​The Devil has your number, he has your name too.
He knows what box you have ticked, and what you belong to.
This heavy, quantum, archetypal energy could also be known as hatred, or maybe indifference.
It is full of malice and violence, highly opinionated and extremely judgemental.
The devils job is to divide and conquer the enemy; us.
He divides us into smaller, weaker, easier to manage fractions and groups, labelling each group something different, something ‘special’.
Once he has done this, he will make us hate each other.
We start to point the finger at each other, blaming one another for all the problems in the world, when really, we are the problem, we are also the solution.

I believe one of the biggest issues we face in the western world is the labels we depend on.
We give ourselves these labels, tick the right boxes, answer the questionnaires to find out which group you belong to.
We call each other names, we give ourselves names and wear these masks with pride.
Think for a moment, of all the labels that you identify with;
Christian, Buddhist, Pagan, Muslim, atheist…Black, White, Asian, British, American, Native, Aboriginal…Slut, whore, MILF, frigid bitch, lady killer, ladies’ man, Casanova, pervert…Man, woman, trans-gendered, gender fluid, gender neutral, gender queer…gay, straight, bisexual, lesbian, objectophile…Good, bad, legend, evil, gorgeous, sexy, gross, ugly, survivor, victim…

Have I mentioned them all?
Of course not!
I bet you cannot believe I have not mentioned one you have thought of, how dare I?! Metaphorically speaking, what if you were to gather all your labels and throw them away.
Who would you be?
These labels help us to understand who we are, our place in society, history and our culture.
But we can confuse these labels for us, and who wouldn’t fight tooth and nail to defend them? These labels are not us, they are merely signposts pointing in the general direction of who we are. You are not a signpost, you are you.
If you are a Christian, for example, and wore a neon sign around your neck saying ‘Christian’, (maybe you do…) then it serves to tell others and remind yourself that you have chosen the path of Christ.
If you were to remove that label, (would you remove the cross around your neck for an experiment?) would it change who you are?
Would you be any less than you are now?
Would you change your ways?
Would you change your faith and prayers?
If you were to remove the label Christian from your persona, would you still be you?
Or would you be something more, something freer?
If you do not understand this, or you simply wouldn’t be you anymore, then what does that say about this label?

​‘It is easier for a camel to go though the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’
We carry our labels like they are our riches, but when we reach the end of our lives here, will you need them in heaven? Will they matter? I wonder who gave all these riches to us? The Devil bestows so many boons, but all that glitters is not gold.

We must not be divided.
We need to break down these walls, these labels, these fractions, not create more unique and special ones. Let’s focus on who we are individually and how we are united in our humanity, we are unified in the love of love, in the need for peace and the desire for happiness.
Kindness is the key to our survival.
There is a healing ritual I’d like to share with you, to free yourself from these, often times, limiting beliefs about yourself.

Burning Our Masks.

Start by opening sacred in your way.
Write down every label, mask, fraction and group you identify with on a small slip of paper.
Collect either a fire proof bowl with a candle or light a small bonfire.
Find many small twigs or cocktail sticks.
Pick up a slip of paper, read it, wrap it around a twig.
Meditate briefly on where this label came from, what it means to you now and where it may lead you too…use a rattle or drum to help you focus if you wish.
Stamp you left foot three times to stamp out this energy blow into the stick, and pop it into the fire.
Do this with all labels.
Light more candles and place them amongst the burnt labels, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes of who you once were, shine your light brightly.
Who are you now?
Be you.
Be your authentic self, full of truth and honesty.
Be fierce in who you are and above all else, be free.
​

