Despacho Ceremony

The despacho ceremony is the core of the ceremonial practices and healing interventions of the Andes. The word “despacho” means either (as a verb) to dispatch, or (as a noun) a message of great importance sent with haste. Despachos can be done as offerings of thanksgiving or atonement, or as petitions for assistance or guidance. The ceremony is done from the heart and is seen as an act of love and a reminder of how we are connected to all things.

The despacho is a gift to the earth, rivers, and mountains, an opportunity to show and say we do care – a direct communication with the sacred. As the despacho is created, it realigns aspects of self with the divine creation. It is an engagement of Love (“Munay” – the sacred heart).

In this tradition, we believe that everything is connected. Sometimes, however, circumstances or experiences can make us feel (or be) out of alignment or disconnected. If we heighten our awareness and stay in our hearts, we come into balance. Thus, when we perform a despacho, we bring life back into balance and embrace the interconnectedness of all. We reconnect to ourselves, to each other, and to all life heart-to-heart. A despacho takes our prayers and intentions to Spirit and brings us all to a heightened awareness of our interconnection and place in the Universe. By offering our prayers and intentions, for ourselves and for Karl, and creating a work of beauty with those prayers, we restore balance, embrace compassion, and allow a realization of what truly matters in life.

Special thanks to Stevi Belle for being a great mentor and teacher.  The “recipe” for our Aya Despacho was adapted from her handbook: The Beauty and Power of Despacho Ceremony:  A Tradition of Andean Spirituality and Healing.

 

Description of the Layers and Photographs

1st layer – Earth Despacho

The bottom layer of an aya despacho represents the Uhupacha (under or lower world), the unmanifested potential;

We build a southern cross (since this tradition originated in the southern hemisphere) with white sugar, representing the family.

In this layer we honor the first world of the Stone People (Puru Kuna) and we make offerings to them.

Traditionally, in an aya despacho, yellow flowers are used as kintus (which, in a regular despacho, are created by putting three coca leaves together in a fan-like shape).  We blow our prayers into kintus and then place them clockwise into the despacho – in Karl’s Despacho, we used the yellow flowers as the first kintus and placed them around the center flower.

The yellow flowers used in this layer honor the Karl’s unmanifested potential. (It should be noted that we had a plethora of flowers of many colors, so I tried to use mainly yellow, but did use other colors as well.)

Other offerings made in the base (Uhupacha) layer can be:

◦ Mica (for lost soul parts);

◦ sand (for Pachamama);

◦ eggshells (the place where we all begin;)

◦ candy rocks * (a sweet representation of Huancas and Pachamama);

◦ gold and silver glitter (representing precious metals obtained from deep within the earth);

◦ Copal (an aromatic gleaned from the earth to invite the spirits)

* We put in a few pieces of actual rose quartz that a friend of the family who attended the Gathering had brought. I also sprinkled sage since I didn’t have any Copal.

If we were making a “traditional” aya despacho using kintus of coca leaves – or bay leaves or other green leaves – (as opposed to one made primarily of massive quantities of kintus made of flowers), we would then cover all those kintus and offerings with yellow flower petals.

Base layer – cross of sugar for family

Base layer – Earth

Base Layer – Earth

 

2nd Layer – Sacha Kuna (Plant People)

The 2nd Layer of the Aya Despacho is the “home” of the Plant People (Sacha Kuna), hence the use of green tissue paper.

First we created a circle of yellow flower kintus.  (All of the flowers we used had been held by the family and friends attending Karl’s Gathering, and had been specifically invited and requested to blow their prayers for Karl, for themselves, for their loved ones…their memories…into the flowers – thereby creating our unique “flower kintus.”)

Other ingredients we added included:

◦ Quinoa (sacred grain, very high in protein, that is essential to survival at very high altitudes of the Altoplano;

◦ Rice, (representing the fertility of our prayers);

◦ Lima beans (to represent the places from which we source our energy);

◦ Garbanzo beans (to represent Huacas);

◦ Squash seeds (native to the “New World” and sacred, especially to the North American indigenous people);

◦ White Beans (an offering to the Sacha Kuna).

