Building a Mesa ­ The 13 Khuyas

By Allison Peacock, White Horse Medicine

Building a mesa is a beautiful and powerful way to cultivate your relationship to the earth, or Pachamama. It is the heart of the Q’ero Inca mystic’s path. This outline is meant to be a guide, and as my teacher says repeatedly, this is your medicine . Everything about this path is meant to be experiential. What is your experience with Spirit, with your khuyas, your spiritual allies in concrete form? There is no right or wrong. Do what works for you. The art of creating a mesa with its sacred stones or khuyas is impossible to keep linear, or precise. You’ll notice over time that everything about this sacred path is multi­dimensional and has many overlapping meanings. The Quechua language is rife with this practice of multidimensionality. Although practiced with common Inca forms and symbols, this path is the antithesis of a linear, structured set of rules.

The sacred stones of your mesa, or “khuyas” in Quechua, connect you not only with spiritual energies through your personal experience, they connect you to an ancient lineage of healers who have walked this path and invoked the same energies for millennia. They are connected to a global consciousness that they feed and are fed by, and in this way build energetically in knowledge, wisdom and experience. By working with them, you will evolve this way, too. In the Andean cosmovision, the earth is a universal meeting place ­ a great living being ­ of many different life forms or energies from a variety of dimensions, with the purpose of working together for the greater good. Life and nature are always seeking fullness and wholeness through the cycles of birth, cooperation, death, and rebirth. In this view, the khuyas in our mesas are our older brothers and sisters, a part of the ancient living being of Pachamama, our mother earth. To begin building a mesa, use your authentic intent to collect over time stones that are willing to be in a healing relationship with you as a part of your medicine bundle. There is no specific or right way to do this. You may look for stones that seem to stand out as you walk about in nature (or visit a rock shop!) Or you may simply get a feeling when considering a particular stone. You may want to pick up a particular stone and see/hear/feel if it is willing to do this sacred work with you. You’ll keep your stones wrapped and tied in a mestana or altar cloth. Most followers of this path use mestanas woven by Q’ero women and emblazoned with ancient patterns and symbols that honor the Inca tradition. Inti Taita (the sun), Chaskakuna (the stars), and Inkarri, or the last Inca, are the most used symbols. You’ll find some great information on these patterns here. You may begin with one stone at a time and build that way, or you may gather three or four at once. One teacher insisted that time was growing short for Pachamama and suggested getting 7 at once. You may even identify the first 12 stones from a large collection you already have. If you’re like me you’ve been picking up special rocks and shiny things since childhood! Your final stone, the 13th, or Lineage stone is usually received from a teacher in the tradition you’ve committed to following, or consecrated during an initiation. This is a deeply personal decision. Here is the guideline for identifying and selecting your khuyas, as transmitted via don Mariano Quispe Flores and his ancestral Inca lineage: 1. East khuya Represents Anti Suyo (the East direction) Sun, fire, sacred heat, fire ceremony Strong vertical lightning (masculine) New beginning, death

The heart Healing of emotional issues of the heart, dis­identification of the ego The number 9, a symbol of transforming and integrating energy Cutting cords Red, yellow, blue 2. South khuya Represents Qolla (ko­yo) Suyo (the South direction) Earth, the soil, feminine energy The mountains, a feminine mountain stone The flesh and bones of the physical body The qosqo (navel) Digestion, both the physical and energetic The cells (crystals) of the body, to memory, past lives The third layer of the earth, the layer of crystals Dark red, transparent white, silver 3. West khuya Represents Kunti Suyo (the West direction) Water, and the blood in the physical body Waterlines, sacred energetic points or vibrations of the element of water Goddesses of the water, mermaids Cleansing in general, and the blood specifically The third chakra or solar plexus Orange, light blue, gold 4. North khuya Represents Chincha Suyo (the North direction) Wind, Mama Huayra, the specific symbol of the wind, the Pi stone The lungs, breath, the 5th layer of the earth, the layer of vibrations, sound, sacred oxygen The throat, inspiring the flow of communication Dark blue, black, purple 5. Second lightening khuya, khaqa kuya Soft, horizontal, feminine lightning The top of the head, crown chakra Acceleration of healing, transforming of issues 6. Apu khuya Mountain energy Your own mountain, or place of birth Masculine energy The heart

7. Lloq’y (yo­kwee) Nusta khuya The first four *Nustas, or Inca goddesses: Mama Ocllo, doña Mujia, Mama Simona, doña Theresa Goddesses of support The left hand Red, orange, yellow, green 8. Pachamama khuya Pachamama, Mother Earth, the great cosmic mother Feminine energy in general Sacred places The navel Red 9. Panya (second) Nusta khuya The upper three Inca goddesses or *Nustas: Maria Sakapana, Huana Huaman Tiklla, Tomasa Huaman Tiklla Goddesses of guidance The right hand Light blue, dark blue, purple 10. Payala khuya Ancient feminine wisdom, your spiritual ancestral lineage The left side All the colors of the rainbow 11. Machula khuya Ancient masculine wisdom, your spiritual ancestral lineage Right side White 12. Phiero khuya A neutral energy or spirit coming from the earth Cleansing and protecting your mesa Between the feet Dark stone (brown, dark red, black) 13. The lineage stone, Pacha Estrella Your source, inner star, origins Your shamanic tradition, the ancestors The four elements in yourself

The seven layers of all three levels: Hanaq Pacha, the upper world; Kawsay Pacha, this middle world, and Ukhu (oo­koo) Pacha, the underworld. Your spiritual guides Your deep center, grounds and balances you Personal support, healing and guidance The deepest commitment to your soul It’s important to note that the mesa is a living, evolving creation. Once created, you’ll charge it with elements to keep it spiritually active. You may be inspired to open it to the sun one afternoon, to cleanse it after an intense period of healing. Or perhaps you’ll enfold grains of rice for sustenance, dried herbs from a healing, or incense for cleansing into it. Your khuyas can also be spiritually cleansed with a spritzing of holy water or Florida water, but never overtly washed or soaked. There also may come a time that you’re led to discard one of your khuyas. You might do this by returning it to the earth or to water, or even gifting it to another person. As you learn to discern the whispers of your khuyas and your spiritual guidance you’ll find what works for you. Using your mesa, your 13 stones, and the rites and initiations you’ll receive as a paqo or Andean priest, you’ll learn to cultivate a deep relationship with the earth, become a maestro of your own energy, and how to make your life a living, breathing work of art. NOTES: I’m proud to be a very active supporter of Heartwalk Foundation. This organization sells Q’ero mestana cloths which fund much needed food, education, and healthcare projects in the indigent high mountain villages of Peru. Purchasing your mesa cloth from HWF provides a direct link in gratitude or “ayni” to the people who have safeguarded this ancient path for centuries. I will have a shipment of their cloths arriving very soon for those who want to give back this way and save on shipping. All will come with a photo and the name of the weaver. Next we’ll cover how to work with a khuya to facilitate your own personal healing and spiritual evolution. *We’ll cover more in­depth discussion of the seven primary Nustas, or Inca Earth Princesses/Goddesses in the future. They hold deeply sacred energy for the divine feminine and are important to this path.