Heaven > Mystic Journeys > Peru > Peru & Bolivia - Page 4 (Days 11-14)
Day 11 - December 20, 1997
The morning is free so I wander the streets of Puna with others members of the group and am delighted to find a bakery loaded with sticky buns that taste divine. Licking my fingers, I go back to the room, pack, and board the bus once again, ready for the next leg of our trip. Today we will be visiting temples, and the "Amur Mura Stargate" en route to the Bolivan town of Copacabana (no, not the hottest spot north of Havana. . . just a small town bordering Lake Titicaca!)
Our first stop is the "Male" temple. Walking into the square stone enclosure we find ourselves in a monument to the phallus, complete with several of them carved out of stone. Willaru explains that the Inca were a balanced culture, but that the sister temple (the female shrine) was destroyed by the Spaniards when they conquered the area. We grunt in disgust at the thought, giggle at our own discomfort with the blatant male stones and then settle into some serious meditation. We couldn't resist having a few of the girls strike a few humorous poses. . .
Next stop is the Amur Mura "stargate" -- a strange, forty foot doorway carved right into the mountainside in the middle of nowhere! Locals tell stories of amazing lights and other things seen coming in and out of this rock. There is no "logical" explanation, but the mythology and mystical beliefs seem to ring true.
A group of local Peruvian boys grabs me by the hand and soon I am racing through the fields with them and straight up the rocks. We don't speak the same words, but our hearts connect as they show me their favorite spot -- a lookout in the rocks. They sing for us, take pictures of us with our cameras and laugh with delight when we are out of breath. The boys compete for attention and as soon as one begins to gather a bunch of fragrant wildflowers for me the other quickly join in. Soon I am carrying a boquet far more beautiful than anything I've ever purchased, and far more precious.
We cross the border easily and in Bolivia we check into yet another clean hotel with an ample courtyard. Although a nap sounds good about now, the promise of inexpensive shopping has us dumping our bags on the beds and lures us to market. I purchase more Christmas gifts for the folks back home and then join the group for a hearty dinner. Under another starry night, a few of us head out to the dock at the edge of Lake Titicaca for a brief, but powerful prayer. Later that night I fall asleep to the pounding beat of "Wild Thing" and other American tunes being played at the dance hall only a few short blocks away.
Day 12 - December 21, 1997
I am so very excited to take a shower that is a hot and steady stream of water. I feel really, really clean for the first time in several days. And I am excited because we are going to take a boat ride out in the middle of Lake Titicaca to the floating islands -- -- the Isle del Sol (Island of the Sun) and Isle del Luna (Island of the moon). Local legends tell us there are floating cities of light beneath the surface of the water and I'm glad because when I shut my eyes the visions won't stop. Many realities seem to be superimposed on this beautiful space.
The Isle del Luna is an unassuming piece of land until you start looking beneath your feet at the awesome variety of rocks on the beach. They don't seem to be of this world and their patterns and swirls amuse us. Picking up two rocks, I notice that one looks like and eye, and the other an ear. A song suddenly bursts into mind:
Give me ears to hear.
Give me eyes to see
Whatever it is You have drempt for me
Fill my heart with your love. Fill my mind with your light
In the day give me sunshine and Stars at night
Oh God you're my bliss and my joy and delight
I am / You are / I am love / We are light.
I wish we had more time to spend here. The energy is mystical and very feminine. I am reminded of the mythical and mystical socities of women, and know that if I were to clear my mind the stones would reveal their ancient secrets. However, we are due back to the boat so we can have another wonderful experience on the Island of the Sun.
Isle del Sol greets us with a beautiful set of ruins right near the shore. The ruins are composed of several connected rooms, each one with stone niches big enough for a man to stand in. The energy in the niches is intense. We perform a solstice prayer ceremony at the top, connecting our prayers with those of friends who are praying right now in Egypt. In the inner world, my awareness travels on the "grid" where I meet with several other beings of light, whom I realize, are the souls of the people I am praying with. When I open my eyes, I am sitting on top of a stone ruin overlooking the immense lake with the other members of my group. The realities are switching quickly.
