by Oakley E. Gordon, Ph.D.
Salka Wind
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This web site is a product of my studies with the Andean paq'o Americo Yabar and other paq'os of the Andes. The term paq'o is most often translated as shaman, but here I believe translation misleads as much as it reveals. The term shaman is commonly used to clump together all indigenous mystical or spiritual approaches from around the globe, it carries with it certain associations such as the use of drums and chanting and psychoactive plants, none of which fit my experiences with the paq'os of the Andes. What I have experienced instead is an intimate and loving relationship with Nature, developed through meditative-like processes, and the blossoming of a new way of understanding the Cosmos that my intellect can appreciate but not comprehend. Based on this I believe that mystic may be a better translation for paq'o than is shaman but for the most part I'll stick to paq'o.
It is the non-intellectual blossoming of understanding within a person that I believe is the heart of this approach, not the words or concepts or beliefs that help this blossoming to occur. The end result is not to turn into a specific type of person, but to become more aware of the essence of who we uniquely are, which somehow paradoxically takes us closer to what we all are. It also engenders a beautiful, intimate, respectful, and mutually supportive relationship with Nature, which the planet could strongly use about now. This web site represents my best attempt to share in my own way what I have learned in the Andes, I hope it will serve as a resource for others who are following a similar path or who simply want to know more about Andean mysticism. Please know that my thoughts inevitably reflect my own cultural upbringing, my intellectual penchants and academic background, and my heart; they do not represent don Américo Yábar or the other paq'os other than through their effects on me.
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There are many paths available in this world for those who seek a more direct experience of the underlying (and sacred) nature of reality. All of these paths, I believe, are heading toward the same goal and they all have value, but they are different paths, they do differ from each other, each one attracts people who find that path to be most compatible with who they are and what they most value. The Andean path is one that values love, respect, and a deep connection with Nature. Rather than leaving Nature to go into a man-made structure to worship, the paq'os connect with the sacred beneath a field of stars, or with a river as it cascades down from the hills, or with the morning sun as it rises above the towering peaks, or with the Pachamama, the great mother who is the Earth herself. For some people this path resonates deeply.
- Every culture is based upon a set of assumptions about the nature of reality. These assumptions enable the culture to be very good at some things but also inevitably result in it not being so good at others. Western culture has excelled at the accumulation of knowledge and the development of technology, this is what we are particularly skilled at doing. We have the knowledge and technology we need to create a future where this planet would be a garden of Eden, a planet of great natural beauty, with bountiful and diverse life living in harmony and supporting the human race with bounty and health. We could also, however, choose to head toward a future of mass extinction of species, of scarcity, poverty, war, pollution, and disease. Given this choice, how could it possibly be that we seem, as a society, to be heading toward the latter? The answer, I believe, is that the very assumptions we have about reality that make us such great technicians and gatherers of information also make it difficult for us to see where we are going and to then direct our actions towards the sort of future we would want for our children and for life in general. We have the means, but we seem to lack the heart. The Andean culture (and I suspect many other indigenous cultures) specialize in the heart, they are as advanced in this area as we are in technology. To head toward a better future we need to combine the technological know-how of modern Western culture with the wisdom and love of beauty--and the abilities that those engender--that are found in other cultures, such as in the Andes. We each have a crucial piece of the solution, we need to work together, for technology without heart will lead to a very bad place indeed.
- While I believe that all the cultures need to get together, bringing to the table what they do best, in order to move toward a better future, I also believe that each culture has value and deserves to exist for its own sake. The people of the high Andes as so geographically isolated that they have managed to keep their culture intact over the 500 years since the Spanish conquest, but they are now facing increasing exposure to the West. Roads are being built into the high Andes by the Peruvian government, electricity and television will soon follow. With electricity comes electric bills for a people with little money, which in turn leads to them giving up their sustainable agriculture to make more money or selling their land to Westerners to pay the bills. Mining companies have plans to devastate the area, including the most sacred sites in the Andes. They have also been targeted by evangelical Christians, who have taken it upon themselves to do all they can to get them to abandon their ancient traditions, including surrounding those who are performing traditional rituals and playing Christian music and singing loudly to disrupt the ceremonies. Just as species go extinct so do cultures. I fear their traditional culture with its deep connection to the sacredness of Nature is in immiment danger of being lost. For a touching account of why we should care see What is Renewal? (note: this link takes you out of the Salka Wind web site).
Feb. 4, 2010: new trips to Peru to work with Americo and Gayle have been added to the opportunities page.
Nothing new in a major way for over a year now, just updates.
