Image by Wolfgang Borchers
Narrated by Marie T. Russell
As I reflect upon my life, I cannot help but be in complete amazement at how Spirit has moved and worked within it. Looking back, I can see how each step of my life (both positive and negative) has been used to support me in being where I am today—connected to the vision of the bigger picture and tethered to the path of my sacred purpose this lifetime.
I truly believe there are no accidents in life. There is only the magic and mystery of Spirit, and when we open ourselves up to this infinite energy and say “yes!” to our holy longings, Spirit moves in our life in ways that we could not even begin to imagine.
A New Journey
I moved to the United States in July 1991. When I arrived I still had no idea why Spirit moved me here. As I was studying and learning how to speak English, Chuma, the high priestess of Machu Picchu, came to me and provided me with the next step of my journey.
“You are to unite Brazilians and Americans and take them on a journey to Peru,” Chuma announced to me.
“What!? How am I going to guide Americans? I cannot even speak their language!” I responded to Chuma.
Once again, I took a deep breath and trusted the direction of Spirit’s calling.
Before I knew it, I had a group of fourteen Americans and fourteen Brazilians signed up and ready to go to Peru. To this day I still do not know how the fourteen Americans discovered me or my journeys to Peru. After all, this was before the internet, cell phones, and email. What I do know is that we were all destined to travel to Peru, and Spirit brought us together.
The Journey Continues
Our group traveled to Peru in 1992. As I reflect upon this specific group, and this journey, I have to smile and laugh because we all encountered and experienced a language barrier. Yet we were all able to communicate with one another. The joy of being together allowed us to navigate through the language barrier.
As we journeyed together and continued to merge with one another through our hearts, I witnessed our entire group undergo profound change and transformation while also growing closer in relationship to one another. At the time I did not understand how this union was possible; I found myself in the middle of a mystery.
I consulted with Don Pedrito, one of my lifelong friends and teachers, an Andean wisdom keeper and the first shaman I ever worked with in Peru.
Don Pedrito said to me, “You are the Condor of the South and the Americans are the Eagle of the North. We have been waiting for five hundred years for this time. It was predicted in the ancient prophecies: One day the Condor of the South and the Eagle of the North will come together and fly over the sky as one. When this happens, it is time to awaken the children of the Earth and build the bridge between the North and the South. You, Vera, must build this bridge.”
I am supposed to build this bridge? I thought to myself. How am I supposed to do this?
I could not grasp Don Pedrito’s message. I felt as if I were a child just wetting my toes in a giant pool full of mysteries, prophecies, and ancient wisdom.
Don Pedrito continued by saying, “Vera, you know the way of the heart. The way of the heart is the way of the Condor, and it is why you were sent to the North. You needed to go to North America to connect with their tribes and learn the way of the Eagle. It is important that they trust you and allow you within their ceremonies so that this unity between the two—the Eagle and the Condor—can happen.
“The Eagle of the North is one of the symbols for the masculine polarity. It governs the mind and mental wisdom. The Eagle of the North has lived separated from the feminine ways of the heart, and we’ve reached a time upon our planet when these two energies must come together and unite. We must unite the wisdom of the mind with the wisdom of the heart.”
The Prophecy Explained
Don Pedrito continued to teach me, “Vera, you have a big mission but you are not alone. We all share this same mission. Our people knew this time would come; they predicted it in their prophecies many years ago.
“We have always known that one side of the pair—the Eagle and the Condor, the Masculine and the Feminine— takes over and rules over the other, and right now this transition of energies is happening. When this great shift happens, a new cycle begins upon our planet.. It is the era of change where creation is restored.
“Each cycle lasts for about five hundred years. We are currently transitioning out of a cycle that has brought chaos and disorder. Within this last cycle our people experienced the destruction of our empire and the decimation of our lifestyle and sacred beliefs. We knew this time was coming and that it would be difficult and challenging, as death always precedes the birth of something new. Our ways have always taught us that we must walk through the dark night, and we must bring out all of the darkness that needs healing before we can rise into rebirth.
“This prophecy predicts that this time upon our planet is transformative for everyone on Earth and all life within our universe. Our entire galaxy is in the end of times and we are transitioning into this next great era of consciousness.
“Vera, look around you. You have fourteen condors and fourteen eagles here with you—a perfect balancing of opposites. When you bring them together as you have done, you have twenty-eight, which adds together to equal the number one. From a numerological standpoint, one is the number of new beginnings; it is the seed that is filled with the promises of new life.
“Even when the world becomes scary with destruction, do not be afraid. Can you imagine what it feels like for a baby leaving the womb? It must be a scary process, and yet the new life that it brings into the world is beautiful. The birth of new life is always preceded by contractions, and when the Earth has contractions she manifests them as earthquakes, volcanos, and other natural disasters. Right now, we are collectively in the period of contractions and we are trying to make our way to the birth canal of this new era. We are not there yet but we are slowly moving there.
“This collective death and rebirth that we are in is the transition from the masculine to the feminine. These next five hundred years will be guided by the Divine Feminine wisdom and the Cosmic Mother will take over. It is truly an honor to be alive at this time—we are the special ones chosen to support this great shift of the ages.
“We may not mentally know what it is we need to do, but the truth is that our inner wisdom knows—our soul knows and remembers its sacred purpose. All we need to do is know that and trust it. We will know what it is we need to do when our time comes. Trust this knowing. Trust.”
