Peru Memories
A Body and Soul Adventure 2002
In September 2002, I experienced Peru for 11 days. In truth, the experience started the years before I’d see pictures of Machu Picchu, and wonder if I would ever see it or know its secrets. The search for the right group to visit Peru with, the funding of the trip, the learning of the religions and energy of Peru were all foundational to actually being there. The Journey started in 1998 and continues through today. Initially after my return from my 2002 trip to Peru, I was feeling both good to be back and sad because I’ve left Peru and some new good friends behind. It was a very special trip, mostly for my spirit, and also a great challenge for my body. I saw poverty in people and landscape as well as the most beautiful mountains and temples and people in both outside visual ways as well as in internal ways of spirit. I am going to try and sort out these in my stories of Peru.
Peru was not a tourist destination for me, but an opportunity to plug into energies that were ancient and strong. From the Sun Temple outside of Lima, the Ica Stones, the temples of Cusco and the Sacred Valley, and from the spirits of the mountains, I found strong vibration that penetrated deep into my body and answered my soul’s questions and desires. Pray for what you want in Peru and it will be granted. Just be careful…you will get what you prayed for.
Our trip was organized by Kathy Doore of Labyrinthina. (labyrinthina.com) She promised a trip where we focused on the energy of the site; emphasized that ceremony would be part of our visits and even provided a shaman as our guide. Nine of us with Kathy and our guides…a group small enough to bond and large enough to find special friends.
LIMA
Lima is a city with all the requisite different sections of industry and living areas. It is cloud covered most of the year. Most of our time here was traveling to and from our hotel in the suburb of Miraflores. On our first full day we started a trip down to Nazca by visiting the Temple of the Sun which is just outside of Lima. Much of the temple is disintegrated, but the bricks that remain hold a strong vibration. Once red paint covered much of the temple. Now only patches of red paint remain and these emanate a higher vibration then the regular bricks. To me this signified that site was highly used in the past that a people who deeply believed in their ceremonies and rituals. Offered the opportunity to meditate, I chose to slide down a short wall so that my sacrum rested against some of the red paint. I prayed that I would be one with the earth and the heavens in Peru. I asked to be given all I need to heal the earth and her people. I felt energy vibrating into my sacrum and up into my head. At one point, I lifted my head back and felt my throat being blessed. I heard, “You are a blessed daughter of the Sun. You have what you have asked for. You are and will be a healer, teacher and writer. A Healer of the Earth and its people. I felt my third eye expand into all directions – front, back and sides. The priest who was blessing me was of ancient times, dressed in clothing that was reminiscent of Egyptian clothing. I was astounded that this experience happened at the very first site we visited. What would the rest of the trip have in store for me?
NAZCA AND ICA
Our trip down to Nazca and Ica took the rest of the day and allowed for both quiet time and for group bonding and singing time. The scenery was endless desert, a gray sky and deep poverty in the infrequent settlements that marked the highway. And there were the mountains… guarding the land, anchoring it seemingly to this planet. They seemed alive and strong. As we rode along the highway, I prayed to them asking for their blessings. Their extension back to me was warm and loving. I was thus beginning my experience of truly being in communication with nature…a nature that was used to being talked to and responded to. It profoundly changed my perception of my relationship with the earth and it’s residents. The mountains, rocks, temples, altars talk with you if you talk to them. It’s sort of like with people…if we don’t talk to someone or respect that they are there, then they do not respond or relate to us. In Peru, the conversation with nature never ended as it has in so much of the United States. The conversation is current, dynamic and so tangible.
The lines in the desert around Nazca are mind-boggling. Easiest to see where the straight lines, vectors, triangles, a huge rectangle and the top of a mountain cut off for a landing strip. It was harder to see where the figures that often measured over a football field in size. Who made these lines and figures and why? Not for any reason that I can fathom other than for someone in the air to see. Were there ancient advanced civilizations that created this and many other wonders of Peru? It seems there is so much more that Peru can tell us about the history of this planet.