2nd (Green) Layers – Water & Earth

2nd (Green) Layer – Earth

2nd (Green) Layer – Earth

 

3rd Layer (Uywaka Kuna) – Animal People

For this layer, we’re supposed to use any color tissue paper except white (which is saved for the last layer).  We chose to use orange for Karl’s despachos.

We created a circle of flowers, clockwise (blowing prayers into everything we place into each layer, by the way – adding our prayers to the prayers already added by the participants in the Gathering…

On top of the circle of flowers, we added the following offerings:

◦ at least seven different kinds of animal candies or cookies, of which we had an assortment.

◦ we also added some fur from Karl’s beloved pets.

3rd Layer (Animal Kuna) Water & Earth

3rd (Animal People) Layer – Earth

3rd (Animal People) Layer – Earth

 

4th Layer – Runa Kuna (Humanity or Mankind) Layer

We’re asked to use red tissue paper for this layer. Traditionally, before we begin creating this layer, we’re asked to stop, take a deep breath, and concentrate specifically on the individual who has passed away.  This is the point where we encourage participants to truly let go of the person.  We remind participants of the importance of giving thanks in prayer as we go along, and remind them that we place everything into the despacho in a clockwise fashion, representing a spiral to heaven that cuts any attachments the deceased may have to the Earth plane.

In our case, since we were creating the despachos after the actual gathering, we didn’t specifically “state” any of this out loud.

On the red tissue paper, we again created a circle of “flower kintus” using the flowers from Karl’s Gathering. We added a photo of Karl.

We made offerings of man-made materials:

◦ yellow spirals (macaroni or otherwise) to remind us of our process (of growth/evolution/consciousness);

◦ white chocolate sweets (to invite the spirits to come and eat);

◦ white candy drops (to represent the four (primary) sacred mountains – in Peru);

◦ raisins to represent the old ones/ancestors/our lineage;

◦ sweets for Pachamama (we used Karl’s favorite candies – Swedish Fish, Peanut M&Ms, Peppermint Patties);

It is at this point that we made a point of celebrating Karl’s life – at the same time acknowledging that his soul continues on even as his body ends.  In essence, we nudged his luminous body toward home.

4th (Runa Kuna) Layer – Water

4th (Runa Kuna) Layer – Earth

Runa Kuna (4th) Layer – full Earth

Runa Kuna (4th) Layer – full Earth

 

5th Layer (Angelic Realm) (Earth Despacho)

In the 5th layer we are supposed to use sky blue tissue paper.

We created a circle of (yellow) flower kintus.

Upon the flowers, we placed the following:

◦ Alphabet noodles (representing the words to our prayers);

◦ small pieces of silver and gold paper (representing the books of Sacred Knowledge);

◦ Tobacco (for the spirits);

◦ Star Anise (an aromatic for the Spirits) – We used Sage, Lavender, and other aromatics;

◦ White Frankincense (another aromatic);

◦ Cotton balls (representing the clouds and snow covered mountains – Apus)

You’ll see the 5th layer of the Water Despacho looks a lot different.  For whatever weird reason, I made this 5th layer (of the Earth Despacho) look like heavy cloud cover!  Maybe it reflected my own sadness?  Karl created the Water Despacho.

(5th) Angel-Luminous Beings-Wamanis (spirit birds) Layer – Earth

Angel-Luminous Beings-Wamanis (spirit birds) (5th) Layer – Water

(5th) Angel-Luminous Beings-Wamanis(spirit birds) Layer – Earth

 

6th Layer (Enlightened Ones) – Earth Despacho

This layer should be on a violet or purple layer of tissue paper.

It is said that above the angels dwell our great spiritual teachers: the Buddha, the Christ, the Enlightened Ones.