Our conversation was enlightening, and through Don Pedrito’s teachings I was beginning to obtain a bigger picture of my life. With his information I understood why Spirit asked me to leave my life in Brazil behind. I had to say yes to this calling because there was nowhere else for me to go but forward.
The Journey to 2020
Here we are now, as I write this, in the year 2020—and, according to the ancient Andean prophecies, the Condor of the South and the Eagle of the North have been flying together since 1990. Since that time I have witnessed tremendous changes both within my life and also upon the planet.
I can see how my own journey (as well as the journey shared by my groups) began to embody the recurring themes of spiritual strength, heart wisdom, and an understanding of how to use our intelligence for good..
I have been able to witness the opening of several portals while facilitating journeys in Peru. I was in Peru for the opening of 08-08-2008, 09-09-2009, 11-11-2011, and 12-12-2012. Each of these dates provided an energetic portal that allowed our world to receive new levels of light, expanding our collective consciousness.
By the time our world reached the portal of 12-12-2012, I knew that our journey through the birth canal had begun, announcing the arrival of a new era of light. This new era is not a reemergence of who we have been in the past; it is a becoming of our future selves within the present moment.
As I complete the writing of this book I find within myself a great hope for our planet. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has put the majority of humanity on a lockdown where we have been removed from our distractions. Earth and the nature spirits have begun renewing and restoring themselves. We have the opportunity now to become more aware of our relationship with Pachamama—Mother Earth. We have the chance to become more conscious of our impact upon the Earth, and we have the opportunity to remake ourselves. This is a time of rebirth for our planet and for humanity.
The light, the dark—there is no difference between the two. Both energies are portals that we can use to heal and transform. As I look at our global situation, I have to take a deep breath and allow the awe at what’s happening upon our planet to sink in. Humanity was forced by nature to enter a sacred space where we could isolate and deal with ourselves, and reflect on our choices.
Before, During, and After COVID-19
When I reflect and look at the actions of humanity before the 2020 pandemic, I see that we were all moving too fast. We were disconnected from the natural world, from each other, and from ourselves. We reached a new bottom—a rock bottom—and it is time to cultivate new values, reassess our priorities, and get real about what our needs really are. What really is essential for our lives to move forward in harmony, balance, and connection?
Pachamama spoke loudly, and humanity was placed within a period of isolation where we could reflect upon who we are as individuals and a collective. This time allowed us to journey within ourselves and reflect upon the following questions: Who are we? Why are we here? What is our purpose in life?
This pandemic has caused a great amount of change to surface within our mainstream society and around the world. I truly believe that we are moving into a new level of this initiation where choice is available. We can fully accept Earth’s invitation to change, evolve, and enter the new era of light, or we can postpone for a little longer and continue to learn through pain and suffering. Regardless of our collective choice, planetary evolution and transformation will happen; we cannot avoid the quantum leap of who we are becoming.
You Too...
I want you to know that you are a part of this planetary transformation and evolution. You are a part of a cosmic star family that has incarnated upon planet Earth to support the expansion and evolution of consciousness. You are an ambassador of change. We are moving into the fifth level of consciousness and this vein of consciousness will be collective and soul-based. We will look with the eyes of our heart and find great joy in the diversity upon our planet.
Now is the time to remember your essence, and to remember what Don Pedrito said to me many moons ago, “We will need many to birth the new Earth, to be the transformers of the Above and the Below.”
I trust that you will discover your part to play in this great, cosmic evolution and shift. Trust the wisdom of your heart, and allow it to guide your way.
Editor's Note: This article was written by Vera Lopez and excerpted from the Afterword of the book: "Shamanic Mysteries of Peru: The Heart Wisdom of the High Andes" by Vera Lopez and Linda Star Wolf Ph.D.
Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
Bear & Co., an imprint of: www.InnerTraditions.com..
Article Source
Shamanic Mysteries of Peru: The Heart Wisdom of the High Andes
by Vera Lopez and Linda Star Wolf Ph.D.
The Andes Mountains of Peru are rich with ancient shamanic traditions, sacred places, and heart wisdom passed down from the Inca and safeguarded for generations by the Q’eros nation. In this experiential guide to the wisdom and practices of the Andean people and their sacred land, Vera Lopez and Linda Star Wolf take you on an intimate journey through the sacred sites, temples, and power places of Peru, including Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuamán, Písac, Lake Titicaca, and more. They show how each of these powerful sites holds an ancient wisdom--an initiation left behind by the Inca--and they share initiatory rites and shamanic journeying practices to allow you to integrate and embody the wisdom of each sacred place.
For more info and/or to order this book, click here.
About the Authors
Vera Lopez is the founder of Spirits of the Earth, a travel company specializing in spiritual journeys to sacred sites. She is a transformation teacher, shamanic minister, and Andean priestess, who has received direct initiation from shamanic elders in several traditions, including the Q’eros of Peru.
Linda Star Wolf, Ph.D., is the founding director and president of Venus Rising Association for Transformation and Venus Rising University. The creator of the Shamanic Breathwork process, she has led countless workshops and certified hundreds of Shamanic Breathwork facilitators around the world. She is the author of several books, including Soul Whispering and Shamanic Breathwork.