The Ica Stones challenged all my frames of history and civilization. Ica Stones were first found in the middle part of the last century when a mountainside opened up after a rain. Local people found them and sold them. Dr. Caberra eventually received one as a gift and this started a life-long mission of collecting and preserving these stones. In Dr. Caberra’s office, one particular stone with a sun formation attracted my attention. As I touched it, energy shot up my right arm and pushed through my head right and left. I pulled away to see a dinosaur egg, then my camera wouldn’t work. So I went back to that stone, the energy finished going down my legs, and then my camera worked again. Hmmm. The museum was so full of energy that I felt overwhelmed, almost nauseous, as I entered it. Specific stones radiated energy if I touched them. My camera could photograph some but not others. Who recorded the brain surgery, the cesarean section, the heart surgery, the life-cycle of a pre-historic bat on these rocks? Advanced peoples obviously. But the bat lived 50.000 years ago. The only way to know the life cycle of the bat is to have lived then. A library in stone left for future generations to discover. We are the future that discovered them. Who were the creators? Again Peru makes you imagine the past in new and wonderous ways.
THE SACRED VALLEY
A return to Lima, a flight to Cusco and a bus trip to Pisac in the Sacred Valley, and we are in the Sacred Valley. We visit Ollantaytambo, Pisac and Machu Picchu. At Ollantaytambo, an ancient astronomy site, our shaman led us in ceremony and we each made a Kintu (a prayer using 3 coca leaves). Seeking a place for meditation, I climbed up the side of the wall about 20 feet up and found a shelf. From this viewpoint, I could see the fields still in cultivation surrounding Ollantaytambo, the opening of the valley that is symbolized by the Tree of Life and the temple remnants all around me. In sitting meditation, I prayed to know where my mountain was and where I could find my crystal. I saw myself walking a path and entering a cave, descending to waters running down the interior of the mountain. I was told to look for my crystal—that it would appear. Returning down to the temple complex, Peggy (another of our group) and I investigated some small rooms with niches in the walls. I put my hands in each one and asked for blessing from the spirits there. The energy in each niche was very distinct. Next we climbed the steps past terraces used for cultivation to the top of the agricultural area to view old storage houses. Storage of food at the top of the mountain evidently insured its dryness and its security.
That afternoon we visited Pisac, the temple whose name the town below had taken. Here too we left Kintu offerings, saw a condor hover in the air for several minutes (blessing us we hoped) and then we took a long walk down to the town. It was at this site that my legs decided that they had had enough. I had not been able to “get in shape” before the trip due to an ankle injury in July, so all the morning’s and afternoon’s climbing had left my quads shaking. The Shaman guide, Karina, was incredibly kind and supportive as she helped me walk down the mountain. I prayed a lot that I would not be an offering to Pachamama (Peru’s Earth Mother) as mostly we were descending a trail of differing height steps that had a 1000 foot drop to rock and jungle below on one side and the mountain rock on the other. I learned about moving beyond my body’s ‘endpoint’, about spirit helping me keep going, and on depending on others. Most importantly, I was not an offering to Pachamama that day!
On Friday the 20th, we took a bus and train to Machu Picchu. In the afternoon, we were given an archeological tour of Machu Picchu, which took us all over the complex: up to the Temple of the Three Windows, Intihuatanan, a solar observatory, and to the Temple of the Sun…down to the Temple of the Condor…to the plaza…to the terraces and homes of the workers. My legs were stiff, the steps uneven and Peggy lent me her shoulder for support. We “oldsters” stopped to catch our breath on climbing while the younger members climbed easily up to the top. No matter, the guide waited for us to congregate and gave us a history of Machu Picchu. I found this tour to be informational, but not energetically connecting me to the site. That would happen the next day when we had a Despacho ceremony and later entered Machu Picchu at night.
The 21st dawned gray and rainy and stayed that way through late afternoon. Here’s where that old poncho and waterproof boots were sooo useful. We walked around the Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of Machu Picchu) shopping, visiting the internet sites and eating lunch. We took our bus up to Machu Picchu in the early afternoon and found a small cave off the beaten path. Here Karina, our Shaman guide, led us in a Despacho Ceremony to the Apus of the mountains. We each added different parts of the offerings (food, money, symbols of prosperity) as well as adding our own kintu offering with our requests for what we wanted for ourselves, for our families and for our friends. Finally, we were each blessed with the entire Despacho bundle and each released to the mountain any heavy energy that we had been holding. My prayers were for abundance of strength and flexibility, for many clients who like my work, for spiritual guidance, and for release of all fears and restrictions that have held me back. The off and on rain brought beautiful mists up and over the mountains. We were held softly, seemingly isolated in that special cave, as if the tourists only 15 feet away did not exist in the same time and place.
We spent the rest of the afternoon freely roaming the site and finally had dinner in the bar of the hotel at Machu Picchu. This food and warmth prepared us well for our final experience of Machu Picchu. We were going to experience Machu Picchu with the full moon blessing the site. The rain had ended just before we entered the site after dark around 6:00pm. We climbed up to the Temple of the Three Window where we meditated and prayed at the altar stone. We were joined by another group that brought a variety of musical instruments to use in their ceremony and meditation that evening.
