Illumination and Initiation:  Stepping into the Healing Path of Andean Shamans

By Sarah Primus

What are the healing ways of the Andean shamans, you may be asking?  I certainly wanted to know the answer when four years ago during a late night internet session I stumbled upon munay-ki.org, and, The Four Wind’s Society website.  An intriguing video was featured, of an initiation fire ceremony that flushed my skin with goose bumps from head to toe.  And so I began an ever deepening journey into this “rabbit hole,” through the study of ancient Andean and Peruvian shamanic healing practices and culminating in a “trip” to the Peruvian jungle last fall.

Since childhood I had developed a fascination with Native American spirituality; later introduced to a deeper understanding through my aunt, through books she gifted me in early adolescence.  Reading about the ways and ceremonies, various elements, and the spirit guides and power animals of the indigenous people took me to a world where I felt right at home, especially during a time when I felt agonizingly alienated and different from my peers.

The history of the plains of Kansas where I grew up, were steeped with stories and the energy of those who walked before and left their mark there.  As a child I received spiritual guidance during my walks across the fields of my family’s farm, that later in adulthood led me to a life long study of the healing arts.

Watching the Munay-Ki fire ceremony video that evening, tears began welling up in my eyes, as I recalled a vision I had had at the age of about fifteen.  The imagery in the video of the Munay-Ki fire ceremony was identical to that of my dream vision sixteen years ago!  I saw a woman kneeling before a fire in a hooded cloak with a man behind her, arms outstretched, and head covered, in a protective gesture.  In my vision I was in the position with my arms outstretched.  It felt more like a reality than a dream, and I always wondered about it’s meaning.  Upon seeing a similarity in this video, I immediately began researching about the nine initiation rites of the Munay-Ki and their meaning.

I read that the prophecies of the ancient Americas speak about this current time as a period of great transformation, a time to make an extraordinary difference in the world. They foretell of a new human appearing on the planet; a person of wisdom and power who lives free of fear and abides in their eternal nature, accepting stewardship for all creation.

Further research took me to the Four Winds Society, an organization dedicated to teaching the healing techniques of the Andean shamans and sharing the rites of the Munay-Ki.  It’s founder, Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D in Medical Anthropology, is an author and initiate of Andean shaman masters, whom organized the teachings and created the Healing the Light Body School.  I had to get my hands on his first book and learn more.

The very next day I was in downtown Melbourne and had the urge to pop into the local spiritual bookstore.  I immediately fixed my attention on the book I desired.  When I approached the register with Alberto’s first book, Shaman, Healer, Sage, the clerk looked on with knowing and immediately opened up with me.  He excitedly shared that he was a student of a local shaman, Debra Kruljac, who herself was a graduate of the Healing the Light Body School created by Alberto Villoldo!  Talk about synchonicity!  I walked away with her phone number and so began my initiation into the world of the Earthkeepers.

“Munay-Ki comes from the Quechua word that means, “I love you” and is also taken to mean, “Be as Thou Art.” The Munay-Ki initiation helps us to become instruments of peace and agents for change and transformation. As you are initiated into the Nine Rites you join a group of ordinary men and women who lead extraordinary lives; the Earthkeepers or medicine people of the Americas. As you experience the Munay-Ki, you’ll feel the presence and sense the wisdom of these luminous ones who have broken out of linear time and now dwell in infinity.

When we engage these luminous ones, their stories become our stories: We actually “remember” migrating across the Bering Straits or crossing the Sonora Desert into Central America, or even before that, making our way over the Himalayas to the fertile green valleys on our great journey north from India. When we partner with the Earthkeepers from the future, we can upgrade the quality of our DNA. This runs contrary to scientific wisdom, which says that our genes can only be informed by the past, by the gifts and illnesses our ancestors had. The Earthkeepers understand that when you are free of the bounds of time, the future can reach backwards like a giant hand to pull you forward to your destiny. You can be influenced by who you are becoming.”  -Alberto Villoldo, PhD

“As you receive the nine rites, your chakras will have the opportunity to become clear and you’ll acquire what the Earthkeepers know as the rainbow body; as your chakras glow with their original radiance.”

