Pachatusan: The Axis of the Universe

After the Amazon, a long boat ride and a longer wait in the airport where we had time to say goodbye to those who were leaving us, we had a short flight to Cusco. After landing From Cusco, it was a hour and a half bus ride to the Sacred Valley we back in a nice hotel with hot running water. Yeah!

Most of us rested, ate a big lunch, and found someone around the hotel to wash our much soiled clothes from the jungle. And of course shop.

In the night we had opening ceremony and welcomed new friends to the journey. The next day was a warm up hike to Pisaq and a despacio ceremony with the Q’ero. At the end of the ceremony we received the Earth Keeper Rites passed on by the Q’ero.

We started our ascent to our base camp on Pachatusan at a ranch above the Temple of the Waters are Tipon. Last year, on my birthday, I was baptized, naked, in a fountain at Tipon after receiving the healers rites, which were our last rites of the trip, but, the first rites of the Munay Ki, to remind us that the trip was over but the journey was beginning,

That night, a year ago, I received a healing with Don Martin, the ceremonial leader of Pachatusan, who “aligned me with spirit”. I returned from that trip, quit my job and here I am back to mountain where it all began.

On this hike we would not be bathing for four more days. The hike was a leisurely climb up hill to the base camp at 12,000 feet above sea level. It took about three or four hours to make it to base camp. Here we sat up tents and rested the afternoon away.

In the afternoon, Don Martin and his daughter, Vilma, arrived. At dusk we started a ceremony with them and the Q’ero. This ceremony was to open our hearts. We started with despacio, and then were opened by Don Martin, cleansed with condor feathers by Vilma, and blessed by Dona Bernadina. As the ceremony ended, the full moon rose over the mountain on queue. The medicine people started to play their instruments, drums and flutes, we all started dancing and hugging. This was our first day on Pachatusan with open hearts and full of love for the adventure ahead.

The next day, we took a short walk to a lagoon about a kilometer from base camp. Here we head ceremony for the lagoon to be able to step through the lagoon and taste infinity. At this ceremony, we did a despacio, had our altars blessed and received the Star Rites. It was a beautiful ceremony as Don Martin and Don Pascal put offerings on a rock altar in the center of the lagoon.

I was not feeling well. I had gotten a sinus infection somewhere between the heat of the jungle and the cool of the mountain. Also, having not been traveling for awhile, my herbs to treat it where in the medicine cabinet at home. When the ceremony broke, I decided to make a beeline to camp and rest.

Upon arriving, I put my mattress pad on the ground outside the tent and tried to sleep. Here I was mothered, by Sara, who brought me soup, tee and healing herbs. Christine and Paul also came through with some Emergen C. It was a little hard for me to not reject their help, but I managed to receive and promised to pay forward. I learned to be grateful to receive such good care.

That night I had a despacio with Don Pascal. He had me spit into some herbs that he placed in the despacio. This was different for the the ayni despacios that are normally done. I was still feeling pretty bad as he built it up. I placed prayers in it for my mother up coming surgery as well as for my continued good fortune. After the despacio was finished Don Pascal kept it wrapped up and did not give it to me to burn as was the custom.

Later at the fire ceremony, he placed it on the fire last. The next day I felt much better and was able to climb to 14,000 feet for ceremony.

We were going up to a lagoon at 14,000 feet. In the morning I loaded up on the coca tea. I was feeling better, but still not my frisky self. Once we started to climb though, I was at peace and knew that I would make it.

Some of us remain in camp to have ceremony there, some went to the half way point and returned to join with the camp ceremony and the rest went to the lagoon to receive the Creator Rites and the blessings by Don Matin and Don Pascal.

The spot was beautiful, a little crater of valley off the peak of Pachatusan. There was a lagoon with a piece of blue plastic tarp that had blown into the center of it. It seems that there is plastic everywhere you go these days. If we considered the clean up cost into the price of plastic or we would use it very sparsely and in things that are meant to last forever.

As we ate our lunch the medicine people went around and collected rocks to keep our altars. Some rested, some took photos and some did Chi Gong while we waited for ceremony. There was music from the Medicine people and, as away, Don Basillio was looking to dance. It was beautiful day, bright sun and warm conditions.

The medicine people set up a circle with flowers and we put out altars together in this circle. There in the middle was incense and we started the despacio. Later we removed our altars from the circle to receive our rites and blessings. Don Martin looked at me and I went first. Some would say the guinea pig, which some raise under their beds for food in Peru.

