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Sacred Tibetan Pilgrimage Trek to the Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal
Added March 6th, 2016 to Events, Resources, Shamanic Practice, Training, Uncategorizedby Deborah Bryon
August 22nd – September 8th 2016
It has been said that the ancient ones conserved power in holy places for the good of humanity. Time on our planet is speeding up and change in the nature of our world is occurring. The old sacred lineages are dying. In Mustang, the 4,000-year-old Buddhist traditions and culture were closed to outsiders until 1991. The past kingdom of Lo is one of the few remote Tibetan regions remaining in the world today.
Join us on an eighteen-day trek into the remote land of the Himalayas, to learn about the ancient ways and Tibetan traditions in the former Kingdom of Lo. We will explore the holy lands of Mustang tucked away on the windswept plateau in the Himalayas, between northwest Nepal and Tibet. On our journey, we will sit in ceremony in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and connect with the spirit of the land, referred to by some as the navel of the world. Each day, will begin in meditation, exploring our dreams and setting intention. The evenings will finish in ritual and ceremony.
Please contact Deborah Bryon at highglo@aol.com for information
Trip Schedule
Day 1-2 – Kathmandu (8/22 – 8/23) Arrive in Kathmandu that day and stroll through Thamel and Dunbar Square, stop for a meal in one of the quaint restaurants, or resting in your room after the long flights. At 5 pm, our group will meet for our opening mediation, introducing ourselves to the spirit of the land setting our intention for our journey together. At 6 pm, we will meet our local guide who will be accompanying us on our travels followed by a dinner of local cuisine.
Kathmandu is a fascinating mixture of legend and modern development with a rich artistic and cultural heritage. Narrow lanes lead to small squares and courtyards where ornate carved balconies overlook shrines and temples. Crowded markets and bazaars are the center of Nepali life, where stalls and small hole-in-the-wall shops sell everything from bangles to Buddha’s to beetroot. Kathmandu has been a travelers’ center for many years and this is reflected in the international flavor of the central Thamel district.
While in Kathmandu we will visit, KEEP (the Kathmandu Environmental Education Project). At the organization’s Information Centre, we will get practical advice about conservation, trekking and mountain safety, and the do’s and don’ts of Nepalese society.
Day 3 – Pokhara (8/24) This morning after breakfast, we will begin our scenic drive (about 7 hours) to Pokhara where we will make the final preparations for our trek. This evening we will meet for group meditation, asking the spirit of the land for assistance and guidance in our upcoming journey.
The backdrop of stunning Himalayan Peaks, the most picturesque of them being Machhapuchhare (Fishtail), and the still waters of Fewa Lake adorn the beauty of this pretty town, also recognized as the adventure sports hub of Nepal and the breeding grounds of the brave Gurkha soldiers. The lakeside district bears the look and feel of a beach-town with its numerous lake-facing views. If there is time after our drive today we may take a boat out on Fewa Lake, hike to the World Peace Pagoda, or visit the International Mountaineering or Gurkha Museums.
Located by the lakeside, our lovely hotel is a step away from the hustle and bustle, where you can enjoy the comfort of a lushly landscaped garden or a cool dip in the swimming pool.
Day 4 – Kagbeni (8/ 25) In the early morning, we fly (about 25 minutes) into the hub of the Annapurna region and gateway of the Kali Gandaki River. This area is renowned as the deepest valley in the world- three times larger than the Grand Canyon. We land on the mountain airstrip of Jomsom, headquarters of the Mustang region.
After lunch in one of the lodges, we commence our trek chasing the trail through the main village. We continue on a rocky path that runs along the river. Crossing the Panga River, near a tree plantation. After a short ascent, we reach Eklai Bhatti, then on to the village of Kagbeni a green oasis at the meeting of the Jhong River and the Kali Gandaki (about 3 hours).
In Kagbeni, we stay in simple but comfortable teahouses in small private rooms with twin beds and hot shower facilities available for a small price. The rooftops provide breathtaking views of the mountains and the village.