 I learned that the Rites of the Munay-Ki transform and upgrade your luminous energy field. They are energetic transmissions that heal the wounds of the past; your karmic and genetic inheritance. They re-inform your DNA, enabling you to grow and dwell in a new body; one that ages, heals, and dies differently. The Munay-Ki rights are an invitation to dream an entire new world into being, a dream of co-operation between the wisdom of the indigenous and the technologies of westernized society.

More and more people from North America and the westernized world, including myself, are becoming wise to the perils of the competitive and destructive world view encouraged by the capitalistic empire in which we reside.  They are turning towards the heart centered, earth honoring wisdom of indigenous people the world over, and traveling far and wide to attain these teachings from the remaining elders and masters.

The Munay-Ki initiation took place over a period of nine months; two Thursday evenings per month, at the Center for Healing Arts in Melbourne.  The initiations involved a very informative lecture, followed by the intricate initiation ceremonies.  During this time I tapped into the underground spiritual scene of Melbourne, a vibrant community of unique and eccentric artists, healers, musicians, and mystics.

During these classes I learned about the anatomy of the Luminous Energy Field, or LEF, the outermost “skin” like layer of our energy field that serves as a defensive cocoon, and carries our life story etched onto it’s membrane like designs cut into glass.  The LEF contains an archive of all our personal and ancestral memories, of all early-life trauma, and even of painful wounds from former lifetimes.

“These records or imprints are stored in full color and intensity of emotion.  Imprints are like dormant computer programs that when activated compel us toward certain behaviors, relationships, accidents, and illnesses that parallel the initial wounding.  Our personal history indeed repeats itself.  Imprints of physical trauma are stored in the outermost layer of the LEF.  Emotional imprints are stored in the second layer, soul imprints in the third, and spiritual imprints in the fourth and deepest layer. Imprints in the Luminous Energy Field predispose us to follow certain pathways in life.  They orchestrate the incidents, experiences, and people we attract to ourselves.  Imprints propel us to re-create painful dramas and heartbreaking encounters, yet ultimately guide us toward situations wherein we can heal our ancient soul wounds.”

A lightening bold of clarity and understanding hit me as I began to contemplate my life circumstances, while studying the energetic anatomy of how the Law of Attraction truly works.  I felt I had a deep understanding of the Law of Attraction, but now I could actually see how it works. This Law states that “like attracts like.”  The energetic imprints upon our field resonate at a certain frequency, attracting like frequencies and experiences, and therefore they command and dictate our life in a powerfully tangible way.  It was a huge “Aha” moment, as so many of these same principles paralleled and added to my decade long study of another ancient energy healing modality, Reiki.

“When there is no template for disease in the Luminous Energy Field, recovery from an illness happens at tremendous speed.  By the same token, imprints for diseases can depress the immune system, and it can take an extremely long time for us to regain our health during an illness. When we erase the negative imprint that caused the onset of illness, the immune system can rapidly eradicate the disease.”  -Alberto Villoldo

It was like discovering the Holy Grail for healers; a clear and complete instruction manual, an understanding of the inner workings of the human blueprint and how it informs and creates our physical, mental, and emotional bodies, as well as the myriad details of our lives.

After being initiated into the rites of the Munay-Ki, and the lineage of all Earthkeepers before and after me, I gained more confidence in my healing practice and began delving deeper into the practical application of how to interact with the Luminous Energy Field during sessions with my clients, and how to guide and assist others in healing and releasing their own energetic imprints.

Through years of practice and following my intuition, I’ve created my own hybrid technique combining Reiki with the Illumination techniques of these Andean shaman masters, along with other energy tools and modalities.  My passion and dedication to energetic healing has taken me on a life long journey deep into the dark night of my own soul work and healing, and has given me a deep sense of acceptance, compassion and love towards myself, as well as others.  I am constantly becoming aware of and shedding the myriad layers of beliefs and energies which inform and create imprints that no longer serve me.  My goal is that I may become a clear vessel for this healing path, live in ayni (harmony), and be a way shower for those who follow, through my music, my healing work, and my life.  Be as thou art!  Munay!

-Sarah Primus LMT, Healer, Musician, Producer

Artwork by Alex Grey, Adi Da Samraj, Cosmic Bodhi, Wonder

Photos & Quotations Alberto Villoldo, The Four Winds Society, and Munay-Ki.org