 PACHAMAMA AND ECOLOGY |
| PACHAMAMA AND ECOLOGY |
| THE SEMINAR INTERNAL LINKS
EXTERNAL LINKS |  On the other hand, the western culture is based on consumerism that leads to the environmental and ecological deterioration through production and fleeting materialistic gratifications… The word Pacha, in the ancient Inca’s language, means Earth, world but also time, period and era. The Inca’s buildings are built with natural materials and are perfectly molded into the environment; the objects, tools and the textiles are decorated with subjects of nature like animals or plants and the cultivation’s techniques always follow up the advanced agro-economics’ and bio-economics’ knowledge that amaze the western sciences. The message of the professor Hernan Huarache Mamani is stressing out the close link between the reformation of the spiritual dimension, that is suggested by Nature, and the renouncement of futile, materialistic gratifications, that, by sheer chance, are the main cause to environmental deterioration. Preliminary remarks
Mr. Tomas, before answering, asked the visitor a few questions: “ What is Earth to you? Do you listen carefully when the Earth talks to you? What is the strength of this planet? What is it that connects men to Earth?” Only crazy and foolish people would want to learn what is the farthest before what is the closest“.
Extract from: introduction of In the Shaman’s eyes As the Minister of Agriculture, I was aware of the problem: The information gathered notify us that we are proceeding towards the destruction of the planet. The so called “civilized world”, with a population of more than six billiards people, it produces large quantities of annual garbage that contaminates the Earth in a progressive way: And also the ozone hole that creates the so called “greenhouse effect”, is the main culprit for the Earth’s warming and its’ rough changes of climate. It appears that between 1880 and 1940 the rise in temperature was irregular, without a particular significance. But between 1950 and 1991 there has been a rise of a half degree centigrade, a reading that might seem insignificant, but it could take us to serious climate changes also due to the increased usage of methane, carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbon that are produced mainly in twenty seven industrialized countries. The pollution of waters, caused by toxic wastes poured into rivers, lakes and seas, it will kill all aquatic animal species. The pollution of the air and the reduction of oxygen, which are mainly caused by the rise of carbon dioxide and exhaust emissions it will influence the biological equilibrium of plants and animals. There is already the danger of the biodiversity’s disappearance due to pesticides, herbicides and insecticides that, while destroying many species, it could break the food chain. …On this very instant, 450 million automobiles are moving on this planet and are filling the air with carbon dioxide. The vegetation is not able to absorb carbon dioxide as, since 1945, 45% of the bushes and 24% of pasturages have been destroyed in order to live room for farming and urbanization. The destruction of the vegetation is causing the climate great changes and is also damaging the soil by reducing its’ productivity as it is responsible for wiping out its‘ humus. According to ONU experts, every year, seventeen million hectares of bush are destroyed in order to produce paper, wood and materials for construction. Since 1920, more than 1200 species of birds have disappeared for ever. Birds are great indicators used for environmental changes. Today’s consumer society has substituted the concept of welfare with numerous materialistic possessions. This all has created a spiral of production and consumption that gradually absorb less of earth’s resources. Some men, who lead large industries, are selfish and irresponsible because they cause exaggerated consumerism of environmental resources. Those people, too busy getting rich fast, without attaching importance to the ecology while not respecting others, they destroy, bushes, pollute rivers with chemical wastes. They also pull their political strings in order to outlaw certain edible plants that they declare toxic and dangerous and oblige people to take certain medicines that still today need to be proved safe.
extract from: chapter VIII and IX of The Shaman’s eyes The day appeared to be perfect to climb. The sun was illuminating the earth while creating contrast between light and shade, of that great, white mantle that was shaping the tip of Ampato and the grayish land. On second thoughts, it was the first time I was exploring this mountain. Since I had already climbed two other mountains, I had gathered the necessary experience. In the mean time I knew when to stop and when to rest; how to walk on snow, on ice and on muddy places.
Silence was solemn. The boundaries of the world were seen from up here: far and close black mountains On my left side, at a certain distance, I could see a slop that had been carved by a waterfall, that, like a silver thread, it was marking a path…further on there were black and white mountains that were rising high from the ground and were covering the tips of the mountains…in this immense desert I was feeling as if I had become an insignificant, little ant. How was I in front of such immensity? What is a man in front of the greatness of the Earth? Nothing! He is nothing, he is smaller then nothing. Nonetheless man believes he is the owner and the master of the Earth. Are we truly the owners of the Earth? Or perhaps could we be its’ guardians? I had left the city, with which I had left what I call civilization: places full of smoke, noise, sirens, bells, whistles and roaring engines. The noise of a humanity that hates silence, or better that fears silence, and it is for this reason that it fills everything up with noise. Normally people live in doubts, panic, skepticism: always slaves of time, running to catch up with time, living daily in a stressful state. We are scarifying everything for a little bit of money, I was thinking. But up here I felt free, I was able to see clearly. Was there anything I couldn’t see in the view? I could see everything! I went back to making contact with Nature and to comprehend the greatness and beauty of the Earth…I was thinking at myself like a living thing. What was I doing with my life? Was I using it in a good or in a bad way? What was the purpose of trying to work like crazy in order to make some money? I was thinking of my self and of the others. Everything seemed an illusion; many worries begun to leave me. I had fought to build my future, that, to me, it translated into trying to become a professional…I had been thinking of material things without paying no attention to the fact that the authentic men’s wealth is a resident in their inner peace. As men hold inside a developing spirit, they can’t and mustn’t let material things eat them up. Money and commodities are only necessary in order to survive and to satisfy some necessities.