This afternoon we drive to Tiwanaku, Bolivia where we stay at a quaint and cozy hotel. At dinner I have a profound channeling experience as a tall and beautiful female being comes in and takes over my energy. This is farther out than I've ever been. I love the feelings I am receiving and yet I have no frame of reference for these realities. I surrender to the experiences and in doing so, I am overcome with a great peace. I feel embraced by the feminine face of God.
Day 13 - December 22, 1997
We awaken to a cheerful breakfast. I don't know if I should laugh or cry when the hotel owner smiles and tells us he stayed up all night with his machine gun to guard us from the bandits who have been frequenting the area. Ooh!. There is nothing we can do by worrying about last night, so we put on our rain gear and travel to the strangest temple I've seen so far.
For lack of a better name, the sign labels the temple "Subterranean." Nearby, archaeologists are unearthing a pyramid, but I am more fascinated by the site that lies in front of us. I walk down the flight of stairs into a square courtyard with five foot high stone walls. Dotting the walls are life-sized stone heads, each one carved intricately with a different face and different features. In the center of the courtyard a tall statue commands your attention.
A magnetic energy draws me to one of the stone faces. I stare at it and receive the distinct impression that it is somehow "alive" and watching me. I look around, hoping no one will notice, and then put my hands over the face. Immediately a jolt of electricity flies up my arms and through my entire body. I am flooded with a blissful buzzing sensation and when I shut my eyes, a living version of the face before me appears and speaks. "Welcome Home Daughter," he says simply and I burst into tears as if I am reuniting with a being that loves me more than I could have ever imagined. "Yes," the face says. I have heard of ascended masters, but this time I feel as if I am being embraced by one. The visions fades and I tentatively move to the next stone head I am drawn to touch and repeat the exercise. This one is humorous. I want to laugh as I connect with his spirit. One by one, I make my way across the temple wall, touching the faces, communicating with the spirits. The love pouring from each one is incredible, magnificent. I do not want to leave. Willaru comes by and I ask him about this place. He smiles and tells me the beings who built this place left a way for us to connect with them. This is real? It feels incredibly, blissfully, beyond belief, real.
We leave the subterranean temple and walk around the entire archaeological site. I pose for a quick picture in the Moon Gate and wander around a grassy plateau with statues and ruins scattered about. The sun comes out and we start peeling off our layers as we head through the grasses towards a smaller ruin which Willaru calles the "Ascension Chamber".... "Like your Star Trek transporter room," he tells us. I believe him. There are certainly more dimensions to reality than the one in which I live. They are palpable here in this sacred space. Too bad we have to travel back to Lima tonight. I am missing this mysterious land already.
Day 14 - December 23, 1997
Today is an easy, free day in the city. We spend most of our time in the markets wandering past the endless array of vendors. You can buy rugs, tapestries, antique mesa (altar) cloths, jackets, shirts, ponchos, flutes, drums, rattles, seeds that make rain sounds, carved snakes, icons of the Virgin Mary, purses, backpacks, wallets, masks, silver jewelry, clay jewelry, carved jewelry, . . . and the list goes on. Weighted down with our final purchases, we join the group for another pizza dinner and prepare for our flight home. I can't imagine going back to a normal life. I am no longer 'normal'.
Night slips into the next day while we are in midair. It's Christmas Eve, 1997 and I'm in the sky enroute to Miami with the stars as my companions and a crescent moon to the right blessing my path. My heart is filled with a knowing that everything in my life has been part of my soul's plan and I remember who I am. Like el Sol (the Sun) and la Luna (the moon) my purpose in life is to radiate and reflect the Light of Spirit for others. The false notions of what I must do and who I must Be, in order to feel Divine love, have been ripped away.
At home, Peru slips away from me as if it were a dream. And yet my view of reality has changed. I have changed, and while I was gone, my friends have changed too. The doorway to my past has been locked behind me and I must move forward in service and love for others. I understand now that grace comes when we surrender to Divine will, and that joy is our birthright. Peru -- you land of mystery and ancient wisdom, land of balance between the head and the heart, the male and the female, I love you and bless you for reconnecting me with my soul.
