Mountain Creek Christian Fellowship - Issaquah, WA - September 29th, 2013

 

   My experience at Mountain Creek Christian Fellowship is one of the best ones I've had since starting this blog. This church is active in social justice, you are made to feel welcome while still being given space, both men and women are pastors (which is pretty usual in Free Methodist Community's I have learned) and I got to see how that social justice is tied to their religious faith.

      Due to traffic in Seattle on my way back I was late to the service. Once I arrived it was the last song, testimonies had apparently already happened (as I would learn later, and offerings). The setup was that in the above picture, except there was a light on the stand similar to a Unitarian chalice that was meant to represent the congregation being the light of the world and bringing that light out into the world. I was greeted at the door by a nice older lady who gave me a cup full of goodies...talk about welcomings. She was also very sweet too and didn't mind that I was late.

    After the song the pastor spoke. She also gave the prayer before the two missionaries who had been teaching the required Biblical course that Rwanda, and two other countries in Central Africa require (she was also an ordained minister) and her husband was the Doctor over there teaching surgery at the school that the Free Methodists International organization had set up. It was wonderful seeing the actual action of social justice...quite a few communities I've been to are only focused on internal happiness of the group, making them more like a social club rather than living action in the world. Their spreading their belief in the trinity was part of what they did too, but I noticed it was where they saw their motivation coming from for the humanitarian work in the first place.

    The service took place at the senior center where the Church volunteers a lot, and also uses for throwing clothing drives for homelessness and also working the soup kitchen in Issaquah...this is local social justice and actions of love that I greatly appreciated about this community too. Afterwords I talked to members of the congregation and met the pastor.

    It was there I learned that sometimes the pastor is there at the office across the street. I think I shall be visiting at some point and learning more. In my travels it is always nice to find a community that sees outside itself and lives the good of social justice that religion can inspire. Today's visit was a very nice and unexpected surprise.

Seventh-Day Adventist Prayer Meeting - Bellevue Seventh-Day Adventist Church - Bellevue, WA - September 25th, 2013

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   Initially I was going to name the blog the three main themes that I noticed when I visited the Adventists, but I realize that it doesn't quite capture everything experienced during the service. For this reason I chose just to title what it was. Suffice to say, there is a lot to tell.

    First off the Seventh-Day Adventists are really kind, and not in the overly nice in your face kind of way. I never felt pressured at any point during the service. This was a major plus over the course of the experience and allowed to take in the rest a lot better.

    There were four types of prayers that were done. The first was Thanksgiving which were two songs about how Jesus is returning someday. They were older style, and the preacher on the piano had a good classical voice.

    Next was the overall prayer after reading Psalm 100, which was about thanks which then lead tol the second part which was asking people how God h  ad helped them in their life. From here there was the description of bringing peace after a prayer or connecting with family in a positive way in relation to the Church, physical healing, time with friends or time with family and community.

   The third part was a silent prayer which for me ended up being more of a meditation on prayer. When I thought about all I was grateful for I realized how prayer or meditation does help with awareness. Its like when a person realizes who they are is connected to other people and the world as whole...be it environment and nature, technology, and other human beings. I've had this experience intellectually before and emotionally, this time was a mixture of the two I guess.

    Afterwords there was a final song and then prayer requests where members of the Church prayed for people in the congregation present or away who had requested it. It was beautiful overall except for the darker part. Satan was mentioned a few times at being the responsibility for problems and trials and there was hope of Jesus coming soon and expectation of him coming soon because of all the problems in the world. Both those things are a bit of a red flag for me with any community since Satan and Demons when used are usually used to not help those with mental illness or to treat those who don't have anything psychologically wrong with them like Gay and other LGBTQ folks. It becomes  a very unhealthy way of controlling people and taking advantage of groups that are vulnerable already (not to mention the improbability of demons or Satan in the first place beyond a metaphor or the darker side of ourselves...again, metaphor). This also plays into "End of Times" speak which can lead to drastic unhealthy action in how outsiders or people who have left the church are treated. If the end is coming soon and I HAVE the truth. I must save.  

