PERU

I am Brazilian and the saying goes that out of every ten Brazilians, eleven are channels. Of course, this is an old joke, but also is the truth, because for some special reason, most of the channels decided to be born in Brazil. This doesn't mean that there are not channels born all over the world, but in reality it is amazing how we Brazilians are so sensitive inside. I began my spiritual life when I was eighteen years old, and thank god it was in a very special center, founded by the Gasparetto family. There, I studied and worked for fourteen years, where of course I acquired most of what I today know of the spiritual life and the person I am. Of course, I am not writing this article to talk about Brazil and Brazilians, but to talk about the incredible and fantastic country called Peru.

I always hear spiritualists referring to Peru as a lost paradise, a Shangri La. It is such a special place that everyone who visits Peru begins to express the times of their life in terms of before and after their visit to Peru. Through Shirley MacLaineÕs book and movie, Out on a Limb, where she shared her true personal experiences, I was able to comprehend more clearly why people make this stark comparison of their lives in terms of before and after Peru. So, I decided to experience the energy of this magical country for myself with myspiritual group, conducted by my friend -- psychologist, pychic and channel, Luiz A. Gasparetto. Shirley MacClaine wrote about her experiences with Luiz Gasparetto in Going Within, and in fact devoted chapter 13 of that book to him. We traveled from Brazil to Peru in July of 1989, and I will attempt to describe for you a few of the experiences I had surrounding the special places in Peru. I will also give a brief historical explanation and some information on research conducted there over the past century.

There were seven civilizations or mystical cultures of the Andes beginning with the Chavin who lived there approximately 1000 B.C. These races eventually led to the most advanced people in 1100 A.D. -- what the modern world now calls the Incas. But the word Inca is not the word which describes all of these natives who inhabited the Andes during this period, but was the title for the Leader of the Empire. The Empire was lead by the Inca and the Priests who had to undergo very difficult initation rituals in order to earn this title.

Inca Manco Cápac was the founder of the city of Cusco. Cusco according to the Incas, means 'Navel of the Earth' in their native Quechua language. The first place we visited after departing from the capital city of Lima, was Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire.

Comparing Cusco with Rome, many believe the former was ahead, that its inhabitants did not know how to write as the Romans did, but nevertheless they were much more skillful in the sciences and use of weapons than the latter. They differed, however, from the Romans in that they were unable to leave their exploits in writing; nonetheless they perpetuated their culture with a monument and their creation: which is Cusco.

It was in Sacsayhuaman that we had our first impact. The incredible Sacsayhuaman is situated five miles north of Cusco. This perfectly polished stone construction, consisting of three tiers of massive rock in the shape of a serpent which winds for 600 meters reflects the power and majesty of the Inca Empire. The amazing thing about this construction, as well as other Inca temples, is that they were constructed so perfectly that even with earth tremors, which have shaken this country for centuries since their original construction, these temples remain. The legends of how Sacsayhuaman was constructed say that it would have taken 75 years to build and 10,000 to 30,000 men to simultaneously move these stones to this place. The largest stone is estimated to weigh over 160 tons. Similar to the legends and beliefs as to how the pyramids were constructed, researchers have deduced that these people, before the discovery of the wheel, must have had assistance from some other more advanced race (or possibly our space brothers and sisters). The other amazing aspect of this temple is that at its highest point (Cusco being an elevation of 12,000 feet), fossils of seashells have been discovered imbedded in the rock.

In the heart of Sacsayhuaman you reach a special energy vortex, Muiuparka, where the Incas performed special rituals to create a connection with the cosmic energy. The innermost circle of the construction represents the Sun, the second, the moon, and the third, the constellations. And wherever you travel in Peru you will always find special temples dedicated to the sun, the masculine energy of yang, and the temples of the moon, the feminine energy of yin. This civilization refers to itself as "Sons of the Sun" because to them the Sun (Inti in Quechua) was the maximum representation of the divine light and life -- God. Their life was based in harmony with nature and they therefore embraced God (Inti) in all of his divine creation through all of their rituals. Their pantheistical rituals utilized divine expression which enabled them to feel a connection in perfect union of the creator. In the center of the circle we performed a chakra balancing ritual.

