Jungle Chill

After all the travelling, hiking boots and clothes it is always such a pleasure to simply BE in the jungle.  Stillness, hammocks, flip flops and the songs of the Amazon whether they are coming from birds and creatures or from our beautiful Medicalista, Edinson Panduro.

We were met with clear starry skies and hot bright days interspersed with lightening displays and the occasional rain shower.  My group were newbies to Ayahuasca and all engaged with it beautifully, asking intelligent questions and really understanding the process.  For me, since healing my relationship with her last year, it was the easiest process yet, beautiful and with a profound feeling of love and so much confirmation about where I am with myself, my energy and with all that has passed and what is to come.  It was like total alignment, really amazing.

I had met the owner of the lodge Juan, a few years ago once at the office in Cusco, but he was in the jungle this time so I was finally able to connect with him properly.  They are all so nice to me there, I love the connectivity and having a kind of jungle family.

Before the first nuances of dawn capture the sky, the jungle echoes with a creepy sounding rasping/roaring/grunting sound sweeping through the lushness and you lay there wondering what in the world is that sound?  I already knew it was packs of howler monkeys swinging through the jungle!  Miguel is a four month old resident howler monkey.  He has two less personable brothers who also live there.  Their mother was shot and they were taken as pets.  Rodolfo, the wonderful manager of the lodge who is a biologist, stole them from their “owners” so they could be released back into their natural habitat.  Eco Amazonia own Monkey Island where they rescue injured and sick monkeys and release them back into their natural surroundings.  Miguel will have to be taken deep into the jungle with his brothers when he is a little older to start their own pack as howler monkey’s start to get aggressive when they are older.  Miguel was very entertaining, charming and as cheeky as they get!

The day after any ayahuasca ceremony you are not feeling up for much action so one day we took a little boat ride up to the Gamitano river and luxuriated in head to toe mud baths, good for your skin, hair and mosquito bites!  It had rained the entire day before so there was plenty of water this time so we could swim with the piranha’s, once the mud had dried.

 

Another day was an educational walk to Lago Apu Victor.  Victor is the head guide and he has been there since the lodge opened about 17 years ago.  On a jungle ‘walk-about’ one day he discovered a beautiful caiman filled lake so they named it after him.  This time we were so honoured to see an amazing 18 foot anaconda curled up sleeping in the sun!  We didn’t get too close in the boat because they can easily leap out and snatch their prey in one easy stretch.  I have only experienced being anaconda dinner three times in aya visions and it is not an event I would ever like to become a real life adventure!

In the jungle it is rare to know what day it is.  The river flows, nature sings and hammocks beckon. One night on the way to the Aya Hut we crossed paths with a giant tarantula moseying along, hanging out with the frogs.  Ceremony ends around midnight and I was safely back in my hut, still feeling the affects and heard something gnawing on my hut.  I looked out the window shining my torch to see what I could see, but it was pitch black.  I was aware I did not have any food in my hut, but my vivd imagination was creating a jaguar of course!  Eventually I had to open the door, cautiously to see what was making so much noise.  There, right ON my door was a little mouse.  I closed it quickly because I did not want to share my room with a mouse, and soon I heard him scurry away very quickly which made me wonder what else was out there?  

We visited a native family and for the first time in years I finally was able to actually shoot the arrow off of the bow!  I still missed the target, a papaya, but I was close.  That was our last full day in the jungle when I began to come down with what is known as “El Gripe,” a 48 hour intense jungle flu with extreme fever and chills, a killer headache, body aches and well, the ayahuasca was already pouring through my system...

By the time we arrived in Cusco the next day after the nearly two hour boat ride up the river, the bus ride to the airport, the flight and taxi to the hotel, I was nearly delirious.  In bed with all my clothes on under tons of blankets on my knees, holding my head and shivering ferociously, Roberto came in to help me spitting a lot of Florida water on me, praying over me and pulling off all that “gripe” energy.

Dawn and Paivi had returned to Cusco with me, extending their trip as long as they could.  I absolutely welcomed that because they are both such wonderfully evolved spiritual soul sisters.  They caught up with emails while I laid in bed doing tons of Theta Healing on myself and really praying for insight into my process.

The next day I was vertical, just, and we had a day of getting organised, laundry, copying music and photos and discussing our jungle process with Roberto.  Plus, he took us to introduce me to the woman who sells the sweetest and most perfect coca leaves for offerings.  He reminded me that when your vibration is elevating you are often in crisis and physically my body has been cleaned out from it’s roots.  Understanding this has helped me through it much more easily.  Emotionally I am in a very good space but my body is digesting so much new information.

Today he took us to the Temple of the Monkey at Sacsaywaman, a part I had never been to before.  Wow.  Away from the tourist trail, with reverence and barefoot we entered offering coca leaves.  It is the Temple of Equilibrium.  Monkeys fly through the jungle leaping from vine to vine with absolute confidence that they will catch the next one and that it will hold them.  They have supreme balance, no limitations.  No limitations, no limitations, No Limitations!!  Whatever part of ourselves we are not allowing to be free, this is where we come to put things in balance.

