The Journey of Jan and Xolotl to Elders in Peru

At the end of autumn we were told in Alopé that the elders in Peru, who hold the world elders‘ circle, would like to meet our representatives during the winter solstice. In order to get to know each other personally, introduce ourselves and they might decide whether they entrust the holding of the World Meeting of Elders in one of the following years to Alopé in the Czech Republic. If everything is in accordance with the Universe, we might become the organizers of „Circulo Sagrado de Abuelas y Abuelos Sabios del Planeta“, the Worldwide Circle of Elders, which has been meeting for more than 10 years at the time of the Autumn Equinox in various countries of the world, until now mainly in South and North America. Xolotl and I, Jan, flew to Peru for Alopé. I flew from Prague and Xolotl from Mexico, where he now resides.

Our journey had 4 main goals: 

1. Visit a shaman friend Inti in Chavín and spiritually link his land and the center in Chavín de Huantar with the lands of Alopé in the Iron Mountains at Lichnice Castle. 
2. Visit Grandfather Qenqo as the holder of the organizing stick of world meetings of elders and discuss with him a possible world meeting in the Czech Republic. 
3. Personally participate in the solstice ceremony in the Sacred Valley to link the ceremonies in Peru and in our country. 
4. Visit major archaeological sites in Peru to connect with ancient generations of Indians and their wisdom.

I met Xolotl on 12.12.2018 afternoon in Lima airport. We stayed in a hotel near the Pacific Ocean beach. On its coast we made the first ceremony for the success of our journey, the support of local spirits and also the water ceremony, when Xolotl added a drop of water from the Pacific to the bottle in which he collects water from many places in the world.

The next day we visited the House of Coca and the great archaeological site of Mateo Salado, a pyramid from the beginning of the Inca Empire. Then we got on the night bus with Inti and went to Chavín de Huantar together. In the spiritual center, which Inti built high above a little town at an altitude of 3400 m, we sat down for a common ceremony. The basis was a large open fire in the center of a circular room. We sang our songs, smoked ceremonial Xolotle’s pipe and offered oblations. I also brought a piece of land from Prague. In the ceremony we focused on linking the place in Chavín with the place in the Iron Mountains. 

In the afternoon we visited the pyramidal buildings of Chavín de Huantar, which were built by the Chavín culture between 1500-500 BC and are listed as UNESCO sites. The most interesting were the long winding corridors inside the main pyramid. In these corridors there are large stone stelas with ornaments that the priests poured with the blood of sacrificed animals and told fortunes from them. The culture was developed, had its detailed calendar similar to the Mayan one. The building in Chavín served most likely for initiation of new priests and rulers. In the area, there were also found several stone heads that show the transformation of an initiated shaman from a common man through the development of consciousness after ingesting the San Pedro cactus extract to a jaguar or a condor. 

In the evening we went to the local hot springs. On the way, we passed a strange rock that resembled female genitals. One of the local women confirmed to me that it is said to be a female sacred rock where female sacred ceremonies were performed.

The next day we visited the local museum dedicated to Chavín culture. After the museum we did also a water ceremony at the local river Rio Mosna. Also its drop was added to the waters of the whole world. Before the evening’s departure for the bus to Lima, three great rainbows appeared over Chavín – for three pilgrims who did a good job at Chavín.

This was followed by a night bus ride to Lima and an afternoon flight to Cuzco.

From Cuzco we continued by a colectiv (a minibus with a fixed route, which leaves when it is fully occupied) to the elder Qenqo to the town of Lares. Along the way, we crossed the pass at a height of 4500 m and drove back down to the deep valley to an altitude about 3200 m. Worn out, we set out for Qenqo’s place. But the house was empty. We learned that the old man is working on his field, where he always stays for several days. There was no choice but to find him on his field. Luckily, Inti remembered the way from the time when he used to be Qenqo’s disciple and they went to the mountains together.

The field was a fairly large piece of land on a steep slope with well-tended beds with potatoes, corn, healing herbs, spices and ornamental flowers. Above the beds hung protective flags and sacred symbols made of plastic bags. I was also impressed by a spring of beautiful clear water. The old man was working. When Inti called him, an interesting meeting followed. At first glance, a cute, badly hearing old codger, at second, a person with a clear view and thinking. After about 20 minutes of conversation he agreed that the meeting in 2020 could be in the Czech Republic and in 2019 he would like to meet in Mexico. But everything must be confirmed by other elders. After returning to the town, in the evening, we visited the hot springs that the elder Qenqo himself discovered.

The next day we went back through Arín and continued to Urubamba, where there should be another representative of the world elder’s circle, Grandfather Vidal, selling bread on the market. Unfortunately we could not find him on the market, so we went to Ollantayatambo, where the grandfather lives.

From Ollantaytambo we planned to go to Machu Picchu, where we wanted to do a solstice ceremony. But when we bought the tickets, we found out that one of us forgot the passport in the second bag in Arín. So we won’t get to Machu Picchu. We understood that we were supposed to stay in Ollantaytambo and visit the spiritual center of grandfather Vidal. We found the grandfather in the kitchen preparing dinner. In the debate, he was quite meticulous at the beginning, there are many different people coming from Europe to him who mostly abuse him. After dinner, the debate continued in the sacred circular building with fire. The grandfather gradually found out that our intention was different than most of the other visitors. Gradually he started talking about how in this room the planetary circle of elders began a few years ago. At the end he confirmed that the meeting in the Czech Republic should be in 2020. 

The next day we visited the sights of Ollantaytambo. These are the places where the Inca women were preparing before a journey to initiation in Machu Picchu. Above the town, on the site of Intiwatana we did a ritual with thanks for the course of the journey and the promise of meeting in the Czech Republic.

In the evening we were at grandfather Vidal again. There was supposed to be a great celebration at the solstice night. Of all the invited visitors, only one man from Mexico finally arrived, so we were 4 – grandfather Vidal, a man from Mexico, Xolotl and me. In addition, two dogs and two cats. Sacred numbers 4 and 8. The ceremony was long and included many parts. It took into consideration Alopé’s intentions, the world circle of elders, but there were also our private parts. I personally saw this night as one of the most important in my life.

The next day very early in the morning we set out to a place where the solemn ceremony of the local sacred dancers was to be held, which Inti also joined. We went to the town of Lamay and from there climbed 800 altitude meters to the archaeological monument of Huchuy qosqo. Here we found to our surprise that the ceremony was led by the true Incas. We came to the very beginning of the main ceremony with the sacrifice of coca to the sun and with the blessing of the Inca and his companion. Whoever did not have one, received their spiritual name from the Inca. The ceremony was beautiful. Its power was confirmed also by the sun, around which a great halo – a circular rainbow around the sun – appeared, precisely at the moment of the first strike into the drum and the opening ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, the sky sharply clouded over, there was lightning and it started to hail. One woman reported to the Incas that Mother Earth is angry with people and wants more than just a ceremony. Maybe it was a message for us rather than the Incas. At the end we all met in one roofed part of the archaeological complex. The Incas prepared a common simple meal and after it we danced and sang. The successful ritual had to be celebrated properly. 

The next day a long journey home began. But the connection with people and places will remain in our hearts forever.

Jan Bím