DESPACHO CEREMONY
HAYWARIKOY & DESPACHO CEREMONY
Lifting our prayers up to Spirit
Q’ero paqos (shamans) high in the Andes of Peru have many different types of ceremonies but the despacho ceremony is one of the most common rituals to create a personal connection with the universe. It is an ancient ceremony to bring our prayers up to the universe through a ceremony of appreciation for the gifts received by the earth and the universe each day and to restore and deepen one’s relationship with the cosmos. Q’ero’s perception and value of ayni (sacred reciprocity) between society and the environment is paramount to collaboration and co-creation.
A despacho is not a prayer for personal gain, nor can it be considered a sacrifice. Rather, they strengthen their faith – that nature, the earth and the universe will take care of them if they take care of it. They consider it an offering or fair exchange for what was taken from nature, to preserve the relationship with the land. It is a prayer to the Apus (mountains), Pachamama (mother earth), Inti (the sun) and other forces that guard the places of the earth to become one with them. The despacho is designed for reciprocity, sharing, trust, integrity, respect and sanctity. It is a manifestation of gratitude and created through an act of munay (love) and ayni – that is:
When you give you get and if you get
you must also give.
The result is that when one aligns with the universe, one can achieve or be granted one’s highest potential. When one is in ayni with the universe, it will give back tenfold. The ritual of a despacho is based on the belief that one must actively participate and act through reciprocity – that it is based on the principle:
What you sow, you reap.
THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF DESPACHOS
There are over 250 types of despachos that Q’ero shamans perform depending on the situation; from birth to death, initiation rites, harvest, weddings, in honor of a new or old home, etc. One also often creates a despacho when someone is ill to help them restore their ayni with the universe and recover as illness is seen as a response to no longer being in ayni with the universe.
THE PROCESS
A despacho is created from flowers, leaves into which one blows one’s gratitude and prayers, along with small objects from nature such as seeds, shells, incense and dried fruit, as well as man-made objects such as candy, thread, cotton and paper. Each object represents an organizing principle and is placed during the ceremony in the despacho with the intention of creating a momentum of healing and reciprocity within the area for which the ceremony is held.
We will update the page with tips and “recipes” for despachos.
