- Coca leaves, or erythroxylum coca, have been used in the Andes for thousands of years as a nutritional supplement, as an herbal medicine, as part of social interaction and as a ceremonial offering. The use of coca leaves is an integral part of the Andean tradition in Peru and Bolivia but the coca plants are also found in other parts of the world. Plants are found in Columbia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Cameroon in Africa, Pakistan, India, and on the Islands of Java and Sri Lanka. It is only in Peru and Bolivia that the tradition of coca has carried on since time immemorial. Today these people face an on-going battle to defend their cultural use of coca against a western campaign, lead by the United States, which sees coca as cocaine and uses extreme methods of aerial fumigation and forced eradication by biological methods to stop the use of coca. For further reading on the eradication methods and its effects please see www.mamacoca.org. The ethnic groups that continue the tradition of coca have launched their own campaign “La coca no es droga or coca is not a drug”.
The sacredness of the coca plant stems from the Inca mythology, when Tayta Inti, father sun, saw that the people of the world were living no better than animals he sent his son, Manco Capac and his daughter, Mama Ocllo, to guide and teach the people. As part of the teachings Manco Capac, the first Inca, taught the people the many uses of the coca plant. For this reason the people of Andes believe that the plant is sacred. It is believed that the first to use the coca plant were the Aymara people from the Lake Titicaca region, the area from which Manco Capac first appeared and then spread to the Quechua people found the other regions of the Andes. Coca was used throughout the Incan Empire, which stretched from present day Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and parts of Argentina and Brazil, although it is only in present day Peru and Bolivia that use of coca remains strong.
The people have always known of the great nutritional value that is within each coca leaf, although they may not have been able to give you a list of the all vitamins and minerals that are found in the coca leaves. They did know that it helped them to live at high altitudes with ease and that when they chewed the leaves it increased their energy enabling them to till their gardens and follow their herds of llama and alpacas up and down the mountain paths. In addition to this it also staid their appetite and thirst helping them to live and work at altitudes from 2,000 to over 3,000 meters above sea level. These people were also aware of the many curative properties of the coca leaf and use them as salves, compresses, and poultices.
Today through scientific research we know of the great nutritional value and healing properties of coca. “Studies done by the University of Harvard in 1975 entitled ‘The Nutritional Value of Coca Leaf’ has show that coca leaf contains the following nutrients.
Each 100 grams of Coca Leaf contains:
Total Nitrogen = 20.06 mg
Total in volatile alkaloids = 0.70 mg
Fat = 3.68 mg
Carbohydrates = 47.50 mg
Beta Carotene = 9.40mg
Alpha Carotene = 2.76 mg
Vitamin C = 6.47 mg
Vitamin E = 40.17 mg
Thiamine (vitamin B1) = 0.73 mg
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) = 0.88 mg
Niacin = 8.37 mg
Phosphate = 412.67 mg
Potassium = 1739.33 mg
Magnesium = 299.30 mg
Sodium = 39.41 mg
Aluminium = 17.39 mg
Barium = 6.18 mg
Iron = 136.64 mg
Strontium = 12.02 mg
Boron = 6.75 mg
Copper = 1.22 mg
Zinc = 2.21 mg
Magnesium = 9.15 mg
Chromium = 0.12 mg
In addition to the above nutrients, coca also contains 14 natural alkaloids that are beneficial for their digestive, circulatory, anti-fatigue and calming qualities. These natural alkaloids are:
· - Cocaine: has an anesthetetic and analgesic property.
- Ecyonine: a carbolic derivative of an atropine has the capacity to metabolize fats, glucose and carbohydrates. It also thins bloods.
- Pectine: is an absorbent anti-diuretic which when joined with vitamin E helps regulate the production of melanin in the skin.
- Papaine: this product of protein (which is found in its greatest quantity in papaya) is very similar in structure to animal cathepsin that aids in the fermentation to accelerate digestion.
- Hygrine: excites the salivatory glands when there is a deficiency of oxygen in the environment.
- Globuline: It is a cardio tonic that regulates the lack of oxygen in the environment that helps improve blood circulation and aids in altitude sickness.
- Pyridine: improves the functioning of the brain by increasing blood flow through the pituitary glands.
- Quinoline: with the aid of phosphorous and calcium aids in preventing tooth decay.
- Conine: is an anaesthetic.
- Cocamine: is an analgesic.
- Reserpine: regulates pressure in the arteries and prevents hiccups and hypertension as well as helping in the production of cells in the formation of bones.
- Benzoyne: has a therapeutic property for gastritis and ulcers.
- Inuline: refreshes and improves the functioning of the liver, the secretions of bile and its accumulation in the vesicle. It is a diuretic, which helps to eliminate toxic substances. It also helps promote the production of healthy blood cells.
- Atropine: is a neurotransmitter, whose function is to mediate the synaptic activity of the nervous system.
These fourteen alkaloids, the amino acids they contain, the acids, and vitamins A, B1, C and E, thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin make coca a plant with the highest quality of non-proteinic nitrogen in the world. The combination of these helps to eliminate toxins and pathogens from the body. It also has solubility and hydration properties.” (The above nutritional and alkaloid information taken from http://www.mamacoca.org/feb2002/art_coca_no_es_cocaina_en.htm)
When considering that many of the people in the high altitude rural areas of the Andes have a very basic diet of carbohydrates and meat and lacking in fresh fruit and vegetables, one can see how important coca is to their dietary needs. It also may account for the low incidence of cardiovascular diseases among the indigenous population of coca chewers.