We moved on to Intihuatanan, a solar observatory carved from the top of the mountain. Here we placed our foreheads on its surface, as Katrina did ceremony around us. I prayed for connection to the Apus of the mountains and for greater connection to spirit in my life. I opened and expanded my third eye, my throat, heart, pelvis and solar plexus. I felt safe in the center of Machu Picchu, as the sounds of other celebrants singing, toning, playing instruments echoed through the site. I felt my third eye expand down into the mountain. At one point, I tried to lift my forehead to the stone, and my forehead was stuck to the stone. Later I found that this happened to others also. Again and again I was told that I would heal both people and the earth, that I would write and teach. Later I turned to see the clouds open and the full moon came into view blessing us. It was a maginificent sight. I saw a Southern Cross in the sky…first just itself, then with lots of fruit and veggies (symbols of good health for me), then a Southern Cross with a flow of money (financial abundance). I felt that my wishes were being granted. In another meditation, I was directed down a hole into a cave and dug out a box. My crystal was in it. I was told to look down for the real crystal and received it energetically. As I agreed to use it in my healing work, my hands prickled with the energy.
The moon peeked in and out of clouds for the rest of the night, as we sang in the Temple of the Sun and were blessed by Karina at the Temple of the Condor. At this last site, I felt a lot of heavy energy leave me as Karina blessed me, and I saw many spirits watching us as she blessed each person in the group.
Sunday the 22nd , gave everyone time to shop, to chat on the internet, to revisit Mach Picchu and in the afternoon we took the train back to Cusco. There we settled into a hotel on the square and had time to spend together or alone. Sophia asked me to help her meet her guides. I told her that I would try and in that session, I discovered my gift from Machu Picchu. Sophia laid down on a couch, I sat in a chair. I grounded myself and asked for guidance. In came Sophia’s guides and I found that my role was to assist them in learning how to communicate with Sophia. Sophia asked questions and got answers or more questions from the guides. The guides wanted communication with Sophia and offered a way for her and them to test the communication medium. I found that at several points I was to simply move out of the way, so that Sophia could communicate with them on her own. I felt amazingly blessed to be able to do this for Sophia. The wonder of it all was that I repeated it that evening with Daneen and with Stephen. All the guides were different and had different ways that they used to communicate with the individual. In all cases, there were times that I stepped out of the communication loop. The next day I repeated the same process with three others. In all my prayers on this trip, I had asked for greater connection with spirit, and most obviously had received it. I asked to be able to heal people more, and I received a tool to help people heal themselves more. I am so blest. I have never in my life had a pray answered so quickly and so strongly. I have continued to be able to do this since I returned home.
TEMPLES OF CUSCO
On Monday the 23rd we visited three temples that surround Cusco. The first was Tambomachay, which has three levels. During a group meditation at the highest level, I saw three native women kneeling on the ground in the middle of the group with their foreheads to the ground. They would raise their hands up to the sky and then bend forward and touch the earth again with their arms and foreheads. I was moved to end our standing meditation doing the same movement. As my head touched the ground, I felt a strong pull in my third eye. Behind me were four niches in the wall, at least 2 feet deep and over six feet high. I decided to stand in each niche and tone to experience the energy of the niche. In the first niche, I saw a condor sitting then flying into the sky and rising sun. I felt that this was giving me vision. At the second niche, the mountains around Machu Picchu appeared with their open energy. I was on the back of a condor flying between the mountains. I had a sense of communication and relationship both with the condor and the Apus of the mountains. In the third niche, I saw the three worlds – upper, middle and lower. I asked to be able to speak with spirits in the upper world. Last, in the fourth niche, I saw bodies with energy flowing between them. I assumed this meant they were in relationship then with each other. I felt my right ear being healed. Also I felt that the energy of the niche was to heal relationship and health.
At the middle level of Tambomachay, there is one water spout coming from the rock and this represents the feminine. The water is supposed to be very healing, so each of us stood before the fountain and cleansed each of our chakras and cleared out any negativity in them. On the lowest level, there are two spouts of water flowing into a bathtub size basin. These represent male and female energy and thus balance. Again we each stood before the fountain, cleansed and balanced our charkas. To add some reality to this experience, buses of school children arrived during this last cleansing. The children ran to the fountain to get their heads wet and then to run to the top of the temple. The teachers tried to control their energy but with minimal success, and so ended the tour with getting their own heads wet. It was good to see that ceremony and life intertwine and mingle easily.
