Despachos and Fire Ceremonies
In the ancient traditions of the Q’ero of the high Andes of Peru, my primary lineage of shamanic teachers, there is only one instruction, which is to live in ayni. This means right relationship, with ourselves, with others and with all of creation.
Despachos or Earth Offerings
The kausay pacha is the energy of the living universe and the pampa mesayoq shamans are the experts at making wonderful offerings to help bring us into ayni. These powerful and beautiful offerings can be made for any significant undertaking – including births, weddings, handfastings, moving home, a new job, a significant life event, or the passing of a beloved. Usually after being created they are burned, sending the prayers and blessings of the despacho into the kausay pacha with the energy of fire, but on occasion they can also be buried, for instance on a piece of land where a new house is to be built.
As a shamanic practitioner I can offer a despacho as part of any ceremony. For a wedding these despachos include red and white rose petals, candles, ribbons and other items to honour all the elements, and also blessings from your close friends and family.
For a new child they would include offerings to represent the wealth (in any form) you wish for the child as well as items for all the elements and blessings from all those present.
For other occasions they could include abundance for a new house or a new venture, a prayer for the healing of any wounds on land or a space recently purchased, or a request to live in ayni in a new phase of life.
Fire Offerings
In a fire ceremony you can throw in to be burned anything that no longer serves you before stepping into a new way of being. You can also feed your intentions for the future from the power of the fire. If you include an earth offering in your ceremony we will burn this in the fire as we send out our prayers and hopes for the future.
Pachamama stick
If you wish to celebrate the bounty of this beautiful planet we live on or honour the pain and suffering we humans are causing it, we can creative a beautiful ‘pachamama’ stick of natural elements, into which each person present can blow their blessings for this planet, and then the host can put this blessing from themselves and all their guests into the fire. This is a beautiful ceremony whether to honour a wedding, a vow renewal, a new member of the family, a new home or a new venture.
