The Ley of the Land: A Journey Through the Energy Centres of Earth and Body

By Sandra M. Lowe

Sandra Lowe takes us on a physical and mystical journey through the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley. She describes the lay of the landthe terrain, the ruins. But she also describes the ley of the landinvisible lines that join energy centres.

Filled with photos, maps, history, and spiritual insight, The Ley of the Land reveals the deep connection Sandra has made with the ancestors of the land and the guidance she has received for spiritual growth and personal transformation.

Some may choose to read this book as a travel guide prior to walking the Inca Trail. They will learn why it is worth getting up at 4:00 a.m. to walk in the dark. But the gems in this book go beyond trekking to Machu Picchu. Sandra shares the wisdom of her mentors that will help anyone walking the path to Self-awareness. If you are taking a trip to Machu Picchu, read this book. If you are on a journey of the Self, read this book. Sandras trek and meditations will be a guide for your own personal journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504335553

Sandra M. Lowe

Author of the Led by Grace series, Sandra Lowe lives in Wawa, Ontario. www.sandramlowe.com

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Copyright © 2015 Sandra M. Lowe.

Maps: Daniel Klassen Graphics

Machu Picchu map image © Sohadiszno/Dreamstime.com

Author photo: Trudeau Foto

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-3554-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-3556-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-3555-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015910218

Balboa Press rev. date: 07/07/2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Map of Peru Route

Part 1: Excitement

Chapter 1: My Invocation

Chapter 2: En Route

Part 2: Cusco

Chapter 3: Snake

Chapter 4: Foundations

Part 3: The Inca Trail

Graph of the Inca Trail Elevation

Map of the Inca Trail

Chapter 5: Emerging Butterfly

Chapter 6: Bowl of Porridge

Chapter 7: Jovial Deities

Chapter 8: Pass the Salt

Chapter 9: Punk Flies

Part 4: Machu Picchu

Map of Machu Picchu

Chapter 10: Do Not Be Afraid

Chapter 11: Room Renovation

Part 5: The Sacred Valley

Chapter 12: Gift of Children

Chapter 13: Bridge of the Urubamba River

Chapter 14: My Pain

Part 6: Tampumachay, Qenqo, and Saqsaywaman

Chapter 15: Healing Cave

Chapter 16: Sunglasses

Epilogue

Appendix

Acknowledgements

Permissions

Selected Bibliography

To Derek, Heather, Jennifer, and Michael

with all my love

Ley lines are invisible lines on Earth that join areas of high energy. The intersection of multiple ley lines—at Machu Picchu, for example—signals a strong energy centre. Just as Earth, the human body has energy channels (nadis) connecting its energy centres (chakras). There are seven main chakras vertically aligned from the base of the spine—the first chakra—to the crown of the head—the seventh chakra. The flow of energy around and through each of the chakras determines physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.

FOREWORD

Shera and I began conducting spiritual tours to Machu Picchu the year after we first visited Peru together in 1994. During that first trip, we were enthralled by the high energy of this ancient land, a land that has spawned a multitude of civilizations and which gave rise to the Inca Empire. At home in our retreat centre on the west coast of Canada, we work to find ways to generate the energy to empower the people we are working with. Our travels convinced us that if we could bring people to Machu Picchu, that empowering energy would be all around them, in the snow-capped mountains and deep valleys, and hanging in the history of centuries, simply waiting to be tapped. So we began to bring people to Peru.

In our Transformational Tours, our travellers are on a journey not only through the mountains, and along the Inca Trail, but also on an Inner Journey to the heart of who they are and how they relate to their world. In our Enter the Mystery tour, travellers are encouraged to make their own discoveries in the places they visit before being told what has come to be known or speculated about those places. This is the reverse of what most travellers experience on a tour.

Over their days on the Trail, this practice of discovery touring has helped many travellers become increasingly sensitive to the places they visit. They develop personal insights through intuitive exploration, and become more comfortable in expressing it.

