Pachas as a Method of Recapitualtion

Sunday, April 13th, 2014

Christopher Bollas (1987) wrote, “I argue that a person’s character is a subjective recollection of the person’s past.”[1] Applying this statement in regard to integrating shamanic experience – recapitulation of past experience is necessary because it determines who we are at any given moment.

One of the practices I learned from the Q’ero shamans that has been helpful to me in my own recapitulation process, is to sit somewhere in nature and to create a pacha. A pacha is a map of one’s life from birth to present that is marked with stones or quiyas, sticks or other found natural objects that signify seven-year increments. I have found that creating this kind of natural “diagram” can provide a means of seeing one’s life journey from a bird’s eye perspective. It can serve as an overview of where we have come from, and offers the opportunity to imagine more clearly the vision of one’s life path moving forward. I have learned that self-reflective ritualistic activities, such as pachas are ways of drawing meaning from life – events and situations. The following is a verbal narrative of my own story I have expressed through working with pachas that brought me to my engagement with shamanism.

No Comments Yet

You can be the first to comment!