Andean Wisdom Path

Happy New Year, brothers & sisters in our AYLLU (beloved community) of Andean Wisdom Path!

May you walk the path of "SUMAK KAUSAY" - path of living in love, balance, peace and harmony - in the new year! And may the blessings of the Living Cosmos flow into your lives. This beautiful phrase in Quechua means many things in our "Cosmovision", our world view:

* KAUSAY is the dynamic, animating life force that connects humans, community, and nature. In the Andean culture, we see all things as "alive".

* The Universe is made of "Kausay" and so everything in it - the Father Cosmos (Pachatayta) and his sun, moon, and stars - the Mother Earth (Pachamama) and her mountains, lakes, rivers, and wind - as well as plants, animals and we humans.

* The PACHA is the Universe, which merges both space and time. My ancestors believed in an interconnected cosmos where place, time, and consciousness are united as one.

•⁠ ⁠The universe is alive! And that's why in the Andes we call it the "KAUSAY PACHA" - the living cosmos.

* In Quechua, the language of my people, SUMAK could be translated as "beautiful", "divine" or "glorious".

According to my ancestral tradition, the purpose of the spiritual life is to live the way of "SUMAK KAUSAY" - in peace, love and harmony with the living universe and everything in it. As we live in harmony, the Divine Energy that animates and creates our magnificent Universe brings us many blessings - health, happiness, abundance and loving relations.

Many blessings to you and your loved ones,
Karupureq & Flamissia

Dear brothers and sisters from the AYLLU (our beloved community), we at Andean Wisdom Path (AWP) are wishing you a lovely MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is the time when people around the world open their hearts to celebrate in the spirit of love, generosity and harmony. In the Andes we believe there is a seed of Divine Love - what we call "MUNAY" - in every heart. We are living in service to this love.

When we celebrate Christmas here in Peru, we are celebrating the birth of MUNAY within us all.

So let us bless everyone with the Christmas spirit with hearts filled with MUNAY - not only during the holidays but also throughout the whole year!

Let the MUNAY - Divine Love - flow to all the world!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

With MUNAY 💖 from our hearts to yours,
⁠Karupureq and Flamissia.

Happy Solstice dear Brothers & Sisters of Andean Wisdom Path!

This is the day of "Qhapac Inti Raymi", when the old Sun rises as the summer solstice in the south hemisphere. According to the Andean calendar, the two most important celebrations were the "Inti Raymi" (meaning the celebration of the Sun) and the "Qhapac Inti Raymi" (the grand festival of the Sun), which were celebrated during the two solstices, the first in June at the shortest day and the second today in December for the longest day here south of the equator.

Both events are associated with the dry season (June) and the rainy season (December), seasons that defined key moments for agricultural activities. My ancestors differentiated these two events as the old Sun (Inti) during "Qapac Raymi" now and the young Sun King during the "Inti Raymi' in June.

While tourists from around the world flock to Cusco for the famous "Inti Raymi'" pageant, December's summer solstice was considered more important during the Inca era. They conducted large rituals expressing gratitude to "Tayta Inti" Father Sun and the renewal of "Pachamama" (Mother Earth) because in this time of abundant rain our Pachamama makes herself beautiful in her full splendor.

Also they made sacrifices of black llamas, offered much gold and silver, and the sacred "mullo" (sea shells). They shared a big feast and drank the sacred "chicha' (beverage of fermented corn).

While both celebrations honored the two major phases in the cycle of our sun, the Andean ancestors also worshipped the principal Light, the Source of all Light and Energy, the "Illya Teqse ". The ancient ones considered the sun we see in the sky as a representation of this Primordial Light. They worshipped with dances, songs and fasting, receiving the light of the Sun barefoot!

Which title for our first introductory course to the Andean spiritual cosmology do you prefer?

1. 𝐍̃𝐚𝐰𝐩𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐚: 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦
𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑠
2. 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚 𝐐𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐬
𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝐴𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑
3. 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐲𝐩𝐚 𝐍̃𝐚𝐧: 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐲
𝐴𝑛 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛

My husband Karupureq and I are excited to partner with our beloved friend and soul sister Peggy to create a powerful healing, spiritual and mystical experience! Can't wait to welcome you in the beautiful Andes!