I received both the rite and the blessing in the circle. Later, they made two lines to speed things up. I was told that one I was receiving one on the rites, over the incense that a flame shot up between my legs and Don Martin put it out. Maybe, it was my message from the universe lighting a candle under my ass and get moving.

After the ceremony we washed the stones in our altars in the lagoon to give them a cleansing. There was dancing, it was Dree’s birthday and she enjoyed many dances with two young medicine men as the music played on.

There was a group that took an offering to the top of the mountain. The rest, we hiked back down the mountain where we were all greeted by those who staid below with hugs and smiles. We had a great lunch of fish and rice and rested.

In the evening some of the villager came by for an allotment of rice, beans and cooking oil. They were all smiles and we all felt good.

That night, I got up to pee. As I was standing looking at the spot where the lagoon was I saw a shooting star. This star was brighter that all the others I has seen and it was if a ball of bright, white, light flew from the lagoon and into space. I was lucky to witness it. Later, I got back into my sleeping bag and dreamed that the spirit of the mountain came to me and gave me additional rites. I could feel the my body being moved as this dream was taking place. It was as real to me as the rites I had received previous my “real” people. I am still working through this download.

The next day, some of us, were doing a long walk from camp. It was maybe a 8 mile walk with a 3000 foot vertical at the end. But we would see heart shaped lagoons and have ceremony among them.

We were told to get a stone and blow in all our limiting beliefs into it. At first, I grab a big stone to hold all my such beliefs. I was showing people the big stone to hold all my shit and Alberto said that should be the first belief to let go of - I need a big stone. He was right. All the work I have done over the last couple years, the changes I have made and I still act like that fuck up kid from high school sometimes. Enough of that, I am really quite OK, thank you very much for the opportunities to improve. I got a smaller stone.

This was day of the winter solstice and when the sun rose over Pachatusan, we standing in between the conversation of the sun and the moon. Tammy, Gina and Sara and I just kind of stood there taking in all the love the sun and the moon where sharing. It was very cool to be at the axis of the universe while this conversation was happening.

The time came and us hikers headed off into the moon, we headed west . The walk was good. It is somehow cleansing to walk in the mountains. As I walked, many useless thoughts bubbled up and they were blow into the stone. We also used the stone to cleanse parts of the body that needed repair.

On the way I saw the eye from my Ayahuasca journeys in the form of a stone circle. It kind of blew me away that this theme keeps appearing in my journeys. However, there was a strong connection to this mountain, from last years ceremony on my birthday, having to be there his trip, to receiving rites from the mountain to seeing a strong symbol in my Ayahuasca journeys it all made me realist that there is something here for me to take into my life.

Our first stop was a rock outcropping where it was suppose to bring fertility if you touch it. Thinking that condoms are cheaper that fertility treatment, I gave it try. After a short rest and some photos we walked on. Finally, we came to a heart shape lake. Moving a little further we came to a semi heart shaped like where we would have a quick ceremony. First Don Martin and Don Pascal cleared the lake of the cows that were enjoying a drink there. Then the prepared the space as we ate lunch and rested.

It was a quick ceremony for we still had much to walk. We took our limiting belief stone and a cup of red wine. First we throw the wine into the lake and then the stone. The we made an offering of coca leaves and flowers to place in the lake. We then got blessed by Don Martin and Don Basillio. 

With the ceremony over it was time to hit the road again. We walked a little further to come to a site on top of the world. There way down in the valley was a red, roofed church that was our destination. There were three or more crosses that pilgrims from the church would walk up to place blessings. I made a blessing for my mothers up coming surgery and placed it under a stone.

On the way down the trail was littered with plastic bottles and cigarette butts. I thought that after plastic is controlled we will have to organize litter travel trips where people go to all over remote sites in the world to pick up the plastic that is everywhere. We could melt it all down and find purpose for it worthy of a thousand years.

We walked and walked and walked down hill until our toes we screaming to be let out of our shoes. Or at least that was how it was for me. Finally, we made it to the church at the bottom to wait for the bus. There at the church in the back there was a little window with a waca. A waca is a intense energy that is somethings place on things to bring them in alignment with the world. This waca has been in existence for longer that the church. I held my hands to the waca and could feel a rush of energy around my heart like it was doing another cleaning. It was intense and I waited and went for another ride after we all had a turn.

My time in Peru has definitely cleared my heart. For the first time in years I feel I can show my true self without any attachment. It was great to have such a heart opening trip.

Later, I dreamt of a team of mountain climbers that was stranded on a mountain. The message was return with the gifts on the mountain. And once again the ending of a trip and the beginning of a journey.