Roberto speaks with such passion about his path of service, and his commitment and connection to our beautiful Pachamama is so pure.  He has taught me a lot about giving everything without attachment.  He is totally present in every moment and gives completely of himself in that moment and then, whatever it is, he lets it go.  The practice is simple.  He is not abandoning his homeland or his people like so many shamans and Peruvians are in search of a better quality of life.  He invites his people to come to ceremony and into the mountains and to the temples so he can help them remember their connection to the earth.  We were sitting on a hillside with the mountains all around us as he spoke of the beauty and abundance of our Mother Earth, that the closest thing we have to God is right here and we have to respect her, nourish and cherish her and take joy in all that she offers.  It is hard to translate when tears of sublime joy and understanding are flowing down my face.  

It is easy to connect to our beautiful Pachamama here in Peru in the sacred temples and away from all the distractions, and allow the huaca’s (power places) to do their work and transmit healing energy into all of our cells.  All three of us were deeply moved at this Monkey temple and I have found a new most favourite place on earth.  I received a deep healing there today, something released from me and the constant abdominal pain I have been experiencing for the past three and half days simply disappeared.

Afterwards we hiked up to the Temple of the Moon which has been hugely excavated since the last time I was there.  First we sat at an altar on the top sharing our feelings about our travels and having an in depth discussion about basic limitations like time and food.  People rule their entire lives by their next meal.  People eat often not just for nourishment but because of boredom or to fill a void or escape.  It is part of the reason why mountain people chew on coca leaves here because it not only gives you energy but it also reduces hunger. We all agreed that it was much more important to complete a process or experience than to cut it short to have lunch.

Later in the Temple of the Moon while we were inside meditating Roberto heard a group on the outside about to come in and he politely asked them to wait for five minutes.  The guide was not willing to give us five simple minutes!  Time is a sickness of the modern world and it causes no end of stress.  Twelve years ago when I first returned to Peru since childhood I took off my watch and have never worn one since.  Shaman time.  The time is now.  Go find a hammock, see what it is like to just be in that space with yourself, for now.

This has been the most profoundly enlightening trip yet which I am sure will affect all the rest to come in perfect abundant flow.

Going with the Flow

The day after visiting the Islands of the Sun and Moon we were supposed to travel on to Tiawanaco, the actual spot of the birthplace of humanity on Lake Titicaca.  The original plan was to continue driving around the Lake with a stop in La Paz but the Bolivian boarder guards would not give Raul a permit for the car to go any further than Copacabana. They said we could drive out of Bolivia and a short distance to the other Lake boarder and re-enter there to get to Tiawanaco, avoiding La Paz.

All seemed just fine until we got to the other boarder, a chaotic, dusty town with the unfortunate unavoidable urine and exhaust fumes permeating our senses.  Ah, the joys of travelling!  Once again there were major issues with the car and Raul was not given a permit to re-enter so we all piled into tricycles and were pedalled across the boarder where we re-packed ourselves into another van, with a Bolivian driver and his wife who would take us to Tiawanaco....we thought.

Next thing I know Cristian is asking me to come with him and explain to the guards that he was our guide as they were detaining him.  In the police office with Roberto and Cristian my childhood days in Argentina came flooding back to me.  Men in uniform, armed, with no sense of humour and wanting my passport which I was clutching onto for my life.  My mother had drummed it into me, “Never ever hand over your passport when in a third world country!”  Apparently, we had left Bolivia illegally (and re-entered it!) because we had not handed in our little green slips of paper. No one at the boarder had ever asked for anything, but apparently it was up to us to know that we had to do that.  They were about to charge each one of us 300 Boliviano’s and were very serious about the huge illegal mess we were in.  There is no such thing as a simple “misunderstanding”.  Roberto was being as charming as he usually is, but he was met only with extreme defensiveness and threats.

I don’t know how many times I said, “Tranquilo, tranquilo...” (be calm) and finally we were told we could drive back to the other boarder and hand in our green slips and then come back and re-enter Bolivia, officially.  This was a big favour from the boarder guards I think.  So I calmly informed everyone that as much fun as we had tricycling in and re-packing everything we were going to do it all again!  We had a discussion and felt that Tiawanaco was simply not flowing for us and as it was already midday we decided we had had enough of Bolivia’s boarder issues and decided to return to Puno.

But first we had to go back to the boarder from whence we came.  It became clear immediately that we were making the right decision as we looked up to find a double rainbow completely circling the sun!  It was amazing!  Most of us had never seen this before.  It uplifted our spirits greatly and we drove on until finding a place for lunch, more trout and fried cheese with ridiculous amounts of rice and potatoes.

Finally we made it back to Puno first stopping in a little town with four huge churches, one of which we entered to find a group of grieving widows praying at the altar.  Then we continued on to the Temple of Fertility.  There in the middle of a playing field sat an ancient walled structure with giant phalluses outside of it and within the walls 45 - 50 penis statues either pointing up or pointing down into the earth.  Pointing up to fertilise the people and pointing into the Pachamama to fertilise the earth.  There was also a church next to the field that maintained a penis on the very top instead of a cross, knowing that this was a fertility temple and even the Spaniards understood that!

After a very childish photo session and expected laughter in such an abundantly alive place, we each chose a phallus to sit on and feel the energy and manifest what each of us want to fertilise or birth in our lives.  It was quite fascinating sitting on a giant stone penis because all the energy was coming up and into me in the usual swirling fashion I often experience. 

