shamazing women's journey to ecuador 2009

ShAmazing

Women’s Journey

to the Rainforest

Unleashing the

Divine Feminine

November 2009

We each heard a call from the rainforest …

To partake in a journey of the heart to rebirth the Divine Feminine at

the womb of our planet into the consciousness of all humanity.

Our destination: The remote rainforest home of the

Achuar people in the Upper Amazon Basin of Ecuador.

The Achuar are an ancient dream culture and the

natural custodians of their rainforest home ~

a pristine rainforest with no oil development, lumber or

mining.

As an indigenous nation, they have taken a bold stand to preserve

their rainforest and ancient culture. In partnership with The

Pachamama Alliance, they have stood strong.

We traveled with Pachamama at the invitation of the Achuar.

Our tribe of 17 “shAmazing” women on a journey of many life times!

Maidens and mothers traveling together as sisters …

We gathered in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. A city of over 1 million people

at 9,350 ft (2,850m) surrounded by active volcanoes including Cototapaxi to

the south, Pinchincha to the west and others north and east.

Some explored the “Old

City” of Quito with its

beautiful cathedrals and

Colonial Plaza Grande

before our journey to the

rainforest began.

Leaving Quito, we traveled by bus south taking in the beauty of this country.

We traveled down the “Avenue of the Volcanoes” passing Cotopaxi and other

active volcanoes in route to Salasaca, an Andean indigenous community.

We were taking in the rich agriculture that would provide us

with deeply nourishing foods . . .

At Hostal Runa Huasi, we were greeted by Alonso Pillo and his family

And served a nutritious lunch of organic legumes,

vegetables, fruits, free range chickens, and love!

Mother and daughter

taught us to spin wool

Their three generations spin

and weave as a family.

Delighting in life itself, Grandmother

took great delight in our feeble

attempts to learn to spin…

Alonso and his son

demonstrated their weaving

skills, a family tradition

passed on for many

generations.

Salasacas, like the Achuar,

are a strong community with

a bold commitment to

preserve their culture and

ancient ways.

Their intricate designs have

very specific meanings.

Late afternoon Mt Tungurahua greeted us capping the

awe inspiring landscape of the Andean highlands.

Descending the Andes to the edge of the rainforest, we join the

Pastaza River. We followed the Pastaza by bus and then by plane

to a dirt landing strip in the remote “Oriente”.

On the edge of the rainforest we stayed at El Hardin Lodge in Puyo, Ecuador.

A luscious tropical setting

Where we were greeted

by macaws and parrots

of the rainforest.

Narcisa, and her husband Santiago Kawarim, greeted us for dinner.

9 months pregnant, Narcisa, told us about the Jungle Mamas project to

educate Achuar women in safe maternity and infant care practices.

We flew AeroTsentsak into the rainforest . Tsentsak is the Achuar word for

the magic darts shamans use in their healings.

Having their own air service, provides the Achuar with vital access to their

remote villages without building roads that would dissect the rainforest,

threaten wildlife, and encourage settlement sprawl.

And we are off, shuttled in

two separate flights!

Leaving towns on the edge of the rainforest behind us,

The Amazon stretches out like one big patch of broccoli as far as the eye can

see. A land with no roads, only rivers, and trails cut by machete.

45 minutes later we see the beautiful Kapawi Eco-tourist Lodge.

We headed to a dirt runway along the banks

of the sprawling Pastaza River whose waters

flow to the Amazon.

We landed in the remote village of Wachirpas less than 20

miles up river from the Peruvian border.

A canoe met us in the Pastaza River below the end of the runway.

The dock showed how low the

rivers were.

Ecuador has been enduring an

extended drought that caused

power outages in Quito and

Puyo, dried agricultural fields in

the Andes, and now leaves the

rivers unseasonably low.

The Achuar told us that turtle

eggs are exposed and drying in

the hot sun so that the numbers

of turtles have drastically

reduced.

In years past turtles lined the

logs floating in the rivers. This

year we saw no turtles.

We canoed for over

half an hour across

the Pastaza and up

the Capahuari River

to Kapawi Lodge.