Day 5-15 Lo Manthang Mustang Trek (8/ 26- 9/4) Today we follow the high trail or the riverbed route, depending on the height of the river. The trail ascends immediately to a ridge and then descends and climbs over another ridge. The trail leads us to Tangbe, the labyrinth of narrow alleys amongst white washed houses, fields of buckwheat, barley, wheat and apple orchards. Leaving Tangbe we cross Gompa Kang and caves along the riverbank.
We reach Chhuksang village at the confluence of the Narshing River and the Kali Gandaki. We cross the Narshing River, wading or hopping boulder-to-boulder, reaching Chele, where the cultural contrast and transformation from the Manangi to Tibetan is evident. In this village, the houses have unique sheep horns above the doorways, and twigs constructed in the shape of a cross with colorful thread woven in a diamond- shaped pattern, known as zor, to ward off evil spirits.
Day 6 (Hiking about 7 Hours) (8/27) We trek for about 7 hours through ancient desert-like landscape, passing great canyons, over the three passes of Dajori-La, Bhena-La & Beg-La onto a gentle mountain flank, with amazing mountain top views on top of the passes. Together we engage in ceremony honoring the spirit of the land, asking for passage into this sacred hidden world. The trail descends, crossing many valleys to the quaint village of Syangmochen.
The Tibetan medicine people (amchis) have been practicing healing traditions for 2,000 years. The amchis and tribal villagers (lamas) believe that the body is made up of the five basic elements of earth, fire, water, air, and space, as a microcosm of the universe, where everything is connected. The medicine people (amchis) write chanting prayers calling on healing gods for assistance and protection.
Day 7 (Hiking about. 4 Hours) (8/28) Crossing over Nyila Pass (4016m / 13,172ft), the highest point of the trek, and Ghemi-La Pass we arrive at the center of the Mustang called ‘Lo’. Zigzag down the steep slope from the pass to a large settlement of Ghemi (3510m / 11,513ft). The traditional village of Ghemi is home to magnificent Tibetan Buddhist Temple.
A Tibetan custom of polyandry (one wife amongst multiple brothers) is still carried out in some areas to prevent dividing the land, and making a family poor. The people of Lo are highly spiritual and the practice of Tibetan Buddhism is an integral part of their lives. In Mustang, every village has a monastery. The second born son begins to live in a monastery at the age of 6 or 7 years old.
Day 8 (Hiking about 4 Hours) (8/29) We descend down to a bridge across the Qumona Khola and climb up onto a broad plain. What we are going to witness now is quite remarkable- an undisputed contender for the longest prayer wall in Nepal, more than 400m long (1.312ft), about 2.5 m tall, the main wall is adorned by the hues of mountains reflecting on its surface. Beyond the main wall, the trail climbs a rocky channel, and then traverses to the Choya La pass at (3870m / 12,694ft). Later, gently descending and rambling across the fields to Charang.
Day 9 (Hiking about 4.5 Hours) (8/30) Descend the gorge of the Charang Khola, follow the ascending trail to reach a broad plain to climb Lo La pass (3900m / 12,792ft)). Descend from the pass, across a small valley to L-shaped castle of Lo Manthang (3840m / 12,228ft) where we will spend the next 2 nights.
Day 10 (Rest Day) (8/31) Today we explore the town of Lo Manthang, around 150 houses, nestled in close proximity to each other. The doors of most houses open onto a two-story central courtyard. A wooden staircase leads to the first story, with overlooking verandas, and doors leading off to living rooms. Jagged logs lead to the roof, surrounded by enormous stacks of juniper twigs and firewood.
The best way to get a look at the town is to climb up onto the roof of one of the houses. There are four major temples within the city walls: Jampa Lhakang, Thubchen Gompa, Chodey Gompa, and Choprang Gompa. The King’s Palace, a magnificent four-story building, is in the center of the city. Though only ceremonial, the king of Lo is still respected and consulted by the local villagers about many issues by villagers. We have two full days to look around the city and the surrounding area. Savor the breathtaking views of the Annapurnas, or take a walk to Namgyal Gompa; the monastery of victory, situated in a spectacular setting atop a deserted ridge.