I am always manifesting for Lucid Insight’s growth and best way forward as I know I act as a bridge for others illumination into another way of being, but there is a bigger Divine Plan for my business.  After that I sat on one of the phalluses pointing into the earth and that too was so interesting because all of the energy was flowing down into our beautiful Mother.  My manifestation was the same because as it is above, it is below, and in helping people discover their truth and their path in this life, will also help our beloved Pachamama.

Finally we went back to our hotel and had a wonderful group jacuzzi session and a swim in the perfectly heated pool that was the right depth for more watsu floating in the water.  All of us like children “oohing and ahhing” at the coloured lights changing and reflecting through the bubbling water.  Roberto had never been in a jacuzzi and he found the whole experience brilliant.

Later that evening Dawn and I ventured out to the labyrinth on the grounds and with intention ran through it to the centre crystal and then ran out of it again, giggling and panting with the altitude.  What a great meditation.  We had to really focus to not trip over the stones in the multi-directional maze within the circle.  Excellent.  Maintaining our child-like state we snuck back into the jacuzzi and were busted immediately, but permitted to stay anyway.  Children are in flow, they don’t worry about the “should’s and shouldn’t’s”. They just do what seems natural in the moment.

The next day we intended to go back out on the Lake to Amantani but the boats are so slow and it would have been too long of a journey so we reverted to sacred retail therapy instead!  The markets in Puno by the Lake are absolutely wonderful and we were joyfully distracted for hours!  Lunch followed before finally making our way back to the hotel for a closing ceremony in the labyrinth.  

With intention we walked through it all the way to the center and sat in a small circle sharing our feelings about the trip.  It was very emotional and everyone was crying at some point.  We have had such a profound journey together and everyone’s lives have changed so deeply. We have all connected at a soul level with such love and understanding it has been absolutely beautiful.  Roberto and I have formed a powerful teaching connection and everyone has held space for everyone else.

Our farewell slideshow courtesy of Cristian followed, then dinner and our gift giving ceremony which was very lovely.  We had plans to set off early in the morning to catch our flight to Juliaca but we discovered over dinner that there was another PARO (strike) and it would be a strong one so we set off for the airport at 11:30 that night and upon arriving in Juliaca and not being allowed to enter the airport, Carlos found a hostel nearby and we all dropped into bed by 1:30 am only to be out the door again by 6am.  

The consistent flexibility, good humour and no drama of this group never ceases to amaze me.  They are all patient, loving, sweet, funny and really really get this beautiful philosophy and practice of AYNI, reciprocity. 

We are finally back in Cusco for one night and tomorrow we will be going with the Ayahuasca flow in the jungle, and I’ll be out of touch for a week as going with the flow of the jungle means no internet and serious hammock time.  I think I can flow with that!

Love and Gratitude

Copacabana is only a “two hour” drive from Puno, which in reality means about 3 - 4 hours.  Everyone says everything is two hours from Puno.  We naturally made a day of it and stopped for a two hour ceremony at Amaru Muru, the last of the gifts from Lemuria.  It is an ancient wall with a portal and the energy there is sublime. 

We entered with reverence, removing our shoes and socks and Roberto and I asked for permission to enter.  I brought my poncho this time to act as some padding for our knees.  After breathing in the violet flame on either side of the portal we knelt in the centre and put our third eye into the “plate” (or what used to be a gold plate) and journeyed.  It is interesting to see how far one can travel into parallel dimensions.  For me it was a light show of gold and purple swirling with a kind of magnetic pull and energy pulsing up through my body.

After connecting with Roberto who was guiding this ceremony we each found a place to lie down and wait for the others to have their own journey.  It was a brilliantly sunny day and we were all happy to lay there absorbing the earth’s energy and catching some rays.  I kept the rattle going until everyone had had a go.  Group hugs followed.

The Lake was so incredibly blue and beautiful we had to stop just to take pictures of the brilliant diamond like sparkles shining in the sun. 

We fed a random donkey what we had left of our snacks from the car.  Finally we stopped for lunch and had wonderful “trucha” which technically means trout, but Susie thinks it is a generic name for fish.  Whatever it was, it was very tasty.  Our plates were filled with an abundant of a variety of potatoes including black ones, that were even black inside, and tasted more like beans to me.

A van with a bunch of sheep tied to the roof and even more inside of it pulled up.  We were all moaning thinking they were dead, but soon realised they were alive!  They bought the sheep and were simply relocating them to raise them.  How many sheep can you get into a van?

We continued on the road until reaching the boarder of Bolivia.  This was a bizarre experience, walking back and forth across the road from one office to another getting random stamps on papers until finally getting to the main office where they charged me $135 just for the privilege of being American.  Thank you Great Britain for not giving me a British passport even though I’ve lived here longer than in the states!  Nobody else had to pay.  At least it is good for five years.  The whole boarder control event took a couple of hours and we had to walk across even though Raul had the car.  

We drove around Copacabana lost in search of our hotel but that was rather interesting too as there was so much happening in the market filled streets.  Finally we found our hotel, a beautiful eco lodge that is all solar powered right on the edge of the Lake.  We each had individual little houses, the girls and I were in a kind of hobbit house made of adobe mud bricks with a thatched roof.  

