The varied geography of Peru’s territory has given its inhabitants the conditions for assuming mystical attitudes and relationships.
Evidence shows that ancient Peruvians knew how to make use of places with magnetic concentration for perpetuating their work. They also had a profound knowledge of the elements that united them to their environment to which they incorporated magic-religious experiences, a valuable sequence that expresses itself to this very day.
A fascinating and exciting trend in the search for the spirituality of ancient cultures that inhabited Peru has become very popular among tourists in recent years. Some people call it esoteric tourism, a mistaken term since esoteric refers to the occult or hidden, something that cannot be seen or spoken of, definition which contradicts the word tourism which in essence means to show. This trend is also called mystic tourism, a term worth analyzing.
MYSTIC TOURISM
There is a growing trend in the interest of tourists who visit Peru to have transcendental experiences led by one of these Master Shamans. The Peruvians, on the other hand, They prefer to consider this type of tourism as “health tourism.” In recent years, a fascinating and exciting trend has appeared among tourists in the search for spirituality of the ancient cultures that inhabited Peru. Some people They call it esoteric tourism, a wrong term since “esoteric” refers to something hidden, something that cannot be talked about or seen, undoubtedly a definition that contradicts the word tourism, which essentially means to show. This trend is also called mystical tourism, a term that is worth analyzing. Mysticism refers to a transcendental experience. If we want to speak in terms of God, we can say that it is an act of integration with or within divinity. Mystical beings experience visions of the real world and claim that our world is illusory. People use the term Nirvana in India to refer to that transcendental state. In that state one can rise, see enlightened beings, and the world appears to be more integrated, more interdependent, egoless, as it really is, or as it should be. We would have to experience it to agree that our normal vision is distorted because it is so self-centered.
PERUVIAN CULTURES
We apply the term “mysticism” to those who seek spiritual experiences in search of a better world. But there is also another type of “mysticism”, miraculous healing based on reading coca leaves and calling the spirits of the mountains. There are no night sessions, instead there are offerings to nature. We cannot define these religious experts as shamans since they do not go into trance or any form of ecstasy. The healing is directly imposed by the mountain (Apu, Wamani, Achachilla or Jirca, depending on the place in the Sierra) or by Mother Earth (Pachamama) in exchange for an offering, “despacho”,that the elements grant in reciprocity
TUPAY: THE ANDEAN INCA MARRIAGE
Celebrate Your Wedding in Peru According to the Ancient Inca Rituals and Traditions
Enjoy this unique and transcendental experience which has been performed for hundreds of years!!!
This trascendental ritual, as well as the Civil Wedding, may be celebrated anytime in the year, on the dates selected by the couple.
The Inca Marriage exemplified the Andean cosmological ideal of man and woman, the union of complementary forces.
The basic Inca marriage ceremony was quite simple. It started by having the couples hands united by a local representative.
This signified that from then on, the couple should function as one.More than bringing to life a traditional Inca wedding ceremony, this experience enters the hearts and minds of the couple that know the true value of Pachamama – Mother Earth.
The Andean ideology considers the Tinkunakuy, which is the cohabitation of two compatible souls, who share their life some time before their formal union before society.
The Tupay or polar union is composed of four rituals:
– The Qapaq Qapachi or purification.
– The Koymi, reciprocal sharing of abundance.
– The Apacheqta, offering to Mother Earth as a witness to the union of two bodies.
– The Tupay itself.
– During cohabitation the couple cannot procreate.
After Tupay, the union is enriched not only with the socio-economic, but familiar responsibilities.
From this point on the couple turn into Runas.
SHAMANISM
The word “shaman” is derived from the Siberian language, also used by the Eskimos. It refers to human beings who have the ability to travel to other worlds and expand their capacity for consciousness by mixing with spiritual beings who also happen to be ancestors, to find the cause of a disease that affects one of the members of their community and find a solution. healing. One of the main characteristics of shamanism is the use of rhythm. A maraca is commonly used in northern Peru to demonstrate that what these northern shamans do now is something that has been around since pre-Inca times.
We only need to examine some of the ceramics that remain from the ancient Mochicas, showing a curaca rattling rhythmically to summon the presence of spirits. Accompany this rhythm with a very monotonous chant that serves as a key to access the spiritual world. This ability that shamans possess is equivalent to the so-called charisma, which is in some way a kind of gift that some people possess and that cannot be cultivated. Although it is true that a teacher instructs them, the teacher only instructs those who have shown this charisma. It may be worth mentioning that “shaman” is also a surname, probably descended from the Mochicas, whose meaning has been lost to time.
If we do not divide the spiritual from the natural, it is easier to understand that rocks, mountains, springs and lagoons have a spirit and that we must take into account their influence on events instead of thinking that they are only elements of nature.
For the traditional religious mentality, nothing exists by itself nor are there events attributed to chance. Everything is connected because that is the way in which the nature of what exists is given, or if we want to see it in theistic terms, because it is part of creation. That is why everything deserves veneration and care, and when traditional societies take something they need they ask the sacred Mother Earth and thank her for the gifts received.
ANDEAN WEDDING CEREMONY
In a short explanation the Andean Wedding Ceremony will be as follows: The ceremony for the Andean Wedding will take place in the place we agree, about the day I will reconfirm you the special day according to the Astronomic Calendar to coincide with the best time for you.
Anyway, I will make an identification and recognition of the place due to the importance of this ceremony for you to understand the sacred space and to seal a relationship between the Sanctuary and you.
Once we step on earth and be conscious of the union of you both, the “Aukis” or guardians spirits of the place will transport our intentions. We will read and interpretate the coca leaves to ask for all our intentions, as a feminine symbol of the place the coca leaves will be giving every detail that we ask for.
After this diagnose the Wedding Ceremony starts, preparing the offering for this union to be the best for the couple, as a witness will be the “Mamallpa”, using the sacred “Chumpi”, symbol of the union between you, you will be placed one back next to the other to alignate your vastones or vertebral columns and to facilitate a unique growth or development as one
The elements to be used on the ceremony will be:
Special offering:
Coca leaves, an Unku, a Chumpi
Flowers that harmonize with your energy
Candles for your union
Oporto wine, incense, Water of flowers
White Corn, Rainbow tapes
About the symbols that you will use, one is representative of our part, if you like to use others elements like rings, flowers crowns, bracelets, hairbands etc. is by your own.
