No matter where we are in the world, we wake each day to profound uncertainty, as wars rage and our planet withers. We find ourselves adrift in the isolating currents of individualism, severed from nature and community. And in our forgetfulness, we have overlooked the wisdom of our elders—the cornerstones of our society who hold invaluable stories, songs, rituals and lessons. With a bird’s eye view, they have the unique ability to weave together the threads of ancient and modern knowledge, embracing complexity and illuminating our path forward. In their stories and teachings, we can find the guidance and clarity we so desperately need to navigate these turbulent times.

There has never been a more important time in history to listen when our elders speak.

First, I want to acknowledge this conversation would not have been possible without facilitation from Marilu Shinn who has nurtured her relationships with these elders and community for over 20 years, and Yuri Flores who supported translation from their native Quechua language.

The honor of speaking with Don Sebastian Sucli and Don Andres Apaza is met with deep gratitude for this weaving.

Meet the elders

Nestled among the rugged peaks lives Don Sebastian Sucli, an 82-year-old Pampa Mesayoq and revered keeper of Earth Medicine Wisdom. His journey into medicine began at the tender age of eight when a bolt of lightning struck him, marking him as chosen by the Earth and the forces of Nature to become an Alto Mesayoq, a high-level bridge between the realms of the living and the spirits.

This calling was met with resistance from his family, especially his father, who dreaded the arduous path and the many sacrifices demanded of a high priest, including a shortened life.

In alignment with the Andean path, he became a healer and medicine man deeply attuned to the forces of nature. Over the years, he learned to cure diseases and restore balance by engaging with the Earth’s energies. As an Earth Ceremonialist, he has dedicated his life to preserving and passing down the wisdom and ancestral rites of passage of his Incan forebears. His mission is to awaken the seeds of Earth keepers in those who seek the Andean Ancestral Path. It is the strength and power of the pulse of the Earth that helps them understand disease at an energetic and spiritual level, which Marilu refers to as a ‘high art’.

“Their way of living is a constant prayer, giving in service, joyful constantly chewing coca leaf – the intermediary between them and the land and the spirit world”
– Marilu Shinn

Not far from Quico, in the Andean community of Hatun Q’ero lives Don Andres Apaza, an esteemed Incan Earth Steward and farmer. From a young age, Don Andres was immersed in the sacred ways of Earth stewardship, learning to live in harmony with the land that nurtured him. His journey took a significant turn during his teenage years when he was formally initiated as a Paqo Mesayoq, and he has devotedly followed the spiritual Andean path ever since.

A pivotal moment in Don Andres’ life was when he received teachings and initiations, known as Karpays, from the revered Alto Mesayoq, Don Manuel Quispe. These sacred teachings, imparted at various holy mountains, deepened his understanding and commitment to the ancient Incan ways.

Now, at 63 years old, Don Andres continues his work with an open heart, welcoming seekers from around the globe who wish to learn the Andean ways of Earth medicine and stewardship. His home in Hatun Q’ero is not just his place of residence but a beacon of ancient wisdom, welcoming those who come with a genuine desire to serve their communities in sacred reciprocity and to forge a deep connection with the Earth and its timeless traditions.

The cultural ethos of Don Sebastian and Don Andres is deeply rooted in community, reciprocity and relationality with nature.

COMMUNITY AND RESILIENCE

“To live ‘in community’ is to have a circular way of thinking. When someone is lacking resources, the community is always willing to extend a hand and support each other. This stems from the necessity imposed by the harsh environment of the high Andes.”
– Don Andres

“It is our reliance on the collective work and community that has allowed our existence to carry forward and to survive everything that has been happening over the last 500 years. Because we live in such remote and isolated places up in the mountains, if we emphasized individual needs, we probably would not be alive today.”
– Don Andres

“Collective love and care has built our resiliency, which is the strength to carry forward and maintain the ways of our ancestors as sacred and intact.”
– Don Andres

“In today’s society with globalization and the continual erasing of our ways through colonization, I see how important it is for us to keep preserving and embodying our ancestral, sacred wisdom. I see how the youth in our communities are feeling the inner conflict of retaining their wisdom but also not wanting to be left behind.”
– Don Andres

PRESERVING AND EMBODYING SACRED WISDOM

His pensive gaze gives way,expanding with his whole heart as he emphasizes that they, as elders, are the embodied wisdom of their ancestors. Having a deep reverence for ancestral knowledge and the community helps them carry forward with their ways of being and living.

Earth as mother

Their Cosmovision tells the story of a worldview composed of three distinct worlds. First, there’s the Uhku Pacha, the underworld and hidden realm beneath our feet. It’s a place of roots and healing, symbolized by the serpent. Next, is the Kay Pacha, our ordinary world. This is where we live and breathe, the realm of Pacha Mama, a world embodied by the strength and inner discernment of the puma. Above us, there’s the Hanaq Pacha, the upper world, soaring in the lofty heights of the condor’s flight, where the spirits dwell and we can seed the possibilities for a new shared future.

