A PERUVIAN EXPERIENCE

From September 15-25, the Hand Dynamics’ Explore Machu Picchu tour group experienced 11 unforgettable days in Peru, “Land of Quiet Power”. It was a trip through an ancient country filled with fascinating facts, the stories of a sagacious people, mysticism, and amazing experiences.

We landed in Lima, capital city of Peru, then visited the picturesque town of Arequipa, but the real tour did not begin until we visited the Incan ruins near Cusco. Our guide told us that when the Spanish came to conquer Peru, the Incas thought that those light skinned men were gods. They welcomed them into their communities and gave them gifts of precious stones and metals and anything else they wanted, because “things” meant little to the Incas. When the Incas had given all they had to give, the Spanish were not yet satisfied. They had heard that the walls of the Incan structures were filled with gold, so they began destroying their sacred buildings to get to it.

In truth there was gold in the walls. Because Peru is prone to earthquakes the Incan architects reinforced the walls of their stone buildings with gold. This soft metal was flexible, yet strong enough to hold stones together when the earth shook. The building method was to set huge precisely cut stone blocks next to each other, carve out a U-shaped groove in each stone and use the gold to meld the stones together. Interestingly enough, the Spanish did not adopt the Incan way of building. After destroying most every Incan temple, they built plaster churches that proceeded to fall down in earthquakes! Can we call this Karmic Justice?

When we visited Machu Picchu, we continued to learn more about the incredible Incan civilization and were able to experience, first hand, that culture’s spiritual influences, still present in modern day Peru. Senior Mauro Alvites, an authentic Peruvian shaman, joined us there. We were honored to be able to participate in transformative ritual and empowering ceremony with him on the powerful and awe-inspiring site of that ancient fortress.

Leaving Machu Picchu with our consciousness expanded, we’re off to Lake Titicaca, home of that unique society known as the Uros, or the “Water Tribe”. They are famous for their lifestyle, which was developed as a response to Spanish persecution. The Uros were a small tribe of peaceful fishing people that lived at the edge of the lake. They decided that since they could spend all day on the water, they could spend the nights there too, and thus avoid the Spanish altogether!

Using the native reeds that grow plentifully in the lake and that they already used to make their fishing boats, the Uros began to create reed islands on which they could live. As the lower layers of reeds rot, a new layer is added. The Uros have lived this way now for nearly 475 years!

Hand Dynamics’ Explore Machu Picchu tour was awesome! This glimpse into the intriguing wonders of mystical Peru was well worth the trip for every participant. Stay tuned for The Sacred Wonders of Australia tour, including personal Integrative Hand Analysis and Aboriginal shamanic ritual, coming in August of 2007!

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