    Overall I would say it was a positive experience though. I talked to people after and they were kind and again, not pressuring. I do plan on catching an actual sermon one of these Saturdays too...and get a better idea of the beliefs of the Adventists.

My friend Kyle's Wedding - Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral - September 14th, 2013

    What a glorious day it was. This was my first wedding I've attended since my parents remarried and suffice to say this was how I always imagined a wedding to be. Friends and family all there supporting the couple, an organ playing in the back as I waited for it to begin and the processional with the best men and women and the families with their sons and the ring-bearer.

    The wedding was my friend Kyle's wedding and his marriage to his husband. I didn't know Leland all that well (having only met him once), but I saw how happy he has made Kyle since their getting together, which was more than enough for me.

    The wedding was at the Episcopal church so it was an Episcopal ceremony. The priest explained the significance of the marriage (love between the couple shared with one another and with their community) before the two readings were done after the Declaration of Consent. They were about celebration and relationship: Philippians 4:4-9 and Colossians 3:12-16. After which was the sermon before the most powerful part.'

   The sermon talked about how marriage is a blessing to the couple and to the community and how the love exchanged between both is like God with us. It was beautiful and nailed what I appreciate about religion. Religion can bring this between groups and people and add the authority of a group that which benefits the individuals and in how the couple is benefited the group is too.

  Next was the exchanging of vows. The vows were read by the priest and repeated by the couple and seeing the emotion in the eyes and face of the couple...love is difficult to describe but that was one of the greatest definitions before us all.

   First was the Lord's Prayer and after the intercession which was prayers for the couple from the community for the married couple.

  After was the final blessings and final pronouncement of the marriage. Congratulations again Kyle and and his husband! May you know contentment and happiness in your marriage.

   Afterwords I was fortunate enough to make more friends and celebrate Kyle's marriage with his friends and family.  

Don't Panic - Lima Airport Chapel - August 25th, 2013

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     Don't panic. The words rushed through my head as I tried to figure what my next steps would be. I couldn't find my group where we were supposed to meet and couldn't find the area where I was to pick my last tickets to get back to Seattle. I'd already walked the length of the airport and the food sections a few times before finally realizing I needed to calm down. I was just making it worse. Not having gotten much sleep on the plane or the night before didn't help.

     Breathing I followed the signs to the Chapel that Lima airport has. I sat for a while, gathering my thoughts before saying a quick prayer, a hope that everything would turn out. It was amazing how much it centered my mind. After I stopped rushing and stepped back (which the prayer allowed me to do, like meditation) I was able to see the situation rationally.

    Going through one last time I found the right area to get my tickets (it was pretty hidden) and after that was able to find my group and get through security for the flight to Texas.

    Don't panic. It's amazing what comfortable symbols and quite place can do. The chapel was nearly empty when I had gone there and it was totally quite which had allowed me to put everything that was causing out and deal with it rationally.

   In hindsight it was a good experience, I'd been in a storm and found my calm, while also getting to experience a beautiful tiny religious area in the most unexpected of places, Lima Airport.

Tipon - The Water Temple - August 24th, 2013

       The last place we would visit would be Tipon, which is another Water Temple. When we arrived the place was still covered in rain and mist draped over the surrounding, which given our second dose of San Pedro felt like walking into a dream. We walked along while Puma gave us some more history of the place. The place was for ceremony and was a fertility Temple.

   We eventually stopped at the fountain which is pulled from many sources so that there will always be water running at the fountain in case of drought. It was an emergency area which the priests controlled. How the fountain was designed was symbolic and was meant to represent infinite. After Puma explained this we were given free reign to explore the area.

      The first thing I did was take the nearest path up. It was here I could see the main Temple area and what was going on as others explored them. From there I took off down the path that was the most empty and stumbled upon the priests houses.

    I would describe this San Pedro experience as not having much creative stimulation it was mostly just an experience of happiness and feeling warm, even though it was rainy and cold. 

     The houses were huge and I hung out in them for a while just thinking and letting the San Pedro stimulate my mind. I felt like a kid again on an adventure. It was quite cool. After a while I made to rejoin the group once my solitude was upset. On the way I met and talked to my youngest sister and we talked about school and life. It was awesome and a great conversation.