Across the street was a beautiful stone laden beach.  The waves lapped gently at the shore, while stars glistened above.  I thought, “Wow, I am laying with people I love, watching the stars appear after a brilliant red sunset.  We are all together on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia!  How cool is that??  I am so filled with love and gratitude for my friends and my wonderful life.”  How many people take time to lay and star gaze with their friends, sharing silence yet so united?  Be in the moment, that is living.

We had an extremely festive dinner and Carlos informed us that if we wanted to invite all of them for drinks now was the time to do it because the exchange rate for Bolivianos is very good like $6.70 to 1 Boliviano.  So we bought a case of 12 bottles of beer and had a bit of a party.  Once back at the hotel we put the music on in the car and all of us danced together with all of the spirits in the high altitude until midnight or later.  

The next morning we took a slow boat to the Island of The Moon and then to The Island of The Sun.  We all sat on top but wished we hadn’t because it was freezing!  The only ladder down was precariously on the side. The Temple of the Moon was very beautiful and had soft feminine energy, yet with a deep strength and the stone I received from there has very fiery energy to it. Later still, and back on the boat only inside this time, we arrived at the The Island of the Sun.

There in the Temple of the Sun Carlos led a very moving meditation for all of us to go back in time when we were all there together, building these temples leaving symbols to help us remember why we have come back this time.  I found another kuya (mesa stone) that was also in the shape of the Southern Cross like the one I had from the Temple of the Moon.  Different energy, it felt much more subtle.

Another evening of watching the sun set and the stars emerge, while breathing in love and gratitude and breathing out connection and integration.

Community

Travelling to Puno is a beautiful but long drive so to break it up a bit we stop at Raqchi to  balance our feminine and masculine energies, come into alignment and spin off all of our guilt.  It’s quite a powerful ceremony ending up in one of the 365 stone cylinders built for different prayers for every day of the year.  Raqchi was a huge temple where thousands of people once gathered.  In a group what happens to one happens to all, but after all day in a van together each person was to find their own space and go within.  Everyone’s process affects everyone else’s!  We are however, a very tightly knit group.

We stopped in a farmer’s field to have a quick picnic, feed the farmer and a random passer by before continuing on the road.  Eventually we arrived at Tinanjani with offerings of bread for Cezarico the grandfather teacher of Roberto’s teacher Victor.  Unfortunately he was out of town but we stood amongst the stone formations in the fading evening light discussing our fears and how we manifest and process them.  

I was having a strange sensation of San Pedro Medicine since I was getting creeped out about the thought of taking it there because of all the mountain spirits looming over us in every stone.  And at the same time, it intrigues me to give it a go! We discussed how we sometimes let fear stop us from doing things, and how we invent that kind of fear in our own minds.

We eventually made it to Puno stopping for dinner where we were graced with live music and local dances.  Waking up in our lakeside hotel was splendid as the sky was clear bright blue with a stunning turquoise and blue Lake Titicaca spreading out below.  There was a PARO happening (where they close the roads across the whole country) so we changed our Sillustani plans to go out on the Lake instead.

We had a boat to ourselves and Roberto was talking about the floating communities called Uros.  After the big flood, Lake Titicaca was the birthplace of our humanity and the first civilisations were the floating islands.  He talked about community “comunidad, como uno,” Como Uno means Like One.  Community, Come Into Unity.  We all went on top of the boat to connect with the energy of the lake but I think we all pretty much passed out in the hot sun, As One!

On one of the Uros Islands we were invited into their homes and Paivi and Dawn even dressed up in the local costumes.  I was in my usual horizontal position splayed out on the reeds feeling my energy spiralling up through me.  We got back on the boat and went to another island for the freshest fish ever and fried cheese.  Lake Titicaca energy is very intense anyway but I was also still processing realisations from the night before.  I have no idea why we stopped in town, but there was a big festival going on and lots of dancers in the streets.  

At dinner Roberto publicly complimented my Spanish and not only how I have been translating constantly but how I am able to translate the vibration of what he is saying so it really allows him to teach at a deeper level.  I was very pleased to hear this, and privileged to be able to rise to the occasion because I am far from fluent!  Words are energy and I think many times this group is understanding what Roberto says before I translate it!

Today we managed to go to Sillustani despite the PARO as it doesn’t seem to be that serious down here.  Sillustani is an interesting place filled with stone cylinders that were graves for the dead but they would leave one block open facing the east so the sun would shed light on their journey.  Amazingly a guard gave Roberto permission to go inside the biggest one and the rest of the group went with him with offerings of coca leaves, reverence and letting go of anything that would not help them further on their path of service.  

From sweltering hot sunshine the mood shifted in a moment to cold windy sprinkles of rain and we found ourselves having another condor moment on the edge of a stone on a cliff over the gorgeous lake with the flat topped island in the middle of it.  That sure blew the cobwebs away!  When one person is having a condor moment, all of us are having it with them. It is exhilarating in the practice of it, but a little nerve wracking to watch!  

The condor is about higher vision, being able to see the bigger picture but with clear sight on all the details.  It is also about trust and surrender, knowing that when we step out into the abyss, our wings will carry us.  How would it be if our ‘wings’ were our community?  