The coca leaf is not only an important part of the Andean diet; it also serves as a fundamental part of their social structure and interaction. In the Andean culture they practise a form of reciprocal interchange called ayni. The concept of ayni is based in the idea that you help me today and I will help you tomorrow. This concept can take many forms and plays a part in many different social interactions, but one thing you will find in all these transactions is a sharing of coca leaves before the transaction is completed.
One of the main activates in which the principal of ayni takes place is in the planting, tending and harvesting of crops in the rural areas. This work is often done as a community and not individually because much of the labour is still done by hand or with the use of oxen pulling a wooden plough. Each day before the labour begins the people of the community will sit together, share some food, chew coca leaves and discuss what needs to be done that day. This process of sharing coca leaves will continue throughout the day as the group takes breaks or finishes for the day. This same process of ayni and sharing of coca leaves also takes place when building a home for community members.
In the Aymara communities around Lake Titicaca coca is used when asking for ayni. If a man or a woman asks for ayni from someone they will offer a handful of coca. If the person being asked the favour takes the coca then he or she agrees to the ayni.
When visiting someone’s house or when sitting around in a social gathering coca leaves are passed around. In a manner of bonding, trust and goodwill each person will bring out their coca bundle and prepare a kintu (three perfect coca leaves placed one on top the other) for each person in the group. These are presented to each person by holding the kintu with the thumb and forefinger of both hands with the shiny side of the leaves up. The person being offered the kintu also takes it with the thumb and forefinger of both hands holding on to the end with stem. Still holding it with both hands the person then offers an invocation to Pachamama (Mother Earth), to the spirit of the mountains, to the ancestors, to the creator and to all those gathered. They then gently blow on the leaves three times before putting them in the mouth for chewing. After each person has presented a kintu to each other person in the gathering, they then freely select and add leaves to the wade that is forming in their cheek. Once this sharing of leaves has taken place, conversation flows and a bond has been created with all those gathered.
All Andean rituals are celebrated around the coca leaves. They are offered in thanks for blessings, as offerings to Pachamama (Mother earth) for a good growing season and harvest, to the various Apus (spirits) for watching over them, for a good luck, to bless a marriage, business, or birth and the list goes on. Offerings can be in the form of a kintu, a hand full of coca in which an innovation is said or in a more formal despacho (offering) ceremony where a very special offering is made by first laying down a bed of coca leaves and then adding a wide range of others things including grains, incense, bits of llama, sweets and various items representing symbols for whatever the despacho is being offered. Coca is present for all the important moments of ones life.
Coca is not only part of the Andean people’s survival, but it is a sacred part of their lives, their culture, and their heritage. Mama Coca is not a drug but a part of thousands of years of a cultural heritage for the Andean people. To deprive them of this cultural heritage is to deny them their right to live and practise what they hold most sacred. The western world needs to view the use coca leaves with different eyes and see it’s many benefits and not focus solely on the production of cocaine, which is a chemical concoction far removed from the use of the fresh leaves.
Love and blessing,
Wawa Quilla
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
La Coca No Es Droga or Coca is not a Drug!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
The Magic of Machu Picchu
All of my life has been a spiritual journey.
I’ve been all around the world on this journey and when it finally led me to Machu Picchu, Peru, I knew I had found my spiritual home. And now it seems natural that I personally guide others who also want to explore the mystical powers and gifts of this ancient sacred site.
I have always had psychic abilities and been drawn to nature. Yet the practical side of me pursued two degrees in Education and Educational Management. In 1983, I left Canada for a two year job in Nigeria. This turned into 20 years of wandering around the globe working in international schools in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
During these years exploring different cultures and places I developed more compassion and understanding for all the people on Earth, a greater trust in my intuition and the many synchronicities that flowed in my life, as well as a deep respect and love for Mother Earth. So it was a natural step for me to become interested in shamanism which holds that we are connected to all people, plants, animals, rocks and earth on this planet as well as all things in the universe.
Over the years my interest in shamanism led me to work with shamans in Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil and Peru. But it was in March, 2003 that this interest changed my life very drastically. While working with a shaman in Brazil I had a powerful vision that showed me very specifically that it was time to go to Peru and more specifically to Machu Picchu. I was shown that if I followed this path it would be necessary to step outside my comfortable world of international education with all of its perks and devote myself to the path of spiritual understanding. It was an enormous decision but I knew within that this was what I had to do. So in June, 2004 I found myself in Cusco with only my vision and trust in a higher force to guide me.
A short while after arriving in Peru I made my way to Machu Picchu. The moment I had my first view of the sanctuary of Machu Picchu I knew that after 20 years of wandering I had come home. With tears running freely down my cheeks the site spoke to my heart in a way that no other place on Earth had.
It was during this first visit that I met the Guardian shaman of Machu Picchu. From that first meeting we both felt like we had known each other all our lives and a strong connection was made. Since then, with the help of this man as well as a few others, I have learned to walk the path of the shaman and share my knowledge with those who come on my guided journeys.
Although I am considered a shaman, it is only a label, for everyone is a shaman waiting to be awakened and once the spirit is awake then the learning, growing and expanding continues as long as we walk on this Earth. The label is not important, rather it is the integrity with which one walks the path that is most important.
Andean shamanism is like shamanism the world-over in that it is nature based. The essence of Andean shamanism is a strong connection to Pachamama or Mother Earth, all the elements of nature and a respect for the divine creation. By connecting with all the elements of nature and the divine flow of the universe we also learn to flow and create. We literally become part of the oneness of all things.
