Imagine partying non-stop for a month, as a sacred act. That’s what goes on throughout much of the Ecuadorian Andes starting on the summer solstice. In a tradition that extends back to long before the Inca in this part of the globe, communities and villages celebrate Inti Raymi, or the sun festival long and hard. […]
HEALING WITH THE HELP OF IMBABURA AND COTOCACHI
Mama Maria climbed the stairs of her two bedroom concrete home in the small town of Iluman, Ecuador to get something. What could it be? I had arrived to her place half an hour ago. It had taken the taxi a few minutes to locate her clinic, since the sign announcing she was a “yachak” […]
Clearing Crystals and our Lives
Clearing crystals is a hotly debated topic among folks interested in crystal healing and other sacred uses of stones and crystals. Many of the popular books on this topic outline techniques to use for clearing supposedly ‘negative’ or ‘heavy’ energies from our crystals and stones. When I give workshops, this is a frequent question that […]
Spring Cleaning
Springtime is upon us – after a long and challenging winter. While still tentative, the rays of sunshine are more robust, daylight longer, and the tree sap beginning to flow – bringing us the sweetness of maple syrup. Along the Ashuelot River, I spotted where a turtle had left its winter hibernation. I examined this […]
Embracing our Personal Power
“Don’t accelerate too fast,” H. told me in a stern voice. Her words had a visibly misty appearance as they left her mouth. She was wearing a fuzzy jacket over her hefty hulk, snow boots on her feet. Less than five minutes ago we had met for the first time – when I knocked hesitantly […]
COMPLEMENTARY DUALITY
Complementary duality is one of the central precepts of indigenous Andean and Aztec/Toltec wisdom and spirituality (as well as many other spiritual traditions and cultures). In the origin myth of the Toltec, our world was begun by two beings (not one). Colloquially translated as “Mr” and “Mrs” – they are believed to together have created […]
Healing with Obsidian Stones
“It is as easy to cure cancer as a common cold,” my teacher of obsidian tools – Sergio Magana – told us in class. “Hard to believe, but at an energetic level this is true.” He then went on to tell us two remarkable stories about healing using obsidian tools. The first was about an […]
