In the ancient Andean tradition, gratitude is a way for life. Our relations with everything rely on that foundation of it. Each and every sunrise that warms our faces, and each and every drop of water we drink, are gifts. Pachamama, that is our Mother Earth, as well as the cosmos, gift to each of us every breath we take. The Despacho ceremony or an offering to Mother Earth, expresses this sacred principle of Ayni, balancing each giving and each receiving.
Ancestors within the Andes would gather around each of their mesas long ago. Those mesas were sacred bundles filled with various prayers, dreams, and the lineage’s spirit. They offered back toward the Earth and the spirit allies who walked beside them with great love and intention. Their offerings weren’t just like rituals. The offerings had been conversations with that universe. A number of offerings had been deeply twisted into the fabric of their own lives, as a number of archaeological findings do show – seashells, seeds, ceramics, and sacred fire pits – from the pre-Inca Paracas people to the ancient civilization of Caral.
Today, this tradition continues. We lovingly offer up, selflessly serve for others, cleverly consecrate inside, and energetically enliven throughout our preparations. We call upon our spirit allies throughout the Despacho ceremony. The Apus, and the Ñustas, along with the Awki, are in fact those spirit allies. We create such a beautiful mandala that consists of prayers and elements from the Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and Water Kingdoms: coca leaves, seeds, llama fat, flowers, and some sacred symbols each carrying a powerful meaning.
Each story is told by element upon the Mesa. Corn as well as beans represent a state of prosperity. Chickpea beans bring healing. Candies are what invite a sense of celebration and an element of joy. Rainbow confetti and glitter honor blessings of the cosmic forces. A sacred dance as between the human heart and the living forces of nature then becomes the entire process a blooming of an abundance.
However, the actual strength throughout this ceremony isn’t only from what we place upon the mesa. It is actually in the consciousness that we bring. Gratitude, not doubt or fear, must bring about joy. Our sacred alliances keeps up the flow of blessings alive with all of the ancestors, and all of the rivers, and mountains, and all of the stars. The sacred cycle of life proceeds each time that we give thanks. It is widely acknowledged that we are not at all alone. Those gifts that we do offer back are in the form of our love, of our prayers, of our service; each and every thing we have has been like a gift.
The white mesa at the end is folded with care, blessed with prayers, and offered to the sacred fire. Each of our prayers are carried into the cosmos as each flame rises and the offering is consumed. Blessings that nourish souls as well as heal bodies, and guide paths forward, are sent when Pachamama and the spirit world respond.
Gratitude turns into something that we can live and not merely something we can feel through this ceremony.