Day 11 (Hiking about 6 Hours) (9/1) Today we have a fairly gentle walk- taking the upper route, mostly on level-stretched and descending trail with few uphill climbs in between going over Marang-La and Mui-La passes. In route we stop by Ghyekar Gompa, the oldest known monastery in the region believed to be established by Guru Rimpoche. We will spend the night at Dhakmar (3820m / 12,530ft), a nice little village surrounded by red cliffs.
Guara Parva (Durgaastami) begins this year in the temples on September 5th. The main theme of this festival is to worship the goddess Guari. During the deuda dance, locals hold hands and step together in a circle to traditional music singing faag, with married women wearing the sacred threads of vrata for health and a long life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enf-BBGPL54
Day 12 (Hiking about 5.5 Hours) (9/2) We retrace our route to Jomsom, branching away from the familiar trail on a new route from Jhaite, passing via Ghemi, to the village of Ghiling.
Day 13 (Hiking about 6 Hours) (9/3) We retrace our steps back passing Shyangmochen to Chele. Jhator, (ski burial) is a Tibetan funeral practice, of “giving alms to the birds,” in which the deceased is placed on a mountaintop in ceremony, being left as an offering to wildlife and the elements.
Day 14 (Hiking about 4 Hours) (9/4) Retracing our steps from day 5, we return to Kagbeni.
Day 15 (Hiking about 3 Hours) (9/5) Enjoying our last day of the trek at a leisurely pace returning to Jomsom.
Day 16 Pokhara (9/6) We take an early morning flight back to Pokhara on day 16 where we check back into our hotel and you can relax sitting by the Phewa Lake with the magnificent backdrop views of Annapurna range, including the fishtail summit of Machhapuchhare or indulge in shopping and recreation.
Day 17-18 – Katmandu (9/7-9/8) On Day 17, we fly to Kathmandu and check into our hotel. There is an opportunity to roam around the inner sections of the city, make a visit to the numerous temples and shrines, go shopping or relax. There are no activities planned for day 18 and you are able to depart the hotel at any time. Check out time from the hotel is at 12 noon. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel.
Please contact Deborah Bryon at highglo@aol.com for more information
Glossary
Added November 17th, 2015 to Basicsby tom.blaschko
We’ve added the glossary from Lessons of the Inca Shamans, Part 2 to the website under the Basics tab. You can view it here.
Two Places at the Same Time
Added October 26th, 2015 to Artwork, Energetic Connection, Trainingby Deborah Bryon
Next week will be one year since I survived a near fatal accident when the car I was a passenger in, slammed into the back of a semi on an interstate freeway. In addition to other bodily injuries as the result of the impact, a 5 gallon bottle of apple juice flew from the back seat into the front window and shattered, before hitting me in my head slightly above my left eye. I must have had my eyes closed because I didn’t see anything. I remembered thinking upon impact about past descriptions I had read on traumatic brain injuries that occurred when the frontal lobe of the brain hit the inside of the skull and then bounced back to the posterior area of the skull. I assumed that was happening – I wasn’t aware of the flying apple juice bottle at the time.
I retained consciousness, and climbed out of the car in spite of a cracked sternum, a broken ankle and a sprained ankle and a large gash over my eye. I remember not feeling any pain but experiencing a black cloak of fog descending over my head that dropped down to my nose, and I was trying to see underneath. My husband helped me out of the car and told me that the iris of my right eye had turned light blue. Soon after I remember helping the paramedic perform a mental status exam on myself and informing him I had no loss of consciousness. I also remember asking everyone within hearing distance to help me find a rental car so that we could continue to Utah to facilitate the workshop with the Andean medicine people that had been planned for over a year. Then the ambulance came.
After arriving at the hospital, the ER doctor convinced me to spend the night in the hospital after sternly explaining that leaving with a cracked sternum could be fatal. After getting a wheel chair and a cast I forged ahead to Utah the next day. I was going come hell or high water. Close friends expressed concern about my refusal to rest in bed. After completing the workshop, I ended up with bronchitis. Coughing with a cracked sternum was incredibly painful and I finally agreed to spend a couple of days resting.