Andean shamanism teaches us that all things have energy and properties beyond the material and physical and when we learn to work with them we discover their hidden powers as well as the great powers hidden within ourselves. When one uses the techniques of the Andean shamanism, one is able to connect and transcend the physical and enter the realm of the spirit world.
Since the Andeans believe that all the Earth is sacred the whole planet is considered a sacred place. But there are places that are considered special or sacred based on location, the combination of various elements of nature such as the relationship between earth, air, and water or those considered to have special powers or spirits.
Machu Picchu is considered one of those sacred places because of its location within concentric circles of mountains, the river circling the base of the mountain it stands upon, the great quantities of quartz crystal found there (which is why it is also called the Crystal City) and the fact that it was constructed in complete harmony with the physical and cyclical aspects of nature.
The most important spirit in the Andes is the Apus or the mountains. The Apus represent the Hanac Pacha or the upper sphere and act as antennae to other dimensions. There is an inner and outer ring of mountains which act as guardians and create a power circle with Machu Picchu at the centre. Each of these mountains has special properties and energies. To those who come with a clear and pure intent these ancient mountains will open up and share their energetic powers with you.
Machu Picchu sits at 2,450 metres above sea level and around its base flows the waters of the Wilkamayu River that eventually flows into the Amazon River. In the Andean shamanic tradition, water is a great purifying force.
We begin our journey in Lake Titicaca because by working with the water to wash and balance us we begin to clear away any heavy energy we are carrying around with us. It also helps to open us to the work we do with the other elements in the different locations.
Lake Titicaca is also considered sacred because it is from Lake Titicaca that Wiracocha, the creator, brought the sun, moon, stars and planets out of the lake to take their place in the sky thus providing light for a dark world. With time the sun and the moon had children who also arose from the lake and went on to populate the four corners of the world.
Another sacred place is the ‘Gate of the Gods’ or Amara Muru Doorway. This inter-dimensional portal, which faces Lake Titicaca, lies in a wonderland of strange natural rock formations that are in stark contrast to the surrounding area. Legend says that Amara Muru stepped through the portal leaving this three-dimensional world forever. There are many legends in the area telling of people who have gone through the portal never to return (although I do know one person who entered the portal and did return).
The area within the triangle of Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu and the Amazon is considered a power vortex. The jungle of the Amazon basin is also considered sacred because of the great life force that lies within it. Within these three areas are strong energy lines that connect the various sites and the regions.
In addition to these energy lines, each of the areas we visit on my guided tour connects us to the four main elements. Lake Titicaca represents the element of water that washes and balances us. Machu Picchu represents the element of air that purifies and enlightens us. The Amazon represents earth that cleans and transforms us. Above us, Tayta Inti (or Father Sun), shines on us representing the element of fire that transmutes and sanctifies us.
I had a very powerful experience working with the earth element. We do a ceremony where we ask Pachamama to take or absorb something in our life that we no longer want to carry around. In this instance, I wanted to be rid of a fear I was carrying. In this ceremony each person runs around a circle stating the thing that that they wish the earth to rid of them of. Then after some time we lay on the ground in the exact middle of the circle with our belly buttons pressed into the earth and feel what ever it is we are getting rid of the flow into the earth. As I lay there feeling the earth take my fear I began to feel my self enter the ground and Mother Earth wrap her arms around me like a mother would do for a child. As my fears left I felt the intense love that Mother Earth has for each us. This experience made me realize the earth is a living breathing soul.
I had one client who was carrying around great amounts of anger and frustration. After leaving the lake and proceeding along to Machu Picchu and then the Amazon, the source of the anger and frustration began to reveal itself and she was able to acknowledge and clear them. Upon returning to her home and work, her friends and family thought that a new person had arrived home. Since then she has made changes in her life to incorporate what she learned on this trip.
I had another client who, after the tour, left a job that he disliked and found the courage to pursue a career more in line with what he really wanted to do.
The tour is designed specifically so that awareness opens gradually so that there is some time for reflection and integration. Each place and each step leads to the next level. This is more than a tour it is an experience! See my website at www.andeantriangle.com.
As published in "Mosaic Mind, Body and Spirit Magazine". May 2007 edition
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
I’ve been all around the world on this journey and when it finally led me to Machu Picchu, Peru, I knew I had found my spiritual home. And now it seems natural that I personally guide others who also want to explore the mystical powers and gifts of this ancient sacred site.
I have always had psychic abilities and been drawn to nature. Yet the practical side of me pursued two degrees in Education and Educational Management. In 1983, I left Canada for a two year job in Nigeria. This turned into 20 years of wandering around the globe working in international schools in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
During these years exploring different cultures and places I developed more compassion and understanding for all the people on Earth, a greater trust in my intuition and the many synchronicities that flowed in my life, as well as a deep respect and love for Mother Earth. So it was a natural step for me to become interested in shamanism which holds that we are connected to all people, plants, animals, rocks and earth on this planet as well as all things in the universe.
Over the years my interest in shamanism led me to work with shamans in Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil and Peru. But it was in March, 2003 that this interest changed my life very drastically. While working with a shaman in Brazil I had a powerful vision that showed me very specifically that it was time to go to Peru and more specifically to Machu Picchu. I was shown that if I followed this path it would be necessary to step outside my comfortable world of international education with all of its perks and devote myself to the path of spiritual understanding. It was an enormous decision but I knew within that this was what I had to do. So in June, 2004 I found myself in Cusco with only my vision and trust in a higher force to guide me.
A short while after arriving in Peru I made my way to Machu Picchu. The moment I had my first view of the sanctuary of Machu Picchu I knew that after 20 years of wandering I had come home. With tears running freely down my cheeks the site spoke to my heart in a way that no other place on Earth had.
