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Glossary

"Salka", a Quechua word (the language of the Andes) for "undomesticated energy". Salka is like a wind that blows through consensus reality from beyond, bringing us into contact with the great mystery and beauty of existence.

Introduction

Quechua is the indigenous language of the Andes and is still widely spoken in the more remote villages of Peru. On this page I provide a glossary of the Quechua terms often used in speaking of Andean mysticism. After the glossary I provide a small list of Quechua phrases (greetings, thank you's, etc.) that you might find useful in your interactions with Quechua speakers.

Pronunciation: Generally Quechua words are stressed on the second to last syllable. The pronunciation of the letters is similar to how it is done in Spanish (written Quechua is essentially an attempt to recreate the sounds phonetically in Spanish). You will notice the use of apostrophes, as in paq'o or k'intu. In the terms I provide below 'q' and 'k' are the only letters that are followed by the apostrophe, in their case it represents a glottal stop (a strong click in the throat). You are likely to be understood, however, even if you can't pull that off. And, in my writing I often don't bother to include those and simply write paqo rather than paq'o, kintu rather than k'intu, and so on.

The sound of the following pairs of letters makes sense if you consider them to be a sequence of two sounds, the first being the Spanish pronunciation of the vowel and the second one being an English long 'e' sound.

'ay' rhymes with English 'tie'
'uy' rhymes with 'we'

Grammar: the only thing I want to add here is that a noun is usually made plural by adding the suffix 'kuna', thus the plural of Apu would be Apukuna, but I usually use the term 'Apus' when I write to keep things simple for the reader.

Glossary

alto mesayoq: a paq'o of extraordinary abilities who can communicate directly with some of the great beings of the Cosmos. See Wilcox for more information.

apocheta (apachita, apacheta): a doorway into another energy, a cairn of stones at the foot of a sacred mountain.

Apu: a spiritual being who is one of the great mountain peaks.

ayllu: an ancient Quechua term not defined in the same way throughout the Peruvian Andes, it is a small community defined by being kin, by being together geographically, or by sharing a common focus. [Bolin, Wilcox]

ayni: the principle of reciprocity.

chakra: a small cultivated field (a daughter of Pachamama).

Chillihuani: the people written about in Inge Bolin's book. Like the Q'ero they live in isolated villages in the high Andes.

chullpa: a small stone tower, the tomb/home of the Machukuna.

despacho (Spanish origin): an offering, often made to the Pachamama or the Apus.

hallpay: the chewing of coca leaves in a social (compared to a ceremonial) setting.

janaq pacha (janak pacha, hanaq pacha in English): one of the three Andean worlds (see kay pacha and ukhu pacha), it is the superior or upper world.

hucha: disordered, heavy energy (the opposite of sami).

kay pacha: one of the three Andean worlds (see ukhu pacha and janaq pacha), it is the surface world, the everyday world.

k'intu: a bouquet of three coca leaves, held at the finger tips.

llankay (llank'ay): the center of body consciousness, the ability to bring into through physical effort, will, to work. Located slightly below the navel, see yachay and munay.

machu (plural: machukuna): the ancient ones (the people of the time of the moon, before the arrival of the sun).

mesa (Spanish for 'table'): a woven cloth that is spread out to perform rituals upon (as a table) that is used to carry sacred objects such as quyas.

mesarumi: mesa is Spanish for table, rumi is Quechua for stone. A mesarumi is a flat stone altar used during sacred ceremonies. [Bolin]

munay: the center of love consciousness. Located in the heart, see yachay and llankay.

pacha: the world of space/time.

pachacuti (pachakuti): a space/time of monumental cosmic transformation. Our planet went through such a transformation in the early 1990's which ushered in a new era that will last until 2012 [Wilcox]. This is also the name of one of the Inca rulers, Pachakuti (Pachakuteq) Inca Yupanqui who ushered in an era of great change.

Pachamama: the great Cosmic being who is our nourishing mother the planet Earth.

Pachatira: the malevolent aspect of Pachamama; e.g. the origin of earthquakes, some diseases, and the withdrawal of fertility from the ground. [Allen]

paq'o: Andean mystic, shaman, master of ceremonies, diviner. Paq'os are generally identified as being either a pampa mesayoq or an alto mesayoq (see the definitions of these two terms). Further distinctions are made for levels within these categories (see Wilcox).

pampa mesayoq: paq'os who serve as intermediaries between the community and nature (see 'Ecology of Magic' in the recommended readings). They are experts at healing, at making despachos, and some can perform divination through the reading of coca leaves. The book by Wilcox covers this in detail.

phukuy: the act of gently blowing your filaments through a k'intu, usually with the intent of connecting your finest energies and those of the coca with the energies of the Pachamama, the Apus, and your community.

Q'ero: the people I have worked with who live in isolated villages in the high Andes.

q'uncha: an earth stove, a hollow mound of clay/earth with an opening on the side to feed the fire and holes on the top for pots to sit in. The heart of the wasitira.

quya (khuya): a special stone with whom you develop a special relationship.

runa (plural: runakuna). The indigenous people of the Andes. [Allen]

salka: undomesticated energy.

sami: coherent, refined, essential life energy, the opposite of hucha. [Wilcox, Allen]

ukhu pacha (ukku pacha, uju pacha): one of the three Andean worlds, it is the lower world (see kay pacha and janaq pacha).

waiki (wayqe, wayki): literally this refers to the brother of a male but can be used as a familiar greeting between two men of similar age. Americo Yabar uses this term as an affectionate way to refer to people of both genders and I have never heard anyone object.

wak'a: a sacred site. [Bolin]

warak'a (also known as a soq'ana): a woven sling used to throw stones, it also serves as a whip. [Bolin]

warmi-qhari: (literally woman-man) the fusion by marriage of two different but interdependent beings, female and male, with their complementary skills and interests, into a unified whole. [Bolin]

wasi: house

wasitira: an adobe house (literally 'house-earth') formed out of the living Earth, an extension of the Pachamama.

A Few Phrases

Here are a few phrases and words that you might find useful (and polite to use) in your interactions with Quechua speakers.