My lovely group tonight were definitely my wings allowing me my own process, I’m sure they will all benefit from my own healing. My healing is their healing.  I toast them all, with both hands and lots of love.

Sacred Retail Therapy

Today was pretty much spent in deep connection with the Spirit of Retail!  We have a gift giving ceremony at the end of every trip and much of today was spent shopping for others. It is a lovely focus to think about individual people and what might be a really great gift for them.  Some of us have only known each other for a very short time so we have had to use our intuition and get connected to our feelings of each person travelling with us.

We joke about it being Sacred shopping, but actually it is.  When you are in alignment with your highest self you are in connection with God... and God clearly loves to peruse the markets!  Some of our group members did all their Christmas shopping today.  Paivi's colourful hat was surely the best buy of the day.

We were pretty chilled out because God also loves to dance all night at the disco for Cusquenans!  I take my passengers to the Peruvian disco because it is such a different atmosphere than the touristic nightclubs, of which there are plenty in Cusco.  Cusco has a great night life and we were treated to a hilariously fun late night with our shaman Roberto, his lovely brother Rene and their teacher Victor.  

Roberto collected us at 11:30 and took us to a karaoke bar where people sat at tables and passed a microphone around to whoever’s song came up next on the screens that were strategically placed around the bar.  No preparation, no stage, no warning, just ‘here’s the mic, now sing!’  Neither Dawn nor I had ever sung in a karaoke bar and I am sure we are glad it was a random one somewhere in Cusco for our first appearance!  

Victor had a way of toasting his Pisco sour drink every ten minutes or so which meant everyone at the table had to toast and have a drink.  This went on for some time...eventually we went to the disco.  Peruvians are very tactile.  Everyone dances with everyone, I felt my six weeks of Ceroc dancing in Brighton had really paid off as it was very easy to follow all the spinning around and different varieties of dance steps.  

During one of the many continued toasts all night, we asked why they toast holding the glass with both hands and Roberto said, “You don’t hug someone with one arm, that is just giving part of yourself, when you toast, you toast with all of yourself.”  We liked that.  I managed to make my one caipirina last all night topping it up with Sprite which seems to be my saviour from alcohol here.  These Peruvians eat big and drink fuerte (strong), neither of which any of us do so we were all feeling a bit challenged.

The three singing shamans walked us home at 4:30 in the morning pausing while we stopped to hug an ancient wall, as one must do under the moon and stars in the deserted streets of Cusco in the early hours.  We were like giggling teenagers and recounting the stories today while shopping was Divine.

In Peru it is very easy to find a sense of the sacred almost everywhere you look as it is so integrated into the culture here.  Nature is sacred for a start, but singing, laughing and dancing are so fundamental to your health.  Nourishing your soul, by gifting yourself and others is also a wonderful way to tap into your own joyous abundance and honour the people you love.  So get out there and discover the sacred in your delicious cup of perfect coffee, the energy of an ancient stone wall, a fabulous hat or simply in a random karaoke bar.  Whatever makes you smile inside is indeed Sacred. 

Privilege versus Pride

I am way overdue for a blog as we have been on the road and without connectivity.  We travelled the extremely scenic 8 hour mountain ride to Vilcabamba which is not on the tourist trail at all...yet.  Most mornings over breakfast Roberto passes on his wisdom to us about one theme or another, this particular phase of the trip was loaded!  

Vilcabamba is a pre-Incan temple and we had one of the most beautiful despacho ceremonies there I have ever had.  Everyone unwrapped three of the packages containing spices or sweets or incense and Roberto channelled the messages each person needed to receive.  It was so moving and spot on!  He and I were working together and so deeply connected telepathically, it was quite intense!  This is a very evolved group and everyone is receiving all the messages beautifully and with open hearts.  It is truly such a blessing to be travelling with this allyu (family).

 

A beautiful double rainbow appeared for all of us and it was probably one of the most vibrant spray of colours I have ever seen!  Roberto said when the seven masters of the universe come they appear as a rainbow.  I love that connection.  Beyond the temple is an amazing giant rock that is believed to have been carved to represent the alien spaceship that came before it.  The rock is not from that area and it does indeed have a very different kind of feeling to it!  We all laid on it, meditating.  I leaned my head back onto a dragon fly which was alarming, but also such a great message as dragon flies are the bringers of light!

We ended the day hiking down the mountain in the dark which has to happen at least once on a trip in Peru!  Later that evening over dinner I was telling the story of learning how to hula hoop for the first time in my life and that I was really proud of this!  Roberto told me that the word “Orgullo” (pride) although used by thousands of people about a variety of things really comes from ego because it is about one, whereas Privilege comes from a place of service.  It doesn’t really translate in English, but the essence of the word can be felt.  If I say I feel privileged to have finally learned to hula hoop, that feels much cleaner than feeling proud of myself.  In fact, as we travel along these dusty Peruvian trails, experiencing all sorts of challenges, both physical and mental, all quite emotional, we really DO feel privileged to be in this space, connected to nature, having all our stuff stirred up so we can heal.  It IS a privilege.  It is a privilege to face our truths even if they make us feel sad.