This accident occurred 6 weeks before a painting show that I had not started preparing for. My husband suggested the theme of self portraits and helped me rig up a way to sit so that I could apply paint to the canvases, ranging between 3 and 6 feet, I began painting. Prior to the accident I had decided to paint on a larger scale, which proved to be a little awkward. The following paintings are from this body of work.
People that I respect continued to suggest that I really hadn’t processed the trauma – I hadn’t. I recognized the fight verses flight trauma response behavior in my insistence to attempt to facilitate the 10 day workshop for 40 people. I found myself wading through layers of psychological grief until I became conscious of the somatic experience in my body. I re-experienced the pain in my nose that felt like it had been broken, and remembered the pain of chipping all of my front teeth, that had since been repaired. Moving into the core of the somatic memory felt grounding and brought a sense of relief.
I remembered being outside of my body and seeing a circle of light beings, perhaps angels, surrounding me. Now looking back, I found it curious that I did not remember this aspect of the event until I remember the experience in my body. I’d been struggling with writing about nontemporal reality for a couple of years now, and now having two sets of memories of the same event has added fuel to the fire. Is it possible to split and have two sets of memories for the same event?
Elephant Spirit
Added January 25th, 2015 to Artworkby Deborah Bryon
About a month ago, I was on the mend from a serious car accident – and a month away from a gallery opening showing new work that I had not begun to create. I began to gear up to create this new body of art work, hobbling around on a walker with a broken ankle and cracked sternum. One night just after I had started painting for the show, I had a powerful dream, in which a magnificent elephant appeared, hovering over me. I was moved to tears. I had the wonderful sense of belonging and returning home. I felt an incredibly strong heart connection with this being who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. When I entered my art studio the next morning, I felt compelled to paint the elephant spirit who had visited me in dreamtime. As I picked up my brushes and approached the large canvas, I found myself falling into a light trance. The energy of the elephant began coming through my brush strokes automatically, speaking to me in images and color.
The idea of painting elephants was something that had never entered my mind before and I would have said not my subject matter. For the last several years all of my paintings had been about energetic experience and the winged beings in the Andes. Yet the elephant spirit was seriously demanding my attention.
The painting of the elephant (above) became the largest painting I had ever created (5′ x 6′), and became a central figure in the show. The night the show opened two different people were moved by the energy in the painting and wanted to bring it into their homes so now I have been commissioned – with the elephant’s help – to create a second elephant painting as the elephant continues to expand its voice.
I don’t believe I facilitated this on my own – it is definitely an expression of something larger than me. Over the last weeks, the energy of the elephant has been growing in my mesa. I have begun to experience the elephant as a great protector, a powerful force that entered my world at a time when I was depleted and in need of strong protection.
The numinous connection with the elephant spirit has reminded me that “otherworld connection” takes us where we need to go. Trying to adhere to specific ritual techniques to achieve connection is not always where the action is and it does not always bring us into relationship with spirit. I believe we each need to open ourselves through our own individual spiritual connection – in whatever light form it takes. The spirit world has a grace and consciousness of its own. There are no absolute recipes. By listening with open hearts, minds and bodies, our relationship with the spirit world can continue to thrive and deepen.
“The painting will be at Spark Gallery until Feb. 15. The gallery is opened from Thursday through Sunday and these are the hours: Thrs. 12-5; Fri.12-9, Sat: 12-5, Sunday, 1-4. First Friday of the month, Feb.6, they’ll be opened from 6 to 11pm. I will stop often to see it. For some reason I can’t explain, it’s a very healing piece for me; it touches my soul and makes me at ease in the middle of the craziness of this world we live in. No conventional God or churchy babble does that. As I neared the place where the painting was, it was like I had met an old friend, my best integrated Self. It brought a smile of recognition to my face.” Carmen
Experience as a Layered Reality: Reality as a Layered Experience
Added December 22nd, 2014 to Psychoanalytic Shamanic Practiceby Deborah Bryon
For some time, in my work with my analysands, I have been exploring time as being a stacked, multi-layered experience. I have considered non-sequential time as a way of moving between psychic states associated with subjective and objective reality. Our past, dreams, fantasies, and non-ordinary energetic experience create layers of meaning that influence our conscious experience at any given point in time, as well as in the relational energetic field we all share. Much of the research on disassociation in psychoanalysis supports the concept of soul loss – when parts of ourselves can become split off, fragmented and frozen in time during psychological and physical trauma.