      Lastly I talked to Puma for a bit about the location and learned what the different locations were (such as the houses I'd discovered) and also another area where ceremonies were done.

Heart of the Condor Temple Ceremony - August 24th, 2013

                                               Puma showing the Condor's heart
        The final day of travel around Peru would be one of unexpected adventure. Early in the morning we woke up and made our way up to site that was pretty far removed off the beaten trap. I'll call it the Heart of the Condor Temple since that is the most apparent part of the Temple. It was here we would do a final ceremony and where we would do San Pedro, a stimulant similar to Peyote. What an experience it was!

    First the site itself is very reminiscent of something out of old Britain. With stones placed in certain locations giving emphasis to the rocks shaped like a condor revealing its heart. The area is surrounded by an old stone wall and there are many tiny caves underneath the rocks in the surrounding areas.

    For the ceremony I was the first to go. It was based on how you wanted to grow and recognizing self value. All the symbolism was tied to that since the Condor is supposed to represent enlightenment. Each of us held the rock that was the heart one at at time while Puma did the ceremony. 

     After the ceremony I wandered around for a while. It was a time to observe the effects of San Pedro from a rational perspective. What I found was it was very difficult to do, but that it did seem to heighten senses while at the same time stimulating creative centers of the brain. I saw animals in the minds eye which was pretty cool.

    For me the ceremony ended in a cave simply reflecting and trying to clear my mind. Which was difficult with the San Pedro, but was great nonetheless. It gave me chance to look more critically at myself since my defenses were a little down from the drug. I could definitely understand why it was such an important part of ceremony.

   Historically it also had a darker side as well. If a youth wanted to go to the afterlife he or she could overdose on San Pedro and the tribe would support it. I don't know if taking something will allow going to another world, considering I don't know if other worlds beyond the physical world even exist, so with that it is difficult not to see it as supported youth suicide. Thankfully that isn't done today, but it showed more of the darker side of religious emphasis especially on the young who might not know any better or see beyond how amazing the experience of a religious trip can be.

    Afterwords we all walked back in silence. Suffice to say, it was an intense experience.

    

Religious Tensions in Peru - Saqsayhuaman - August 23rd, 2013

      Saqsayhuaman, here was a site that had been torn apart for the building of cathedrals and the fighting of the Incas after the conquest of Cuzco. It was here the Inca resisted for a month before all the underground tunnels were finally discovered by the Spanish. In a way it became a symbol of resistance. Like most of the other places we'd been to this place also had religion signifigant to the Inca. The first was the "Giant Head" of the Ancestor. It looked like it had one eye and represented wisdom and the masters who had come before. It was really cool. On the sides were carved chairs in which the priests could sit.

   After Puma told us this about the place we played a quick game of hide and seek (the area is huge) before making our way to the area that once an artificial lake. To get there we had to pass through the darkest cave I have ever gone through.

    After leaving the cave and entering the bright day once more it felt amazing. It was waking up almost since the darkness had been so confining. It was a pretty neat experience.

    Once we got the artificial lake we walked over it to the main area. In the main area there were llamas grazing and a volcanic altar across from the terraces where the llamas were eating. The area was huge and it was here we learned about all the stones that had been taken from the site to build the cathedrals. It was interesting how the old religion became building blocks for the new here and how even those buildings in the context of colonialism could not destroy the amazingness of the site. As much as has been lost, all the more remains strong and expansive.

     It was here Puma told us the story of how Pope John Paul II had come here and given a speech and placed a cross on the site that had been struck by lightning later on due to metal below the surface. He also talked about how the cross had angered the elders who saw it infringing upon a place sacred to them and their ancestors.

     As part of Saqsayhuaman a large White Jesus Christ was built. By Rebi, Puma and others it has been nicknamed "The Sexy Women" another name for the site. It is beautiful, which is where I think the name might come from. The Jesus and the history of this site show the tension that very much still exists between Christianity and the native religions in the area...and given the history, it understandably will probably never fully go away.

