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: #226507 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!

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.

A Book of Integrity - Reviewed by John M. Weiskopf
Over the last half of the 20th Century, alternative religions and spiritual practices have found increasing numbers of followers in Europe and North America. The practices of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Meditation and Yoga have spread rapidly giving millions of people, who were once socialized in a more traditional Christian or Judaic philosophy, a new way to "connect" to the spiritual, find answers within themselves, and ultimately find meaning in today's world. Some people, whose religious philosophy and practice were rooted in European based religions, even found a preferred spiritual expression in the Native American traditions of the medicine wheel, spirit guides, ceremonial rituals, and dream prophecy.


However, this religious force has moved predominately from the East to the West. It has been only in the last few years that there has been a growing interest in spiritual healing and shamanic practices from below the equator, namely from the Amazon and the villages of the Andes in South America.


In her exceptional book Masters of the Living Energy, Joan Parisi Wilcox captures the ancient and sacred traditions of the Andes, namely the mystical world of the Q'ero of Peru. Of all of the Andean communities, the Q'ero Inca seemed to have been singled out to be, what Wilcox calls "the keepers of the ancient knowledge." What is extraordinary about her book is, by writing this book in a purist and painstaking way, that she too has become a keeper of this ancient knowledge. Through dozens of persistent and careful interviews with the most powerful Q'ero shaman, she has preserved not just the core of the Q'ero healing practices, but every detail of their rituals, the hierarchy of Q'ero paqos (shaman), the comprehensive energy body, the levels of Apus, the meaning and gift of the mesa, the despacho, and a comprehensive semantic which explains the intricate architecture of the Q'ero's spiritual cosmological system.


Masters of the Living Energy is a work of enormous integrity. You feel it on every page. The glossary in the back of the book emphasizes the meticulous detail and discipline of the Q'ero mystic ideology. The traditions of the Q'ero have been passed down by word-of-mouth for centuries from generation to generation. No book, no written record, has recorded this ancient oral tradition so well. The pure ancient Q'ero traditions have been unspoiled in the modern world's search for quick spiritual meaning in the name of healing, unlike offshoots of pure Buddhism, Yoga, and other spiritual practices, which have become popularized to appeal to a more universal following. Joan Parisi Wilcox has recorded the authenticity and complex sacred traditions of the Q'ero Inca. To her enormous credit, she has captured the Q'ero as they were centuries ago and as they struggle to remain.

John M. Weiskopf
Author of "The Ascendancy"