How may people go through life completely missing their own truth?  How many are lost to their deepest expression of joy, or finding their true gift?  How many people THINK they know who they are but really have no idea because they have not been awakened to their highest self?  How many people are living the lives their parents wanted them to, or living the life they think they are expected to live, or living the life they think they should so others won’t judge them?  Pride is something to be examined.

Find what makes you privileged.  Here in Peru it is the simple things that count, connection to nature, hearing a river, feeling the warmth of a fire.  Roberto talked about the academics, intellectuals and scientists who think they know so much, but can they touch any of their thoughts?  Can they feel any of their thoughts?  Can any of their thoughts help them actually enjoy life?  We are human, we are given life to live on an earth that is abundantly alive, why do we cover it with cement?  Why do we question everything when all we need to do is go outside and simply BE.

The Incans had no cell phones, money, or prison.  They worked on exchange.  They trusted each other.  They helped each other.  Where has the AYNI (reciprocity) of the world gone?

Vilcabamba was rather rustic.  My group was cool about that.  In ten years time there will probably be wonderful hotels there and ropes forbidding you to enter and touch nature like the rest of Peru is suffering from the National Institution of Culture’s robbing of the magic from the history here.  

From Vilcabamba, where we had the best food of the entire trip so far thanks to Agata’s fantastic culinary skills, we headed back to Ollanta to collect our bags and then on to Cusco.  I had intended to blog the night we arrived in a lovely hotel with hot water and wifi, but by the time I’m crawling into bed I can barely keep my eyes open!  We do pack it in on these trips!

We had our first full day in Cusco yesterday exploring the beautiful sites of Sacsaywaman, Q’enco and Tambomachay with our lovely shaman Adriel who totally has the balance right of taking the work seriously but making light of ourselves.  Today he took us to Tipon, the magical site of the sacred water and we had a lovely despacho ceremony there before he cleansed us with ruda (rue plants) and the sacred water.  I gave everyone Bands of Power which is a beautiful gift.  Then we made our way to the channels of water and cleansed our mesa stones.  

Later after a wonderful lunch we made our way back into Cusco and met up with Santiago, a very gifted Altomesayok shaman who called in the mountain spirits (Apus) for us.  This was a particularly moving experience as four of us were called up to the table in the dark and had their hands on us, infusing us with healing and more strength and power.  It was a delicious ceremony.  I love Santiago’s mesa and I love the Apu’s who are so supportive and loving to me.  I feel extremely privileged to be in contact with this angelic realm and to be part of the heritage of Peru, once again.

Sacred Seven

Sacred Seven

Here we are in Machu Picchu and the philosophy is easy: Three bodies, physical, mental and emotional.  There is not a difference between them, they all function together. One is not more important than the other, they all function together.  Four elements, earth, air, fire and water.  Become in alignment with your three bodies and four elements and then you are on the right track.  It’s simple.

When you are in alignment you are in a place of giving and receiving love.  As it is above, it is below.  That’s called yanantin-masintin and in Machu Picchu they have carved stones to reflect the mountains to symbolise heavenly connection.

Today we had the universe on our side weather wise with perfectly clear skies and sunshine all day.  We found another way to “fly” in the Crystal Temple, upside down and it was really cool, everyone had a go and it was clear to see how many limitations had dissolved in this first week of travel. Beautiful.

For those of you who know I have been searching for the whale stone, la balena, well, we finally found it thanks to Roberto and Cristian and we had a very intense ceremony there with llamas holding space for us and clearly doing yoga!

Finally a trip to the hot springs which was more crowded than I have ever seen it, but it soon cleared out and I was able to “float” my group with Watsu, a wonderfully relaxing experience.  Roberto made up his own version to float me and it was heavenly.

An early start in the morning takes us back to Ollanta before we begin our journey to Vilcabamba.  I may be out of touch for a few days, not sure if there will be any connection there!

If you are not in a place of love you are not in alignment with your three bodies.  Self forgiveness is the most important thing you can do.  All of our thoughts travel out into the universe, love yourself, love others, accept and forgive, live in the moment, be kind and be honest.  Seven sacred life lessons filled with Incan energy from the magical citadel of Machu Picchu.

Giving Back

Giving Back

It seems so much of the world as we know it is striving to “make it”, looking after ourselves and doing what we can to get ahead in the world.  How many people do you know who  actually “give back”?  Yes, people donate to charities, that’s good, but do they ever see where their money is really going?  How do you give back?  

In Peru AYNI means right thought, right love and right action.  Do you share your knowledge with the world?  Do you help strangers?  Do you forgive yourself and others?  A few days ago we went to Urubamba market to buy supplies for the kitchens that we support.  Each group had a list of things they needed to buy: Dawn and I had vegetables, Susie and Cristian had spices, Paivi and Glendi had chicken and pulses and Carlos and David had all the fruits.  

It was great fun perusing the markets for the right ingredients and we had big bags and an envelope of money and the rest was pretty much winging it!  Who knew cauliflowers could be so HUGE!  Dawn and I had the longest list and ended up buying more bags until we finally had eight bags between us.  We also stopped so Dawn could buy some footballs for the schools.

