Light of the Andes: In Search of Shamanic Wisdom in Peru

Light of the Andes is a spiritual journey to the most sacred mountain of the Incas, Apu Ausangate, to learn the true secret of the Andes. After a series of dreamlike encounters with mystical beings in Peru, J. E. Williams (aka Santiago) and his mentor, the Q'ero shaman Sebastian, are ushered to the glacial sloops of Ausangate. On these remote sloops, he is physically tested to his physical and mental limits by the effects of high altitude, cold, and isolation. Then, after a series of traditional preparatory rituals, he encounters the deity in an unexpected way. The author returns bearing a message from the Apu, echoed by the Q'ero people: Ayni, the original idea found in nature that guides people to follow principle-guided lives in harmony with all things.