A part of my work as a shaman, is to re-animate the world around me.
But what does this mean?
My shamanic path is a animistic one, meaning that I believe, to a certain extent, (it depends on my level of consciousness at the time) that the world is organised by supernatural/spiritual/energetic beings. Places, plants, animals, even inanimate objects contain an essence that is conscious. These spirits can be communicated with and even implored to help you, be it for wisdom or a quality of power.
In my opinion, the most powerful and beautiful of those beings are the Apukuna.
Apu means Lord or Mountain, they are the Spirit of the Mountains. For me they are colossal, both in size and presence, and yet they are as gentle as falling snow, and so inconspicuous, you will doubt they are even there.
The stone people, stones, live in a different time and space to us human people. We are barely visible to them, we are born and die in such a flash that we are almost inconceivable to them. They are unaware of us until we interact with them. Maybe we pick them up, hold them, speak to them, or maybe we bring their heads together awakening their memory of fire, and then, they will see us.
I am joined to the lineage of the Altomesayoc, and as such I can appeal and converse with the Apukuna. Stepping outside of time and space is a way of communicating with these most ancient and majestic beings. 
I recently acquired a set of seven chumpi stones. They are quite large compared to many I have seen and are made from meteorite. Each stone has a different amount of points, which relate to different sacred mountain, or Apukuna, and, among other things, are used to gift one of the nine rites of the Munay Ki, the Chumpi rites, or the Sacred Bands of Power.
I decided to create a seven-day ceremony to attune each stone to a mountain. Each day I carried and held one of the stones while summoning the correlating Apukuna. I took note of anything I noticed about me and my day. Then later that night I chanted 108 times the name of that mountain spirit summoning them to be joined to that stone. I then anointed it with my favourite oil, Nag Champa.
What did I notice? I hear you ask. They had messages to tell and wisdom to share, and I will tell you.
I must admit, I wasn’t sure what would come up. What did happen was a huge shift in my energyfield. Deep, powerful and long standing wounds that I have dealt with many times, including during my own experience on the medicine wheel, came up, and not only did they show me the true face of my wound, the Apukuna showed me exactly where the wounds came from. The answer shocked me to my core and brought up many long-buried memories. I still find it hard to believe this didn’t show up during the many healing sessions I have received. I now know what I need to heal; the journey continues.

The Yapanapukuna, the Sacred Mountains.

Apu Ausangate.
The Sacred Masculine, the divine source of water speaks; Stop, take the time to smell the flowers I offer to you. Take notice of the joy that ripples around you, play with our children, give them all you have at that moment, we all deserve tickles and cuddles. Drink plenty of my sacred waters, they are offered to you freely, let it nourish you. Opportunities are given, you need only ask, stand at the edge of the forest and ask for what you want, know that you will get what you want and more besides.

Apu Salcantay.
The Sacred Feminine, Wild woman speaks; Run! Like the wild horses, raw and natural. Be just who you are, embrace all that you are, the good, the bad and downright dirty! See those sparks of life in all, and allow that spark of the wild to shine secretly to those who know it, and to those who do not, may you scare them with your wild beauty. Create a splash of chaos, if you wish, but it is far better to move silently through this world without creating a ripple, like wild geese on a lake of morn-light.

Apu Illimani.
The First Light speaks; The first light of Inti, our star, shone down upon the earth and cast the first shadows amongst the people of stone. Now the sacred light is at its brightest, and the shadows are at their darkest, yet we are living in the darkness. Be the light, trust in yourself, trust in your light. Notice and observe the nonviolence, notice the places where there is no arguing, no fighting, no swearing or screaming, be this. Know it is your choice to stop protesting and complaining, accept or be the change you would rather see. It feels good, doesn’t it? Look to the sun, and breathe.

Apu Huanakauri.
Coiling Serpent speaks; Know what is in your heart will be reflected in the world around you. Look in the streets, the media, your own life, see that it is truth. What can sometimes feel daunting is a lesson in connection, we are all connected. A fine thread connects us to the war and torment of another the other side of the world. Our reflections are us, we are our reflections, All is One. Know when to strike, and when to recoil to the safety of your inner landscape. Learn the power of No, and the beauty of Yes.

Apu Sacsayhuaman.
The Satisfied Falcon speaks; Be true to yourself, be honest. Allow the winds to blow through your mind, clearing space for you. Be in integrity, it's OK to feel happy, give yourself permission to be satisfied. Know your truth, speak your truth, live your truth, it cannot lead you astray. Take a deep breath in and just Be.

Apu Huacawilka.
The Sacred Tears speaks; When you allow your tears to run, you allow the river within you to flow. All rivers nourish the soil around them, all rivers deposit their gifts. Nourish the soils of your heart, allow the rivers to flow, you will find the roots to your wounds and with it, the fragments of gold you have been waiting for.

Apu Machu Picchu.
The Wise Old Man, the Sage speaks; Listen to the young, their wisdom can sometimes surpass that of the old, both are invaluable. Listen to the children of our future, to the inner child within. You have within you all the answers you will ever need, and the questions that follow. Open up your heart and listen to the wisdom of the Divine, it is your Sacred voice that speaks. Be the light in the darkness, be the goodness in the world, step into your authenticity.

​These are the words of the Yapanapukuna, all the Sacred Mountains. 
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