Restoring Harmony: What ancient Andean beliefs can teach us about our current world

In the beginning, the Andean creator god Kon-Tiki Viracocha created a race of giants who lived in a world of perpetual darkness. These were the Ñaupa machu, or ancient ones, who had overpowering strength and whom were capable of moving giant rocks and flattening mountains. After some time Kon-Tiki Viracocha formed a man and woman after the likeness of his own image, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, and they too lived within this dark time. Over time the Ñaupa machu became disobedient against Kon-Tiki Viracocha and he decided to turn them all into stone. Afterwards, Kon-Tiki Viracocha flooded the entire world with water but decided to save the human couple from this destruction by having them hide inside a cave in a high mountain peak within the Andes. They later emerged to repopulate the earth and to form the beginning of a great empire, or Tahuantinsuyo, the Incan Empire.  

Much like this Incan creation myth, similar lessons can be found cross-culturally around the world. In this example, an emphasis was placed on the belief of balance and restoration. When something becomes unaligned with the rest of the world, the natural forces at work (or in this case, Kon-Tiki Viracocha) dramatically cause a reformation of the world to once again align itself toward a positive means. Since ancient times the humble people of the high Andes have always followed this concept, which remains an unwritten law today, not only as a means of survival but a means of harmony. Through ancient Andean traditions this was commonly referred to as ayni. The law of ayni, or sacred reciprocity, is a concept of communal mutualism that can be applied from basic interexchanges between people or with Pachamama (Mother Earth) or the natural world at large. The interconenctive and spiritual force of ayni becomes applied to every aspect of life, almost like a positive domino-effect of balance. By sharing or reciprocating you in turn put into motion this positive force that helps restore balance. For example, by making offerings to Pachamama you in turn put into motion a reciprocal act that may not only benefit you or your family but the world overall. You may not immediately see the results but the flow and interexchange may take form in a beneficial way down the line. The act in itself is the beginning force of reciprocity that perpetuates and manifests itself in many different ways.  

Among the indigenous Q’ero, the idea of ayni continues in much the same way as it has a thousand years ago. The despacho ceremony,  is one such specific offering that can be made to Pachamama. This common Andean ritual usually begins by laying out a sheet of colorful paper and slowly decorating it with everything from colorful wool to seashells and even money. The ritual itself is rather complex and various objects that are placed must be done so carefully. The coca leaf is an integral part of this ritual as it is a powerful symbol known for its medicinal properties that also can even be used for divination purposes. After the creation of the despacho is complete it is then burned or buried.

With so much going on in today’s world, there is a seemingly sense of disharmony taking place. This dividing force has many living in fear, which ultimately paves the road for hatred and other fanatical views which are contrary to the natural evolution of life.  So, what does the future hold? Some indigenous Q’ero believe that we currently live within a transitional period of time referred to as the Taripay Pacha, or the “time of meeting ourselves again.” Within this critical time humans have the opportunity to elevate themselves into a higher state and bring about a golden age. The prophecy of Taripay Pacha encompasses various interpretations and views, but in the end the common held belief is that the responsibility for this ultimate manifestation for a ‘new age’ lays solely on each of us as a collective entity.

Within the esoteric Andean belief system, which is more closely defined as a form of mysticism, the duality of nature can be broken up into two parts: sami and hucha. Sami refers to a refined energy or light force, while hucha refers to a heavy force, both sami and hucha being relative to each individual.

In the Quechuan language, the word Illapa correlates with the physical phenomenon of lightning and thunder. Furthermore, among Andean populations, many believe lightening to be a visible manifestation of this vitalizing force or animating essence called sami. This sami, represents an “abstract vitalizing force” or “animating essence” that is reciprocal, spacial and exists within all the natural surroundings, namely the environment, landscape, and ecology. Furthermore, within the hanaq pacha (Quechua for “World Above”) it is inhabited by both Inti, the masculine sun god, and Mama Killa, the feminine and moon goddess. Within this celestial heaven, or upperworld, is where this refined and pure energy such as sami originates. 

Hucha, in contrast, is something that cannot be avoided as it is a heavy force or energy that is only created by human beings. This hucha is what weighs each of us down. Post-colonial associations more clearly define and use the word to describe something as ‘bad, negative or sinly.’ This hucha, just like sami, is RELATIVE to each individual. What may feel heavy to you, may be sami for another person.  The belief is that certain negative or lower-emotional thoughts, can be pushed on towards something (or someone) else in which could positively benefit from it. More likely than not, these heavy emotions cannot be ‘ingested’ by just any other individual but by advanced masters who have the knowledge and practice to do so. 