Almost two months ago, I was in a serious car accident and was told by doctors and the police officer who arrived on the scene that I should have died.( These actual meaning of these words didn’t really sink in for me then.) Immediately after the accident occurred I was aware of experiencing some physical pain but continuing to my destination, was my primary focus. Although I have always experienced fortitude and endurance, it was not until later that I became aware that I had been in shock and was reacting in a “fight” response.
Over the days that followed physical pain began layering in. Yet I was aware of a deep psychological pain that was lying underneath the surface of my soma and psyche related to the series of events surrounding the accident that I did not have access to. I had strong intuitive reactions to the people and events that were happening around me post-accident. Although I was unable to feel them emotionally or think about them rationally – I was able to experience their truth.
Over time in quiet periods of reverie and meditation parts of the experience that I had only been able to access intuitively began emerging in various layers simultaneously. They were different yet related. I started to form a deeper, more comprehensive narrative about what had happened to me.
It wasn’t until about six weeks later when I fell accidently (I had been using a walker to get around) and cracked my temporary front teeth AGAIN (that were there to replace my front teeth that had cracked during the accident), I had an intense psychological reaction to the acute physical pain. I found myself sobbing from a place in my physical body that had been reawakened, and the experience became a cleansing release.
I am still not sure what all of this means and anticipate I will be processing these experiences for a while. As I am unwinding the layered reaction to the events, I can’t help but wonder if all experience that occurs in a time space continuum is layered – when we take the time to sit with it and unpack it.
There is a deepening realization growing inside of me, that this experience was an initiation. Yet surprising to me, the initiation was not completed after the accident, when I rallied for the spiritual retreat with the Andean brothers that we had planned for over a year. The initiation took place when, in a state of connection I realized that I needed to let go of all of this in order to be free and move forward.
The Necessity for the Capacity to Process Psychologically in Shamanism (i.e. Where is the Shadow)?
Added December 13th, 2014 to Shamanic Practiceby Deborah Bryon
Spiritual evolution and psychological development is a process involving both the body and the mind. As many of us who begin to follow a shamanic path in our culture are aware, there is a societal “pull” to focus on growing a persona (or ways of showing up in the world), with an emphasis on cognitive development to achieve success, which can lead to becoming disconnected from our hearts and bodies. Living in a culture that promotes individualism through competition causes many of us to begin to feel alienated, with a lack of meaning in our lives. As humans, most of us long for connection, to belong through relationship.
In an effort to discover a sense of deeper connection with the living world around us, some of us learn ritual and ceremony from indigenous cultures who live closer to nature to find our way back home. In this process, many of us rediscover lost parts of ourselves and remember the wonderful experience of belonging. When we experience a method of connecting to something greater than ourselves, we learn how to move into deep states of ecstasy – and suddenly remember what it is like to feel alive
Although learning the process of connection through practices of ritual and meditation can be invaluable, sometimes the regulatory pendulums of our psyches get seduced by the influx of energy, and ultimately swing too far in the opposite direction. Our conscious ego awareness of who we are becomes overtaken by the power of archetypal experience. We can inevitably become caught up in the “magic” of participation mystique – where what is “hoocha” or bad energy becomes concretized and gets projected “out there,” causing us to lose a sense of what is “ours” and what is “theirs.”
When this happens, we lose our psychological equilibrium, and “spiritual bypassing” occurs. As a Jungian analyst and psychologist, I have frequently witnessed this phenomenon in groups which – more often then not – becomes both destructive and dangerous. When we look back through history, we can observe that this has been the cause of most religious wars. By not coming to terms and facing aspects of our own shadows directly, a collective power shadow develops.
Developing the capacity for self reflection, enabling us to differentiate between what is our shadow and what is “out there” is essential in maintaining balance and harmony as an individual and in community.
