore. I always found something to inspire me within this publication focused upon consciousness, culture, and cosmos.
Stress is a natural experience in life. It’s often viewed as a doorway to disruption of wellbeing, peace of mind, and a clear navigational path in a challenging situation.
I’m a bit of a news hound these days. As one who hasn’t watched a newscast in years, I’m surprising myself. Ordinarily, I wait for the news to come to me. And it does. When something is important for me to know or respond to, I hear about it. Kind friends, clients, my husband, or a random stranger share a soundbite which cues me to look into a situation further. I’ve been very comfortable with this level of engagement for years now.
In the midst of our country’s woes, I’ve got Lucinda Williams singing in my head.
“You can’t rule me
you wanna go and tell me what’s good for me
you wanna tell me what I’m payin’ for
Well, the game is fixed, it’s plain to see
I ain’t playin’ no more”
I drove through a hail storm today. It began gently, offering a musical accompaniment to my journey. Intensifying, the hail noisily demanded my attention.
