Vision Cafe
An Invitation
Into Q’ero Shamanism
by Margo Carrera
We are fast approaching a critical point in our planetary shift in consciousness. I believe everything we do to awaken helps to propel us forward into this shift. Several times on our planet, entire civilizations have come and gone. There were the Atlantians, the Lemurians, and the Incans, to name a few. Perhaps this time we will not have to disappear in order to evolve to a higher consciousness. Not only are we remaining here as we progress, but the entire planet is doing this at the same time. This has never been done before.
There are many places on the planet that have been activated to assist us in this transformational process and the sacred sites of Peru are among them. The Q’ero shamans, called Pagos, are known for their ability to communicate with the earth (Pachamama), the nature spirits (Awkikuna), and the mountain spirits (Apus). They are experts at ritual ceremony. Because they live high in the Andes and do not have much contact with the outside world, they have been able to expand their abilities beyond the physical realm and move into other dimensions. This is where we’re all heading as we awaken beyond our 3-D world.
In 2005, I was first introduced to the Q’ero through a friend of mine, James Williams, who journeyed to the high Andes to live with the Q’ero and study their ways. He later wrote a book about his experiences, entitled, The Andean Codex. I spent a week traveling with the Q’ero and was in awe at their communion with nature and the earth. Two years later, I received an invitation to return to Peru to receive a very high honor from Sebastian Palgar Flores, an elder of the Q’ero and a Pago (shaman-priest). He had been given a sign that it was time to share the hidden wisdom of the Q’ero with humanity. I was one of the first six people outside of his tribe gathered to receive an initiation on the Path of Ayni—the path to Q’ero Shamanism.
This sacred initiation dramatically changed my life. It opened up channels of communication with Pachamama, the Apus, and the Awkikuna in a profound way that remains with me to this day.
Somewhere in the midst of our busy lives we have lost our connection to the earth. I now see how important it is that we reconnect with nature and give gratitude to Mother Earth for all that she has given us.
Good Medicine:
Balancing The Scale
by Harry Grammer
Since the advent of the microscope used in microbiology almost 500 years ago, Western Medicine has overshadowed the incredible benefits of natural and indigenous medicine. At the time when western medicine began to focus primarily on the material body, the ancient knowledge of the subtle body began to lose its “reality.”
While western medicine has definitely brought stunning advancements to humanity, such as wiping out smallpox and other plague-like diseases, eastern and indigenous medicine continue to be a sustainable resource for holistic and preventative care. Preventative care can be defined as a practice that stops a disease from arising. This hearkens back to the saying that a good doctor keeps you well rather than cures you of something he missed. While western medicine is best for trauma and immediate surgery, holistic medicine integrates the process of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies working together toward the wellness of the individual.
Society at large has been largely miseducated about holistic medicine. Few of us have been empowered with the knowledge, tools, and resources to actively engage in making healthy decisions and lifestyle choices that create overall physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. Many in Southern California’s urban areas have yet to hear of natural medicine and the power of self-healing, but it is often these communities that are most affected by chronic but preventable diseases. Natural and integrative medicine can go a long way in addressing the health disparities that exist for people in low-income communities—if the information and the experience are made available.
Now is the time to balance the scale. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight. Heart disease is the number one killer of adult males, cancer and diabetes are on the rise and our children spend more time inside eating processed food and less time outdoors in the fresh air. We are more dependent on western medicine, doctors, and drugs than ever before and the human body is forgetting its own power to heal itself. This model of health cannot sustain our bodies or our communities.
The time has come to integrate integrative medicine back into this society. After all, western medicine is really the “alternative” medicine since it is the new kid on the block; holistic medicine dates back 7000 years or more! Ancient techniques such as massage, acupuncture, ayurveda, nutrition and herbs, yoga, Tai Chi, Qi-gong, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, sound healing, light healing, crystal healing all predate western medicine.
This is the genesis of the annual Good Medicine event, an all-day well-being immersion coming to Hollywood on September 14.
Good Medicine showcases alternatives to western medical paradigms so attendees can discover their own innate power to self-heal. A unique combination of hands-on healing experiences, education, expert keynote speakers, classes, music, sound healing, organic food, vendors of natural products and services will remind us of the Ways of Old that still work today.
Harry Grammer is founder of New Earth, a nonprofit organization providing programs and services for expression, education, environment and wellness. For more information on the Good Medicine natural wellness festival held September 14, visit www.thegoodmedicine.org.