Oracle Temple - August 23rd, 2013

      The next day we headed to the Oracle Temple. The Oracle Temple had symbols on the top representing time and space and how the Inca's saw it. There was a Puma who was awake, a serpent leaving the center and a condor with wings outstretched on one side. On the other side where the puma was asleep there was the Eagle and the serpent going away.This was all on top of the Temple carved into a rock.

       Puma described the Condor side as the side that was awake, the old wisdom of the ancestors and the side of the Eagle and sleeping Puma as the side that was to awaken and how people held both inside of them. He described how Medicine women were said to have predicted the future at that place.

   It was also a place of birth and after we went inside the Temple. It was here that the women laid on the table and Puma did a ceremony. It was comforting and relaxing. I ended up meditating inside of one of the sections of the wall.

   After we left the 3 symbols embraced our exit. With a serpent carved going into the Temple and one going out and likewise with a Puma and Condor. A baby condor was carved into the entrance.

     The importance of symbols became all the more apparent in my time there. The three symbols of the Condor, Puma and Serpent are such an important and large part of the Inca and indigenous religion that it was hard not to see the power behind it. The power of others beliefs and also the power of the symbols themselves.

     After the ceremony we made our way to Saqsayhuaman for the final adventure of the day.

Machu Picchu - August 22nd, 2013

    Machu Picchu, there is a reason it is considered one of the Wonders of the World. I was glad I got to spend a whole day here, with all its rewards and challenges. The day began with Rebi and I meeting the group who had just got off the Inca Trail near the Sun Window. We weren't able to make it all the way up to the Window before the tour began though. It was great being with everyone in the group again.  

       The first place we visited in the Temple were the agricultural terraces before making our way over to the first sacred area. The area was supposed to represent the center of the world and had a rock that a compass could be placed upon. The area was large too and had unfinished windows (not all the windows had the three sections to represent the Puma, Condor and Serpent), but it was still really cool. From there we worked our way higher up.

     At the top we reached the Sun Altar and the the Altar to Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the huge mountain that you see in the background in every picture in Peru, it is a huge peak and it was used for initiation ceremonies for youth. Once you reach the top after crossing through the Puma Cave you are seen as initiated. The altar in the picture above is for those who couldn't climb the mountain cor ceremonies. Being at this mountain was seen as symbolically making the climb, since the Altar is the highest point in Temple area.

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                                                      The Sun Altar

                                             Wayna Picchu

    After we were at the Temple the group separated with a few of us choosing to make the climb to Wayna Picchu. I was one of the folks who decided to do it. What an amazing climb it was! Most of it was completely uphill and through caves and around the face of the mountain. When I reached the top I felt alive. There is nothing quite like reaching the top of a mountain.

                                           Machu Picchu from Wayna Picchu  
 It was here I took pictures with my Mom, Step-Dad, brother and another member of our group who had made it to the top. It was great to sit and reflect, and for some time it was just our group up there.

  After that we decided to make our way down. Seeing a sign to the Sacred Cave we decided to visit there too. It was there I hit trouble. I was almost out of water and completely ran out when we reached the caves.

     The first cave was the Moon Goddess Cave. It was here I rested and recuperated. It was a peaceful place and there birds who had made this cave their home.

      The final stop was the Sacred Cave which was full of meteors where we all meditated for a while to get rid of thoughts or feelings that didn't serve our growth in anyway. The thoughts of course are always with us, but it did help me get rid of my worry about the climb I was about to make to get back without water.

    The journey back to Machu Picchu was physically the most difficult thing I've done. With our limited water supply and me completely out we eventually made it back after 2 hours of mostly climbing uphill from the Sacred Caves which were at the bottom and backside of Wayna Picchu. It was here I learned how to make the most of my body and just how powerful the mind can be for pushing forward. It was hard but, the visit to those caves was worth it nonetheless.

                                            The Condor's head in the Temple of the Condor

     The last place we visited was the housing area and the Temple of the Condor. Both were beautiful areas and emphasized once more just how religious this place had been. One of the theories I learned was that it was a Monastery for religious Inca and with all the religious sites there (seven, plus the Sacred Caves) I could see why it was. Each area is made to compliment the land and honor the symbols that are supposed to be mean something more than just the physical world (though there is a chance there might be all there is). I learned the power of endurance, and even found peace in physical hardship on the trail while at the same time got to walk through history. Machu Picchu, I shall return.