Reclaiming Your Sacred Self - Peru Wellness Retreat - November 2025 in Cusco, Peru Join us for a magnificent transformative experience in the Sacred Valley of Peru, an 8-day / 7-night all inclusive, unique and powerful shamanic sacred wellness retreat. Enjoy epic adventures to the UNESCO world heritage site of Machu Picchu, guided hikes with indigenous local guides and the reveren...

Greetings Andean Wisdom Path brothers & sisters!

Just a few days ago your "Wayquey" (brother) Karupureq and "Panay" (sister) Flamissia went to an archeological site officially called "Tambo Mach'ay". A "Mach'ay" is a considered a sacred opening into the womb of the Pachamama, the places where, according to Andean mythology, we are born out of the Ukhupacha (the underworld) and into this material dimension. While the official site has niches made from megalithic stones and fountains that express the Andean cosmology and still flow today, the real "mach'ay" is located above the site, at a cave where few tourists visit. We know that this cave was considered a sacred place for ceremonial offerings, as a wall of Inca construction protects its border. Within the cave is fresh evidence of smoke from fires, and coca leaf offerings, signs that it is still in use for ceremony and reverence today.

The archeological site below the cave is filled with wonders. The niches are immense, the stone walls are constructed to perfectly fit around the large stones of the bedrock in an expression of reverence and respect for the natural landscape, and the fountains continue to flow after many centuries. Here, like in all the archeological sites, we can demonstrate evidence of construction methods made by a superior intelligence than anything humans have ever demonstrated before. Like all the magnificent and awe-inspiring mystical sites in this very special area of the world, the archeological site mistakenly called "Tambo Mach'ay" expresses an ancient cosmology that reflects our inextricable connection with a sacred and living Cosmos of Earth & Sky.

We welcome you with open arms and loving hearts to join us in Peru for a mystical tour of this and many other unforgettable sites that will elevate your spirit. Look for our website under our name, "Andean Wisdom Path" to see what mystical experience of transformation awaits you!

Sending Munay, sacred unconditional love, to all of you!
Your Brother and Sister,
Karupureq & Flamissia

DECEMBER - Month of Qhapaq Inti Raymi
Greetings, Andean Wisdom Path brothers & sisters!
While the people of the northern hemisphere begin their New Year soon after their winter solstice, we are enjoying the longer and warmer days around our summer solstice during the month of December here in Peru. While the natural world is cold, dark and much is dormant in the northern hemisphere, here the mountains are robed in vibrant green, the corn has grown tall, the flowers bloom and the birds sing. The Inca New Year happens right after OUR winter solstice in June with our Inti Raymi.

This is the month when a great and solemn festival for "Tayta Inti" (Father Sun) was held during the Inca times. Since our father sun is more important than the planets and stars, the rituals and sacrifices offered at this time were especially grand and festive. In these rituals, they offered a lot of gold, silver and llamas, as well as the "Mullu Sagrado" (sacred sea shells) - representing the "Mama Cocha" (Mother Deity of the Seas and Lakes). During these celebrations, the people of the Inca Empire ate, drank and danced a lot in honor of Tayta Inti. In Q'osqo (Cusco, the Inca capital city), these magnificent festivals were held in the main plaza and in the main plazas throughout the "Tawantinsuyo" (the 4 corners of the Inca Empire).

Since the summer solstice occurs during this month here, the Inca people used to gather the ashes from their sacrificial fires at sunrise of this special day, throwing them into the rivers so they would be carried all the way to Mama Cocha, the great Pacific Ocean.

Greetings Andean Wisdom Path brothers & sisters. Today I introduce you to the REAL coca k'intu! Do you notice anything unusual about it?

Yes! Three leaves have grown into one! This type of coca leaf is extremely difficult to find. It comes from a genetic mutation that has always been - and still is - very sacred in the time of the Incas and even today.

During the Inca Empire, this type of leaf was prized and safeguarded by the "Tarpuntaes", the priests responsible for conducting ceremonies, oblations and other religious events. The Tarupuntaes used this kind of coca k'intu especially for ceremonies of gratitude to the "Pachamama", the "Apus" and the other Divinities.

What a lucky find!

With Munay, sacred unconditional love of the Pachamama, to all of you!

Karupureq & Flamissia

PART 3 OF THE ANDEAN DEITY SERIES: PACHAMAMA
Dear brothers and sisters of Andean Wisdom Path! Today we are continuing the series on the Deities in the Andean Cosmology with a very popular principal Deity known as Pachamama, “Mother Earth”.

