The Practice of Sacred Ritual

Saturday, December 29th, 2012

To begin the practice working with Incan cosmology, we need to work with fountains of energy called “hallpay.”In Q’echua, “hall” means activating or reaching and “pay” means knocking on a door for it to open. The practice of hallpay enables us to strengthen our ability to connect through our three energy centers (i.e. belly, heart, and mind).

Traditionally in Peru, the practice of hallpay involves feeding one another coca leaves with clear intention. We are making an offering that we are feeding with energy so it is important to recognize and acknowledge that the coca (or other plant leaves you are using) is sacred. This very important plant has been used by ancestors in the Inka tradition, generation through generation.

In the powerful ceremony of hallpay, the ancestors placed three leaves in one k‘intu to prepare for connecting and sharing with other members of their ayllu and the cosmos.  They would perform this little ceremony before discussions, as a way of opening dialogue in ayni or right relationship.

In hallpay, after creating a k’intu as a sacred offering, p’acos today often work with the “chakras” (In this context, the term is not being used to refer to the energy centers of the body.) In Peru, the word Chakra signifies a little square plot of land for growing plants such as corn or beans.  Therefore, at the start of the day, before tilling the soil and working the land and the fields, Hallpay is performed. hallpay can also be repeated a couple times in the middle of the day to maintain connection with the cosmos and for balancing energy centers.  By doing the work of the hallpay, and making these offerings on this daily basis, the energy centers will began to open, enabling us to see and learn more things –  new knowledge, new thoughts, more understanding of the spiritual cosmology, by expanding our hearts with love, with munay.

The individual practice of hallpay ceremony has to do with our personal responsibility to the cosmos.  It involves opening our energy centers as a means of connecting with the world around us, through working with our personal thoughts and intentions. These rituals are sacred so it is important to find a special place in nature, or in your home to do this work. If this ritual is performed in your home, it is necessary to find a room that is silent and peaceful for you so that you can concentrate on this work.

The hallpay ritual offers us an opportunity to open ourselves spiritually.  Beginning this meditation at the start of the day is a way of connecting with the spirits.  By using intention in initiating an energetic connection we are making an offering and asking for information (or guidance). As we receive information in the practice of individual hallpay, we begin to notice transformation in the interior of our being. Poco y poco, we gradually learn to balance ourselves in this practice.  This is something we can do daily or when we feel the need.

The Actual Practice of Hallpay

 In the actual ritual of hallpay, after calling sacred space and purifying yourself (often by rubbing your hands with Florida water), you start by making a k’intu with three leaves, grouped together, with stems down and the leaves facing up, with the smallest leaf on the top. The three leaves representing each of the three worlds, the lower world of Uhu Pacha, lower world, the middle world of Kay Pacha, and the upper world of Hanaq Pacha.

Next, taking a deep breath, blow your blessings into the k’intu, imbuing the leaves with power from each of your three energy centers, using clear intention and focus. Then make the offering of the k’intu as a gift, feeding Pachamama, your mesa, or brothers and your sisters who are with you. This is a way of creating an energetic connection.

 

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