VISION OF “NUNA PACHA” (ANDEAN SPITIYUAL COSMOLOGY) BY RODOLFO TTITO CONDORI
Added September 16th, 2014 to Training, Uncategorizedby Deborah Bryon
Commentary on Andean Sacred Teachings and Practices in Capital Reef, Utah and Denver, Colorado, November 2014
The “NUNA PACHA” or the Andean spiritual cosmology is sacred and is present in the memory of the times and spaces, its concept, its action and use is as old as man himself in Andean territories …
“Nuna Pacha” refers to spiritual cosmology, from the perspective of the Andean teachers. Why is it important to study and learn about the “Nuna Pacha?” How does it benefit humanity? How can we be more connected with the cosmos around us ? What are the sacred practices related to Nuna Pacha in the Andes?
We will develop an understanding of these important ancient Incan topics, learning to value and love all that surrounds us…
Our Andean ancestors taught ways of keeping Wisdom “Nuna Pacha” for the good of mankind, and there are a training series, rituals, ceremonies that can be applied and practiced. To be in constant harmony, interaction and connection with the living cosmos, current generations need to have a life experience in relation to the teachings and sacred practices of “NUNA PACHA“.
In the Andean tradition “AYNI KAUSAY” present means living in reciprocity Andean style – the relationship of harmony and connection with everything around us is based on exchange and reciprocity as an old master passed said: “Kunan Ruasun Qampaq paqarintaq nuqapaq” meaning “for you today and tomorrow for me” because that is the meaning and the reason for human existence .
The practice of Ayni creates and activates individual and group energies. Ayni is very important in every society and group of people. Ayni is present in our daily activities, through being aware of living in Ayni Ayni is the secret of progress in different human sense. Ayni provides many of the answers that man needs in his life. Ayni builds individuals and groups.
The teachings and practices of the Ayni are like the ocean that has its own laws and spiritual activities. When you perform certain activities in daily life, you can perform certain spiritual activities, to fulfill the sacred Ayni with different entities. They can be ceremonies, spiritual practices, rituals, and looking Ayllus (community).
These and other topics will be worked with in the upcoming classes in Utah and Colorado. All brothers, sisters, friends interested in attending this sacred event, are officially invited to the cosmic and spiritual reunion of the ayllu, where all have the opportunity to share and participate together in the Andean sacred teachings and practices.
November 8- 11, 2014, Part 1: The vision of “Nuna pacha,” Andean spiritual cosmology.
November 2014, Part Two: “Living in Ayni”
– Event Location: Capital Reef Utah, USA
– Facilitator: Deborah Bryon and Jungian analyst, Ph.D.
– For more information: contact: ‘Deborah Bryon‘ highglo@aol.com or read the following information.
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Other classes also are open in USA:
– Introduction to the Practice of Indigenous Incan Traditions, The CG Jung Society of Colorado
– Incan Andean Cosmology and Medicine Traditions, THE CG JUNG INSTITUTE OF COLORADO
Dealing with Hoocha: The Shadow that Emerges Along the Spiritual Path
Added September 6th, 2014 to Shamanic Practiceby Deborah Bryon
If someone had asked me years ago, I would have said that I didn’t believe in evil. If the idea that we attract whatever we focus on is true, then acknowledging that evil exists would in fact create it. Although I agree in the law of affinity – like attracts like – through my years training as a Jungian analyst and the work I have done with Andean paqos, and Adolfo, I am aware that evil exists. Jung once said that the process of individuation requires bringing light into the darkness. Working with the shadow is the first phase of Jungian analysis. In Jungian psychology the parts of ourselves that are uncomfortable to look at, that we do not want to identify as ours is the shadow. In Andean medicine hoocha refers to dark or dense energy inside and outside of your selves.
Everyone has a shadow and everyone carries hoocha, however, we are often not conscious of the hoocha we carry and the shadow aspects of our psyches. Jungian psychology works a little different with the shadow than the way paqos work with hoocha. In analysis it is bring the dark parts of our psyche into out conscious awareness so that they are not projected on to others. Andean medicine sets intention to focus on connection with Pachamama and the Apus, and by filling ourselves up with light we begin to release hoocha that we may be holding in our manos wasi or energy body. Adolfo has said that by focusing and filling ourselves with light through being in connection with Pachamama and the Apus that we can protect ourselves.
