Love & Light and everything bright...

FROM CUSCO, PERU

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Back in Sacred Valley of the Incas

URUBAMBA, Peru, June 1 - The bus ride from Cusco to the Sacred Valley of the Incas felt like deja vu.  Because it was.  We took the same route as last year.  The fields looked a little greener. But that's probably because it is a month earlier.

The scenery was spectacular.  Unlike a year ago, this time around, I was able to recognize some of the Holy Mountains by their name.  I have marked them on the photos for you as well.  Quechua is a fun language to listen to but very hard to learn.  So I have to write everything down first and keep repeating the names over and over again if they are to stick.

We traveled at elevations around 12,000 feet.  In North America, this would have meant ice and snow.  Here, you can see lakes and even cacti surrounding the green fields with crops.  That's because of Peru's proximity to the equator (see above maps).  On our way down to the Sacred Valley, which is at about 9.300 ft elevation, we passed the village of Maras.  That's where we have our spirit encounters, and where the leader of our expedition, Jose Luis, is building a shamanic retreat - a non-profit organization called Andean Research Institite.  Its acronym, ARI, means "yes" in Quechua.  And by the way, ARI is also the a short form for my own business - Annex Research, Inc.  Interesting, huh? :-)

The Runayay Hotel in Urubamba, at which we are staying, has only been open a few months.  It is a very picturesque and serene setting, as you can see from above shots.  And we have a "room with a view."  I am saying "we," because I have a roommate.  As it turns out, it is the same one as last year.  So when Jeff, a lawyer from Florida, and I checked into our room, I said, "guess we can dispense with small talk."  Jeff laughed.  "Yeah, we're like an old couple now." :-)

You can also see here cacti and eucalyptus trees, among many beautiful plants and flowers.

Conversations with Spirits, Day #1

URUBAMBA, Peru, June 1 - Our Altomesayok training started with a bang.  "There will be no 'foreplay' for you'," announced Jose Luis during the bus ride to the Sacred Valley.  "You are all experienced shamans who have been selected by the mountain spirits for this journey. So this afternoon, we'll go straight to Maras and start our dialogues with the Apus" (Apu is the Quechua term for a mountain spirits).

It was a lovely warm afternoon with air crystal clear.  The views from the ARI shamanic retreat are spectacular, as befits a place where angels come to teach men about how to heal the planet and the humanity.

The ARI property is still under construction, but looking much better than last year. Jose Luis dream is to use those buildings you can see as a retreat for shamans who come to rejuvenate themselves, or to teach others.  So if any of you are so inclined as to support such educational/humanitarian activities, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the ARI staff who will gratefully accept your donation.  For what it's worth, I had made my contribution last year even before the retreat gained its non-profit IRS status, which it now enjoys.

After a brief opening ceremony during which Jose Luis and Don Santiago, an Altomesayok, spoke, along with the three Pampamesayoks - Don Sebastian, Don Francisco and Don Juan, we did a Despacho (an offering of beautiful, sweet things to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and Father Sky that is supposed to feed the land with our love), we went into a dark room for our first encounter of 2009 with the Andean mountain spirits.

To read a summary of what we discussed, you will need to have a User ID and password. 

Conversations with Spirits, Day #1

If you have lost or forgotten yours, or would like to request one, CLICK HERE. 

Here are the links to last year's dialogues with the Apus:

Day 6:  Visit to Chinchero (Maras, July 3); Conversations with Spirits #1  [user ID, password required]

Day 7:  Ollantay Tambo, Wakai Willka (Maras, July 4); Conversations with Spirits #2  [user ID, password required]

Day 8:   Basilica of Señor Huanca (Maras, July 5); Conversations with Spirits #3  [user ID, password required]

Thought I'd end this report on a lighthearted note.  Check out that road sign across the street from our hotel in Urubamba.  "Horse Bag Rides" anyone? :-)  Oh, well... at least they try to communicate in English.  Which is more than I can say about my Spanish skills.

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