What is Andean spirituality?
Our ancestors revered life in all its forms of manifestation. Every form of existence is sacred because it is part of the dynamic of life; nothing stands alone — all life forms and living beings are interconnected and interdependent, and a material and energetic connection runs through every living being. Our ancestors respected and celebrated life in its full material and spiritual dimension, as a single entity.
In the cosmic order, the human being is part of the cosmic ayllu and of the order of life, without losing their singularity. This aspect of life means following a way of living that respects the order of natural laws, the rhythm of life in the most natural way possible. That is why our ancestors, understanding that cosmic model, developed a ceremonial way of life: they lived the sacred in a harmonious relationship with all living beings — plants, animals, spirits, people and the phenomena of nature.
As a contribution to the development of spirituality for these times, there is the evolution of the being in the outer ceremonial mode and in the inner mode of working with oneself. The concepts of the divine or the sacred are not limited to something abstract or subjective in the mind. Spirituality is seen as life experiences, lived and dreamt at once. It is an integral experience within daily life, natural, spontaneous and full.
The sacred knowledge was hidden during the obscurantist period; the discretion of the teachings of ancestral knowledge was confined to a few wise men and women, elders entrusted with guarding the knowledge of their roots. The time to share the light of their teachings is beginning to break through like storms, from the open wounds of many natural and original nations.
It is time to present this sacred knowledge, the mäpacha — cosmogonic time that joins past and future in an eternal now — as the pact of Qopagati says:
Never forget the terms of our alliance; look to the light and the medicines, heal yourself and live, never lay down these omnipotent weapons, fulfil the laws and precepts of the Intis.
It is time for the paylla — the sharing that comes after a long period of work; we are worthy of this inheritance, as distant as it is near, as ancient as it is contemporary and forward-looking.
Enjoy this exquisite offering, shared from the heart of the Pachamama, of which all human beings are part.
— Rubén Saraza Barriga
- · Ayllu
The community that binds people, animals, plants and spirits into one cosmic order.
- · Mäpacha
Cosmogonic time that joins past and future in an eternal now.
- · Paylla
The sharing that comes after a long period of work.