Hoocha comes in many forms. It can be in our lineage that we carry from our ancestors. Hoocha can come from mal intention, negative thoughts and actions, or addiction. Hoocha can also come from outside of us. Sometime if we are not aware we can take on hoocha from other people, or places that carry negative energy from traumatic events from the past, or bad spirits. We need to recognize that we can take on hoocha from the outside world and that also we may be generating hoocha in ourselves and projecting it on to other people.
Often hoocha is the result of a need for power. Jung said where there is love (Eros) there is not a power shadow. Similarly, Andean medicine people say that when we live in ayni or right relationship, in loving connection we experience abundance and do not try to gain power for ourselves through force or manipulation. As a Jungian analyst, I recognize that often this need for power is often compensation as the result of trauma that occurred in the past perhaps linked to not feeling good enough, or feeling afraid of being abandoned, or feeling angry about being hurt. Some people feel tired, develop an addiction, of have pain or illness in their physical bodies. When people are secure and have worked with their own shadow they feel a connection that they source from. Jung called this the Self or the mother archetype, which Andean medicine people call Pachamama. Sometime people feel week and they invite negative energy to feel more powerful. Sometimes people become taken over by negative spirits and lose their will. Jung would have called this being possessed by a negative complex. A negative complex is a cluster of feelings surrounding a deep wound, that Jung would say carries powerful archetypal energy.
Working with our shadows and/or clearing hoocha can be painful. As Freud suggested, sometimes people use defense mechanisms to avoid the pain of facing shadow material. Sometimes they deny it exists, or repress it so that they no longer remember it consciously, sometimes shadow material is projected on to other people, or introjected into other people so that someone else carries it for them. Sometimes traumatic shadow material is so overwhelming that it results in disassociation, fragmentation, and soul loss – so that it is less painful for the person feeling it. Sometimes people use drugs, sex, alcohol, money, and food as a means of self-soothing to feel a void. The problem with these defenses is that they are all ways of blocking out the truth.
Sacred Incan Emersion Retreat in Utah with Adolfo & Rodolfo
Added July 24th, 2014 to Shamanic Practice, Training, Uncategorizedby Deborah Bryon
Sacred Ceremonial Emersion Retreat in Capitol Reef,Utah with Andean Altomesayoq Adolfo Tito Condori, Rodolfo Tito Condori, and Deborah Bryon
(November 8th – 11th and November 13th – 16th)
Part I and Part II four-day immersion retreats practicing traditional Incan ritual and ceremony in the ancient energetic power sites of the Anasazi. (Classes are designed to include both advanced students and beginners. $600 each. Part I is designed to be completed before Part II)
Part 1: Overview of Andean Cosmology and Ceremony
(November 8th – 11th) In the powerful land of the Anasazi, during this spiritual intensive we will access sacred space and experience paradigm shifts through Andean ritual and ceremonial initiation and enter into deepening states of awareness and healing. As a powerful Altomesayoq, working directly with the Apus (winged beings) and kausay energy (life force), Adolfo will give “hands on” instruction for growing and strengthening our relationship with the mesa (individual energy medicine bundle). Ceremonial practice and ritual will be an integral part of this daily experience. Fire ceremonies will be held in most evenings. (Room and Board not included – about $100 a day for food and hotel – less if camping.)
Part I Itinerary Andean cosmology and ways of working with the mesa medicine bundle from ancient to present perspective will be discussed. Adolfo will open sacred ceremony as we call upon and introduce ourselves to the spirits of the sacred ancestral land of the Anasazi. Adolfo will demonstrate how to build and work with a mesa medicine bundle. Beginners will start building a mesa; while more advanced students will expand and deepen relationship with their existing mesa through strengthening the connection with Pachamama (Mother Earth). Adolfo will lead us in sacred ceremony to empower our own discovery of individual intention and purpose on the spiritual medicine path through being in ayni (right relationship) Purification ceremony and ritual working with the mesa medicine body and the spirits of the land will continue in one of the different sacred power sites we will be visiting.
