Pachatata- spiritual release
SO after my cat nap, I prepared myself for the hike.
We all gathered in the special meeting place. I thought it was going to be like a secret Incan spot, but it was the communties basketball court. So everyone is there and Angel starts giving us a low down on the community, the people, food, where they go for school, local events etc. Then it comes time to hike. And the group is slow. I got me some long legs and good lungs and I think I acclimate pretty fast to the altitude, so nothing was slowing me down. I didnt wanna leave the group in the dust, but I couldnt help it. It was almost more of a challenge to walk slow. Okay, SO F it, Im going up. There are two peaks on the island, Pachatata y Pachamama (Father and Mother earth).
Im way in front of the group when I reach the fork in the road. One path to Pachatata and the other to Pachamama.... there at that very moment was the Colorado family and Fausto, their shamic guide. The mother asked if I wanted to join them for a ceremony... I said yes I really would, as long as it wasnt an intrution. And she said "course not, its not just a coincidence that you are here at this moment".. Well alright then..and I joined them. but the Girlfriend wasnt there. When we were on the bus I saw that she had a really bad eye infection. She had been traveling with her boo through Argentina, Chile y Bolivia and I think the last lag really too it out of her.. SO it was mom, dad, son, guide and me. And we continue our walk up the hillside.
It is incrediably beautiful here. The lake, the sky: slightly cloudy but wonderful. Rainy & cold Cusco was taking a toll on me, and being out in the crisp fresh air was really refreshing.
As I am walking up I am taking it all in.. The old stone paths and walls. The fresh water, the plants, the local ladies laying out there wool sweaters, the little boys playing flutes and drums, and right before I reach the top I take off my sunglasses. not that it wasnt sunny, I just didnt want to where them.
I arrive to the top first, entering under and old pre.incan archway. At the top, which is quite flat, I wanna say 50x50ft square top of the mountain. and in the center is an acient stone structure, also square. This is where it all went down. The structure has a door made of sticks, and Fausto said it is only opened once a year. Once the son arrives, Fausto give each of us three coca leaves. He tells us to hold them close to the heart and think of something, un deseo, a wish. It can be personal, work related, however we desire. The we are to place the leaves into the structure. I have my back to the sun, and I make my wish. I think with all my heart and I release the leaves into Pachatata. As soon as I turn around the SUN as come out from behind the clouds and it is absolutely powerful. Right about this time mom and dad are arriving. The approach us and the dad tells me, "Johannah, you dont need sunglasses".. I said, okay and I start to take them off my head (I wasnt using them, but they were there) As I am doing that, he say, "no, you can keep them on your head, but you dont need to use them in spiritual places, there is just so much to take in, and they are nessecary"... Woah I think to myself.. I had removed them for reasons unknown to me before I entered the area.. interesting...
Alright, now that we are all there, Fausto give us each three more coca leaves. He tells us to again, hold the leaves close to the heart and to make three deseos. Meanwhile walking around the outside of the structure, in a clockwise fashion three times. When he gave me the leaves he told me to think about my family or loved ones. Hmmm.. Okay. I really havent done anything like this, but I am loving this opportunity, so Im ready, open heart, open mind.
I begin the vueltas. Again Im in the front. I am walking slowing and thinking of my three deseos. One two three, one two three. I just keep saying them to myself one after another. The view is incrediable. The Lake is so deep blue and the clouds are spectacular. After my first vuelta, the little boys that were playing the flute and drums have arrive and they hop over the wall. I can hear them behind me playing typical Andean rhythms. I dont see them but I hear them. SO I continue with my deseos, one two three, I keep repeating them one after another. Im quite happy with the selection I have made, I feel like they are good deseos for my family and loved ones, and I am nearing the end of the second vuelta... I have the leaves so close to my heart, and I am thinking with all my energy, and I swear, the MOMENT I cross the line the imaginary line where I began, as soon as I begin the third and finally trip... tears. Tears are streaming down my face. I cant explain it, I wasnt sad. I was so overwhelmed with the emotion, it was amazing. So I must continue, and I am walking and thinking, one.. two.. three.. and the tears, woah.. once I return to the beginning I say my deseos again, and release my coca.
Then I sit besides Fausto, in a soft voice he asks me how I am, and I tell him I am fine, really I was overwhelmed, but in a wonderful way. Then he tells me to sit there on the ancient stone ledge. I place my hands on my knees palms up. He tells me to close my eyes and to only think about the sun and the lake and to mediate. I do. The sun comes out again and I feel it heat my entire body. I am think about the lake and I swear I feel it. I think about my deseos, I think about the sun, the air, the clouds. I feel the sun on my face and again the tears. I cant stop them, nor do I want to. The sun dries them and after about a half an hour I awake. Fausto is still at my side and when he comes to we being to chat.
I tell him that I had a wonderful experience and we being to talk about what he does as a shamic guide, where he is from, where Im from, how I came to be there, and vice versa. One thing I really enjoyed was that we were talking about how the people there on Amantani, they live there because the love it there. The dont wear socks because they are used to it and they wouldnt change it for anything. Fausto lives in Puno because thats is where he is from and he loves it there. Its not that the people arent open minded to travel, its just that they are content with where they are.. To a westerner, it might seem insane, how can they live there with so little?, no running water, etc etc.. but they have family, food, shelter, culture. They truely have everything we need as a human being to get by, and they do.. Thats one reason my I love Samara so much. The people there are content with what they have.. they dont end to go miles and miles away to find what they are looking for.. and I think I have found what I am looking for in Samara. Simplicity, a challenging job, wonderful people ad happiness... Thats all we can really ask for right...