In Quechua, the native Andean language of the Incas, “Pacha” is understood as Space-Time, Creation, Universe. It is multi-significant and multi-dimensional. “Mama” is Mother Nature who creates life, as well as the physical Earth, conceived as the force of dynamic vitality.

We Andean people consider the Pacha as a cosmic being, a personified universe that is alive with a spirit and vital energy. For us Andean natives, Pachamama is our Cosmic spiritual Mother because she takes care of us, protects us and nourishes us, just as a mother does for her children.

The “Runa” (the inhabitants of the Andes) know that their lives are immersed in an interrelationship with the natural world of the Earth and Sky, or the “Pacha”. They see the Pacha as having two aspects: one material and visible side, which they call the “Pachamama”, and another spiritual and invisible side, which they call “Pachacama.”

To us Andeans people, both sides of the Pacha need each other mutually. If there were only a material side and no spiritual aspect of the Universe, everything would be dead, inert, lifeless. And on the other hand, if there were only the spiritual side of existence without the material, there would be no visible or perceivable manifestation to experience. Therefore, both sides made the Universe whole and unified.

Sending Munay, sacred unconditional love, to all of you!
Your Brother and Sister,
Karupureq & Flamissia

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗻

Dear brothers and sisters of Andean Wisdom Path! Today we are continuing the series on the Deities in the Andean Cosmology, talking about the principal Deity known as "Tayta Inti" or "Father Sun". After the creator God Wiracocha - Illya Teqse, the Sun was a very powerful and important Divinity, or Divine Being of the Cosmos to the Andean ancestors, like many other ancient cultures across the Americas as well as in Egypt and ancient Japan, to name a few.

This sacred divinity was not just the physical star that is the center of our solar system, but also the visible representation of a greater force beyond our ability to see directly: the Primordial Light of the Cosmos. This is why the most revered Deity after the Primordial Light (named "Illya Teqse") was the Father Sun. Because the Incas considered the Sun as a powerful. life-creating fertilizing force, they believed we are the children of the sun father as well as of the moon mother. (𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵.) Many temples were dedicated to express their reverence for the Sun, our Cosmic Father, across the Inca Empire.

The Andean people consider the forces of Nature as living beings, as sacred entities. "Tayta Inti" (Father Sun) and "Mama Killa" (Mother Moon) form a complementary dual pair, or "Yanantin". Tayta Inti represents the fertilizing force which, along with Pachamama, Mama Killa, and the spirit of the Rain, play essential roles in the generation of life.

Even today, Andean people who still practice the customs of their ancestors continue the tradition of expressing reciprocity ("Ayni") and gratitude for our Tayta Inti by leaving their houses in the morning to greet the rising of the sun with hands raised, palms open to receive the first rays of daylight.

So what do YOU think? Do you feel that the Sun is like a Cosmic father for life on Earth? Do you feel that the light that the Sun radiates comes from something even greater - the force of Light of the entire Universe? How do YOU feel called to express your reverence or gratitude for this magnificent part of creation that gives us light, warmth, energy and life?

NOVEMBER - Part 3
Hello again brothers & sisters! Would you believe that there are even more traditional Andean Activities in November?

Month of Watering the Garden and Planting Vegetables

While the weather in the Northern Hemisphere is getting cold and dark, the deciduous trees have lost their colorful leaves, and the herbaceous plants are dying, in Peru we are enjoying the warmer weather of Andean springtime. Now that there are regular rains, the plants begin to grow vigorously, This is the time to water the fields if there is not enough rain, and time to plant vegetables.

Month of the Initiation Ceremony for Inca Warriors

This is the time of the year when the young men who are on the path to becoming Inca warriors underwent a rigorous initiation. When they succeeded, they would be awarded special “WARAS”, or the short pants that characterized those who had been accepted into the warrior class.

Month of the RUTUCHICUY Ceremony

This is the time that the little boys and girls would receive their first hair cut.

Month of the KIKUCHICUY Ceremony

Young ladies who had started their first menstruation during the previous year received a ceremony during this month to honor their natural initiation into womanhood. Sadly, not much of this is known, as the chroniclers who wrote accounts of the Inca traditions and customs were men, and very machista, too!

With all of this mummy parading, initiations for young warriors and adolescent girls, hair cutting and planting, this month of November kept my Andean ancestors very busy!

Blessings of Munay (unconditional love) of the Pachamama from our hearts to yours,

Karupureq & Flamissia