Archives for August 2017

I was in Peru for two weeks on a spiritual  retreat with Ashera Sefarty of Luminosity Healing Arts, Daina Puodziunas of Awakened Potentials for Women, and a small group of awesome women. Our “home base” for that time was Sach’a Munay Retreat and Yoga Center in Arin. Sach’a Munay is translated as “love in the forest.”

The center is nestled between two mountains and is nourished by a waterfall. The grounds are meticulously maintained with raised beds of flowering plants and a generous compost system.

Paths are made of stone, as are most of the raised beds and retaining walls. There’s a fire pit and sweat lodge ready for guests, too. We used the fire pit several times for roaring bonfires under the twinkling stars.

Every day I’d wake up with the sun, get a hot cup of tea, and sit on the couch in the main room watching clouds tickle a mountaintop in the distance.

Then there was an hour and a half of yoga, meditation, and free-style dance, followed by a freshly prepared gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, fresh fruit, and juice. Coca tea was always available, too.

Some days we stayed on site and gathered in the maloka – a circular building that reminded me of the yurts at Omega. The floor is wood, sides of the building glass, and there is a glass ‘insert’ into the top of the building to allow light to pour through.

We kept an alter in the maloka during the entire retreat.

One day we hiked up the river to a secluded spot for meditation. Another day, we hiked to the waterfall; I swear it was one of the hardest climbs for me. I huffed and puffed and fought off the urge to sit down and give up.

But the views from the waterfall and the experience at the waterfall were totally worth all my internal whining.

Other days, we’d pile into a van and be off for an adventure. Sach’a Munay’s chief chef, Martin, had boxed lunches prepared.

And when we returned from the day trip? Dinner was ready and waiting.

The bath and bedrooms were cleaned and straightened daily by two women who had several dogs ‘assisting.’ Dogs are very prevalent in Peru, and there were two or three who seemed to live at the center. There was even one resident cat that seemed to spend a lot of time lounging in the sun.

The same ladies even took care of our laundry. The cost? Well, with an exchange rate hovering around $3 US for $1 Peru Neuvo Sole, I think the 5 soles was a deal and a half.

I would love to return to Sach’a Munay and stay even longer.  I might even hike up to the waterfall again.

My Peru journey was organized and facilitated by Ashera Sefarty of Luminosity Healing Arts. The retreat was co-led by Daina Puodziunas Awakened Potentials for Woman. I’m only getting started with telling you about the amazing spiritual journey to the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Tipon and Pumamarca are two archaeological sites in the Sacred Valley of Peru that are far less popular – and therefore far less populated – than Machu Picchu. And if you’re heading to Peru for a ‘spiritual’ experience, I’d add these sites onto your agenda. The energy at both locations is clean and clear.

Tipon

This archaeological site was my first real ‘retreat’ experience with a group of women organized and facilitated by Ashera Sefarty at Luminosity Healing Arts. The retreat was co-led by Daina Puodziunas Awakened Potentials for Woman.

As we climbed the stairs out of the parking lot into the site, and then continued to climb along ancient stairs, I felt the altitude. Normally I walk with a certain amount of speed and urgency; I’m a little slower on stairs, but still.

It was hard. Very hard at times. So hard that I was usually one of the last ones to arrive at a destination. I wanted to sit down and pout.

I don’t know if it was 100% altitude, or because I wasn’t in amazing physical shape, or what. Chewing coca leaves gave me energy, but this body just said, “Um, nope, not gonna climb that fast. No way.”

So I let go of any expectations I had for this awesome body. I slowed down. I chanted Om Mani Padme Hum. I paused to catch my breath and enjoy the view.

I laughed with a traveling friend who also found stairs challenging. And I got where I needed to get, as you can see from the photos.