Part 2: Living in Ayni: Being in Right Relationship
(November 13th – 16th, 2014) According to paqos, an energetic relationship exists among all living things in nature, extending beyond the individual psyche, into the realm of spirit. Adolfo will assist us in deepening our connection with the natural world in order to live in ayni (right relationship) with the spirit of the land. Through working with the mesa, we will learn the secrets, myths, and knowledge of the ancient Incan healers and visionaries from master ceremonialist Adolfo who carries the direct Incan lineage. Ceremonial practice and ritual will be an integral part of this daily experience. In this class we will continue to build upon and deepen the practices and energetic experience of Part I. (Room and Board not included – about $100 a day for food and hotel – less for camping.)
Part II Itinerary Understanding and recognizing our subtle body (sacred body of light) that Andean medicine people (paqos) call manqos wasi in the spiritual cosmos. We will continue learning the ancient techniques of ceremony and ritual practiced by the indigenous Andean paqos in working with the energetic body of our manqos wasis (sacred body of light) in the nuna pacha (spiritual cosmic space), associated with non-ordinary reality. We will shift into collective ceremonial practice working with our manqos wasis to experience ayni (right relationship), learning manqos wasi fundamentals for ayni with the spiritual cosmos. We will cultivate the newly planted seeds in our manqos wasi through being in ayni (right relationship) in initiatory ceremony.
K’intu Offerings and Haimutay
Added July 17th, 2014 to Shamanic Practiceby Deborah Bryon
A k’intu is a grouping of three coca leaves together, with stems pointing down and leaves facing up, with the smallest leaf on top. The three leaves together represent the three worlds, the lower world of Uhu Pacha, middle world of Kay Pacha, and upper world of Hanaq Pacha. The number three also corresponds to the three physical, energetic, and spiritual bodies, as well as the three major energy centers of yanqai, munay, and yanchai, (Belly, Heart, and Mind respectively).
K’intu prayer rituals are done while kneeling or sitting on the ground in nature with closed eyes. Paqos call the Apu spirits of the sacred mountains with Pachamama, by opening themselves to receiving deep connection. The Apu’s blessings of love and energy is asked to be “downloaded” into the bundle of leaves, as the paqo holds the k’intu offering over each of the three energy centers, beginning with the Belly, then the Heart, and then the Mind.
Next, in a process of mayaqui (spoken prayer), the paqo asks to connect with each q’uiya, in the energetic process of giving and receiving that is often be visualized as energy flowing in a circle eight pattern between each energy center and the q’uiya individually. After the prayers have been spoken into the bundle of leaves, using three deep breaths, the blessings are blown into the k’intu. The breaths are directed into leaves with the energetic force from each of the three energy centers using clearly focused intention. Finally, the paqos makes three short breaths in the directions of the three worlds, while looking upward to unify the prayer on all levels. The k’intuofferings are then individually placed face up, under each q’uiya stones.
Working with a mesa in this way builds spiritual connection and power between the paqo and each of the three worlds. As a paqo develops as a Pampamesayoq (healer that works with the earth), their individual mesa acquires greater power and they begin to work with a collective mesa. A collective mesa is used for healing others, working on relationships and for any other issue that involving the outside world. A paqo’s individual mesa is the paqo’s power source, used in sacred ceremony and ritual with the purpose of spiritual connection. The power of the paqo’s individual mesa in turn feeds their collective mesa. The paqo’s individual mesa needs to be protected by keeping it separate from the paqo’s collective mesa, somewhere in nature that the paqo has an affinity, or on an altar.
I learned about the importance of protecting my individual mesa during a trip to Peru when my Andean teacher informed me that my mesas had picked up negative energy and I had become blocked. The other paqos told me that this had happened because I had used my individual mesa to perform a group healing and had been keeping it next to my collective mesa. Over the course of several days with the help of my teacher, I went through a rather intense purification ritual with both of my mesas (separately). When I opened my collective mesa at the end of the series of rituals, I discovered that the largest q’uiya had split into quarters. My teacher smiled and informed me that this had happened when the negative energy had been released.