The next temple we visited was Queqo. Here a standing stone of more than 20 feet tall emanates an energy circle of about 15 feet. Behind this stone in the rock was a small cave with an altar in it. While waiting to enter the cave, I placed my forehead on the rock of the site and felt energy entering me. Once we were in the cave and standing around the altar, we placed our hands on the altar while Karina blessed us. There was a strong energy flowing from the altar into my hands.
Our last temple was Sacsayhuaman. This was the biggest site with large stones over 10 feet tall and wide fitted together to create a zigzag wall more than a football field in length. The celebrations of Inti Raymi or the festival of the sun is held in June, while in September the ceremony of Warachicuy is enacted there. On the highest rocks overlooking the open plaza, are seats carved into the rock. As soon as I sat down, tremendous energy surged up and down my spine. We each mediated here at different seats and again Karina blessed us. It was on a flat area behind these seats that I was drawn to have the group perform the Earth Healing Matrix.
EARTH –HEAVEN MATRIX
We stood in a circle with individuals at the eight cardinal points of the compass. Sophia and I were in the middle back to back. We started with sending any heavy energy that may be on us or in us down into mother earth. I had them put roots down into the earth, and the draw up earth energy filling their bodies until their crown charkas opened up. Then they pulled down heaven energy and circulated it in a microcosmic orbit. Then I had them expand their Lower Dantien until it met and blended with that of their neighbor on either side, and with that of Sophia and I in the middle. I stayed at this level until I felt that they were all expanded. We repeated the process with their middle and upper Dantiens. When I felt the group pulsing on all three levels, I directed them to focus on expanding their energy down a mile into the earth individually and then to create the same web that we had already created at the surface. After the earth matrix connection was established at the mile deep level, we drew earth energy up through our bodies through our Lower Dantien, our Middle Dantien and Upper Dantien, continually expanding and filling. This prepared us to move our expanding energy upward into the heavenly grid and connect with it. We repeated the expansion of energy up and interconnecting as we had done on the other two levels.
We stayed there until I felt the connection with heavenly energy coming down and then moving down to the deep earth matrix through us and then back up to the heavenly grid and back down. The earth-heaven matrix was established. We then moved the energy through the heavenly grid around the earth, seeing it move over their homes, towns, cities and countries, seeing it heal and fill and glow. To end this delicious flow, we brought our focus down gently bring it into our Lower Dantiens where it was stored. I requested that they repeat this meditation with friends in their home areas and they agreed. To me this work is like acupressure on the earth, where I sense down until I feel resistance, wait for the release and continue down to the next level until I am deep enough to activite the earth matrix. Deliberately magnifying the flow through our bodies, reinforces the earth-heaven link and strengthens the energetic grid which surrounds the earth. This work of stimulating the earth-heaven matrix around the earth is one of the tasks that has been offered to me through spirit.
LAST MOMENTS
Back at the hotel we got to receive a reading and egg healing from a local healer. She was really on target with many of us. If you have never had an egg reading, it is an experience not to be missed. First I with an egg in my sock, then over my heart and then over my belly for about five minutes each. Then the egg is broken into a glass of water. Each person’s egg look different in the water. The ‘reading” is done based on how the egg looks. Part of what she said was that I had a problem with my right ankle (that’s the one I twisted in July) and that I was healthy. All from how an egg separated in water! With other people, she accurately identified different health issues. I got a reading using her Peruvian tarot cards, covering myself, and my children. She was a good counselor to those who needed not just a reading but a caring shoulder.
We ended the evening with a special dinner out and then a sharing of the anyi that several members of the group had not been able to share yet. Anyi is a Peruvian concept of sharing a gift we have with others. If you are given to, then you are expected to give to others. That night two artists and a poet shared their art with us. We were astounded and touched deeply by the beauty of their gifts. We took some time just to talk about what we had learned on our trip because the next day was the “official” end of our tour. Four of us were returning to the states and the rest went on to visit the Marcahuasi Stone Forest for four days.
An early morning flight to Lima, a day of shopping and resting in Miraflores, a long evening flight back to the states, returned me to my reality of work and family in Northern Virginia. Reality of daily living has often obscured the experiences of Peru, but the power given me has never left. I have been challenged in my heart and soul, and have been face-to-face with my worst fears. I would not trade this experience for anything. Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the temples of Cusco are still calling me home, so I will return again!
Photos of our Gatherings
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