It was during this first visit that I met the Guardian shaman of Machu Picchu. From that first meeting we both felt like we had known each other all our lives and a strong connection was made. Since then, with the help of this man as well as a few others, I have learned to walk the path of the shaman and share my knowledge with those who come on my guided journeys.
Although I am considered a shaman, it is only a label, for everyone is a shaman waiting to be awakened and once the spirit is awake then the learning, growing and expanding continues as long as we walk on this Earth. The label is not important, rather it is the integrity with which one walks the path that is most important.
Andean shamanism is like shamanism the world-over in that it is nature based. The essence of Andean shamanism is a strong connection to Pachamama or Mother Earth, all the elements of nature and a respect for the divine creation. By connecting with all the elements of nature and the divine flow of the universe we also learn to flow and create. We literally become part of the oneness of all things.
Andean shamanism teaches us that all things have energy and properties beyond the material and physical and when we learn to work with them we discover their hidden powers as well as the great powers hidden within ourselves. When one uses the techniques of the Andean shamanism, one is able to connect and transcend the physical and enter the realm of the spirit world.
Since the Andeans believe that all the Earth is sacred the whole planet is considered a sacred place. But there are places that are considered special or sacred based on location, the combination of various elements of nature such as the relationship between earth, air, and water or those considered to have special powers or spirits.
Machu Picchu is considered one of those sacred places because of its location within concentric circles of mountains, the river circling the base of the mountain it stands upon, the great quantities of quartz crystal found there (which is why it is also called the Crystal City) and the fact that it was constructed in complete harmony with the physical and cyclical aspects of nature.
The most important spirit in the Andes is the Apus or the mountains. The Apus represent the Hanac Pacha or the upper sphere and act as antennae to other dimensions. There is an inner and outer ring of mountains which act as guardians and create a power circle with Machu Picchu at the centre. Each of these mountains has special properties and energies. To those who come with a clear and pure intent these ancient mountains will open up and share their energetic powers with you.
Machu Picchu sits at 2,450 metres above sea level and around its base flows the waters of the Wilkamayu River that eventually flows into the Amazon River. In the Andean shamanic tradition, water is a great purifying force.
We begin our journey in Lake Titicaca because by working with the water to wash and balance us we begin to clear away any heavy energy we are carrying around with us. It also helps to open us to the work we do with the other elements in the different locations.
Lake Titicaca is also considered sacred because it is from Lake Titicaca that Wiracocha, the creator, brought the sun, moon, stars and planets out of the lake to take their place in the sky thus providing light for a dark world. With time the sun and the moon had children who also arose from the lake and went on to populate the four corners of the world.
Another sacred place is the ‘Gate of the Gods’ or Amara Muru Doorway. This inter-dimensional portal, which faces Lake Titicaca, lies in a wonderland of strange natural rock formations that are in stark contrast to the surrounding area. Legend says that Amara Muru stepped through the portal leaving this three-dimensional world forever. There are many legends in the area telling of people who have gone through the portal never to return (although I do know one person who entered the portal and did return).
The area within the triangle of Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu and the Amazon is considered a power vortex. The jungle of the Amazon basin is also considered sacred because of the great life force that lies within it. Within these three areas are strong energy lines that connect the various sites and the regions.
In addition to these energy lines, each of the areas we visit on my guided tour connects us to the four main elements. Lake Titicaca represents the element of water that washes and balances us. Machu Picchu represents the element of air that purifies and enlightens us. The Amazon represents earth that cleans and transforms us. Above us, Tayta Inti (or Father Sun), shines on us representing the element of fire that transmutes and sanctifies us.
I had a very powerful experience working with the earth element. We do a ceremony where we ask Pachamama to take or absorb something in our life that we no longer want to carry around. In this instance, I wanted to be rid of a fear I was carrying. In this ceremony each person runs around a circle stating the thing that that they wish the earth to rid of them of. Then after some time we lay on the ground in the exact middle of the circle with our belly buttons pressed into the earth and feel what ever it is we are getting rid of the flow into the earth. As I lay there feeling the earth take my fear I began to feel my self enter the ground and Mother Earth wrap her arms around me like a mother would do for a child. As my fears left I felt the intense love that Mother Earth has for each us. This experience made me realize the earth is a living breathing soul.
I had one client who was carrying around great amounts of anger and frustration. After leaving the lake and proceeding along to Machu Picchu and then the Amazon, the source of the anger and frustration began to reveal itself and she was able to acknowledge and clear them. Upon returning to her home and work, her friends and family thought that a new person had arrived home. Since then she has made changes in her life to incorporate what she learned on this trip.
I had another client who, after the tour, left a job that he disliked and found the courage to pursue a career more in line with what he really wanted to do.
The tour is designed specifically so that awareness opens gradually so that there is some time for reflection and integration. Each place and each step leads to the next level. This is more than a tour it is an experience! See my website at www.andeantriangle.com.
As published in "Mosaic Mind, Body and Spirit Magazine". May 2007 edition
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Saturday, April 15, 2006
POLARITY vs. ONENESS
The tug-of-war of polarity and duality is part of our conditioning, education and training. It pulls us to and fro creating dissention and unbalance. Good-bad, light-dark, female-male, love-hate, right-wrong, weak-strong, us-them, right-left, up-down, peace-war, safe-dangerous, rich-poor, mine-yours, white-black and the list goes on and on. This polarity pulls us apart and keeps us from discovering the beauty of one. It traps us in judgement and labels that pull us to one side or the other of the polarity game. By being pulled to one side or the other, we then stand our ground defending and protecting that side of duality. We are right they are wrong. This is right that is wrong. But what is right and what is wrong? Are they not really part of the same thing? If there was no right would there be a wrong? No, for if we stopped thinking something was right or wrong both labels would disappear. The situation would just be. When we allow ourselves to let things just be, we become closer to oneness.