The exuberance of

abundant life on the

river in the rainforest

is contagious …

Along the way children played in the water and along the river banks.

Rivers are the Achuar’s primary source for transportation among villages.

Layer upon layer of greenery

and flora form the various

levels of the rainforest

canopy.

A part of our group arrives

at the Kapawi dock on the

Capahuari River.

A boardwalk of

bamboo and native

wood cuts through the

forest from the dock to

Kapawi Lodge

The 20 guest cabins at Kapawi were built by the Achuar

using ancient traditional construction techniques.

No nails or screws were used in construction. Only pegs and holes, notches

and lashes as seen in the support structure for the roof.

Originally built on the edge of a lagoon, the rainforest is ever changing.

At the door to her cabin,

Gracie delights with her

Kapawi issued rainforest

boots.

They kept our feet dry on

wet trails whenever we left

the lodge …

Kapawi is comfortably

inviting with drinkable

water in the taps And hot showers on sunny days!

Our first afternoon at Kapawi we went for a jungle hike. Our

Achuar guides pointed out plants, inserts, birds and animals.

Celestino like most Achuar we met loves to smile and laugh.

We saw the brilliant

Morpho butterfly

known for its iridescent

blue wings.

The thin nutrient layer of the

rainforest soil does not support

deep roots.

Buttressing root systems and

strangle wood growth is every

where.

As are “walking” palms which extend

new roots to follow the sunlight.

Termites are the composters and

live in massive mud nests.

Ferns emerge from the forest floor

Vines climb from the forest floor to the canopy above.

Throughout antiquity the

forest provided indigenous

peoples with all their needs.

Santos demonstrates how

the Achuar fold palm leaves

to create thatch for traditional

Achuar roofs.

Celestino shows how

the Achuar use the

fibers from various

plants for building,

weaving and making

so many things –

Combs, baskets, twine

for roofs and buildings.

Later he would cut

walking sticks for the

tribe.

The Achuar rise before sun for their morning wayusa tea ceremony to

share their dreams, plan their day, and instruct their children.

Our first morning, we were up at 3:30am to travel by

canoe to the village of Kusutkau for wayusa tea and to

share our dreams in Achuar homes…

During the wayusa, we

learned about Achuar

culture including that

marriage ceremonies

occur during the wayusa

ceremony.

We were moved by the

simplicity of life.

Typical Achuar homes have no

walls and little furniture.

Wooden benches line the

public area of the home. A few

pieces of clothing hang from

pegs or on lines to dry.

Wooden shelves serve as beds.

One end of the house is the women’s area with a continuous fire and a

few metal pots for brewing wayusa tea and chicha, their manioc staple.

Formerly purely hunter gatherers, the Achuar now raise chickens as

an important source of protein. A nice chicken coup …

Education is important to the Achuar. Most villages have their own

government provided school. Part of our tribe visited the school in

Kusutkau.

Boys and girls attend school

taught in Spanish following a

national curriculum.

The Achuar recognized that

having Achuar teachers would

help preserve their language

and culture.

The Pachamama Alliance has funded training

for Achuar teachers so the Achuar could be

taught in their own language.

We were invited into one woman’s

chakra in Kusutkau.

Women tend their

chakras while singing

sacred anents to

Nunkui, spirits of the

gardens.

The main products

grown are manioc,

bananas, papaya, sweet

potatoes, hot chilies,

sugar cane, palms, and

many medicinal and

other useful plants.

Manioc is their main

staple which they drink

as chicha. Women brew

and chew the manioc

which causes it to

ferment mildly.

In the chakra, we disturbed a wasp’s nest and several of our tribe were stung.

Wasp medicine is about protective nourishment and role fulfillment. It

teaches the lesson of fulfilling one’s role and responsibilities, revealing how

to construct and nurture our dreams.

An Achuar woman taught us how to create pottery bowls with intricate designs.

The men then judged our work and the women corrected them!

After sharing their

crafts, sacred anents,

and ancient traditions,

our gracious hosts

served a traditional

Achuar meal on

banana leaves.

The meal included

fish, manioc and

potato cooked in a

banana leaf wrapping.

We shared a few songs of our own, including our own Spanish version of “In

the jungle, the mighty jungle the jaguar sleeps …”

To the laughter and delight of our hosts!