Journey to Machu Picchu - August 21st, 2013

       After visiting Cathedrals and experiencing the big city it was in a complete change of pace that I found the most connection.

        An essential part of Incan Spirituality is honoring the land. The land itself is seen as a Temple, which is why the buildings were built to compliment the mountains or to use the pros and cons of any given location and make the most of it.

     I was not able to do the Inca trail proper, but with my guide Rebi we did our own version of the trail. A more modern version where the railroad and the river were our guides to Aguas Calientes. The journey to Machu Picchu was religiously siginifigant for the Inca. It was a pilgrimage where at the end and arriving there you were supposed to find yourself and connect to the spirits. This would be my version of this.

      Along the way we would pass tons of Inca Sites and at least one Holy Site where we would take lunch. First, I shall start at the beginning though.

     After taking a bus for an hour we got off in a small village and began our trek along the railroad. To our left was the river and many times donkeys and horses sitting idly by watching us. After about an hour we reached the first site which was an Inca Fort along the river. We explored this place for a bit before continuing onward.

     Our next stop was into the desert. It was here Rebi pointed out the different things that were used for coloring the Alpaca and sheeps wool. It had a rugged beauty to it and reminded me a lot of exploring Zion or Arches National Park in Utah. We also ran into an Inca Barracks and Noblemen's house while all along the way passing cows and farms. We also passed Inca farming terraces on the other side of the river that were probably used for feeding the armies that were posted here.

      Next we arrived in a tiny village where there were sections of an Inca Wall that was almost completely invisible because of the overgrowth. It was after passing here that we arrived at an Inca Holy site, which was the halfway mark.

    The Inca Holy site was an altar and a giant black stone. The stone had been carved to have a puma, condor and serpent on its snake to represent the 3 worlds the Inca honored. It was here we talked and took lunch. Before us was the rainforest and a complete change in landscape.

     The forest was beautiful. We saw a snake at one point and tons of birds. The one disadvantage was it soon got dark as we passed out of the forest into the Jungle. It was here that trust key. Rebi's light through his phone was the one thing keeping the path clear. Time was lost in the dark and with it understandable fear. I was going somewhere I had never been to before and we'd passed a few places that were covered with big steel gates. I had no idea what Aguas Calientes looked like or if we would have to go through a gate and passed security to get there too.

    Thankfully that was not the case and the arrival was one of the best experiences I can describe. There is nothing like earning the right to go to a place by physically walking there, and this was one of those times. I can see why it was seen as religious. Its a lot of work to go over the mountains to get to where you want to go. Not to mention physical excretion is a great way to clear the mind.

     After arriving we talked family, the past and treated one another to drinks and disco. It was the end to a great journey. We had finally arrived and the next day would be a place covered in Holy Sites. The city of Machu Picchu.

Cathedral of San Blas - Cuzco, Peru - August, 20th, 2013

                                              Cathedral of San Blas

   The last Catholic Church I would see on the trip was the Cathedral of San Blas. It was here where there was the  most blending of indigenous and Spanish within Catholicism. In one of the main praying areas there was a Peruvian Mary, a Peruvian Jesus and the alter in the center of  the Church was carved from a single tree stump. It had awareness of the land that the other main Cathedrals clearly did not. It was small and homy and the symbols spoke to more than just the Spanish immigrants.

    It was here that I did a prayer at the Peruvian Jesus to center myself. I'd been going all over Peru that day and in-taking so much information. It was nice to finally start calmly taking it all in and reflecting on it. Also, I have a soft spot for small churches.

   One of the other cool things this Church had were a tiny catacombs where there were a bunch of bones. It felt very Indiana Jonesish being there and as usual. I always feel peace when being faced with mortality in the situation of catacombs or cemeteries. This was one of those times and after centering myself with the prayer this was part of the exploring the Church both above where the bells are, and below where the catacombs where made the day complete.