From the moment Sandi joined us, she stood out as one who totally embraces this way of travel. From the outset, she was intent on plumbing the depths of her intuitive insight, and expanding her ability to work with subtle energies. Avidly learning and practicing the techniques we shared by which one can tune into and ‘read’ subtle energies of a place, Sandi fully engaged at an energetic level with the Inca sites and the land she was travelling through. She became adept at recognizing in her body whether the places she came upon were welcoming or ‘closed’, and whether they had a message for her.

Having enjoyed the passion with which Sandi embarked on her adventure with us, we find it a pleasure to see that she is sharing her experiences here in a way that enables the reader to follow her personal inner journey through the discoveries she made while travelling in the spectacular mountains at the heart of what was once the Inca Empire in central Peru.

Chidakash

Serenity Transformational Tours

Galiano Island and Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

INTRODUCTION

My journey through the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley is an exploration of the land but, most important, an exploration of my Self. The mountains, rivers, altitude, and Quechua people set a backdrop for the richness of the history embedded in the archaeological sites throughout the area. But what truly calls me is within the stones of the ruins and in the trees and rocks along the Inca Trail. They draw me in to meditate and receive messages. As I journey along ley lines of Earth, I am gently guided to heal imbalances associated with my chakra energies.

My Peru trip leads me to integrate into my life the lessons that I had been receiving in my meditations over the past year, of internalizing them so that I no longer separate my life into when I am meditating and when I am not.

In the spring of 2001, I spontaneously had my first vision during my initial Reiki treatment. My meditations grew in depth, complexity, and impact on me; I felt such peace and happiness when I was connected with Source. But I was unable to maintain my inner peace when outside meditation. My understanding of my Self was more intellectual than internal: I knew the first layers of my meditations’ meanings, I knew the right words, and was reading the right spiritual books but I had not incorporated these teachings into my life.

Unlike my spontaneous entry into the world of meditation, my journey to living with inner peace has taken time. The Led by Grace series chronicles this process.

Led by Grace, the first book in the series, reveals meditations that show I am connected to Source. In the first year of my schooling, I am taught both to trust that I am indeed receiving guidance from Source but also to follow this guidance. My spiritual guides take the form of monks, Jesus, eagles, and wise women and men.

The Ley of the Land, the second book in the series, begins my process to apply these lessons. Peru becomes an extension of the classroom I have been in. My tour leaders—Shera, Chidakash, Puma, and Humberto—are my human guides while Inca priests become my spirit guides. But I also begin to receive guidance without form—a voice in my head, a knowing. My Peru trip is a series of mystical experiences along my path of Self-discovery.

The Led by Grace series spans an eight-year period concluding with my 925-kilometre pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in the fall of 2009. I make significant progress to living with inner peace during this time. But my journey did not end then. It is wonderfully ongoing.

Notes:

For details on chakra energies see Appendix. Throughout this book, I associate a chakra with each lesson I am guided to: for example, guilt (second chakra), anger (third chakra), or healing energy (seventh chakra).

Quechua was the oral language of the Inca and pre-Inca Andean people and is the language of the Quechua, the native people of the Andes today. In both Quechua and Spanish, there is often more than one way to spell a name. For archaeological sites, sacred mountains, and proper names, I use a Quechua spelling. Exceptions are Machu Picchu and Inca, and the more recognized plural form s rather than the Quechua kuna. However, for rivers and towns I use the more commonly accepted Spanish spellings.

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PART 1

Excitement

It is my dream to be able to live with inner peace, and when I return from Peru, share a new understanding of my Self.

CHAPTER 1

My Invocation

I first hear in December 2001 about a Peru trip offered by Serenity Transformational Tours. When I speak to the co-founders, Shera and Chidakash, I am enthralled with the idea of going. But it is when I read the itinerary, particularly about rising at 4:00 a.m. to walk the sacred path to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu, that I become weepy and tingly. I know this trip is for me.

On