As I write this note, I am sitting atop the great feminine Holy Mountain of Salkantay at 15,700 feet. We are camping so close to her belly that all you can see is the mountain herself, rugged, stunning and covered with glaciers and snow. Salka, means “wild” or undomesticated, helping to hold the wild feminine in each of us.

This annual journey is a spiritual quest. Our group is diverse, traveling to Peru from all over the world, hailing from all walks of life. These journeyers are just like you and I, wanting to be of service and to make a difference in the world. They have climbed this mountain, where every step is a prayer; each day holding ceremony for themselves and the global vision. We are all on a similar quest - one that is much greater than ourselves.

The Solstice is the time to take part in ceremony and re-connect with our quests. No matter which hemisphere you are in, it is important to take the time for ceremony, to honor your own journey and sacred mountains. We re-remember our souls journey when we work at the sacred, in ceremony, with the mountains and sacred sites that hold us.

On the mountain each night we have created a "despacho" or prayer bundle with the Liaka, the medicine men and women of the Andes. The despacho is filled with our prayers for the earth and all humanity. Last night we held ceremony and received the StarKeepers rites, to anchor ourselves to our becoming and today we received the Creator rites that assist us to envision the world we want to live in. Link to Munay-Ki >

Despachos are the primary method used for ceremony in the Andes. Although they can be extensive and detailed you can make a simple prayer offering for the solstice. Use burnable objects such as sugar, corn, feathers, sweets, and bay leaves wrapped in paper to create your own ceremony and offering. With your breath in each item, honor where you are now and all the areas you’d like to be different (physically, mentally, spiritually); then offer prayers for how you envision the world. Burn the bundle or bury it in the earth as an offering in reciprocity for transformation. Link to Featured Ceremony >

The solstice offers us an incredible opportunity to connect at the collective with other men and women holding sacred ceremony for the world at this time.

Wishing you the very best on your soul’s journey,

Linda

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