The Andean Mesa As Healing And Empowerment by Teri J. Dluznieski

The Mesa is the cornerstone of Peruvian mystical and shamanic traditions. It becomes and acts as the organizing principle of the shaman’s world - both as an extension of and a reflection of the learning and healing he or she has done. It is also a direct connection to the more powerful guiding and healing forces of the invisible worlds.
There are many different types and styles of mesa word in Spanish which translates roughly to mean “altar” - types ranging from the more elaborate collections of swords staffs and wands of the jungle shamanic traditions to the more portable medicine bundles of the high Andes Mountains. