Emerging Butterfly CHAPTER 5 OCTOBER 18, 2002

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 5 Emerging Butterfly OCTOBER 18, 2002 We have an early start from Cusco, leaving any luggage at the hotel that we want transported to Aguas Calientes at the end of our trek, as well as our packs the porters will be carrying for us on the trail. In my daypack, I have layers of clothes, raingear, snacks, and my camera. I am also taking my flat-folding camping seat to make sitting on the ground warmer and more comfortable. We board the bus to Izcuchaca, 45 minutes outside of Cusco, to catch the train to the start of the trail. We have a short time at the train station before we hear the whistle of our approaching train. With great excitement, we climb aboard. The hour and a half ride takes us to kilometre 88, our starting point for the classic Inca Trail. We disembark in what seems like the middle of nowhere. There is nothing around but a few shacks selling fruit and snacks to trekkers. The grassy mountains rise on either side of the valley. I breathe deeply and listen to our train being swallowed by the silence of the Andes. We first follow the tracks paralleling the Urubamba River, also known as Willkamayu (Quechua meaning Sacred River ), on our left, and then along a small dirt path to a very steep set of Inca stairs, our first of the trip. We climb to the cliff top Qoriwayrachina ( Wind Washed Gold ). I gaze down the steep cliff edge to the Urubamba River; it is silty, flowing, and not very wide. I am drawn to a particularly beautiful sculpted rock that reminds me of a butterfly. 25

2 T h e L e y o f t h e L a n d To prepare us for our first steps on the Inca Trail, Shera leads us in an initiation ceremony. In the first part of the ceremony, we open our hands to show that we are willing to receive any gifts that await us in the coming days, and open our hearts to receiving whatever we are given. I walk to the cliff edge and open my heart and ask for energy to guide me. We follow a different trail back down to the Urubamba River on a set of steep Inca stairs carved out of the rock. We come to a wooden suspension bridge. Here the river is white with rapids. Before we step onto the bridge to begin our trek on the Inca Trail, Shera asks us to stop for the second part of the ceremony. In the middle of the bridge, she says, look downstream and throw away anything you don t want with you on the trail. Then look upstream and ask for whatever it is that you are to receive from this trip. When I gaze downstream I throw away my old beliefs and ways of thinking that do not serve me. I throw away thoughts of any, and all, of my problems. Then, looking upriver, I see powerful water washing over and around the rocks yet always finding its own way. I look hard at everything to try to see beyond my three-dimensional mind. I see frogs, pumas, and many faces. Once across the river, Shera leaves us to go to a local school and deliver supplies we have brought down to Peru with us. We walk in silence with the Urubamba River on our right and large Inca terraces on our left. Along the way, we come to seven slabs of stone inserted in the stone walls of the terraces. They are stairs just wide enough to stand on. I have to stretch to reach each step. Large prickly pear cacti grow at the base while smaller ones have found nourishment between the stones of the wall, creating a floral garden along the underside of the stairs. I am soon ahead of the group so I receive a special gift of experiencing everything on my own. One moment I am walking along the arid hillside and the next, the trail turns a corner and I am in jungle vegetation with hanging vines and lush ferns hiding a cascading creek. In short order, I have climbed out of the jungle and am hiking further up the steep incline. At the crest of the hill, I see my first Inca ruin, Wayna Q ente ( Young Hummingbird ). It looks about half an acre in size with vegetation growing in and around the low stone walls. There are a few triangular end walls with windows and a large relatively flat smooth rock in the centre. 26

3 E m e r g i n g B u t t e r f l y Wayna Q ente I wander around and enter an area that is full of incredibly strongsmelling herbs. It is as though the Inca s healing energy is still present. I continue to explore and find a cave I imagine was a sacred place. I enter and sit on a rock, but this doesn t feel right. I sit on the ground but this still doesn t feel right. I stand up and am ready to meditate. I feel incredible heat through my legs. The heat travels up my torso and down my arms, but it is much hotter in my legs. An Inca comes and welcomes me. I am standing in the centre of a circle of Inca. My body leans forward to each of them in turn, as they welcome me and pass me around in a clockwise direction. I can feel my body swaying. While I am still deep in meditation, I hear Puma whistle outside the cave. I think he is calling me because we are leaving, so I abruptly stop my meditation and start to move but lose my balance and barely catch myself from falling to the ground. Puma has come into the cave and sees me stagger. He sits down on a rock on the opposite side of the cave and says only, Stay still. I think he 27