It is this place of oneness where we will find peace, joy and love. In oneness there is no separation or differences. We are one and everything is part of us. The part is the whole and the whole is the part. We are a part of the whole and we are the whole. It stands to reason then that the way we look and think about the world is really a reflection of how we look at our selves. If we see the world as a chaotic divided place then that is a reflection of what lies within. For what is within reflects without, which is the same principle as “as above so below”. When we change our thinking from the polarity of good or bad and us or them, replacing it with a knowing that we are infinite oneness with everything then it is easy to see that we are the Creator and the Creator is us. By ending the polarity within, we end the polarity without and in its place create space for tolerance, peace and love. The task of changing this polarized world begins with the inner place of self. When we change the inner self by acknowledging our oneness to everything, we then are changing the whole. In this way the collective consciousness changes and we create a peaceful loving place to live. The place for answers is not outside but inside, inside each of us and only we, ourselves, can change the inside.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
It is this place of oneness where we will find peace, joy and love. In oneness there is no separation or differences. We are one and everything is part of us. The part is the whole and the whole is the part. We are a part of the whole and we are the whole. It stands to reason then that the way we look and think about the world is really a reflection of how we look at our selves. If we see the world as a chaotic divided place then that is a reflection of what lies within. For what is within reflects without, which is the same principle as “as above so below”. When we change our thinking from the polarity of good or bad and us or them, replacing it with a knowing that we are infinite oneness with everything then it is easy to see that we are the Creator and the Creator is us. By ending the polarity within, we end the polarity without and in its place create space for tolerance, peace and love. The task of changing this polarized world begins with the inner place of self. When we change the inner self by acknowledging our oneness to everything, we then are changing the whole. In this way the collective consciousness changes and we create a peaceful loving place to live. The place for answers is not outside but inside, inside each of us and only we, ourselves, can change the inside.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Saturday, March 04, 2006
INFINITE POSSIBLIITES
For some time now I have been pondering the essence of our DNA. Deep within my centre of knowing there is a key here but one that, I sense, does not follow the lines of all that has so far been explained or discovered. I feel that in many ways we are once more being misled and lead down a garden path, so to speak.
I have read the theories of how we originally had more DNA, theories of alien manipulation of our DNA, the medical discoveries of how DNA plays a part in our human makeup, other theories of DNA harvesting and so on. But deep within my knowing I know there is more.
Recently this thread has been working its way into my knowing. We are told by scientists that we use only a tiny part of our brain, we are also told that we are only able to see and sense only a minute fraction of the matter that is around us, and we are told that most of the DNA within our bodies is junk DNA. I, for one, cannot accept that we have all of this within and it is useless and cannot be accessed. It is there, therefore it is meant to be used and it has a purpose. Is it among the remaining 80% of our brain, the 95% of our senses and the 95% of our DNA (all approximate figures) that the answers to all our questions are to be found? Is it here, in these unused portions of our being that lays the ability to transcend the physical, the ability for teleporting and telepathy, the knowledge of healing and the knowledge of all? I know that it is. That is why we are repeatedly told to go within for there all the answers are found. It is not in things outside us, our gurus, our leaders, our scientists, our rituals, our religions, and the all the other material trappings of this so-called 3-D world. It is all within.
What we see, feel and touch is really all an elaborate illusion of mind tricking us into thinking it is solid. We are trapped in it by believing it is solid and that this is all there is. It is our thoughts and mind that keep us from experiencing what lays beyond the illusion. We are trapped in the “I think therefore I am” framework. I have written before that thoughts create but thoughts also block. Thoughts which question, label, judge, compartmentalize and classify things block us from knowing. We use our thoughts through memory to experience this world. We cannot see, hear, feel or sense the other 95% of what is around us because it is blocked by our thoughts and memory bank of experiences which tells us it cannot be because we have not experienced it before. The mindless chatter of trivial things that keeps us away from our awareness of all the other great possibilities available to us.
When we stop the mind, open up to infinite possibility and are in a state of total awareness with no thought, no judgement and no labelling the most amazing things can happen. Let me share with you one personal example. In October 2004, I spent a night of pure magic on top Huayna Picchu mountain in Peru, a peak to the north of Machu Picchu. The following morning just after sunrise, my friend Kucho and I were sitting on a flat rock at the very top of the mountain. Kucho was lying next to me fast asleep in the warm sunlight and I was sitting cross-legged looking at the mountains in the near distance. I was in a state of no thought and completely relaxed in the moment, just observing. As I sat looking at the mountains, I felt a slight tingling running through my body, which I acknowledged but gave no thought. As I continued to gaze at the mountains they began to disappear. The only way I can describe what happened is to say that I saw or was aware of a pale green rain, which began above the mountain peaks, and as it slowly made its way down everything before me disappeared. A whole section of Andean mountains just disappeared. I sat for several moments watching, I cannot tell you how long I sat for in that state there is no time, but the instant I went to the mind and thought “Wow,” all the mountains returned. I have been shown the illusion of this world several times while in trance, but never, until that moment, had it happened in a totally present state. This is what we do not experience because the mind/thoughts block it from us, as it did as soon as I went into my thinking mind. Since then I have experienced the illusion of the 3-D world several times and always the moment I go back into thinking mode I find myself back in this 3-D reality. All of this is very hard to explain and unless one experiences them, very difficult for anyone to accept. All I will say in my defence is, it happens, of that I have no doubt. We are capable of these experiences but it is our thoughts, beliefs and fears that keep us from going there. But even more important than disappearing mountains and walking into other realities, what else could we do with this ability of changing realities? We really can change our reality! We can change the world we live in.
