In the majestic Andean mountains, coca leaves are much more than just a plant where the earth rises up to meet the sky and where the spirit of the land feels alive all around us they are a sacred part of life itself. They are cherished during our rites and in our affections. They are a living link to all of our ancestors, like a bridge to the whole spiritual world, and also a powerful emblem of our own deep connection with Pachamama, the Mother Earth.
In our ceremonies, we connect to and with Pachamama, for the offering of coca leaves is one way that is purest. We offer many thanks for her abundant generosity, for how she fully nourishes, and for how she continually sustains life. From her come each and every blessing and each and every breath, reminding each of us that each offering is each and everything that we have. By the offering of coca leaves, a simple act, we are reconnected to the earth beneath our feet and to the great web of life surrounding us.
That Ayni’s spirit – that sacred reciprocity principle – flows throughout each aspect pertaining to Andean life, and those coca leaves do beautifully express all of this. We participate within such a sacred exchange whenever we do offer coca: we give back to the earth and to the Apus and to the spirits in gratitude for all that they have given to us. Adequate balance and mutual care dance and keep harmony alive in the world. Through coca, we are constantly reminded that life is about receiving as much as giving.
The spirit world is likewise accessed through certain coca leaves. They are used for communicating with the Apus, with the Ñustas, and with other sacred beings that guide and protect us during ceremonies. Coca Leaf Reading is an old custom where the leaves disclose messages and understandings from the divine areas and give focus and orientation to those who need support. The ritual is universally deeply respected. It does invite a more careful listening to the quite unseen world for an alignment with the higher forces of life.
Coca leaves can offer up protection and also healing, beyond all of their spiritual importance. The spaces are cleansed by each of them, both the body and the spirit are purified, and the heavy energies are transformed into the light. In cases where people chew coca leaves, brew coca leaves into a tea, or offer coca leaves in a ritual, coca leaves carry within themselves an energetic force that restores a balance, strengthens, and connects people in a more deep way to the sacred.
People are brought together by another beautiful aspect of coca plant. Coca leaves shared in specific ceremonies represent an individual act of overall unity. The leaves do also strengthen connections that are between each and every one who is present while weaving together each of the threads within the community. We are indeed a part of a larger family tied by shared intention, respect, as well as love, a gentle, powerful reminder for certain that we are not at all alone.
Coca leaves play a definite central role throughout the Despacho. It exists at the very heart of just one of our most important ceremonies. Coca leaves are often placed lovingly among some flowers, several sweets, certain prayers, and other symbolic items inside this sacred offering to all of the universe’s spiritual forces in addition to Pachamama. The hopes and the dreams and the gratitude of the people that they carry into unseen areas, in which grace and blessing do receive offerings.
Coca leaves additionally connect us to our past ancestors. We honor the wisdom passed down from generations every time we use them in ceremony. These rituals keep our roots both strong as well as alive in a world that is changing too quickly. We remember from where we come, as well as exactly who we are through them.
In the Andes, coca leaves are more than just a plant. They exist as a sacred bridge. The spirit world as well as the ancestors are also linked by way of this bridge. It is respect for what is the natural world that they teach to us. They do also teach of the sacredness of life itself. Coca leaves still remain at the very heart of many of our spiritual practices as we continue on to honor our age-old traditions, carrying forth Pachamama’s timeless and sacred wisdom and her blessings forward into each and every new day.
