Spiritual Travel to Peru: The Heart of the Andes
No current program.
| August 21 | Arrive Cusco and settle into accommodations. We meet Carla Woody at our lodging for the opening circle at 4 PM to frame the intent of our journey. Continue at group dinner getting to know each other and renewing friendships. Overnight Cusco. Dinner included. |
| August 22 | We enter the world of Andean mysticism at a private site in the Sacred Valley with Doña Vilma Pinedo as our guide. She introduces us to the teachings, divination and ceremonies of the Andes. Free time after a late lunch to explore the area nearby or optional coca reading. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| August 23 | An hour’s drive outside Cusco brings us to more teachings with Doña Vilma at a site informed by traditional usage for centuries. Late afternoon we meet Jack Wheeler at Xapiri to learn of their work in the Amazon and prepare for our time with the Matsigenka people. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast included. |
| August 24 | In the morning there is free time to explore the streets of Cusco or optional coca readings. Early afternoon we gather at a sacred site outside Cusco where we meet Q’ero paq’os for community and despacho ceremony framing further travels. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| August 25 | We leave Cusco early morning to begin a 7-hour journey where we climb to the highest point of the Manu Biosphere and then descend through the Cloud Forest. We spend our first night in the small town of Pillcopata, a transition point into Manu rainforest where wildlife and over 1000 species of birds live. Overnight Pillcopata. All meals included. |
| August 26 | Early morning we leave Pillcopata and board our boat to reach the Matsigenka village, a point in the jungle. For the next three nights we stay in this beautiful site, in a simple lodge with surrounding trails and optional nature exploration. Here we meet the Matsigenka people who carry the rainforest in their communal soul. Overnight Shipetiari. All meals included. |
| August 27 | Over the next two days, we become students of the Matsigenka world and, through their generosity, we learn of ancestral wisdom and cosmovision, largely conveyed through song, art and storytelling. As all is connected, we are invited to open ourselves equally in earnest to the energy of the rainforest, engaging with the voices of the trees, plants, birds, monkeys and spirit realm, for what they have to teach us. Overnight Shipetiari. All meals included. |
| August 28 | Experiential learning continues: identifying natural medicines, ways of healing, use of natural materials, traditional cuisine and drink, art, and open conversation on the Matsigenka world — seen and unseen. Overnight Shipetiari. All meals included. |
| August 29 | Midday, we reluctantly say goodbye to Matsigenka friends, and so begins our travel back to Cusco. Inasmuch as this is a time to digest new learnings, it’s also a space for integrating the initiation journey we have been on—in a natural place so alive with growth and sound that we find our own still point within it. Overnight Pillcopata. All meals included. |
| August 30 | Early morning we continue by bus ascending through the Cloud Forest back into civilization, preparing for Re-entry and home. We arrive to Cusco in late afternoon. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and lunch included. |
| August 31 | Free time to rest, reflect on the journey and further discover Cusco on your own. We end this day with a late afternoon closing circle and farewell dinner. Overnight Cusco. Breakfast and dinner included. |
| Sept 1 |
Fly home. |
| Note: We build flexibility into the schedule. Activities may be adjusted to accommodate the weather, if required. |
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