More About Tipon

Academics may tell you that Tipon was home to royals, and an ‘agricultural’ site. My traveling companions and I, however, saw and felt other things. We scooped water by the handfuls out to bless ourselves. We lunched high above the site. The weather turned from hot to cool, and I pulled out my lightweight winter jacket and hat. We finished our visit to Tipon with a despacho: a formal way to send prayers to Pachamama and the Apus (earth and mountains.) We also received the first of two Munay Ki rites.

• The Spanish language Wikipedia entry
• Also in Spanish this website has many pictures.
• From Cusco Online, more information about the archaeological park of Tipon.
• Don’t miss this professional video on Vimeo; can’t for the life of me make this video appear here.
• Here’s another, older video of Tipon:

Pumamarca

Also spelled Pumamarka, this archeological ‘park’ is at the opposite end of the Sacred Valley from Tipon, a short van ride from Ollataytambo, and just as deserted.  Here is another professionally shot video. Never mind the professional cyclists: look at those views!

The only other people we saw were some boys playing soccer.  I don’t have pictures to share because I didn’t take my camera; suffice to say, another mountain top and a feeling of deep connection.

Others in the group did have cameras, and someone took this wonderful shot of me, standing on the mountain, arms flung wide to accept and embrace the energy. Thank you, sisters!

Thinking of traveling to the Sacred Valley in Peru? Definitely look at your options and make smart decisions.

Ashera Seferty and Luminosity Healing Arts

During my trip, I spent 13 glorious days in the Sacred Valley with a small group of women for a retreat called “Awakening The Divine Feminine and the Heart of Pachamama.”

Organized by Ashera Seferty of Luminosity Healing Arts,  the journey was carried out with the utmost integrity. I would return to Peru for any event Ashera organizes.

Peru is one of those locations that’s been on my invisible bucket list for years. It’s an ‘invisible’ bucket list because I think I’ll never, ever be able to travel to any of these places.

And then Daina Puuodziunas, whom I’d met years ago during a sweat lodge, announced that she was co-leading a trip to Peru.

Who is Leading The Spiritual Travel?

To me, when you’re considering travel for spiritual purposes (which for me is meditation, experiencing the energy of the place, and camaraderie of like-minded companions) you need to be super careful about WHO is leading the tour and HOW the tour will be conducted.

Having worked at The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies for a couple of years, and having a whole ton of meditation experience, I can confidently say there’s a wild world out there of so-called spiritual travel, and it’s not all Eat, Love, Pray.

For example, while in Peru, a traveling companion talked with a woman who had come to the country to experience ayahuasca. She’d spent a great deal of money to go to the jungle, sit with a purported teacher, and take several doses of ayahuasca over the course of a couple of days.

There was little or no spiritual guidance offered. Needless to say, the woman had a miserable time.

Not that I have anything against you heading to the jungle to take ayahuasca. Just be really careful about the integrity of the trip. Always, always trust your gut feelings and intuition. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And you probably know it, too.

Trust Your Instincts

After a brief conversation with Daina, I had complete confidence in the abilities of Ashera Sefarty to maintain integrity and authenticity throughout this spiritual retreat in the Sacred Valley of Peru. I was not disappointed, and whole heartily recommend anything either of these two powerful women offer.

• Ashera Seferty owns Luminosity Healing Arts. She is an accomplished yoga teacher, ayurvedic & energy worker. She is a full mesa carrier in the Peruvian Q’ero tradition and works directly with local indigenous healers and shamans. She lives in Peru, and travels frequently throughout the US and Canada.
• Daina Puodziunas owns Awakened Potentials for Women. An accomplished ceremonialist and inner wisdom coach, Daina lives and works in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area

About My Journey

The following posts talk about the various activities during my 13-day stay in the Sacred Valley of Peru.

• Sach’a Munay Retreat Center
• The Q’ero, Despachos, and Munay Ki Rites
• Tipon and Pumamarca Archeological Sites
• Machu Picchu and the town of Agua Calientes
• The Sacred Waterfall

Have you ever taken a spiritual journey to another country?