It’s not a violin ~ or a viola ~

but she lit up the hearts of all who heard her!

Our tribe in the community long house with our hosts in Kutuskau.

Leaving Kusutkau we were blessed with our first rain in the rainforest!

Over the next few days the

rains came at the perfect time.

And added to the magic of our journey.

On November 11

we traveled by

canoe to a

shaman’s village.

At 11:11 pm

Kathleen lead a

worldwide

meditation to

unleash the Divine

Feminine …

In route to Wayusentsa

we stopped for a hike in

the forest.

We listened to

the sounds of

the birds and

the forest.

We admired

the majestic

world around

us.

Simon shared magical legends of the kapok tree and sacred Achuar traditions.

Debra spotted pink dolphins … and we continued up the river to Wayusentsa.

At sunset we visited the shaman’s house.

Mary Elizabeth brought gifts in an abalone shell

from an American shaman which we had blessed,

Monica presented school supplies, and

Christen delighted the family with her harmonica.

We were touched when our host said he would be sad to see our group leave.

As we left Wayusentsa the next morning, a

swarm of butterflies hovered around the

dock. Butterflies and transformation were

all around us …

Later in the afternoon most rested while others kayaked with pink fresh

water dolphins! The magic continues!

The sun sets on the Capahauri River bringing to close another magical day

in the rainforest.

Mary Elizabeth

celebrates a

journey of many

life times!

A love pile as our group prepares to watch Dream People of the Amazon,

the story of the Achuar and the work of The Pachamama Alliance.

The morning we are leaving, Simon paints our faces with achiote paste.

Each woman gets her

own unique design.

Debra

Cassidy

Monica and Simon

Ashley and Joyce

Christen, Ashley, Katelyn, and Monica

Fierce hunters, the Achuar teach us how to shoot with a blowgun.

The Achuar use

“cotton” from the

Kapok tree to

create a seal so the

dart can be blown

once it is inserted

into the 9 foot long

blow gun.

The darts are

dipped in a lethal

curare poison.

Christen demonstrates her warrior skills …

At the dock as …

Our first group departs Kapawi for our flight out

Taking with us the divine sweetness of the forest.

From the airstrip at Wachirpas

We take off!

We shuttle out on

three flights.

Taking with us the Divinely Feminine magic and

the blessings of the rainforest in our hearts.

Back in the airport in Shell with new and

some not so new treats.

Together

again as one

group we

wind our way

up the Andes

to Luna

Runtun with

the feminine

volcano

Tungurahua

towering

above us.

A lush mountain resort

With bountiful flowers

And a most delicious spa!

A breathtaking setting for our bathing beauties

A time for integrating, sharing our discoveries and our dreams over feasts

Of fruits and vegetables

grown on the property.

A time for basking in the love we share

and for integrating the lessons of the rainforest.

On our last day together

we ventured up the

mountain to find the

perfect spot for our

closing ritual.

Hiking in the spirit of condor and eagle …

We created an altar

with sacred artifacts

from each of us.

Setting our intentions,

we created a healing &

gratitude ceremony of

the heart with music,

dancing, laughter and

singing.

Our closing circle

Unleashing

the

magic

of

the

Divine

Feminine!

Before boarding our bus one last time …

Passing Cotapaxi on our way back to Quito and the modern world …

We celebrate our magical journey together at Café Cultura in Quito our last

night with deep joy and gratitude for all we have experienced and the

sisterhood we have created!

With love and gratitude

to our ShAmazing Tribe

for all we have shared …

It has only just begun!

Christina “Cuqui” Serrano ~ our Ecuadorian

guide who so open heartedly shares her

love of her country and the Achuar!

Kathleen McIntire ~ our leader and divine

inspiration

Robin Milam ~ jaguar leader

Liberty BlueSkyes

Christen Lien

Katelyn Lyster

Monica Niess

Sushila Mertens

Sarah Kell

Cassidy Rast

Katie RastWhitney Kear

Debra Burke

Mary Elizabeth Young Gracie MacKenzie

Joyce Sears

Ashley Sears

Achuar “woman”