Andean Shamanism
Andean Shamanism refers to shamanic practices used throughout the Andes in South America.
Key concepts in Andean Shamanism include Kausay pacha, Pachamama, Ayni, and Andean cosmology.
Kausay pacha: living energies, each of which has a spirit. Every material object has a spirit/energetic aspect made up of sound or frequencies that a shaman can sing or tone.
Pachamama: Earth Mother that gives us everything. The female side of our nature (imagination, daydreaming, intuition, receptivity, and special abilities) is honored and honed, allowing things to happen that cant in a patriarchy.
Ayni: the concept or practice of reciprocity. When one gives, they receive something back. Related to birthing a new consciousness on Earth.
An Andean shaman must teach and transmit initiations to others, to honour their teachers and Pachamama.
The Andean cosmos has three levels: Hanan pacha, Kay pacha, and Uqhu pacha, which are equivalent to the three worlds seen I other shamanic cosmology. Hanan pacha (the upper world) is where we find refined energies. Kay pacha (the middle world) includes all material things, includes refined energies (sami) and heavy energies (houcha). There is no concept of good or evil, only heavy, or light energies. Uqhu pacha (the underworld) resides within the earth (like the collective unconscious), and in each person.
In addition ,we will briefly look at the Chakrana and mesa, sacred plants, and the Despacho ritual.
The Chakrana, also known as the Incan cross (or bridge), is a stepped cross with four corners, ridged with three steps each. The Chakana symbolizes the dynamic between the universe and life it contains. Each of the three steps of one corner has a specific meaning:
The first quarter represents energetic tiers or worlds: the lower world (Uqhu Pacha), representing the underworld and death, the middle world (Kay Pacha), and the upper world (Hanan Pacha) included the stars, celestial beings, and gods.
The second quarter represents their revered animals: the snake, living underground, represented the lower world, the puma, representing the middle world, the condor represented the upper world in the sky.
The third quarter symbolizes three commandments of Incas: do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy.
The fourth – the human principals: love and well doing, knowledge, and work.
The 4 Chakrana arms represent provinces of Incan Empire, stars of the Southern Cross, elements, directions, and seasons. The light and dark shades of the upper and lower halves represent the duality of the world (yananti). The hole in its centre denotes Cusco and the centre.
There is a half Chakana in Machu-Picchu, which during the solstice casts a shadow forming the whole Chakana.
The term Mesa refers to both a medicine bundle and ritual altar. A mesa is a personal alter used ceremonially to access spiritual forces and energies for purposes of healing, the advancement of consciousness, and the restoration of balance on both individual and collective levels.
An apprentice collects stones that represents aspects of their personal medicine. They place these in a mesa cloth, used to store and carry the mesa, which they open when they are going to use the mesa. The practitioner or client selects a stone from the mesa, which is then the basis for the healing work. The practitioner also uses the medicine bundle to sweep energy from the physical bodies of ritual participants.
Mesa is also a term used for a more sophisticated altar (often fixed) used in advanced rituals. This will typically have multiple objects on it, including swords, liquids, shells, and other tools.
Sacred plants are part of Andean shamanism, and other forms. Plant spirits typically teach people about how the use of the plants in ritual. Shamans use psychoactive plants to facilitate journeys and communicate with plant spirits, as well as for healing. Examples are Ayahuasca, the San Pedro cactus, Peyote, Datura, and Iboga. Shamans refer to such plants as sacred plants, teacher plants or master plants.
The plants provide wisdom and power to shamans in visions, as well as experiences of connection between the physical and spirit worlds, and a merging with universal consciousness. These plants are often poisons and medicines, such ambiguity being typical of sacred plants.
The enzyme monoamine oxidase breaks down the psychotropic substance dimethyltryptamine, DMT, in our body. Ayahuasca is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAO) which inhibits the action of this enzyme so that the body absorbs DMT contained in plants used with Ayahuasca like chacruna. It is not obvious that the plants should combined in this way. This knowledge is part of that taught by plant spirits.
The Despacho is a Q’ero prayer bundle used in ceremonies and rituals.
A shaman uses a Despacho to express gratitude, for healing, protection, to attract things into our lives, to mark transitions, to restore balance and harmony, or if we have a request. The shaman offers a Despacho ritual to forces of nature like mountain spirits (Apus).
A shaman constructs a Despacho with animal, plant, mineral, and artificial items, which are offerings that hold individual intentions. The shaman assembles it on paper, together with leaves into which ritual participants blow intentions and prayers. The shaman wraps the contents in paper to make a bundle which they burn in a ritual fire, to release and deliver the energy of intentions, prayers, and gifts to spirit. Spirit responds by creating opportunities to receive healing, blessings and other things asked for.
You can purchase despacho kits or use ingredients that you source yourself. The Despacho is specific to the Andean tradition, and not cross-cultural, although it is possible to design an equivalent ritual using ingredients that are local to you.
The header image is by Pedro Szekely, CC BY-SA 2.0, link