We all gathered in the special meeting place. I thought it was going to be like a secret Incan spot, but it was the communties basketball court. So everyone is there and Angel starts giving us a low down on the community, the people, food, where they go for school, local events etc. Then it comes time to hike. And the group is slow. I got me some long legs and good lungs and I think I acclimate pretty fast to the altitude, so nothing was slowing me down. I didnt wanna leave the group in the dust, but I couldnt help it. It was almost more of a challenge to walk slow. Okay, SO F it, Im going up. There are two peaks on the island, Pachatata y Pachamama (Father and Mother earth).
Im way in front of the group when I reach the fork in the road. One path to Pachatata and the other to Pachamama.... there at that very moment was the Colorado family and Fausto, their shamic guide. The mother asked if I wanted to join them for a ceremony... I said yes I really would, as long as it wasnt an intrution. And she said "course not, its not just a coincidence that you are here at this moment".. Well alright then..and I joined them. but the Girlfriend wasnt there. When we were on the bus I saw that she had a really bad eye infection. She had been traveling with her boo through Argentina, Chile y Bolivia and I think the last lag really too it out of her.. SO it was mom, dad, son, guide and me. And we continue our walk up the hillside.
It is incrediably beautiful here. The lake, the sky: slightly cloudy but wonderful. Rainy & cold Cusco was taking a toll on me, and being out in the crisp fresh air was really refreshing.
As I am walking up I am taking it all in.. The old stone paths and walls. The fresh water, the plants, the local ladies laying out there wool sweaters, the little boys playing flutes and drums, and right before I reach the top I take off my sunglasses. not that it wasnt sunny, I just didnt want to where them. I arrive to the top first, entering under and old pre.incan archway. At the top, which is quite flat, I wanna say 50x50ft square top of the mountain. and in the center is an acient stone structure, also square. This is where it all went down. The structure has a door made of sticks, and Fausto said it is only opened once a year. Once the son arrives, Fausto give each of us three coca leaves. He tells us to hold them close to the heart and think of something, un deseo, a wish. It can be personal, work related, however we desire. The we are to place the leaves into the structure. I have my back to the sun, and I make my wish. I think with all my heart and I release the leaves into Pachatata. As soon as I turn around the SUN as come out from behind the clouds and it is absolutely powerful. Right about this time mom and dad are arriving. The approach us and the dad tells me, "Johannah, you dont need sunglasses".. I said, okay and I start to take them off my head (I wasnt using them, but they were there) As I am doing that, he say, "no, you can keep them on your head, but you dont need to use them in spiritual places, there is just so much to take in, and they are nessecary"... Woah I think to myself.. I had removed them for reasons unknown to me before I entered the area.. interesting...
Alright, now that we are all there, Fausto give us each three more coca leaves. He tells us to again, hold the leaves close to the heart and to make three deseos. Meanwhile walking around the outside of the structure, in a clockwise fashion three times. When he gave me the leaves he told me to think about my family or loved ones. Hmmm.. Okay. I really havent done anything like this, but I am loving this opportunity, so Im ready, open heart, open mind.
I begin the vueltas. Again Im in the front. I am walking slowing and thinking of my three deseos. One two three, one two three. I just keep saying them to myself one after another. The view is incrediable. The Lake is so deep blue and the clouds are spectacular. After my first vuelta, the little boys that were playing the flute and drums have arrive and they hop over the wall. I can hear them behind me playing typical Andean rhythms. I dont see them but I hear them. SO I continue with my deseos, one two three, I keep repeating them one after another. Im quite happy with the selection I have made, I feel like they are good deseos for my family and loved ones, and I am nearing the end of the second vuelta... I have the leaves so close to my heart, and I am thinking with all my energy, and I swear, the MOMENT I cross the line the imaginary line where I began, as soon as I begin the third and finally trip... tears. Tears are streaming down my face. I cant explain it, I wasnt sad. I was so overwhelmed with the emotion, it was amazing. So I must continue, and I am walking and thinking, one.. two.. three.. and the tears, woah.. once I return to the beginning I say my deseos again, and release my coca.
Then I sit besides Fausto, in a soft voice he asks me how I am, and I tell him I am fine, really I was overwhelmed, but in a wonderful way. Then he tells me to sit there on the ancient stone ledge. I place my hands on my knees palms up. He tells me to close my eyes and to only think about the sun and the lake and to mediate. I do. The sun comes out again and I feel it heat my entire body. I am think about the lake and I swear I feel it. I think about my deseos, I think about the sun, the air, the clouds. I feel the sun on my face and again the tears. I cant stop them, nor do I want to. The sun dries them and after about a half an hour I awake. Fausto is still at my side and when he comes to we being to chat.
I tell him that I had a wonderful experience and we being to talk about what he does as a shamic guide, where he is from, where Im from, how I came to be there, and vice versa. One thing I really enjoyed was that we were talking about how the people there on Amantani, they live there because the love it there. The dont wear socks because they are used to it and they wouldnt change it for anything. Fausto lives in Puno because thats is where he is from and he loves it there. Its not that the people arent open minded to travel, its just that they are content with where they are.. To a westerner, it might seem insane, how can they live there with so little?, no running water, etc etc.. but they have family, food, shelter, culture. They truely have everything we need as a human being to get by, and they do.. Thats one reason my I love Samara so much. The people there are content with what they have.. they dont end to go miles and miles away to find what they are looking for.. and I think I have found what I am looking for in Samara. Simplicity, a challenging job, wonderful people ad happiness... Thats all we can really ask for right...
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