Eventually we all reunited and took all the supplies up to the first school in Rumira where the children sang songs for us.  I have done this a number of times so my tears don’t tend to flow as much as they used to as it is a very moving experience.  We proceeded high up the mountain to T’astayoc where the children still wear their original orange and red ponchos and hats.  They are so loving and greeted us with hugs and kisses and helped us carry all the supplies across the fields to their school.  

They decked us with flowers from the greenhouses and we enjoyed see-sawing and helping prepare the wonderful food that they cook under ground.  I would really love to bring corporate groups here for team-building a greenhouse over two days.  Making a difference first hand is a completely wonderful experience and touches you more deeply than simply writing a cheque.  10% of my trips’ cost goes towards supporting these schools kitchens and greenhouses so I like to bring my groups up to see where their money is going.  Everyone had the most fantastic day.

Later that same day we descended back into Ollantaytambo and climbed up to the temple.  Cristian is by far the best guide I have ever had the pleasure of exploring Ollanta with a group.  I have been there so many times and never heard many of the wonderful stories he shared with us.  He was born and raised there and recounted much of his childhood experiences.  When Cristian speaks, magic happens.  In fact when Roberto speaks, magic happens, and when Freddi speaks, magic happens.  We are so blessed.

We all went to dinner together and then went to our friends bar and stayed there until quite late.  Sacred healing comes in all forms!  The next day we went up the mountain to Antanuca where our San Pedro Shaman Freddi was waiting for us.  San Pedro is a beautiful sacred plant medicine, cactus based and it connects you to all there is.  We made individual despachos (offerings) putting our prayers into them while we waited for the medicine to take effect.  Then we put on our warmies and went outside of the sacred circle to begin the purging process.  It is different every time.  

The moon was high in the sky and there was mostly cloud cover which was surprisingly okay because it made the lighting so cool and gave a background for spirits and Beings to appear where they might not be so visible if all the stars were taking all of our attention.  We saw some stars, but the night was with the mountain.  Four of us had lost our mothers recently so we called in their spirits.  Freddi told us his mother had said, “Love God above all else and you will always be happy in this moment.”

It touched my heart so profoundly because it really is THAT SIMPLE.  We are born connected and knowing this, then somehow we get shut down and some people never get to re-remember this.  Those of us who do, realise we have always known it, always understood there is another way of being; connected to the earth, connected to spirit, always trusting we are part of God, One with the Universe.  

There was drumming and fabulous instruments that made the coolest sounds and because of the cloud cover the night was surprisingly warm, still cold, but not ridiculously freezing as it usually is!  I danced around the circle, and with the fire, and sang a few songs for everyone.  In the morning Carlos and Cristian prepared breakfast for us, wonderful fried egg and cheese sandwiches and fruit and yogurt on a table with a white lace tablecloth!  Perfect.

Now we are in Machu Picchu. 

Earlier we walked to the butterfly house and then to the orchid sanctuary.  Tomorrow is an early start so we can make it to the sunrise in the citadel.  We will be trailing coca leaves with us to leave as offerings for the mountain spirits.  Now it’s time for prayers and sleep.  Praying keeps you in touch with spirit....staying connected with spirit keeps you happy in every moment.

Divine Respect in Pisac

Divine Respect in Pisac 

I don’t know how many times I have actually been to Pisac, all lovely experiences because it is such a beautiful sacred mountain with so many wonderful temples, but today was by far the most profound experience I have ever had there.  It might have even been one of the most important moments I have ever had in Peru!

Every time I come here I say, “This is the best trip ever!” because it just keeps getting better and better and this time is no different.  I have a very small group but it is like travelling with family, and as ever by day three we have all bonded profoundly, shifted incredible amounts, shared laughter, tears, secrets and important realisations.

There are no accidents.  There are no coincidences.  Divine Timing is exactly that; Divine because it is perfect in the timing, deliverance and reception of the ultimate gift that is bestowed.  Whatever challenges have come before are perfect in our preparation for what is to come.  And then THE moment comes; the great “Aha”, the Internal Shift, the Willing Surrender, the Perfect Answer, the Condor Soaring.  Magic.

This morning over breakfast we talked about love.  It is the uniting energy of all life.  We need to surrender to that love force.  People think it is the weak who surrender, but you must be at your greatest strength to fully surrender.  Roberto pointed out that the stones in Pisac and every Incan site are not held together with any cement. They are simply cuddled up next to each other providing a purpose for the other; strength, support, and the adjoining wall mirrors that.  The walls are built to integrate with nature showing respect for the forms that are already there.  These structures have stood for hundreds of years and withstood many earthquakes, yet buildings held together with cement fall apart.  He used this as an analogy for relationships built on attachment (ie: some kind of motivational glue like fear, neediness, loneliness, money, children) but when the grounding is rocked the relationship falls apart.  If people came together with unconditional liberated love, respecting the other person as they already are, they would remain united through every challenge.

Today’s first theme in Pisac was to connect with our ancestors and continue our self healing. This, for me was unlike any experience I have ever had in this process (I connect with my ancestors often).  It was the most profound homecoming at a cellular level, complete with electrical sensations pulsing through my body and absolutely clear images of the faces of my ancestors who were me; who are me because we are all One, and no, I was not experiencing any plant medicine of any kind during this fundamental understanding at a physical level.  Totally WOW.