It is these experiences and knowing that 95% of our inner capacity is unused that gets me excited. It gets me excited because therein lies infinite possibilities. Our present limited mind and mental concepts cannot even being to imagine everything that is possible. Because we cannot fathom the possibilities that are waiting for us, we must let go of old outdated mental concepts and open up to what could be. It is not some outside force that we need to tap into, but the inner force that has the capacity to really transform our lives. The sad part is that many cling to this so-called solid world for fear of losing control. My question is, who is in control and who is being controlled? Fear holds so many back, the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing control, the fear of breaking out of the comfort zone, and I sense a fear of their own power. But if it is all an illusion, as I know it to be, then what really are we holding on to and why? Wouldn’t it be better to create a world without war, hunger, poverty, pollution and inequality? Create a world where we all live in peace, harmony, understanding and love or even more, a world of infinite possibilities.
No guru, method or practise can really teach this to anyone. At best the various methods and practises can provide some general guidelines, but we should not become a slave to these methods and practises. We need to be flexible and open and allow ourselves to explore the infinity of possibilities that await us. Each of us must find it ourselves by going within and being totally present and aware. Once you do find this source within you will not need to rely on anyone or anything for you will KNOW! Once you know that is all there is.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
I have read the theories of how we originally had more DNA, theories of alien manipulation of our DNA, the medical discoveries of how DNA plays a part in our human makeup, other theories of DNA harvesting and so on. But deep within my knowing I know there is more.
Recently this thread has been working its way into my knowing. We are told by scientists that we use only a tiny part of our brain, we are also told that we are only able to see and sense only a minute fraction of the matter that is around us, and we are told that most of the DNA within our bodies is junk DNA. I, for one, cannot accept that we have all of this within and it is useless and cannot be accessed. It is there, therefore it is meant to be used and it has a purpose. Is it among the remaining 80% of our brain, the 95% of our senses and the 95% of our DNA (all approximate figures) that the answers to all our questions are to be found? Is it here, in these unused portions of our being that lays the ability to transcend the physical, the ability for teleporting and telepathy, the knowledge of healing and the knowledge of all? I know that it is. That is why we are repeatedly told to go within for there all the answers are found. It is not in things outside us, our gurus, our leaders, our scientists, our rituals, our religions, and the all the other material trappings of this so-called 3-D world. It is all within.
What we see, feel and touch is really all an elaborate illusion of mind tricking us into thinking it is solid. We are trapped in it by believing it is solid and that this is all there is. It is our thoughts and mind that keep us from experiencing what lays beyond the illusion. We are trapped in the “I think therefore I am” framework. I have written before that thoughts create but thoughts also block. Thoughts which question, label, judge, compartmentalize and classify things block us from knowing. We use our thoughts through memory to experience this world. We cannot see, hear, feel or sense the other 95% of what is around us because it is blocked by our thoughts and memory bank of experiences which tells us it cannot be because we have not experienced it before. The mindless chatter of trivial things that keeps us away from our awareness of all the other great possibilities available to us.
When we stop the mind, open up to infinite possibility and are in a state of total awareness with no thought, no judgement and no labelling the most amazing things can happen. Let me share with you one personal example. In October 2004, I spent a night of pure magic on top Huayna Picchu mountain in Peru, a peak to the north of Machu Picchu. The following morning just after sunrise, my friend Kucho and I were sitting on a flat rock at the very top of the mountain. Kucho was lying next to me fast asleep in the warm sunlight and I was sitting cross-legged looking at the mountains in the near distance. I was in a state of no thought and completely relaxed in the moment, just observing. As I sat looking at the mountains, I felt a slight tingling running through my body, which I acknowledged but gave no thought. As I continued to gaze at the mountains they began to disappear. The only way I can describe what happened is to say that I saw or was aware of a pale green rain, which began above the mountain peaks, and as it slowly made its way down everything before me disappeared. A whole section of Andean mountains just disappeared. I sat for several moments watching, I cannot tell you how long I sat for in that state there is no time, but the instant I went to the mind and thought “Wow,” all the mountains returned. I have been shown the illusion of this world several times while in trance, but never, until that moment, had it happened in a totally present state. This is what we do not experience because the mind/thoughts block it from us, as it did as soon as I went into my thinking mind. Since then I have experienced the illusion of the 3-D world several times and always the moment I go back into thinking mode I find myself back in this 3-D reality. All of this is very hard to explain and unless one experiences them, very difficult for anyone to accept. All I will say in my defence is, it happens, of that I have no doubt. We are capable of these experiences but it is our thoughts, beliefs and fears that keep us from going there. But even more important than disappearing mountains and walking into other realities, what else could we do with this ability of changing realities? We really can change our reality! We can change the world we live in.
It is these experiences and knowing that 95% of our inner capacity is unused that gets me excited. It gets me excited because therein lies infinite possibilities. Our present limited mind and mental concepts cannot even being to imagine everything that is possible. Because we cannot fathom the possibilities that are waiting for us, we must let go of old outdated mental concepts and open up to what could be. It is not some outside force that we need to tap into, but the inner force that has the capacity to really transform our lives. The sad part is that many cling to this so-called solid world for fear of losing control. My question is, who is in control and who is being controlled? Fear holds so many back, the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing control, the fear of breaking out of the comfort zone, and I sense a fear of their own power. But if it is all an illusion, as I know it to be, then what really are we holding on to and why? Wouldn’t it be better to create a world without war, hunger, poverty, pollution and inequality? Create a world where we all live in peace, harmony, understanding and love or even more, a world of infinite possibilities.
