 Art: The Three Sisters by Jackie Traverse My travels to Peru have always left me with a deep yearning to share more of the Andean wisdom with others, connecting even deeper with all the elements. The seed of envisioning a intimate journey to Peru has been incubating for a while when I was first introduced to Q'ero Andean wisdom. I was drawn to the deep connection the Q'ero have with nature, how they maintain reciprocity and balanced relationships with the cosmic (mother) universe and all the elements. How the simple act of giving offerings to the earth can bring harmony to the mystical and spiritual body.
The 1st seed that awakened in me after my first visit to Peru over 7 years ago was the connection I felt with the medicinal plant world, how every plant was connected to the stones, to the earth, the cosmos and the living energy of the universe. The 2nd seed that awakened after I studied herbalism was 3 years ago when I found a Yoga and Ayurveda training where I lived and went through a very deep spiritual rewiring and shift in consciousness. I was led there at a time when I was abandoning my body and physically exhausted. The program was very much focused on getting in your body through yoga, breathwork and meditation. By using Ayurvedic principles I slowly was able to come into balance and become more earthed in the soil and centered in my spirit. The 3rd seed that awakened in me was when I went to India this summer in 2018. I immersed myself in a 26 day panchakarma in a Ayurvedic hospital away from chatter, internet, responsibilities etc. During this time it was the most nourished I had ever felt, allowing to receive was the hardest lesson. Everyday felt like a profound spiritual and physical ceremony. I could see and feel emotional toxins becoming dislodged from the darkest areas. As a result a force of will power arose from deep within, it took weeks for me to become accustomed to a strong force of creative energy that was flowing through me. It felt as if all the seeds were screaming to be watered and nourished. I left India with a willpower that took over my whole being, I came back to the states and knew I had to really follow all the dreams I had shot down or told myself I could not do in previous times. Here I am sharing this dream with you and inviting you to sit in sacred space among the mountain spirits of Peru. A place where you can fully earth into the energies in a grounded and supported container, by remembering what seeds may be dormant inside you. Are you walking your soul purpose out? Are you yearning to develop the seeds of wisdom you have planted? Reawaken your seeds for embodiment in a 6 day culture immersion with Q'ero elders or choose to do the full 13 day journey where we will visit two sacred mountains that can create movement and alignment in your life. Together we will birth a vision. Birth a dream into fruition. "Lets make the earth our church and protecting it our religion" -Valhalla Farms-
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 Greetings,
I wanted to welcome the new year with a question to ponder, what element do you need to invite deeper into your body for healing or balance? We have all five elements within us: earth (prithvi), water (apas), air (vayu), fire (tejas), ether (akasha). The elements present in our parents are encoded into our being at the time of conception, creating our unique constitution. There are usually one or two dominant elements that reside in us and play out in different ways that either create harmony or imbalance in our mind and body. The last five years I have been on a journey balancing all of these elements within my mental and physical body. Ironically I did not see the pattern until a few years ago when I was with a teacher in Mexico and I had this strong pull to learn how to start the fires for the Temazcal ceremonies.....I chuckle now when I retell the story! My teacher looked at me one day with a stern voice and said " You can not build a fire for the Temazcal with all that anger inside of you, the wind of anger will come and blow the fire out." Two months later I went to Hawaii for a Ayurveda and Yoga training where I was fully immersed in the Vedic fire ceremonies and mantra. The first month I observed the fire and imagined all the anger being transformed, at the time I did not know where the anger was coming from, but the fire stirred it up in me to a point where I felt my blood boil in my veins. By the second month they asked me to perform the Tryambakam fire ceremony for fifteen minutes every morning as part of my seva, my heart raced when they asked me to take on such a scary task of connecting with the fire. Trying to manage the fire and keep the mantra repeating aloud seemed so daunting at times and other times I felt completely tuned in with a higher source. I would re-lite the fire numerous times as it would continue to be extinguished no matter how many drops of ghee I would offer or how many fans I would put up to block the ocean breeze. Until one day I surrendered with complete union with the fire and the flame stayed alive, all the nervousness and anxiety I would get around the flame transmuted before my eyes. The year 2017 was a deep initiation with the water element, when I saw a photo of Apu Ausangate, I knew at that distinct moment I had to go connect with the sacred waters. Days before my birthday I was looking into the eyes of Ausangate, with my body fully immersed under the healing springs having a complete rebirth back into my body. The following months I was lead to more bodies of water and imagined bringing the healing element into my body, hydrating my tissues and ligaments. The earth element will be the focus for 2018, the most solid structure for life to exist in, along with anchoring the energy. It will be a year of allowing my body and mind to be earthed in the hands of the majestic Mother. I am trusting that the Ancestors will guide me to the Lakes, Rivers, Oceans, Mountains and Plants to continue the journey of being earthed. All of these elements will ebb and flow inside me at different rates, but the key is to know how to keep them balanced within our being. The process will get easier as you start to attune your energy. A starting point would be to observe the picture above of Mullein, what elements do you think reside in each part of the plant? What part of the plant do you need to ingest more of this season? The root contains the earth element, providing nourishment, minerals and carbs. The stem stores water to hydrate the tissues. Air contains the spirit of the plant, the subtle body energy, the invisible. Fire transmutes the energy into a flower and the ether element resides in the seed, existing before and after the material form. If Mullein was lacking in any of these elements there would not be a proper state of balance or attunement in order to produce the healing medicine that is stored in the flowers and leaf. I invite you to go into the woods and explore the elements within nature! May the plants guide your way home, Sondra |
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