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.

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.

hat

                                                      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.

Pachamama Rock and Ceremony - Chinchero, Peru - August 18th, 2013

   

                                                                The Ceremony
      After the Sacred Valley we went to our guides hometown of Chinchero. Chinchero is about to go through some major changes. A US Company recently got the rites to build an International Airport there so this town where there are not many tourists is about to change drastically. There is definitely a lot of fear in relation to this considering the economy is largely agricultural and the land that the airport will be built on was once farmland that was bought from the farmers.

     It was in Chinchero where our guide and another one of the member's of his people did a Shaman Ceremony to the group.

     It was on altar that was made that I noticed the diversity of identity in Peru. There was a Peruvian Jesus, next to 3 Inca Gods as well as a Saint figure too and parts of animals. It reminded me of how the present and past are so easily connected together, and how it takes a lot to completely do away with the old ways, which means at least some traditions will always be around. Just as the ceremony we did has existed in one form or another even before the Incas.

     The Ceremony itself involved tobacco, being pressed and blown on the chest and head and a plant that was burned to add an incense. Incense tends to be a pretty common religious practice I realize now in hindsight.

     What the ceremony did, if anything was energize me. On the lead up to it I was still recovering from jet lag so was walking between wakefulness and sleep pretty deeply. The ceremony centered me since I think partially I didn't know what to expect.
 

                                                             Pachamama Rock
       After the ceremony I checked into members of the group before all of us headed to Pachamama Rock. On the journey there we passed an Inca Ruin where a Church had been built on top of it. When I returned to Cuzco I would see even more of this. Much of what were important Inca sites in cities now only exist as parts of a wall to a monastery or cathedral.

      First I should mention, Pachamama means Earth Mother.The rock is seen as holding the heartbeat of the world. Whether this is true or not, the cave in the center is really peaceful and I was able to meditate there for a while.

     On top of the rock I talked to family and did one last meditation, though I think I'm still very much learning how to do so...my mind at this point has not learned to completely settle into silence. There are always more thoughts to think.