Feeling full of energy, balanced and ready for our next experience, we moved on to Tambomachay, the Temple of the Sacred Waters, and I experienced an altered state where I returned to the past when we performed our purification ritual as the former Incas, Priests and ÒVirgins of the SunÓ had performed. Virgins of the Sun were special women of this culture who either devoted their lives to the spiritual quest or were devoted only to the Inca himself for child-bearing purposes.

It was in Machu Picchu that I finally rediscovered my true being. Here I received so many answers as to why I had always been so attracted to this country. Machu Picchu, in Quechua, means the old mountain. Its ruins have taken the name of the mountain because no one knew what else to call these ruins. This name was given to the city after its rediscovery by the American, Hiram Bingham, in 1911. Once again, the IncaÕs constructions cause us to question how they could have created this city and why they would have built a city in this place at such a high altitude. Imagine an ocean of mountains in a large valley and on the top of one, a perfect city of white stones.

Machu Piccchu is so special that it really deserves to be called the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Today, Machu Picchu is the inheritance of all humanity, and there have been many different explanations as to how and why it was built. In this time of technological revolution, most people look to the archaeologists explanations, but at the same time, we should not exclude the spiritual ones. It is my opinion that the best way to arrive at the truest explanation is through the joining of the two sciences -- the sciences of the intellect and the science of the spirit. Machu Picchu is perfectly intact compared to other ÒruinsÓ found around the world. The only work necessary to make this city inhabitable (of course, in a primitive way) would be to put roofs on the houses.

One of the many explanations of what Machu Picchu was is that it was built as a type of convent, where the Virgins of the Sun lived and worked to provide all of the necessities of life to their superiors, the Incas and Priests. Archaeologists discovered 167 human remains, 102 of which were adult women, 7 young women, 22 adult men, 4 young men, 21 of which they were not able to determine the sex, and 5 infants. This proves to us that this city's population was composed mostly of women.

Marino Orlando Sanchez Macedo, archaeologist and author of the book, De las Sacerdotisas, Brujas y Adivinas de Machu Picchu (The Priestesses, Witches and Psychics of Machu Picchu), researched and performed archaeological digs in this city spreading over a 20-year period, and I believe that he is the person who has come the closest to the truth about this city (with the exception of the channeled entitity, Chuma, who I will talk about later in this article), even though so much had already been taken by Hiram BinghamÕs expedition. Marino Sanchez has rewritten the history of Machu Picchu from his point of view and through his research has arrived at the conclusion that this city was truly a sanctuary. The evidence he has found makes it clear that the Priestesses who lived there were very knowlegeable about the mysteries of the sky and the earth. When one visits Machu Picchu they will be able to feel the energy that involves and fascinates everyone, including those who have not awakened to the spiritual life, because everytime that I have been there I always have talked with people from all over the world and with great excitement they say that Machu Picchu has convinced them that there must be more to this life than our present material existence.

Another transforming experience I had when first visited Machu Picchu was my first introduction to a light being, through Gasparetto, named Chuma. This entity gave our group of fifty people many material proofs of her presence and the presence of other spiritual entities who live in Machu Picchu. Chuma said to us that the truth about Machu Picchu is that it was a University where special youths studied to cultivate, improve and refine their knowledge of the spiritual science. She also said that when humanity is prepared, a record book will be found which will reveal all of the secrets of the science of the past, present and future.

