Product Description

An intimate glimpse into the world of ancient Peruvian spiritual practice and cosmology.

• Reveals the mysteries of the world of living energy (kawsay pacha) through intensive in-depth interviews with six Q'ero mystics.

• Explores the energetics, spirits, tools, and practices of Andean mysticism--the real story behind the fictionalized accounts in The Celestine Prophecy.

Known as the "keepers of the ancient knowledge," the Q'ero Indians of Peru are the most respected mystics of the south-central Andes. In 1996 Joan Parisi Wilcox traveled to the Andes and was able to record the mysteries of kawsay pacha, the multidimensional world of living energy, through more than 40 hours of intensive interviews with six Q'ero paqos, masters of the ancient spiritual traditions of Peru.

The Q'ero are known for having preserved the Inca spiritual tradition more purely than any other indigenous population in the Andes. The in-depth interviews presented in this book recount the direct words of these masters so readers can discover for themselves the mind and heart space of these people. Four new chapters of this revised edition focus on the work of the mesa, the Andean form of a spiritual medicine bundle, and its use as a conduit for the healing energies of nature. The mesa is called the "heart's fire" because it represents the finest energy--the energy of compassion--that a paqo cultivates while walking the sacred path. Wilcox provides instructions on how to make, activate, and work with a mesa, as well as other practical exercises showing how we can use the power of the Andean spiritual tradition in our own lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61635 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781594770128
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
A treasury of shamanic knowledge and practices. -- Kenneth Meadows, author of Shamanic Experience

Review
"A treasury of shamanic knowledge and practices whose insights into an ancient wisdom can help those of us living in a modern society find attunement with nature and harmony within ourselves."
(Kenneth Meadows, author of Shamanic Experience )

"The Q’ero have preserved a path for which many in the modern world hunger and thirst--how to participate in a world of living energies."
(William Sullivan, author of The Secret of the Incas )

"Treats the beliefs and religion of the Quechua people with profound feeling and a deep identification seldom seen."
(Jorge A. Flores Ochoa, professor of anthropology, National University of Cuzco, Peru )

"Joan Parisi Wilcox has given us a mature and sensitive portrait of a mystical system as seen through the eyes of its practitioners, the Q'ero.  Written with heart and respect, this book is a gateway for serious seekers to discover the world of living energy and to learn how to live in harmony with nature and each other."
(Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success )

"You will bring the word of the Q'ero to the world."
(Don Mariano Apasa Marchaqa, Q'ero Master, speaking to the author )

" . . . a really fabulous book! . . . if you have any interest in the 'Mystical Q'ero' (who had been thought of only as 'legends' before their re-appearce in the late 50's!), this is probably the most legitimate over-view that's out there . . . highly recommended!" (
BTripp, LiVE JOURNAL, April 2009 )

From the Back Cover
INDIGINOUS CULTURES / SHAMANISM

“The Q’ero have preserved a path for which many in the modern world hunger and thirst--how to participate in a world of living energies.”
William Sullivan, author of The Secret of the Incas

“Treats the beliefs and religion of the Quechua people with profound feeling and a deep identification seldom seen.”
Jorge A. Flores Ochoa, professor of anthropology, National University of Cuzco, Peru

“A treasury of shamanic knowledge and practices whose insights into an ancient wisdom can help those of us living in a modern society find attunement with nature and harmony within ourselves.”
Kenneth Meadows, author of Shamanic Experience

Known as the “keepers of the ancient knowledge,” the Q’ero Indians of Peru are the most respected mystics of the south-central Andes. In 1996 Joan Parisi Wilcox traveled to the Andes and was able to record the mysteries of kawsay pacha, the multidimensional world of living energy, through intensive interviews with six Q’ero paqos, masters of the ancient spiritual traditions of Peru.

The Q’ero are known for having preserved the Inca spiritual tradition more purely than any other indigenous population in the Andes. The in-depth interviews presented in this book recount the direct words of these masters so readers can discover for themselves the mind and heart space of these people. Several chapters focus on the work of the mesa, the Andean form of a spiritual medicine bundle, and its use as a conduit for the healing energies of nature. The mesa is called the “heart’s fire” because it represents the finest energy--the energy of compassion--that a paqo cultivates while walking the sacred path. An Andean paqo provides instructions on how to make, activate, and work with a mesa, and Wilcox provides other practical exercises showing how we can use the power of the Andean spiritual tradition in our own lives.