No guru, method or practise can really teach this to anyone. At best the various methods and practises can provide some general guidelines, but we should not become a slave to these methods and practises. We need to be flexible and open and allow ourselves to explore the infinity of possibilities that await us. Each of us must find it ourselves by going within and being totally present and aware. Once you do find this source within you will not need to rely on anyone or anything for you will KNOW! Once you know that is all there is.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Sunday, January 08, 2006
A Journey Without Expectations
Many people have asked me how I have achieved this state of calm and peace. When I am asked this question I get the impression that what I am really being asked is “How can I have it too? Show me the way.” Everyone can have it, but the important thing to know is that it is not the destination that is important but all the steps along the way. We have heard many times that it is not the destination that is important but the journey. This is so true, but the problem is that we live in a world that has become used to quick and easy gratification, so we lose sight of the journey and only see what we want to achieve at the end of it. We are in a hurry to get to the destination but forget to take time to look and enjoy the scenery along the way. Each and every road has its charm and lessons; no one road is the correct road for all. If we do not have fun and enjoy each part of the path how can we then expect to enjoy the destination? We wait for enlightenment or spiritual revelations thinking that this is all there is. This is a destination, but why wait? You can have all of it NOW. Lighten up, enjoy where you are NOW by taking your eyes off the destination, stop labelling and qualifying each moment just enjoy them. Stop questioning and wait in the moment. When you release all expectations, all questioning of what is right and wrong and trying to judge your progress based on the world around you, you lose sight of what is important; the NOW. When all the questions and labels are released you will find the great peace and calm that comes from just Being.
Can you imagine not questioning and only waiting in awareness? I have no questions. I merely enjoy the moment and wait in an awareness of all. I have no predetermined destination or expectations. I do not demand to know or judge or qualify the moment. I am a dolphin swimming with ease and fluidity in the presence of the wonderment of all each and every day.
The enjoyment of the moment also comes from reaching a point in my life where I have stopped counting the steps and the extra-ordinary moments. When one comes to the moments when one realises that magic and miracles happen all the time, every day, and they are just a part of the greater knowing, one has arrived. No longer do I feel the need to count and record all these special times. They just are! They are part of me and part of my every day life! They happen all the time, in ways large and small. All that I do now is give thanks to the Creator and enjoy.
I do not need to know why and where and when. I am happy with the knowledge that I know all and yet know nothing. I know that Now at this Moment everything is Perfect! There is nothing else. Enjoy and be happy with the journey! Take your eyes off the destination and see the miracles all around you each day! I know that when you do this you will realise how blessed you are and see that you have achieved enlightenment in the NOW.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Jan 2006
Can you imagine not questioning and only waiting in awareness? I have no questions. I merely enjoy the moment and wait in an awareness of all. I have no predetermined destination or expectations. I do not demand to know or judge or qualify the moment. I am a dolphin swimming with ease and fluidity in the presence of the wonderment of all each and every day.
The enjoyment of the moment also comes from reaching a point in my life where I have stopped counting the steps and the extra-ordinary moments. When one comes to the moments when one realises that magic and miracles happen all the time, every day, and they are just a part of the greater knowing, one has arrived. No longer do I feel the need to count and record all these special times. They just are! They are part of me and part of my every day life! They happen all the time, in ways large and small. All that I do now is give thanks to the Creator and enjoy.
I do not need to know why and where and when. I am happy with the knowledge that I know all and yet know nothing. I know that Now at this Moment everything is Perfect! There is nothing else. Enjoy and be happy with the journey! Take your eyes off the destination and see the miracles all around you each day! I know that when you do this you will realise how blessed you are and see that you have achieved enlightenment in the NOW.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Jan 2006
Tapping into the Universal Consciousness
As this New Year began I was reflecting on how powerful my connection to the Oneness of All is. As I pondered this truly awesome connection, I could see the potential it has for all of us. The connection to the Oneness of All is the key to realizing our full potential, our dreams, our creativity and our limitless options of knowing. It is this connection that will lead the way to a better world. To activate this power one must begin in Nature away from the concrete jungle and harsh vibrations of the completely unnatural artificial cities.
Eckhart Tolle (2003. p. 77-78) explains this beautifully when he says:
“Whenever you bring your attention to anything natural, anything that has come into existence without human intervention, you step out of the prison of conceptualized thinking and, to some extent, participate in the state of connectedness with Being in which everything natural still exists.
To bring your attention to a stone, a tree, or an animal does not mean to think about it, but simply to perceive it, to hold it in your awareness.
Something of its essence then transmits itself to you. You can sense how still it is, and in doing so the same stillness arises within you. You sense how deeply it rests in Being – completely at one with what it is and where it is. In realizing this, you too come to a place of rest deep within yourself.”
From this state of stillness, rest, and no thought comes an even greater connection. A connection to All! This connection to All is our gateway to the knowledge, information and creativity of the essence of life and knowing since the beginning of time. All of this information is there waiting for us to still our minds and to access it. It is there waiting for us to use. The knowledge of all creation within our solar system, as well as all other solar systems and the entire Universe are there for us to tap into. Within it, is the knowledge of all our ancestors both here and on other planets; the knowledge contained in the Universal Consciousness. We all have access to the Universal Consciousness. Each of us can tap into this limitless Universal library. It is within this library were we will find the solutions to this world of woe we have created on Earth. In this library we will find the solution to cleaning up the massive pollution we have created, the solution to free and natural energy, the solution to end wars, hunger, disease, and poverty, and the way for us to live in harmony with All. By connecting to the Universal Consciousness of All, we find a peace and calm that can be found in no other place.
