For two weeks in August, magic happened.  I joined a group on a pilgrimage in Peru which turned out to be so much more than I'd anticipated.  What I expected to be a tour of sacred sites was certainly that!  But Jane Gasior, our tour guide and friend, had cautioned us not to come with expectations.  So, I went with expectations and an open heart.
 
For seven or eight days, we were accompanied by a spiritual guide and founder of the Grand father Wisdom Keepers, Vidal Ayala Sinches.  Vidal taught us much about honouring Pacha Mama, Mother Earth, and we came to expect the eagles which circled over us as we did ceremony with him each day.  We spent two days roaming over Machupicchu, which means "old mountain", the lost city of the Incas.  At noon of the second day, Vidal told us to "find a place to connect with Mother Earth".  Most, sensibly, found a place in the shade.  Four of us took our place on the ground and, laying on our backs, we  looked at the sky which was blue and completely cloudless.  A quiet joy calmed us.  An eagle appeared overhead and we laughed and said, "Come closer.  We can't see you very well."  The huge bird dropped lower in the sky above us and we marvelled at his majesty.  After several minutes there appeared flying next to him what I thought was a white bird.  One of my companions corrected me by saying that it was not a bird but a sphere of white light.  We were captivated and dumbstruck.  Then, in an instant, both disappeared!  Had I witnessed this alone, I would have doubted myself imagining that it was a phenomena of my lack of clear vision.  We all jumped to our feet and ran to where our teacher lay dozing.  He opened his eyes for a moment and said "the Great Creator" and closed them again.

Life was easy for us in this third world country.  We became a family of children being led
to see and experience the wonder and wonders of this area.  We walked on the land, offered
coco leaves to the Creator and Pacha Mama, experienced initiations of the spirit, took part in
a sweat lodge. At the end of the day as we sat in a circle listening to our spiritual teacher, we
were often joined by local adults and children who silently appeared and quietly witnessed the
presence of an energy greater than ourselves.
 
 We gathered in Cuzco, the heart of the once mighty Inca empire.  This beautiful Andean city
is also known as the "naval of the earth", a place of great magnetic energy.  The local people were
kind and helpful.  As we wandered through the city it was apparent that there was a beautiful mix
of the traditional and the modern.  In one of the city squares, three local woman sat next to me on
the ground and chatted while they knitted with the jewel toned wool seen everywhere.  They were
oblivious to my nearness and gossiped, laughed, knit and ate oranges.  They were dressed in their
usual garb - wide pleated wool skirts, heavy stockings, buttoned-up sweaters and tall felt hats.  Their hair was braided and hung down their backs.  The woman tended sheep and cattle on the outskirts of town, often with a baby on their backs.  They spun wool while they walk.  Vidal pointed out a face in the hills looking up at the sky.  "Secrets", he says.

Throughout the trip, Vidal continuously encouraged us to "keep the connection" with one another, then and when we turned home.

 Many of us had difficulty "returning home" and our minds still return to Peru almost daily. 
 
           
                "A pilgrimage is not unlike participating in ritual or ceremony.

                 We step outside of time, between worlds where the rules are

                  different and anything can happen.  In sacred space, we are

                    receptive to the voices and presence of God and Goddess in

                     a way that we are not in our mundane surroundings.  We have

                       an expectation of experiencing that deep pleasure of joy away

                         from home, away from daily responsibilities.

                          It opens up enormous space for the Divine to enter."
                              
                                Joanna Powell Colbert - Sage Woman

Has Peru been calling you?  This could be why…The Eagle and The Condor Prophecy speaks of the "Eagle People" of North America joining with the "Condor People" of South America, bringing "Mind and Heart" together.   Planting the seeds to restore the original balance on earth, for humanities highest and greatest good!