JOAN PARISI WILCOX has been studying the spiritual arts of Peru since 1993 and has received the rites of the Q’ero and other Andean masters. She is the author of Ayahuasca: The Visionary and Healing Powers of the Vine of the Soul and has published articles in Shaman’s Drum and Magical Blend. She lives in North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Revised edition features a wealth of new material
Yes, this IS the same book as Keepers of the Ancient Knowledge, BUT it contains a sizable new section about the mesa and the path of the paqo, written by Freddy "Puma" Quispe Singona. This book is wonderful, and in my opinion the new material merited buying this new edition. If you are interested in the spiritual traditions of the Andes, this book is a MUST!

Qe'ros speak for themselves
This is a valuable book written by a Westerner who, for a change, allowed the Q'ero to speak for themselves. The book is composed of several sections introducing the Qero reality archetypes, energy body, the system of energy fibres (ceques) connecting the awareness and material world and working with the spirits of the mountains (apus). Another section is devoted to the Qero mesa and its stones; this includes very practical advice on how to establish rapport with a stone and about the importance of reciprocity (ayni, a key concept of Andean shamanism); at the end there are some additional instructions on clearing the luminous body of unhealthy energetic imprints, "metabolizing" heavy energy, communicating with the ancestors and gathering energy from nature. A large part of the book is devoted to interviews with a group of respected Qero pampamesayoqs and altomesayoqs.

Taken together, the book is a valuable (easily obtainable) resource for people interested in altiplano shamanism. For people more interested in the practical aspects of the Northern Coastal tradition I'd recommend Matthew Magee's Peruvian Shamanism; there is also the more scholarly Joralemon's work). The book is respectful of the Qero but at the same time shows them with their human faces, humor and foibles. Thankfully it avoids both the supernatural crap that one finds in the New Age market and the dryness of professional scholars and sceptics...

There are problems with this book, too. The author herself, a member of the so-called "Nunez mafia", is a beginner and is not in a position to achieve a synthesis of what she heard from the paqos (healers) and her experience. As a result, the accounts are sometimes inconsistent and at other times unclear. The material for the book seems to have been collected in a single interview conducted over 3 days with a single group of Qe'ros; not speaking Quechua Wilcox was forced to rely on translations of her mestizo companions, who sometimes pushed their own (incorrect) interpretations (see the section on "pushing the kausay") which are duly recorded in the book. Basically, Wilcox is trying to run before she has learnt to walk and one could, perhaps somewhat uncharitably, attribute to her self-promoting motives which are not necessarily in line with self-effacement that characterizes altiplano shamans. Moreover, the book appears hastily written and would definitely benefit from more editing. Be that as it may, there is a lot of valuable information (particularly in the chapters written by Freddy Puma) and the book is worth reading. it was written by an amateur committed to the Andean worldview and practices.

Stories, research, but not fantasy island
This work is a serious research into the Q'ero mystical tradition of Peru. There are a few folks out there who claim that everything we read in English on the Q'ero is just wrong. They decry even mixed bloods (mestizo) who are the current leaders of getting the Q'ero ways out into the world. Problem is, most of the complainers are not explicit in what is 'wrong' with the material presented and do nothing themselves to promote understanding. It's easy to complain, not so easy to communicate mystical or spiritual truth. And in today's world pure-bloods are disappearing and so too would all their spiritual traditions if not for works like this.

What the author has done is to document her experiences in talking directly with the Q'ero who represented a genuine lineage behind an ancient tradition which probably reaches back to the Inka. This book is a combination of interviews and reliable information on Q'ero worldviews. The challenge here is that to really step into a living tradition such as that of the paqo/shaman, you need something more than a book, you need some face time, not necessarily in Peru, and not necessarily speaking Quecha, but time with someone who knows their stuff. The author presents information in this book that she knows hers.