The Beginning Of August Is The Andean New Year: A Time for Dreaming
A New Year marks a threshold, a doorway to a fresh start and new beginnings. In the West, January 1st is the date to set intentions and start resolutions. At various points along our calendar we have an opportunity to realign our visions as cultures the world over celebrate the New Year with dates different than our own.
In the Andes, the first twelve days of August are a potent time for creation as this is the time Shamans are envisioning the upcoming year. August 1st marks the New Year and the first twelve days correspond to a specific month of the following year so August 1st is January, August 2nd, February, and so on, culminating with August 12th and December. The Shamans of the Andes are dedicated to a path of service and are dreaming the world into being, not for themselves, but for all of humanity. During this time we have an opportunity to align ourselves with these powerful visionaries who are diligently serving us all through their prayers and intent.
One way to align our hearts with these ancient Wisdomkeepers, is to start with our own prayers of thanks. In the Andes, prayers are offered with qintus. A qintu is made of three cocoa leaves into which prayers are blown in with the breath. The breath is the energetic conduit on which the prayer travels. You can use bay leaves, flower petals or small native leaves from your area to make a qintu.
Let your awareness drop into your heart. Feel a sense of gratitude for all that Mother Earth provides for you. Recognize that everything that exists in your life comes from her. The food you eat, the air you breathe, the materials that make the clothes you wear and the home you live in have all been provided by the unconditional offering of this life sustaining planet we share.
Offer your prayers of thanks into your qintu by blowing them in with your breath and return them back to the Earth. You can place them under a rock, release them into a body of water or even bury them under ground. This practice of offering your prayers in this way begins to restore an internal harmony and appreciation for all of Nature, including the Nature of your very own Soul.
It is the longing of your Soul that seeds the vision of your dreams. This process of dreaming and visioning is much like gardening. Our intentions are planted, just like a seed, through our thoughts and feelings. The seed of our intention holds within all that is needed for it to blossom, just as the seed of an acorn holds within the great oak. If we live with the faith of an acorn, creation and manifestation are our birthright. Yet life has a way of triggering our fears, doubts and worry, the weeds that choke all potential for our intention to blossom.
Just as you tend to a garden so flowers may grow and bloom, so too you must give care and attention to the inner landscape from which you are creating your life. The more you clear the metaphorical weeds of doubt, fear, demons and self-sabatoge, the more you allow the brilliance of Spirit to nourish and feed the seeds of your intention.
The following guided meditation, the Inner Garden (listen here), is offered to help you create an inner landscape of beauty and abundance from which to set your intentions forth. May the seeds of your Soul blossom into the fullest expression of your most divine dreams.
About the author
Karen Chrappa, a holistic physiotherapist in practice 25 years, has worked with thousands of people on a healing path. Her work weaves together an intuitive tapestry of medicine paths from a lifetime of dedicated studies in contemporary and indigenous ways. She is currently working with shamans in Peru to awaken the Sacred Feminine as part of the ayllu, a Bouquet of Light. Her forthcoming book, "A Structure for Spirit" will be available this summer. Visit and like on Facebook.