Using our present mental constructs, we cannot even begin to form a mental concept of infinite number of possibilities held within the Universal Consciousness; therefore it is essential to enter into the stillness within with no thought, no perceived notions and to trust and to listen to the intelligence of the Oneness of All. It all begins with one’s connection to Nature. When one sees the Creator in all of Nature, then it is easy to see and feel the Creator in everything else, even that which we cannot see.
Why would anyone choose the limiting and constricting constructs of the mind when one can tap into the limitless possibilities of Universal knowledge?
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Tolle, Echart. Stillness Speaks, Vancouver, Namaste Publishing, 2003
Eckhart Tolle (2003. p. 77-78) explains this beautifully when he says:
“Whenever you bring your attention to anything natural, anything that has come into existence without human intervention, you step out of the prison of conceptualized thinking and, to some extent, participate in the state of connectedness with Being in which everything natural still exists.
To bring your attention to a stone, a tree, or an animal does not mean to think about it, but simply to perceive it, to hold it in your awareness.
Something of its essence then transmits itself to you. You can sense how still it is, and in doing so the same stillness arises within you. You sense how deeply it rests in Being – completely at one with what it is and where it is. In realizing this, you too come to a place of rest deep within yourself.”
From this state of stillness, rest, and no thought comes an even greater connection. A connection to All! This connection to All is our gateway to the knowledge, information and creativity of the essence of life and knowing since the beginning of time. All of this information is there waiting for us to still our minds and to access it. It is there waiting for us to use. The knowledge of all creation within our solar system, as well as all other solar systems and the entire Universe are there for us to tap into. Within it, is the knowledge of all our ancestors both here and on other planets; the knowledge contained in the Universal Consciousness. We all have access to the Universal Consciousness. Each of us can tap into this limitless Universal library. It is within this library were we will find the solutions to this world of woe we have created on Earth. In this library we will find the solution to cleaning up the massive pollution we have created, the solution to free and natural energy, the solution to end wars, hunger, disease, and poverty, and the way for us to live in harmony with All. By connecting to the Universal Consciousness of All, we find a peace and calm that can be found in no other place.
Using our present mental constructs, we cannot even begin to form a mental concept of infinite number of possibilities held within the Universal Consciousness; therefore it is essential to enter into the stillness within with no thought, no perceived notions and to trust and to listen to the intelligence of the Oneness of All. It all begins with one’s connection to Nature. When one sees the Creator in all of Nature, then it is easy to see and feel the Creator in everything else, even that which we cannot see.
Why would anyone choose the limiting and constricting constructs of the mind when one can tap into the limitless possibilities of Universal knowledge?
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Tolle, Echart. Stillness Speaks, Vancouver, Namaste Publishing, 2003
Thursday, December 15, 2005
PEACE ON EARTH
Last week I migrated north (my migration instinct is not working well) and arrived in Canada amidst the "Silly Season," otherwise known as Christmas. Tis the season of consumerism and materialism at its most obscene. Everywhere one goes one is bombarded by someone trying to sell you something, others trying to make you feel guilty, or others putting on a grand show of season cheer. This onslaught of the senses and emotions adds to the dis-ease of many. Many, who are already ensnared by other forms of dis-ease related to the false pursuit of the material. As I watch this insane engulfing people I cannot help but wonder where the much acclaimed "peace on earth" of this season is, because this barrage of the senses is a full frontal attack and has nothing to do with peace.
Shortly after I arrived, I was give a card by a dear friend. This card reads:
"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the mist of these things and still be calm in your heart."
For me, this is the peace on earth. It is the peace and calm that comes from within. It is a peace that can watch this maddness of Christmas swirling around me and yet not be affected by it. It is a peace of knowing that this calm lasts all year around and not just at Christmas. It is a peace of knowing that what really counts is the inner voice of each of us. It is a peace that knows that the only real thing is the love radiating from your heart and flowing to ALL without judgement, labelling or competing. It is a peace that embraces ALL; human, animal, plant and mineral. This inner calm and peace is the real gift of the season to yourself, humanity, and to all others here on earth. It is this peace that you need to embrace and spread. This is the real "Peace on Earth."
May the peace of your inner knowing shine today, tomorrow, and everyday as you continue on your journey of experience and relearning on this temporary home called Earth.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
Shortly after I arrived, I was give a card by a dear friend. This card reads:
"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the mist of these things and still be calm in your heart."
For me, this is the peace on earth. It is the peace and calm that comes from within. It is a peace that can watch this maddness of Christmas swirling around me and yet not be affected by it. It is a peace of knowing that this calm lasts all year around and not just at Christmas. It is a peace of knowing that what really counts is the inner voice of each of us. It is a peace that knows that the only real thing is the love radiating from your heart and flowing to ALL without judgement, labelling or competing. It is a peace that embraces ALL; human, animal, plant and mineral. This inner calm and peace is the real gift of the season to yourself, humanity, and to all others here on earth. It is this peace that you need to embrace and spread. This is the real "Peace on Earth."
May the peace of your inner knowing shine today, tomorrow, and everyday as you continue on your journey of experience and relearning on this temporary home called Earth.
Love and blessings,
Wawa Quilla
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