Before proceeding I would like to note that there is a lot of misinformation regarding the specific Q’ero beliefs as a lot of new age terminology has corrupted and altered the original teachings that had been passed down. A lot of the original Kuraq (elder) teachings have been altered (or even made up) to fit eastern spiritual practices and by no means exist. Many of these original and powerful Q’ero teachings do not exist today as many of the elder practitioners have long since passed on. There is much speculation and rumors as to what these advanced teachings may have entailed. Likewise, it is important not to take things at face value. Though I have no doubt that there are genuine paqo’s (or traditional Andean practitioners) still out there, many have been forced into creating or exaggerating false interpretations for both tourists and visitors. In fact, I’ve seen some of these indigenous Q’ero curanderos paraded around while their ‘interpreters’ give gross misinterpretations to push their own agendas and to make a quick dollar. 

In 2008, I travelled to Peru with other university students to study the mystical practices of the Q’ero. During this time we travelled around the Sacred Valley to various sacred archaeological sites to learn direct interpretations of how the sites were used in ancient times. During this time we were taught some of the sacred techniques and spiritual ideas that hold true throughout much of the Andes. One of the techniques I learned was that of Hucha Mikhuy (hucha meaning bad/heavy and mikhuy meaning to eat).

It’s been speculated as to where the original Hucha Mikhuy teaching originates as many of the Q’ero do not practice it today. As within their belief system, there are specialized elders who have been initiated and have been brought into the deeper esoteric teachings. The earliest mention of Hucha Mikhuy may in fact originate from Don Benito Qoriwaman, a Quechua teacher through the Huáscaran lineage around Cusco, whom initiated anthropologist Juan Núñez del Prado in 1979. Don Benito was deemed an “Alto Misayoq” (or high practitioner) within the Andean tradition.

The belief with Hucha Mikhuy is that just like consuming food you can consume hucha. The technique begins by consuming sami and allowing it to fill your kawsay poq’po (literally meaning ‘energy bubble’). Next step is to allow the heavy hucha to pass through and allowing that ‘waste energy’ to be be consumed by the earth. The earth loves hucha and will in turn create more sami. Through Hucha Mikhuy an experienced practitioner can ‘eat’ the heavy ‘energy’ from another individual (or even situation) by bringing it into their qosqo (or navel) and thus filter it and push down the residual heaviness back into the earth. As this heavy energy becomes consumed by the earth it in turn becomes recycled in a sense, which brings us back to the idea of ayni, or sacred reciprocity. Similarly, what you may pass on as hucha (or heavy energy) for you may actually be sami (or lighter energy) for another living being.

Though the Q’ero today do not practice hucha mikhuy, I believe this simple technique beautifully encompasses the Andean principles that date back to ancient times. During difficult or chaotic times we cannot help but build up this reserve of heavy energy that weighs us down in our daily lives. When we watch the news or have some fear for the future due to ongoing conflicts which perpetually pollutes the world, we are misaligning ourselves with the natural order of ayni. This hucha that we perpetually build within ourselves must be pushed through in order to help restore a balance back into the world. For those rare master practitioners of hucha mikhuy, the idea is that they help restore a balance in the world by eating or consuming other people’s heaviness and allow for the creation of that light sami to enter back into the world. 

Simple practical technique:

1. While sitting upright, with both legs and arms uncrossed, begin taking deep slow breathes.
2. After you feel relaxed, imagine the white celestial world above you opening up. Begin to visualize a bright bluish/purple light trickling down from above to the top of your head. Feel it entering and filling your body from your feet all the way up to your head. Visualize that this energy is not only filling up your being, but is also filling up an invisible bubble around you.
3. Once your bubble is completely filled, visualize and feel all that heaviness (or hucha) exiting your body from the bottom of your feet and going straight into the middle of the earth. Feel that sensation of everything heavy starting from the top of your head flowing down your entire body, torso, arms, legs, and exiting out the bottom of your feet.
4. Once again repeat step two, by replenishing what empty space you now have with more light energy flowing down from the heavens and in through the top of your head. Fill up your bubble completely with the sami. 
5. Know that the heavy forces you pushed into the earth will be recycled as something positive or for another purpose. 

With enough practice you can begin mastering the technique of balancing yourself. And overtime when you start to hear something unsettling happening in the world, bring into your bubble, through your abdomen, accept it, and change it into something positive by filtering it back down into the earth. Or, whenever we get that feeling in our stomach when something is not right, bring it in, and push it out by using this same technique. 

Further Reading/Additional Material: 

1. Handbook of Inca Mythology
2. The Secret of the Incas: Myth, Astronomy, and the War Against Time
3. Masters of the Living Energy: The Mystical World of the Q’ero of Peru
4. The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations among the Peruvian Shamans
5. The Fourth Level: Nature Wisdom Teachings of the Inka

Documentaries:

• Q’ero: In Search of the Last Incas
• Humano