One group is telling their tourists that they will be special, that their work will bring about the return of the empire. Yuck! Who needs another friggin empire? These new age multi-level neophytes are being told that it is their spiritual responsibility to each one go out and get twelve more people more to usher in this new empire. Hey, that's some marketing scheme.
Also the street vendors tell me that a few of these big mystical outfits had been advising their tourists to buy feathers of the endangered Condor because they say the bird is sacred (where is the logic?). Perhaps they aren't telling the people that these feathers are illegal and can be confiscated by customs agents. This one pisses me off and is what inspired me to write this expose. So what is this? Are they selling some cheap "spiritual" thrill so their tourists think they had a special time? Is this brand of spirituality above ecological awareness? So then shall we have the worlds' tourists come to North America and buy bald eagle feather souvenirs. Hey guys, commercial justification is not granted!!! @*$#!T*%!
If a native shares an article of their indigenous culture there can be intent in the sacred and a far less ecological impact than common commercialization.
There are apparent discrepancie between some things I have read and heard concerning Andean practices and my own experiences. Things like time travel and an Andean medicine wheel, eating energy though the navel, working with energy bubbles and "high level" sudden initiations. So I took my questions to various university trained Peruvians, including PhD's and MD's, who work in the field of shamanism (not to say that the schools have all the answers). I also have questioned dozens of traditional Andean shamans in various out-back mountains from Machu Picchu to Lake Titicaca (including Q'eros). Not a single one of these people supported the practices or claims I've questioned here, in fact some of them were rather comical in their denouncements. I don't know, maybe I'm just asking the wrong bunch of tradition keepers.
Much of what is being sold comes from the recently self-ordained sorta' shamans rather than the true traditions involving at times decades of apprenticeship. Commercial guides who've become sudden shamans are easily found in the many newly established mystical (read mysterious) tourist agencies, especially around Cusco. Kind of cute, I just saw one place using Casper the Friendly Ghost in their advertising logo, at least you know what you are getting. My hope is that some of them are working in good intent. Because of my work I have sought out many of these guides, seeking good hearts that will share their authentic traditions with our travelers. In years of seeking I've found precious few that are natural, humble or true their culture. Here is a little clue for you all, the majority of the guides that we work with are native mothers.
The stuff being sold might actually come from some old Andean guy thus it has it's own truth. However, that these things that I pointed out here are not being found elsewhere in the culture raises the question of their authenticity as well as their broad application. Consider the difference between secret cult teachings and simple, open and usually inexpensive truth.