In this case, we created yet another circle of flowers (clockwise), but this wasn’t necessary, other than the fact that we still had flowers to use.

◦ The actual ingredients called for are as follows:

◦ Gold beads (representing the Sun);

◦ Silver beads (representing the Moon);

◦ Stars (made of confetti, etc.) (representing all the stars in the Universe);

◦ Rainbow colored candies (representing the Spirits);

◦ Rainbow string placed in a clockwise fashion, circling the offerings (representing a bridge between the worlds, as well as a means of “containing” our prayers in the Despacho;

◦ Confetti (representing a message of joy and happiness).

All of these were added to our circle of flower kintus.

(6th) Christ-Buddha-Enlightened Ones Layer – Earth

(6th) Christ-Buddha-Enlightened Ones Layer – Earth

(6th) Christ-Buddha-Enlightened Ones Layer – Earth

 

7th (final) Layer – Wiracocha – Earth Despacho

Finally, the last layer, which is the realm of the Wiracocha, the place of creation, the Great Void, “Home.”  At this stage, we are encouraged to give our thanks and prayers for Karl that he return home to the Place of Beginnings safely and quickly. Layer of white tissue paper then we placed the final flowers from the Gathering in a circle on the paper.

Added the following items:

◦ A candle (used to provide direction and guidance to help the Soul make its way to the Light);

◦ A shell (representing the womb of the Universe);

◦ Buffalo fat (representing the ultimate sacrifice) I killed our cat and used her fat… (Just seeing if you were paying attention!  Haha – Guess I”m getting punchy?) Actually, I used a small chunk of butter;

◦ A Sand Dollar (star shape on it representing the stars on Earth – as above so below)

◦ bicolored seeds from Peru (representing the complementary opposites in all of us; yin/yang; yanantin/masintin;

◦ small candy figurine (to help define the individual);

◦ white candy star (to represent the stars).

I neglected to mention that at the very beginning of the process, underneath the tissue paper, we started out with a square of “wrapping paper.”  I used a solid color representing how we were going to release the despacho.  The Q’ero often use commercial wrapping paper, which seems funny, but…it is a gift…

We completed the creation of each despacho by wrapping everything up like a gift, keeping it upright, wrapping the wrapped gift in a mesa cloth (mastana).  We then used the “prayer bundle” to CLEANSE and BLESS each person who was present on the day we actually “dispatched” the despachos.  Those people, as described, acted as surrogates for all of the people who attended Karl’s Gathering and created the flower kintus that were used in this ceremony.

(7th) Wiracocha – Void – Creation – HOME Layer – Water

(7th) Wiracocha – Void – Creation – HOME Layer – Earth

 

(7th) Wiracocha Realm – Fire

 

The Despachos, as can be seen by the photos, turned out amazing.  Beautiful.  Powerful.  Breathtakingly so, actually. We opened Sacred Space and lovingly and reverentially created these “prayer bundles,” and then had them here in our living room until we felt it was time to release them. In actuality, we awakened on the 11th (of December), 2011, looked at each other, and felt, “OK. Today is the day. It is time.”

We dropped the Water Despacho off the aqueduct that spans the Tohickon Creek, just a very short distance before the creek merges with the Delaware River. The Tohickon is extremely sacred to our family. It was amazing how it dropped right into the fastest current and made its way to the Delaware straightaway.

The next one, the Earth Despacho, we buried right beside a sacred spot (fullacht fia) we’d created during our Irish Shamanic Gathering (Sept 30 – Oct 2), when we hosted dear friends who practice the shamanic ways in Ireland.

The Fire Despacho we burned in a very hot sacred fire up by the house.

Before releasing each despacho, I cleansed and blessed every person present with the sacred bundle, deliberately holding the intention of having ALL who contributed their prayers and blessings to the despachos benefit from the cleansings and blessings. Those physically present not only benefited directly, but also served as surrogates for everyone else.