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Pachakuti Mesa Tradition™

The Pachakuti Mesa Tradition™ (or PMT) is a cross-cultural shamanic path for personal and planetary renewal that originated in Peru by don Oscar Miro-Quesada, a respected kamasqa curandero and altomisayoq adept from Peru. It integrates elements from the ancient wisdom traditions of the Andes, Peru’s northern coastal region, and other indigenous cultures worldwide.

Pachakuti is a Quechua word and means world reversal. It refers to the time of transformation we live in now, on an individual, community, or global level. Mesa is a Spanish word derived from the Latin mensa, which means table, specifically an altar table. In Catholicism, mensa refers to a flat stone embedded in the altars of pre-Vatican II churches.

The Pachakuti Mesa Tradition is an apprenticeship of cross-cultural Peruvian heritage wisdom teachings. A mesa is a ceremonially consecrated sacred altar used to connect with the spirit world. It is an imaginary map of the universe, an archetypal cosmic landscape "energetically anchoring” to the curandero, a practitioner of curanderismo.

The Pachakuti Mesa Tradition is a living tradition taught to people worldwide and seen as a way to connect with the natural world to find healing and guidance. It is a container of spirit, a soul-infused artifact of the material world, a living and dynamic pattern upon and with which practitioners can consciously do personal and planetary energy healing work. Fundamental teachings are: all things are connected, the universe is a living, breathing organism, the human body is a microcosm of the universe, the spirit world is real and accessible through the mesa, the mesa can help us to heal, find guidance, and live in harmony with the natural world.

A Pachakuti Mesa is an altar for self-exploration, transformation, personal growth, and directing healing on behalf of others. The mesa is a system of specific objects, or medicine pieces, purposefully arranged to create sacred space and a spiritual portal. The attributes of the five directions are represented by: a stone or crystal, a sea shell, a feather, a white candle, and one’s most personally sacred or meaningful object. The essential mesa consists of a woven cloth upon which are placed ceremonially empowered objects for the medicine work of its carrier. Four types of medicine pieces used on the Pachakuti Mesa are: khuyas (sacred stones), sepkas (power objects), estrellas (gifts from a mountain spirit), and enqas (totem fetishes), and are used to communicate with the spirits of the land, the ancestors, and the stars.

Some objects have a specific arrangement, with the placement of other pieces unique to each mesa carrier. Some frequently used pieces are crystals, sea shells, bones, feathers, ancient artifacts, and other power objects. These objects are placed on a consecrated altar cloth in the direction of the south, west, north, east, and center of the mesa as a sacred altar medicine ground. While a specific object represents each direction, the symbolism is multifaceted.

The South of the mesa is known in Quechua as Pachamama and represents Mother Earth as a living, conscious being. It also refers to the animating energy of fertility, birth, and growth as evidenced by the physical Earth. The West, symbolized by the Moon, or Mama Killa, represents divine femininity, death, rebirth, the element of water, emotions, intuition, and the unseen dimensions. The North direction, represented by a feather, is connected to the energies of spirit, air, and Wiraqocha, the supreme creator of the universe, and is associated with spiritual concerns and connections. The East, symbolized by the Sun, fire, and light, is known as Inti or Inti Tayta (Sun Father). It is the area of the mind, wisdom, knowledge, and inspiration and is represented on the mesa by a white candle. The Center, represented by the full spectrum of color and light, the Rainbow, known as K’uychi in Quechua, is the still point, the hub, and is the quintessence of all that is, was, and will be. The object placed here is called the hatun misarumi sepka (great center power object) and is the carrier’s most personally meaningful sacred object.

Don Oscar Miro-Quesada's teachings emphasize the importance of living in harmony with the natural world, valuing cultural diversity, using shamanic practices for healing and transformation, and engaging in spiritual activism to promote social and environmental justice. These teachings offer a vision of a more harmonious and integrated world and guide those seeking to cultivate greater awareness, compassion, and wisdom.

The practice of the PMT can bring a practitioner a range of cosmological and spiritual benefits: connection to the natural world, healing, and transformation, universal understanding, integration of diverse spiritual traditions, community, and support. These benefits can help individuals to cultivate greater harmony, balance, and well-being and to contribute to the greater good of the planet and all living beings.

References [1] Glass-Coffin, B. (2013) Lessons in Courage – Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom for Everyday Life. Faber, VA. Rainbow Ridge Books, LLC

[2] Magee, M. (2005) Peruvian Shamanism: The Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing. Library of Congress control # 2002092209 ISBN 978-0-9720511-0-1