4 T h e L e y o f t h e L a n d looks a little concerned, which I can t understand because I ve just only stumbled; I didn t fall or hurt myself. After some time, he says, Mothers worry about their children who have fallen because they have lost their connection to Mother Earth. I am concerned that you stumbled. You have lost your grounding, your connection to Mother Earth, and might have difficulty. We stay in the cave for a while. As we are walking out, Humberto comes along. Puma tells him, I was coming by the cave to say hello to the spirits and saw a light coming down and going right into her. She was totally grounded. I tell Humberto about my experience in the cave and he says, The Inca you saw were priests. You are especially blessed to have had this call, this experience. It is very rare and very special. We loop back above the terraces past the suspension bridge to the main trail and enter a eucalyptus forest where we enjoy the comfort of the shade. The trail then opens up to an easy walk along a stone pathway through bushes with small yellow flowers. Shera has backtracked from the school and meets us here. The two of us walk together and she teaches me about portals. When we walk consciously, we open up to seeing or feeling the portals available to us. Portals are like doorways where, when we walk through them, we experience a shift in energy; it is different on the other side. Portals can be discovered in things such as overhanging branches, a narrowing of the trail, large rocks, or tunnels. Or even something along the trail such as a tree or rock that we need to pass by may draw or call us. I generally think of portals being in nature but the same idea holds true when we are in the ruins. We need to enter them consciously; we need to determine whether the energy inside would be beneficial for us at that time. When we come upon a portal, we need to ask our Self if we may pass through if it would be in our best interest or we are ready or if it holds a message or lesson for us before we do. Prior to coming here, I was familiar with using my pendulum to receive answers from my Self. For me, the pendulum swinging side to side is yes ; the pendulum swinging forwards and backwards is no. Shera teaches me another less conspicuous technique. 28

5 E m e r g i n g B u t t e r f l y Gently rub your thumb and index finger together. If they feel smooth the answer is yes, and if they feel sticky the answer is no. Try it. Say, Being in nature is good for me, and rub them together. I am amazed, not at the result but the actual feeling when they are smooth. Now say, Smoking is good for me, and rub them together. I do and they are sticky. As we walk along, I am drawn to a large, beautiful tree with bright red flowers covering its umbrella-like canopy. Shera says, This is a portal. It is a Pisonay tree, a sacred tree of the Inca referred to as the Tree of Life. I ask if I may pass through and receive a yes. I thank the tree and we carry on. The trail curves to the right and we soon have our first view of Llaqtapata ( Town above the River Bank ). Below the ruins are rows of terraces that descend to the Cusichaca River ( Happiness Bridge ). Llaqtapata Before visiting the ruin, our group descends to the river s edge past the Temple of the Sun to the school Shera had visited. We are greeted by grateful children and teachers. 29

6 T h e L e y o f t h e L a n d We enjoy a picnic lunch with food Chidakash has brought with him from the market yesterday before we head up to the ruin. We have the largest and most delicious avocados and mangos I have ever seen or eaten. I climb up past the terraces to the top of Llaqtapata. In contrast to Wayna Q ente, it feels more like a city than a holy place. I come upon a portal, a doorway into a room. I ask my Self if I may go through and receive a yes. I enter the room and meditate cross-legged with my open hands resting on my legs. My palms feel very warm. First I see bright red, then black. Then I see evergreens on a steep cliff. A cave comes into focus in the cliff and grows bigger. I enter the cave and walk toward the light. When I am in the light, two Inca greet me. They place a gold necklace with a large disk pendant around my neck and paint me as an Inca. They bring me to the leader who is sitting at a table. You have come for something and you want power, he says. I want only power to embrace my Self, I say. You already have that. You need to look for the condor. Other Inca come and we sit around the table and eat grains and coca leaves. I start to chew the leaves on the right side of my mouth. You have to chew on the left, he says. He continues, You have received something and now you need to give something. I send energy from my heart outward through to my hands. But my palms start to hurt somewhat. I know now that I have to give more in whatever way. You have given enough for now, he says. We say goodbye. I leave the cave, and the evergreens and the cliff come into view. 30

