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Pachacuti is “A Thousand Year”

Andean societies measured their lives by cosmic cycles called Inti or Sun, each lasting a thousand years. They divided this INTI into two halves of 500 years each, known as Pachacuti or half INTI.

Allegorically, each cycle was identified as either night or day, with one period of light and another of darkness.

Inca Yupanqui Pachacuteq

In his time, there was much death, hunger, thirst, pestilence, and destruction. For several years, the solar centers did not announce rain; there were many cries and burials of the dead.

But he came to change the world, becoming the Pachacuti, which means “the one who transforms the Earth.”

• Pacha: Totality, world (space), time, earth.

• Kuti: Return, inversion, transformation, comeback.

• Pachacuti: The one who transforms the earth.

The new era

In 1992, “the new era” began for the Andean world. During the June solstice of that year, the Children of the Sun gathered to celebrate the start of a new cycle. It will lead us on this ascending scale to the most remarkable revolution in our history.

At the end of the previous millennium, the Eighth Pachacuti began, marking the Andean people for 500 years—a time of splendor and glory, when our gods watched over us.

This era of the Eighth Pachacuti ended when the barbarians invaded these lands in 1492. It initiated a period of darkness that would last 500 years.

That is, until 1992, the year when the wise and the amutas decided it was time to return and share the ancestral wisdom of their culture with the children of Pachamama.

The time of glory and power of the Eighth Pachacuti gave rise to one of the greatest sages known. In our history, we call him Pachacuteq, the mythical being who embodied the force of Pachacuti.

Our history is being reborn. Do not doubt that each of you is called to contribute your grain of sand to elevate this great mountain toward eternity.

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References:

Merejildo, J.A (1997). The awakening of the puma. An initiatory path. Astronomical evidence in the Andes. Chaski. Cusco, Perú.

An Alto Missayoq is the highest-ranking Andean priest, attained through years of dedicated work in healing others.

An Alto Missayoq is not born

They become one through:

• Daily hard work

• Learning more each day about the surrounding elements.

• Sensing their living presence

• Acquiring the skill to understand each element’s intrinsic value.

It interprets the flight of birds and the movement of stones.

The Alto Missayoq can listen to the dialogue of plants and knows their magical properties

Where does this skill come from for the Alto Missayoq?

From extraordinary discoveries and the gifts received in very casual ways.

Hanaj Pacha illa Rumi

It is a fragment of a meteorite. When someone sees it falling, they don’t hesitate and head straight to the likely location where the special stone landed.

They search intensely, calling it with affection and begging for it to be seen and collected to benefit the community. It always happens that those who search diligently find the cherished stone. That grants its holders the ability to predict future events.

When someone receives this gift from the heavens, the villagers recognize them as trustworthy. They have gained enough knowledge to be consulted as a Paqo.

Kuntur Chuchillo

It is a crystallized mineral, a kind of medium greenish or dark glass, shaped like a dagger or knife. It is found very rarely in the roughest mountain ranges where the eternal snows lie.

The people of the Andes believe that the aukis, or spirits of the Andean landscapes, bless anyone who finds this sacred mineral three times with the gift of prophecy, and they call them “sonk’oyok” or seer.

Khuyak Rumi

Or humanitarian stone, is a mineral with an exaggerated weight and a black or dark green color. It is extraordinarily fortunate to possess one of these stones, as the person who has it can change anyone’s bad luck, make a business prosperous, and bring fortune to marriages.

Missayoq Rumi

It is invariably white, with defined shapes that can be extraordinary, including square, round, oval, and sometimes star-shaped. Those fortunate enough to find one of these stones achieve general recognition, as only a person who has possessed other virtues can receive the gift granted by these stones.

The stone is generally the home of a spirit, so whoever finds it can communicate with that spirit. There exist inexplicable beings in the spiritual world that take the form of condors and other animals capable of conversing with us—ancient figures of knowledge and surreal abilities.

Their own longevity is their greatest skill. They defy the boundaries of our reason and remind us that we are not alone; there are other worlds coexisting alongside ours.

We continue with more testimonies, this time from Samuel, who is 53 years old and has been practicing for 25 years, gathered from the Andean Notebooks 16, a saga directed by Carlos Candia and collaborators.

Testimonies of Childhood

San Pedro Trip

Twenty-four hours after taking San Pedro, Samuel felt his spirit returning and, exhausted and thirsty, went to sleep. This experience transformed his life. He never drank alcohol again and dedicated himself to meditation and studying Andean medicine as a means of outreach.

