We are beings of grandeur! This is not some hokey statement or hyperbolic declaration. It is the truth of who we are according to the Andean mystical tradition. We are each a Drop of the Mystery, absolutely unique and capable of living a magnificent, one-of-a-kind life, contributing to the world what only we were created to contribute and what no one else can provide. Yet, most of us don't really believe that and aren't consistently experiencing it, and for good reason, for we are also beings of heaviness. Our heaviness, created by all the ways we resist or block the flow of the living energy, prevents us from fully realizing our spiritual natures and expressing our finest human capacities. The desire to create inner coherence, to harmonize our human and spiritual selves, is what propels us onto a shamanic or mystical path, and one of those paths is the Andean mystical tradition. This powerful, yet graceful tradition provides a comprehensive cosmovision and a full slate of energetic practices to help us consciously evolve. It is a practice of "kanay," a Quechua word that means not only knowing who you really are, but having the awareness and personal power to live as who you truly are.

If you are interested in learning more about this path of personal conscious evolution, please visit Joan Parisi Wilcox's blog "House of the Hummingbird": QentiWasi.com. Joan has been studying and practicing Andean mysticism for more than 27 years. She is the author of Masters of the Living Energy: The Mystical World of the Q'ero of Peru and two other books, and she teaches the tradition to people around the world. Despite writing about this tradition, and being interviewed about it for podcasts, radio shows, and documentary films, Joan knows that the beauty and value of the Andean sacred arts are best found in the practice of it. She invites you to discover its power and promise, too.