  

A Tale of Submission and Resistance - Monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena - Cuzco, Peru - August 20th, 2013

                                          The Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena

     My visit to the Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena would be one of my favorite visits during the trip, at least in hindsight of the blog (and also being one of the most disturbing too). It was here that the face of colonialism was most obvious (one of the walls that makes up the Monastery used to be a place where Inca Women were kept who had taken vows of chastity).

     First, the Monastery is very beautiful. It is a collection of art that is almost Zen like in its simplicity in capturing the major events of the Gospel.
    
     Second, The Monastery itself has almost ceased to be one. It now functions as a museum showing how the members of Catherine's order lived. The immediate thing that became obvious was power dynamic. Much like the cloistered Inca women were beholden to the Inca Priests, so to the nuns. It was here that there was  tiny confessional tied to the wall so the nuns would never see a man or the man responsible for their souls and confession. The abbess may have had a lot of power within the Monastery, but the lowliest of Priest would still wield more power than her.

    In both cases it is complete control of a women's sexuality by men and seeing that them losing that will somehow lessen them. Purity becomes a form of control so great that an entire segment of a populace is cut off from the opposite sex. 

     This tangent is actually tied into a story that we were told the day before by Puma. There was a woman who wanted to become a medicine women, but the village elders rejected her. Keep in mind, before this they had done nothing as she suffered from an abusive husband too. They laughed her away and it was only when she'd faced the darkness and contemplated killing herself that she had the experience of the Spirits of the Mountains talking to her and teaching her, she came back and confronted the elders and today she is now respected as a medicine women in the surrounding communities.

     Saint Catherine also shows power within the Church as a teacher, even if she could never speak for Christ the way a Priest could during Mass. I guess for her era she fought for power as best she could. One does not become famous sitting down, a person has to be active and fighting in some way, even if it is by removing oneself from the game the way the Taoist and Buddhist Masters did, just like many of the Catholic Saints.

     The final bit is about Tupac II the last Inca King. It was today that I went to the museum and learned about his resistance against the Mita slave system that the Spanish had committed against the native population. His aims were extreme, but sadly I don't know what other alternatives were really available to a native man who had no power within Spanish society. Well, what does this have to do with Saint Catherine Monastery? Well the time the Church could have brought about peace rather than backing the oppressors, tehy back the oppressors. Saint Catherine Monastery gave a blessed Jesus figurine to clear the souls of the men who brutally executed Tupac, and the local Dies labeled Tupac and heretic and let that excite the mob leading to his execution.

      The Jesus on the Cross that was given to the exectuionors now sits in the Regional Museum of Cuzco. The Monastery out of guilt refused to take it back and so it as people realized what Tupac II had been trying to do to change an unjust system (even if it was in an immoral way). People, and the Monastery at least realized they'd been immoral doing nothing and allowing the slavery of the native populace to continue leading to Tupac's revolution in the first place.

      

Companion of Christ Cathedral - Cuzco, Peru - August 19th, 2013

                                             Companion of Christ Cathedral

   It was at this time that the rest of the group took off on the Inca Trail. I was last minute as far as my going to Peru and to do the Inca Trail you have to sign up at least a month ahead of time. In total about 500 are allowed on the trail a day. This was not a bad thing, as I would learn later, I was in no condition to do the trail. I had not trained on Mt. Rainer like the rest of the group had. Thankfully though, 2 days later I would do my own easeier version of the trail with one of our guides. Before that time though, I had a day and a half in Cuzco.

      With a half day in Cuzco (and it being a bit too late to visit the museums) I decided to visit one of the Cathedrals in the Square. I would happen to do Companion of Christ Cathedral. The Cathedral itself is beautiful inside, but very Spanish. All the Saints and figures from the Gospel are made to look like white Spanish shepherds or medieval style mothers. It fit for the time period when it was built, and also due to the fact that it was the Spanish conquest that brought over Catholicism in the first place.

   What role does Companion of Christ Cathedral play today? Well part of what it does is provide schooling for the homeless kids on the street in Cuzco, and also provides a market for the local people to present their wares. It is very much a part of the Cuzco community.

    Later on I'll get into more of the darker side of what was done, and also the fact that everything I write about here was what I saw or read about it in the museums. There are no doubt things at all the holy sites (be it Pre-Incan, Incan, or Catholic) that I don't know about.