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.