2010 itinerary
Day 1 (August 23) Begin with a shared meal:
lunch in Cusco. Visit two huacas near Cusco, the ancient
capital. Despite their proximity, these are never crowded. The first is a
cavern which contains a very old stone altar, dedicated to the sacred
feminine. A womb and birth canal. A place to begin. The second is a
place of initiation (another "beginning"), which carries the energy of
the condor, the power to rise to the heavens, and gives us great vision.
Day
2 (Aug 24) Another
condor-related place, this one near the massive temple at
Pisac. In this less-visited area, we connect to "the ancestors", and
also to death. What are we ready to leave behind? Where are we going
from here? This is the place where Inca dead were ceremonially prepared
for the next life. It is a point of up-liftment. How we're greeted as we
step out of the old. Despacho ceremony.And a serpent huaca.
Connecting to the earth and to the living water. With an interesting
round structure where we once shared a surprising energetic experience
with two policemen!
Day 3 (Aug 25) Place
of the
puma. Hike of an hour or so. Like so many of the Inca sites, the sacred
is entirely intertwined with the everyday. This site was a granary...
and also a temple. El nino
was a factor in those times too, and
it's said the accomplishment of the Inca empire (as the Egyptian) was to
organize for adequate food supply despite climatic fluctuation. Perhaps
not surprising that what sustains life through "the dry times" is
sacred. We connect with that power of the puma, the guardian.
Day 4 (Aug 26) We visit
Chincero, Puma Quispe's home village, and hear from him the living
meanings of the Inca site there, including what he calls "the temple of
the seeds of the new humanity". We'll also connect with the Andeans of
the present. The persistence of pastoralism. Herding, weaving. How
natural elements, fibers and dyes, are incorporated in symbols of the
divine. The glaciated mountains that dominate the sacred valley are
visible from here, and we'll visit an ancient tool for connecting with
the apus -- and try it for ourselves. Day 5 (Aug 27) The name in Quechua
means, roughly,
"Moon-stone-power". This is the site of our first meeting with the
sacred plant teacher huachuma.
A gentle teacher, and aided by a
beautiful curandera who has worked with this medicine for decades. We
felt that the site is a little like a European train station. "Paris on
track 3; Milan boarding at track 5." At different points there are
different portals or openings; you will find the one that leads to your
destination for today. Day 6 (Aug 28) We leave the Cusco area
and travel
southeast, whence the "Children of the Sun" themselves came to their
capital-to-be. This is a new adventure for Cielle and Jeffrey as well.
Puma tells us that the first place we'll visit is "the temple of the
sacred balance". Raqchi is the site of the "Wiracocha" complex, and is
often visited. We're looking forward to learning together. Day 7 (Aug 29) Three
sites. Again, from Puma's
comments: "Early in the morning, Tinajani,
the place where all the ancestral records were kept then a connection
with the fortress of spirit. This is our second day to work with the
Huachuma medicine. We'll be at Pucara, the temple of the Puma,
where we will awaken the power of will and
connect with the puma mountain. Protector and
guardian of our spiritual path." The puma, "otorongo" is
the energy associated with the pampamesayoc lineage. As we
prepare to move into our everyday lives, walking in balance and service,
this feels very right.Day 8 (Aug 30) As we return to Cusco
we'll
be making a very significant stop. This is the site considered the
spiritual birthplace of the sacred river, where the waters of the lake
(feminine) mix with those of the glaciers (masculine) to empower the
stream that flows through humanity, giving and supporting life. We
connect once again with the condor energy, the altomesayoc
energy, as it blesses the river that reflects the stars of our milky
way. Overnight in Cusco. Day 9 (Aug 31)
Breakfast. Ceremony for
the next step in your journey. Farewell, or continue to Mach Picchu
extension. |
|
|