We then proceeded along the winding path, up and down ancient steps, to arrive at another altar this one seriously edgy!  We didn’t step out onto this one, but sat comfortably back to project our energy out and receive the wind life force into our souls and connect once again with the condor.  I sat as far back as possible with my knees bent over the vertical edge and leaned my torso almost flat against my thighs with my arms open.  I closed my eyes and became the condor....I was flying.  It was so excellent.  Eventually I felt a tug at the back of my trousers.  Roberto had come up behind me to just hold on, protecting me, knowing that the invitation from spirit to fly comes in a breath with the greatest temptation...

Other group members were having their own magical epiphanies.  It was a divine commemorating moment for all of us, each in our own space yet completely connected.

The rest of the day continued with succinct answers, absolute hilarity, delicious food, exquisite shopping and perfect chocolate.  We know our ancestors are celebrating that divinity. Respect! 

Self Healing

We all have the power to heal ourselves, just as we all have the power to attract illness and misfortune into our lives.  What we don’t seem to realise is how unconscious we have become.  Our senses have become dulled and our inner clarity has become distracted.  

Carlos recounted his childhood to us here in Ollantaytambo when there was still no electricity and they lived by candle light.  They always used to go fishing at night with nets and they could easily see in the dark.  Once electricity came to the town and he got used to having lights on, he gradually lost his ability to see in the dark.

Our humanity has lost its ability to connect with the earth and remember who we really are; not just human shells, but an exquisite composition of our physical bodies, our spiritual bodies and our psychological bodies mixed in a potent concoction with the four elements of earth, air, water and fire.

Today was about honouring the Pachamama and healing our physical bodies, the earth element.  We started the day with a lovely breakfast all together at our hotel choosing Medicine Woman cards to help us set our intentions for the day and let the learning begin!  We then went to Urubamba market to buy fruits and flowers for our despacho (offering) the the earth at Moray.

Moray is a series of meteorite created holes in the earth which have been terraced for farming different varieties of corn.  Seven terraces in each with their own eco system due to the brilliant Incan drainage system.  We were not permitted to enter our usual temple because of the high volume of tourists and this made me sad because I felt the guards have lost sight of spirit because of the sickness of money. As per every "trigger" a deep conversation ensued.

We hiked to a less frequented spot and had a beautiful ceremony creating an infinity spiral on the floor with our flowers and fruit offering our prayers to the earth and inviting ourselves to receive healing from her nurturing energy.  There was a giant heart shaped cloud above our circle the whole time.  Once this process was finished we entered the spiral and had a deep meditative healing journey.

This is one of my favourite ceremonies because it is so conscious, moving, healing and connective.  Afterwards we hiked out and had a picnic in a scenic spot on the way to the salt flats.  Before shimmying along the narrow salt path, we connected with the spirit of the condor in a strong windy altar.  This was edgy stuff, standing on a ledge with arms spread allowing the wind to hold us in place, with Roberto’s trusted force right behind us of course!

The hike down the salt flats allowed group members to share personal life stories, as walking does have a tendency to unite people.  Once back at our hotel, our friendly Alicia brought her gorgeous jewellery and now of course my girls are decked in Peruvian silverware!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner out followed by a fire ceremony and a trip to the bar to try some sacred ‘te macho’, a medicinal healing drink in itself.  We’ve had a full day of self healing in a variety of ways, and now for the most essential part, "dulce suenos" sweet dreams.

Soul Home

Peru simply IS the most magical place.  I don’t know why it still continues to amaze me as it truly is like coming home, a sense of place and belonging like I have only felt well, at home!  So it begs the question where is your home?  I am not speaking literally, but rather more profoundly inside yourself.  Where is your comfort, your self nourishment, where do you belong with yourself? What is essential to your soul?

I certainly do not belong in Lima, and despite all the ecological opposition I cannot WAIT for an international airport to be built in Cusco! That would enable us to simply come here, to the ‘Cosco’, the center, and BE in the total splendor of this magnificent energy and these beautiful people.  The transition of sluggish travel detail to embraced with loving energy and emotion was immediate upon being met by our wonderful team, Carlos, Roberto and Cristian at the airport.

After introductions and gifting (already!) we were whisked off to Chinchero to soak up the wool dyeing and weaving demo and revel in the festival of The Native Virgin in front of the gorgeous old church with wall murals hundreds of years old.  There were dancers in full costume and families picnicking, music, flags, and generally fabulous displays in the welcoming atmosphere. What a treat!

We walked down to the stunning huaca (sacred power place) and had an earthing, self healing ceremony laying on the grass in the sunshine under the perfect blue sky.  I thought I might have to leave my group there as no one seemed to be moving for quite some time.

Eventually we made it to Ollantaytambo and had very welcome food and the local cerveza (beer) before arriving at our lovely hotel.  After all the travails of everyone and their bags actually getting to Lima in the first place we were all feeling somewhat sleep deprived so we all said goodnight.  I am guessing my lovely group all unpacked and went to sleep.

I sat out under the stars by the fire talking to Roberto (our wonderful shaman) and Cristian (our group photographer).  Roberto and I walked to Carlos’ brother’s bar to sample the “te macho” and solve all the problems of the world.  Of course, everything is fine now.