Marino Sanchez discovered the remains of Chuma in his digs in the sacred plaza which were adorned with many crystals, principally amethysts, in the Temple of Three Windows. Three was always a magical number for all of the religions of the world. Three also had a deep religious significance for the Incas, which transmits the philosophic conceptions of the universe. For them, the universe was composed of three different worlds: Hanaq Pacha, meaning Nirvana (the supernatural world); Kay Pacha, meaning the material world composed of human beings and: 1) the earth, 2) the waters, 3) the mountains, 4) the devas and 5) the guardian angels.; and Ukhu Pacha, meaning the subterraneal world. It was in the Temple of Three Windows that rituals were performed to combine these three worlds in perfect union for integral connection with God.

Until 1438, the Incas worshiped the Sun as God, but after this date, with the reign of the Inca, Pachakuteq (meaning reformer of the universe). He believed that God was not only be the Sun, but must be something much larger than the Sun and therefore must also be the creator of the Sun. He called all of the Priests of the Empire and commanded them to go into seclusion until they found the true God. They returned to Pachakuteq with the true God -- (THE LIGHT, THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF ALL THINGS, THE ORIGIN OF LIFE, THE MASTER AND ORGANIZER OF THE UNIVERSE).

It was in Intiwatana, the solar astronomical observatory, the highest point of the city of Machu Picchu, where this race of people developed the study of the universe and were able to develop the calendar, dividing the year into 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months, the months into days, the days into 24 hours, and the hours into 60 minutes, exactly as we know it today. Here, especially we are able to feel the vibration and the presence of extraterrestials. Many spiritualists who visit Machu Picchu perform rituals to connect with their space brothers and sisters at Intiwatana.

To know Machu Picchu is a dream for so many, and today I can understand why, because only through experience are we able to comprehend its power and energy. Unfortunately, the archaeological studies of Marino Sanchez concluded that Machu Picchu does not have a long life. This is because the movement of the earth each day affects in some way the structure of the mountain and, consequently, of the city. Therefore, it is the premise of Marino Sanchez that in the near future, there is a great probability that Machu Picchu will come tumbling down. This saddens me deeply, so I can say no more about Machu Picchu here. Now I will continue on to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Urubamba.

The Urubamba Valley's is one of the most fertile valleys on this planet where everything that is planted grows with such abnormal vigor, especially corn, which grows to approximately three times the size of the corn grown here in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

At the end of the Urubamba Valley, we find the ancient Inca village of Ollantaytambo.

In Ollantaytambo we find the Lemurian Temple of Love, which was also known to the Incas as the Temple of the Sun. A profound energy is experienced here in connection with six enormous pink stones that were mysteriously transported to this place. The vibrations are so strong that by simply placing hands on the stones your body begins to pulsate and vibrate. Many people who have visited here sense there is a stong UFO connection and/or contact with the Pleiades.

Well, there is much more to see and say about Peru. After my first contact with Chuma, I received a message to change my entire life and begin to organize metaphysical groups to offer the opportunity to others who dream to visit Peru to help them realize their dreams and to enjoy their own experiences to be able comprehend and understand why we compare our lives before and after Peru.

Peru, the Mystical Country, oh excuse me -- the Message Country, because mysteries will continue to be a mystery for those who do not want to comprehend the underlying messages and know that mysteries do not exist, but only messages. Is waiting for you to reveal it's message. Come to join us.

I offer this article to CHUMA, my spiritual guide, who works with me in everything relating to Peru. Namaste. Vera L Shapiro

Vera is a Spiritual Oriented Tour Guide, Reiki Master Teacher, Crystal-Teacher Healer, Shaman Apprentice, Spiritual Counselor and co-founder of V.J. Enterprises and Spirits of the Earth. She also has been initiated into the Andes Tradition, 'Ritual of Rarpay',and is dedicating her spiritual life path to become an Ande Pristess and share the seed of ther Inca Soul. Since 1989 she has conducted many successful journeys taking Brazilians and Americans to Peru, now lives in Des Plaines, IL with her husband, Joshua Shapiro, co-author of Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed, and will take her next group to Peru in June. For more information on her journeys, please call (847) 699-9701.