I would like to introduce the work of my Peruvian shamanic teacher, don Oscar Miro-Quesada, and the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, to this community. Oscar has been a teacher of world religions and a transpersonal psychotherapist in the US. But he left the academic world behind to return to the path of ancient wisdom of traditional curanderismo and Andean shamanism.
Oscar is a seasoned traveler of the inner realms and is also a gifted healer, ceremonialist and teacher. He has had three near-death experiences, which he describes in the book Lessons in Courage: Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom for Every Life.
A shamanic healer is a bridge between worlds. Oscar is the only South American shaman I know of who can, in the same session, open your heart with the resonance of the Quechua language, and describe a shamanic journey as putting on the wings of Mercury and becoming a psychopomp. He often brings stages of alchemical transformation into discussions of shamanic dismemberment.
In any discussion of modern shamanism, it is important to address issues of cultural appropriation. Oscar holds deep respect in his heart and in his actions for the elders and traditions of Native Peoples. Through his Heart of the Healer Foundation, he has helped to preserve thousands of acres of pristine rainforest, supported Shipibo children stuck in Lima with food and school expenses, and helped preserve Native languages and sacred traditions. His newest project is an eco-spiritual retreat center in Peru which models sustainable living and supports habitat preservation, while honoring indigenous elders and preserving their healing practices.
But the focus of training in the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition is not on “going native.” Oscar encourages students to find the shamanic roots of our own ethnic or chosen spiritual traditions, as well as honoring the lineages of Peruvian wisdom.
If you like sand tray or working with mandalas, you will probably take to working with a mesa. “Mesa” in this sense is an altar, created on a cloth, with natural or created objects that embody the elements and directions. Each mesa is a unique expression of its creator. It is more than a psychological or artistic creation, however - it becomes a place of solace and renewal, a portal into other realms and energies, and an interactive map of a conscious, soul-infused universe.
Oscar is currently offering a 7-week course on The Shift Network, The Path of the Universal Shaman: Transforming Our World Through Sacred Living. It started last week (many apologies for my slowness in sending this), but registration is still open. The second class is Wednesday, May 27.
Here is a link you can copy to a free introductory webinar, Condor Medicine: Shamanic Wisdom from the Spirit World.https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/cmES/ediestone/
If you want to jump directly to a description of the 7-week course, the link ishttps://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/us2ES/ediestone/
Oscar will also be offering a 15-session advanced course, starting in July. The 7-week course will be a pre-requisite for the advanced course, and it is easier to catch up with one or two sessions now, than to review the first course while immersed in the second, believe me.
I have become a big fan of The Shift Network, and their focus on facilitating the shift of consciousness that our world so needs in this period of deep transition. I do receive a commission if anyone signs up for the course through my link, for which I am very grateful. The Shift Network also offers many webinars and on-line conferences for free.
The Shift Network treats its students really well. You not only get to hear Oscar's voice in a direct, intimate way, you also can download recordings and transcripts of every session. A couple of sessions will also be on video, new this year. There will be live Q & A periods and interactive breakout phone sessions each week. But the big surprise for me in last year's training was the power of the private Facebook group in creating a deeply supportive community.
I had never been fully engaged with any aspect of FB before, but I got my toes wet in the beginning course, and during the advanced course the FB group became the medium through which students expressed our struggles, insights, doubts, aha! moments, grief, joy, and deep connection.
I have studied with don Oscar Miro-Quesada for many years, and I highly recommend this program for beginning and advanced students alike.
Edie Stone, MA, LPC
Pachakuti Mesa Tradition Teacher
Certified Shamanic Journey Guide since 1995
