June 01, 2014
The Nine Rites: Ancient Initiations and Protections for a Modern World
Imagine yourself standing at the base of a steep, rugged, snow capped mountain deep in the heart of the Andes. A small sturdy woman in a brightly colored poncho has you kneel as she plunks you on the head with her Mesa, a stone filled medicine bundle. You wince because she is not gentle and exhale a puff of steam into the chilly air. She looks into the sky and calls out in Quechua, her native tongue, then thrusts her stones into your shoulders, heart and belly. She draws your face to hers and says a few more words, then pulls your forehead into hers. You feel an electric energy arc from her third eye to yours and you melt into her. You see a flash of colors, then visions of ancient peoples from all over the world connected through these rites. Tears start to stream down your face. You have just received one of the Nine Rites that link you to the Wisdom Keepers of this land and you have the sense that you are finally home.