An Ultimate Exercise in Spiritual Mindfulness

Marcelle Pick, co-founder of Women to Women, author of Are you Tired and Wired? and a OB-GYN N.P., has written about a journey to Machu Picchu to visit her son who was studying shamanism there. She was not sure what she would find, and then when the airline lost her suitcase, she was really tense. However she was about to have an ultimate exercise in spiritual mindfulness as she trekked up to higher altitudes and Machu Picchu.

An Ultimate Exercise in Spiritual Mindfulness

My son was studying to be a shaman two hours outside of Iquitos in the jungles of Peru, and I was there to bring him home. I had also felt called to the mountains to do some spiritual journeying myself. I'd always dreamed of going to Peru, and when I traveled there 21 years ago, I didn't have the wonderful experience I expected. So it was time to return and explore all that I'd missed the first time around. But I have to admit that I was worried about my son and what I would find when I saw him -- we'd been out of touch for months.
But when I met up with him and our shaman guide, somehow the suitcase and my worry became less important. I was humbled by the altitude that kept me breathless, even though I thought I was in great shape, and by the Incan architecture that has withstood the test of time. I was humbled by the knowledge and peace of our wise shaman guide, who led us through a four-hour shaman ritual on the side of Machu Picchu. During this time of peace and quiet, surrounded by the spiritual history of past civilization, I welcomed the opportunity to step away from the person who was frantically searching for her suitcase, who was so caught up in the drama of her life.

 Often when people get caught up in their own or other’s dramas the inner peace goes right out the window. How to maintain a relaxed state of mind in the face of conflict, loud noise or extreme weather is a task for advance practitioners. Yet we can all succeed with effort and practice. If you would like to know more about Marcelle’s book, Are You Tired and Wired? click here.