Women with power in Peru

Wow, I can't believe tomorrow is my last official day in Cusco! By far the highlight of the last few days has been getting to know and work with, an amazing married Shaman couple from the Northern Peruvian jungle.

Having Maria with us as a female shaman, was a gift and an honour. There are very few female shaman in Peru and when I asked our trip leader Peggy why this is, she said in her experience, women don't tend to have any power here, they don't hold the same type of energy as the men.

It's interesting because while the culture honours the Pachamama (Mother Earth) for all life, in society, women take a back seat. Indeed Peggy herself gave a shopkeeper a taste of her own power when he offered great discounts and incentives to Stephen as our male group leader, but not to her! It's not a conscious thing with the people here, but the imbalance between men and women is woven into society.

Jason and Maria Diaz just personify love and joy. Without speaking a word of English, they have connected with each of us individually through their body language and intention. With the help of Gabriel as interpreter, they have shared their wisdom and helped us to open our hearts to do some deep inner work.

From their home in North Peru, they traditionally work with plant medicine and it was fascinating to hear that it is now being licensed both here and in the USA to help people with Parkinson's disease. The blend between traditional and modern medicine is strong in Peru.

Spending time in spiritual counselling with this couple was incredible. Hearing Maria sing is so powerful, even though I didn't understand her words, I felt her meaning.

Their parting words to us this morning will stay with me: "Today in a world where artificial intelligence holds all the information, True wisdom is no longer about knowing more - it is about feeling more, connecting with your essence, vibrating with love, and walking in coherence with your heart."

I think we could all benefit from taking this to heart :)

photos: group photo with our teachers / with Maria & Jason

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