from: VII In the Shaman’s eyes “Mommy, I would like you to take me to the curandero and that you would ask him to give an offer to Pachamama so that the matrimony will be a happy one“. The Pachamama’s ritual belongs to the Andean religion. On the Andes, in the ancient times, there was a type of religion that was mainly dedicated to women: It was the religion of Mother Nature, of the Cosmic Mother. For millenniums, the Andeans followed those believes and they let themselves be lead by the principals of this religion. Pachamama means Cosmic Mother, Celestial Mother, Mother Nature, the one who understands everything. It is her entity that enables people to be part of a huge cosmic mechanism, of a universal plan that included everything that has been created. Pachamama is some sort of recognition that men do on nature, it is also the union between men and nature… A man who communicates with nature, is a man who knows the truth, a man who understands and that lives with greater simplicity. Far from concepts, from philosophical disquisitions and from reasoning, Nature is clear but simple and complex at the same time. On the occasion of particularly important events, the Andeans consult the Pachamama for advice since she is the only point of contact with reality…
That night they would have celebrated one of the ceremonies of the Andeans’ ancient religion, that had survived thanks to the itinerant preachers that would continue to practice it according to the ancient Incas… The Pachamama’s ceremony started, during which people sang songs and prayed in a low and high volume. The curandero would then bless the donation in order to finally burn it. While whistling, he played a small bell and put the donation on the coal. He called on the hills, mountains, lakes and the land with songs and prayers. The light of fire lit up his face and let people catch sight of his hat, decorated with geometrical symbols.
taken from: The Curandera’s prophecy, III chapter Anta Willki: “If humanity doesn’t change its’ relationship with nature, it will be irremediably condemned to destruction. LWhen the Earth is unhealthy, it tries to rebalance and cure itself, the same way the sick human organism; so in the heart of the Earth, a wave of purification has just been triggered off, that inevitably comes forward to eliminate toxic and poisonous elements….Pachamama, before she heals herself, has to destroy first and then regenerate and create.
Taken from: In the Shaman’s eyes, chapter VIII and XI "Pachamama, Mother Earth, has put the magic powers of plants, animals and minerals at our disposal. This is why we cure ourselves with the earth’s medicine, since we know the plants and we let our heart lead us, because if plants are not used properly can seriously they could damage the body, the soul and the spirit of men…Only a few men cultivate the heart’s language, because the majority isn’t warm inside. Therefore, by using the head’s language ever so often, they become cold creatures. The city man is always keen on learning new things by filling his head with so many notions that at the end he goes round and round on their minds without grabbing onto something. Those fill him up with vanity and pride, because he is convinced he knows everything. In real life, he doesn’t know anything. His brain is a knotted nest full of mixed thoughts in which the head is warming up and the body becomes unbalanced. City men disown their alliance with the Earth. They are constantly living apart, from one another, in houses, one on top of another, where there are many people living in the same building but they don’t know each other. They never trust anyone, because they don’t understand that we are all human beings and that we live on the same ground. We should work in order to unite our efforts and not to split them".
Taken from: Shaman’s eyes “Remember, the land belongs to the woman and not to the man, for this reason the woman has power over the Earth; she is the only one who could save it, if she wanted to. If she didn’t, she could be destroyed. When time will come, you will feel the woman’s, the mother’s and the essence of Mother Earth’s power. The curandero exists only because the curandera exists. You got your powers form her with which you will be working for the welfare of the populations who suffer in silence the perpetrated offence to their human knowledge. When you will be able to break the silence, that was forced upon all of you by the invaders and the destructors of our populations, the love for the earth and the stimulus for power will come from the woman”. Taken from: Shaman’s eyes, chapter V
taken from: Curandera’s Profecy, chapter XII
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An astronomer, while visiting the Colca’s canyon, herd people talking about Thomas Laura, an Andean astronomer. The visitor, after having met Mr. Thomas, asked him if he could teach him the Andeans’ names of the sky’s constellations.
Half way, the Ampato mountain appeared wrapped in a fringe of slightly gray clouds. On the side in the shadow, the snow was acquiring a shade of white and just a little purple. The beauty and the uncontaminated view were stunning that I thought it had hardly been seen by human eyes, I would have loved to stay longer as I would have enjoyed it but I just couldn’t.