Deeply rooted in the traditions of the Q'ero Paqos in Peru is a profound understanding of the natural world and an incredibly harmonious relationship with Pachamama (Mother Earth). Through the Q’ero ceremonies, teachings and practices, we learn how to be in sacred reciprocity with the Earth. We come to know just how interconnected we are and an explosion of senses awaken within us. It is through our sacred sight and alliances in nature, we meet our allies who freely offer us the medicine we need to create a life that is wildly alive, richly abundant and deeply supported.
During a recent shamanic journey, I asked to be taken to a place where I could explore my connection to Pachamama and just like that I ended up in a forest from my childhood (and one I hadn't thought about in many, many years). I landed with my bare feet on a soft, loamy pine needle covered path. I began to walk, feeling my feet make contact with the soft decaying earth beneath me. Then I noticed how the smells of the forest revealed themselves to me, one by one with my inhale and exhale - pine, dirt, mulching, sweetness. I heard the soft rustle of tree branches as the wind traveled through and felt the cool caress of her breath on my cheek. I placed my hand on a Ponderosa Pine (one of my favorite trees from the land of my childhood) and ran my fingers along her rough puzzled bark. Her roots peeking out from the earth sent mild vibrations up through my feet. I looked up into her vast canopy that seem to go beyond the sky. I heard rustlings on the land of little critters making their way through the forest and every now and then caught glimpses of a wolf, a bear and jaguar (allies I am working with currently) gliding through the trees. In the distance I heard a bird call and another answer the call.
I looked at my hands and they became old and wise and my feet grew roots and sunk into the ground. My toes became connected to the vast underground network of mycelium. I became the light flowing through the roots and veins of the earth, moving through the sparkling threads of life. I emerged from the Earth as a giant lightning bolt spread its branches through the sky. Then a small pattering of rain began to drop one by one onto my face, my eyes, my lips, my forehead. I stood there bathing in the waters of Mama Cocha until the sun arrived. She filled me with a warm golden light, each ray wrapping itself around me in loving embraces. A bell chimed in the distance, gently pulling me out of my reverie. I left an offering of sea glass and flowers for the forest and I began to walk back through the forest and back into my body.
The medicine in this journey deepens my experience of what it means to be a Human Be-ing. The word 'human' traces back to two Latin words - 'humanus' meaning earth, humus, soil and 'humilis' meaning low or close to the ground. The word 'human' also has connections to the word 'humane' meaning kindness and compassion. When we add the word 'being' to human - human being - we get a creature of the earth whose essence holds a generous capacity for self awareness that creates a sense of shared belonging, empathy and connection. How beautiful, wild and crazy is this! Within us and everywhere in nature is everything we need to know, all the clues to our existence. We are not separate from nature, we are intricately intertwined with golden sekes (energetic threads) of light. It is my work to reconnect you to this sacred relationship and to offer you tools to step into your human be-ingness, into what it truly means to be a human. When you are in right relationship with your inner world and with Pachamama, your Earthwalk shifts and transforms into one of mutual support and unconditional love.
Here's a powerful way to have a direct sensory experience of this connection and it can be especially immersive as Fall is making her grand entrance. I invite you to have a sit outside each day. Engage your senses, allow yourself to follow each sensation as it is revealed to you. Explore each with curiosity and see where they lead you. Allow the unfolding. You will soon notice yourself blending into the scenery, becoming one with the sounds, smells, tastes and textures. When you connect to Pachamama in this way, you uncover the magic that is just beneath the surface of everything and you find your roots and your kin and you begin to discover your human-ness and your being-ness.
May all your senses be heightened as you sink into the essence of this magical season that holds so much medicine for you!
Comments