“We relate to a multi-dimensional world with the upper, middle and lower worlds. Our deep connection with the earth mother teaches us all about life. We have an ongoing relationship with her. We speak to her, and she replies, and when she replies, she teaches us the roots of modern day society’s illnesses and diseases that we understand at the soul level. This is why it is so important to retain our body of wisdom, because we can help people heal from modern day diseases because they originate from the disconnection with the land, from hyper-individuality and lack of reverence.”
– Don Sebastian

“The fast pace of life and disconnected way of living in the city can cause confusion of self and community values.”
– Don Sebastian

The Q’eros believe the imbalance we are experiencing in our modern world comes from this disconnect in communication and relationship with the ancient. Don Sebastian says that one way we can reconnect this broken channel is through the act of spiritual payments.
He says the act of giving back to the mountains, and nature as a whole, is critical to life on earth.

“The origins of bringing offerings to the earth is like the analogy of the human body. If we don’t have proper nutrition, we will be depleted or nutrient deficient. We need to feed our physical body, just like we also need to feed the Earth’s body so that she can also be vital, healthy and well. How can we expect our food to be nutrient dense if we lack respect for the body of the Earth? So by bringing offerings to the Earth, we are paying her in reciprocity for everything that she provides to us.”
– Don Sebastian

RITUAL & RITES OF PASSAGE

The short answer is through the sacred coca leaf and rites of passage.

The humble coca leaf is a small but potent vessel, fostering connection to Mother Earth. The Andean people have long revered the sacred practice of offering three coca leaves, each one an act of tangible prayer bridging the three realms of existence. These leaves are more than mere botanical specimens; they are the sacred messengers of the Andean Cosmovision and because they walk miles to tend to the land, the coca leaves provide them stamina and vitality.

Each leaf acts as a conduit, a tiny bridge across the spiritual divide, allowing the elders and shamans to traverse the multidimensional upper, middle and lower worlds to deliver vital messages. Through this practice, the coca leaves become more than pure offerings; they are the threads that together weave the tapestry of life, connecting the earth to the heavens and binding us to the sacred rhythms of the cosmos.

“The coca leaves act as conduits between our intentions and the land.” – Don Andres

For them, rites of passage are also central to the cosmovision and right order of things.

The birth of a newborn being introduced to the community for the first time, the rhythms of planting and harvesting, the initiation into healing roles, the transition to elderhood, and the arrival at death are all significant milestones,, each marked and honored through unique rituals and rites of passage.

“Every rite of passage opens communication with the realm of the spirits which includes the earth and the seven apus (mountains). Once you receive them, you enter a completely different way of relating to the earth mother, but also to the mountain spirits who give transmissions and initiations. In exchange for the devotion of our pilgrimages to the mountains to receive wisdom and the ability to heal others, we receive health and blessings.”
– Don Sebastian

When it comes to the land and animals they steward, constant rites of passage are brought to life. They bless the livestock, crops and harvest with a prosperity rite of passage called Pago a la Tierra.

“In the Pago a la Tierra, they first bless the hands of the farmer and the land with prayers, breath and with offerings of seeds and flowers and chicha (a traditional Inca beverage made with corn) asking permission to the Pachamama to plant the seeds and ask for abundance and right relation with the land, the soil and the crops.”
– Marilu Shinn

Nustas carry medicine and they either work with the left side and the right side. There are women who carry more of the right side medicine, which is the earthkeepers way and can also perform healings. Then, there are women who carry the left side, which is like preserving the deeper knowledge and wisdom of the ancient cosmovision.

“In nature, the energies of the feminine are everywhere. And in the sacred mountains in the waters, there is this analogy to the female body. By honoring and initiating women’s new steps into this path, it brings more balance between the masculine and the feminine, the duality of this world.”
– Don Andres

Death and dying, are processes deeply respected in this tradition, and are marked with an equally powerful rite of passage. This rite may involve elaborate ceremonies where the physical body is separated from the energetic body and the soul. Trained healers perform energetic maneuvers and prayers on behalf of the deceased person during this rite.

An invitation for earth keepers

With that final invitation, we lay these thoughtful questions at your feet to explore after reading this feature:

“If more people are receptive and willing to listen and to serve from purity, we can begin to be an allyu (all life around you, a network of families with a common ancestor) again, which will bring much needed healing and repair to the web of life, the earth and to our relationships. This is how the ancestral wisdom will carry forward for generations to come.”
– Don Andres

With that final invitation, we lay these thoughtful questions at your feet to explore after reading this feature:

• Are you connected with local elders in your local community?
• What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from elders?
• What would the world look like if we held a reverence for elders?
• How would your life look different if communal values were prioritized over individual values?
• How do you communicate and relate to the earth?
• How do you engage in rites of passage in your life? Do you identify a link between them and your wellbeing?
• Do you feel called to experience the culture, rites of passage, and Indigenous ways of the Q’ero people? If so, please reach out to us directly and we can connect you to their community.