Other Testimonies

It should be noted that the images used are merely a tool to narrate the testimony. The people or places depicted do not accurately reflect the story; however, the story itself is real.

Vocabulary to better understanding the workshops.

We want to include a glossary of terms frequently used in Andean religious services:

Vocabulary A – G

• APU: A magical deity lives in the mountains and is known as AWQUI or ROWAL. People also use the term “apu” to refer to the mountains themselves.
• AJLLAY: The art of selecting the elements for the ‘despacho’ involves choosing the most eye-catching items, featuring the best shapes and vibrant colors.
• CH’ALLAY: to sprinkle liquor, chicha, or water with clove flowers.
• CHACANA: Andean cross with four equal sides, each with three steps.
• CHAQCHAR: to absorb the juice of the coca leaf and chew it with great attention, savoring the flavor of the coca.
• CHUYAQ: period of abstinence; spiritual purification and cleansing of the body.
• DESPACHO: a collection of material elements used in the ritual.

H – P

• HANAN PACHA: the supernatural world, the place of the spirits.
• HUCHA: guilt, sorrow, sadness, and regret.
• HUACA: a specific deity, usually a tomb.
• K’NTU: Three carefully selected coca leaves must be whole, shiny, and preferably have an unusual shape.
• K’ARI: Men
• KARPAY: initiation into Andean priesthood.
• KAY PACHA: the earthly world where humans live.
• WAJAKUY: to repeatedly call upon a spirit.
• NINA WILCA: sacred fire; the officiant does not light the fire directly on the ritual table. Instead, they first ignite some thin twigs made from coca leaves and then bring the fire to the table.
• LLIKLLA: a blanket used to carry the Paqo’s utensils on the back.

Vocabulary Q – Z

• Q’ERO: A ceremonial cup serves chicha and can be made of ceramic or glass, but it is never made of plastic or cardboard.
• RUNA: Active participants in the traditional Quechua culture. This term refers to the descendants of the Incas.
• UKHU PACHA: the inner world, where malevolent forces dwell.
• UMA RAYMI KILLA: the month of September, favorable for making payments for livestock and sowing.
• UNKHUÑA: a white wool blanket; it is the direct wrapping for the offering.
• WARMI: Woman
• WAYRA APAC: the wind that carries the coca k’ntus to the apus.

Today we will reveal the testimony of a Paqo whom we will call ‘Efe,’ gathered from the Andean Notebooks 16, a saga directed by Carlos Candia and collaborators.

This effort is necessary to spread knowledge about the magnitude and power of this ability.

Sensitive people cannot be subject to their sensations all day. They have control over their gifts and, over time, learn to manage them, only becoming sensitive when truly needed.

Testimony of Efe

This ability is very rare. Very few people possess it, and its practice requires great amounts of concentration to lighten the mind. The result is surprising.

In the Inca period, the coca leaf had an official character. The state was the absolute owner of all production, and its cultivation and distribution were its responsibilities.

Three very important elements forged, maintained, and expanded the Inca state: coca, labor, and food. Throughout the empire, people cultivated endless fields of coca. They stored the leaves in large tambos scattered across the empire, and managed them meticulously.

An administrative group for the coca leaf known as “cuca yupaj,” or leaf counters, existed.

Levels of consumption.

• First. In its generalized form of “chaqchar,” it provides proteins and organic nutrients that no other plant or food can offer.
• Second, its medicinal use.
• Third, its metaphysical qualities, thanks to a focused and intentional consumption.

Its use as a divinatory instrument dates back thousands of years. The coca leaf has accompanied the Andean man since he emerged from the glacial caves of the Andes.

They have no pattern, do not obey any contingency, and are unique for both the consultant and the querent.

Who is a Huatoj, or coca reader? How does one obtain their hypersensitivity?

Researchers estimate that 3% of the entire population possesses such conditions. However, not everyone is aware of their sensory powers.

Some people even reject these abilities, while others consider them disturbing and undesirable.

Paqos Lecture

The paqos are the intermediaries of these souls, through whom they communicate with ordinary people.

Paqos are everyday individuals with great qualities. They are those who hear words and sounds that have no explanation. They dream of events that will come true or that have already happened.

There is diversity in the way each paqo performs their rituals.

There is no unique, clerical method. What exists is an authentic offering of a gift that they share generously.

A considerable amount of fresh coca leaves is placed in a bundle made of natural llama wool. For this, the paqo must sit comfortably with the bundle either on the ground or on a table in front of them.

If you are curious of a coca leaf reading and want to experience it in front hand, please visit:

Coca Leaf Reading Consultation!