Along the Pilgrim's Path
to Machu Picchu By Kathy DooreRiver Rock Labyrinth, Urubamba, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco, Peru
Spring 1997 -- we traveled to Urubamba by way of Pachatusan Mountain, Peru, on March 23, 1997, during the lunar eclipse with comet Hale-Bopp overhead, to build a labyrinth for Chaska Sanctuary. That night I had a dream at the base of the holy pilgrimage site of Senor de Huanca, and returned directly to Urubamba the next day as described in my dream. Here I met the owners of a newly opened resort, and was awarded a commission to install two labyrinth meditation gardens for the Incaland Hotel. A few days earlier I'd discovered an obscure 16-rayed Star Petroglyph at Machu Picchu, which subsequently led me deeper into the Divine Mysteries, with the revelation of an ancient stone marker denoting a doorway embedded in the sacred sanctuary of the Incas, Machu Picchu. The story is featured in my new book, Markawasi: Peru's Inexplicable Stone Forest.
90' Grand Turf Labyrinth - Sacred Valley of the Incas
Fire altar in center adjacent to the riverfront.
The Incaland Resort is located at the base of the sacred mountain, Yawar Maki, facing the El Chicon glacier, a 45 minute drive from Cusco in the village of Urubamba situated along the old pilgrim's route to Machu Picchu. I placed the smaller of the two labyrinths measuring 45 feet in diameter, near the pool area. It is entirely made of river rock from the nearby Urubamba River. As you enter the labyrinth the magnificent El Chicon glacier meets your gaze. The second labyrinth deemed the "Grande Laberinto" measures a massive 90 feet, and was placed within feet of the river's edge in a wooded grove on the outskirts of the hotel grounds. It is positioned facing east, aligned with the rising sun. The location of the two labyrinths was established by dowsing the land, asking for the most optimum placement. My Quechua crew began clearing the land in the traditional manner with plows and hand tools. Truckloads of river rock were brought up from the rivers edge to create the paths. The two newly birthed labyrinths took three weeks to complete.
An additonal finger labyrinth was painted on a huge stone oddly sandwiched up high between two large Eucalyptus limbs. It has the appearance of somehow falling from the sky. The crew erected a stone base as a platform where guests could climb up and "finger walk" the labyrinth, making it a perfect location for reading and afternoon meditation.
A workshop, and evening walking meditation for the public, initiated the labyrinth. The local folklorist group arrived in traditional dress and performed for the 100+ guests. The grand affair included a traditional walk through each labyrinth to the sound of pan pipes. A bonfire blazed at the center of the Grande Labyrinth while modern day pilgrims and their Quechua hosts made offerings to the Pachamama in thanks for her many gifts.
As descendants of the Inca the Quechua laborers were delighted
to build temples in the Sacred Valley of their ancestors.One evening, after the completion of the River Rock labyrinth, the hotel owners joined me for a short ceremony to initiate the labyrinth. We made our offerings uttering our prayers, that the labyrinths would serve the many spiritual pilgrims on their journey. We gazed upward toward the sacred peak, Yawar Maki, where a newly risen Southern Cross had appeared as if sitting on the very crest of the mountain itself. The constellation was soon accompanied by another celestial body -- a massive, brilliantly lit, white body of light, the size of two soccar fields. It rose suddenly behind the mountain, momentarily obscuring the constellation and stopped briefly. Then shot upward at tremendous velocity, until it was out of sight. The sudden appearance of the stunning body of light confirmed our intent, blessings bestowed. A similar scenario would take place two years later in the stone forest of Markawasi. In both cases, guidence was received in remembrance of the ancient sacred journey.
Drawing the Cretan Style Classical Seven-Path Labyrinth
The Incaland Resort Labyrinths Near the bustling village of Urubamba located in the very heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Incaland Resort was a tribute to the Labyrinth. Spiritually oriented groups stopped in frequently to walk the meditation gardens. Located an hour from Cusco on the route to Machu Picchu in the Andean sub-tropics of the Urubamba Valley, the Incaland resort was a peaceful base for one of the most important travel adventures in the world according to the resort's owner, Nick Asheshov, a retired Brit and newspaper journalist. For the Incas, the Sacred Valley was the reflection of the Milky Way and literally meant "heaven on Earth". Travelers seeking something new will find there is no better place anywhere to ponder the past and to forget the future than among the great temple-universities of Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. Each of these marvels is just a short distance from the resort and from Machu Picchu, an hour and a half by train. Visitors here join the Apus, the Gods of the Andes, watching their Quechua neighbors till their fields with ox-drawn wooden ploughs. This has, after all, for thousands of years been one of the most fertile valleys in the Americas. Daily fiestas, processions and markets enliven the snow-peaks and ancient terraces of this Andean Shangrila. A magical labyrinth by the river was a restful stop on the way through this natural, gentle power center. In the Sacred Valley the mystical and exotic are everyday. The Incaland Hotel was sold in 2008, demolished, and on its site now stands the luxury resort, Tambo del Inka. The original rock labyrinth near the pool became the foundation for the new resort. If you stand in the lobby you can still feel the energy of the labyrinth! The stone "finger labyrinth" sandwiched inbetween the limbs of the Eucalyptus tree, continues to adorn the garden.
Florida Labyrinths
Norton Museum Labyrinth, Florida
Pavement Labyrinth, Marriott Spa & Resort, Florida
Kathy Doore hosts a yearly pilgrimage to the ancient sacred sites of Peru. Two decades ago while on a solo-pilgrimage to Machu Picchu, Kathy experienced a sudden and profound awakening during a late night visit within the inner sanctum of Machu Picchu, bringing her into the work she does today. Utilizing the geomantic elements of the ancients, and sensing the natural telluric flows of the earth, she has been led to work with the ancient libraries and doorways of the divine -- places rich in Spirit. Both a natural intuitive and an accomplished facilitator for journeys of the inner and the outer landscape, Kathy invites you to journey with her to Peru.
The Magic of Labyrinths examines the phenomena of mazes and labyrinths,
looking at their historical, cultural, and spiritual significance.
Profiles several pioneers of the modern labyrinth genre, including Kathy Doore's story entitled,
The Hero's Journey. Highly Recommended.
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