7 E m e r g i n g B u t t e r f l y I sit on an Inca wall, looking down at the river below. A small, magnificent orange butterfly appears in front of me. I sit quietly and motionless, watching this beautiful gift, as it seems to be flying in a spiral, hovering around me for some time. We descend a short way to cross the Cusichaca River and walk up a short switchback to our campsite that looks across at Llaqtapata. When we arrive, our camp is set up, complete with individual basins of warm water in front of our tents. There are also two large tents, one for gathering and eating and the other for cooking. It is amazing what our twelve porters have carried! Once we have settled and cleaned up, all of us stand in a large circle for a more formal ceremony of introduction with our porters. Puma translates as we all say something about ourselves. The porters have come from a range of towns and countryside. They are amazed that I live on a lake, Lake Superior, that is larger than Lake Titicaca. Our group then gathers in the main tent, sitting on the ground around a central display of teas. I am glad that I have my seat! We receive leg massages, enjoy tea, and tell our stories of the day. I share my experience in the cave at Wayna Q ente, and Puma and Humberto each tell their story about it. I also speak about my vision at Llaqtapata. I become weepy when I talk about them. The porters have been busy in the cooking tent. I am surprised and delighted when they serve us fresh chicken. MY REFLECTION For the pre-inca to present-day Andean people, the Urubamba River has been sacred because it is a physical representation of the Milky Way on Earth. All of the constellations in the Milky Way are reflected in its water. Walking consciously, being fully present to all around us, allows us to access and examine the subtle energies of the universe. Portal is a name for an opening to the world of subtle energies, an invisible teacher waiting to teach, waiting for us to open the door to our Self. My mystical experiences in Peru are shaped by being fully present and tapping into the guidance of Source. 31

8 T h e L e y o f t h e L a n d Butterfly imagery flows through my experiences. In our later correspondence, Puma tells me that, for the Inca, butterfly symbolizes liberation, as they grow multi-coloured wings and fly after being limited as caterpillars. I am breaking free to fly. The orange (second chakra colour) butterfly hovering around me foretells of my guidance about guilt. Wayna Q ente was a site for women and means young hummingbird; hummingbird symbolizes initiative or leadership in Inca spirituality. As a female in this hummingbird place for women, I have my first experience with my spirit Inca. I am being guided to take initiative by entering my inner world in order to live with inner peace, and to show leadership by following my life purpose to share my journey with others. When I am in the cave, there is a light entering the top of my head (seventh chakra) and I am totally grounded (first chakra); my chakras are open. Grounding is connecting with the energy of Earth to help balance the energy in our body and be present in our body. With this free flow of energy, we have a sense of calm and well-being. A circle of Inca priests welcomes me. They will be my guides in Peru and for many years after. I am deep in meditation with them when I suddenly break my connection and lose my grounding. We are best to transition from meditation slowly, moving our fingers and toes to adjust from our ethereal body to our denser, physical body. While I am troubled by Puma s concern that I have stumbled, I am uplifted by Humberto s excitement that I have received a precious and special gift. I react to both Puma and Humberto s responses through my ego s evaluation of my self-worth and spiritual advancement dejection on the one hand and elation on the other. Puma s words about having difficulty stay with me for years. Four years ago, I contacted him to clarify what he meant. He responded that he was not really concerned but aware that I had stumbled because that was a sign that I needed to take gentle steps in life. The cave is like the womb where we are born from; I was ready to run when I first needed to walk. This is so clear to me now. At the time, I wanted to bypass all the growing up stages, from learning to crawl, using the furniture, to finally walking but, importantly, I was unaware that I needed to go through the stages of learning on my journey to inner peace. 32

9 E m e r g i n g B u t t e r f l y At Llaqtapata, two Inca guides place a thick, gold Inca chain necklace around my neck. The necklace represents Inti and plays a significant role in my learning in Peru. Puma tells me that the golden necklace is a symbol of the children of Light. The golden disk at the chest means the Light within is reflected to the Sun so that the gods can recognize you as Light. When the Inca tells me that I want power, I am quick to disassociate myself from it, seeing the word in the negative context of power over someone or greater strength for winning battles. This is not power; it is force. Power is the positive energy within us, the Divinity of our Self. I already have power and need to look for the condor, the upper world of my Self, to understand my connection with the Divine. I participate in the ritual of hallpay, chewing coca leaves in communion with others to open us to each other and the mountain gods. I am introduced to ayni, the Andean law that says nothing ever goes one way, everyone benefits from helping others. I have received a gold necklace whose disk lies at my heart, and now I am to give. I send energy, love, from my heart but it is blocked at my hands and hurts somewhat. I am not yet able to freely and unconditionally give of my heart. I will be guided in many meditations along the way to free my heart. 33