In my meditation I heard the river calling me. It’s a place I have been many times in the 18 years I’ve lived in Pisac. When I was first learning the Andean Spiritual tradition from my Peruvian teachers, they brought us down to this spot on the river to connect with the element Water, which washes and balances us.
When I started teaching the tradition to others, I would bring them here to meditate with the Water. We’d squint our eyes and gaze at the flowing river, releasing our heavy energy into the water and watch it flow way – our sadness, our anger, our doubt and fear and worries – washed away by the sacred river.
Then we would find a place to put our feet in the water, closing our eyes and allowing the water within us and the water of the river – the planet – to become one, while listening to the soothing sound of the current flowing over the rocks. Because all the waters of this planet are connected, we were invited to travel to wherever we wanted to go, guided by the Ondines and Sirens, the elementals of the Water.
I nearly forgot this ritual practice in my time away. I’ve been back home for 20 days now. Each one has been a blessing of reconnection with friends and neighbors and the land but most of all with the energy of these mountains. The quarantine has done its best to divide and separate us but the energy of the elements and the apus remain strong and life-giving wherever we might find ourselves.
For me, the saddest part of the Covid restrictions has been the inability to travel freely to other countries and for people from other countries to travel here. Sitting by the river this day allowed me an alternative way to travel. I’m reminded the flow of the river cannot be stopped. When the water encounters an obstacle, it finds another way around, below, above or beyond. The Water teaches us adaptability – how to go with the flow, finding alternative ways to reach our desired destination.
This sacred river has been here for thousands of years and is likely to remain long after I’m gone. Its magic is a stone’s throw away from my house yet I nearly forgot its extraordinary capacity to nurture, soothe and heal me, every time I choose to come and sit beside it. I feel full of gratitude and grace for this ever flowing resource of hope and healing.
August 17, 2020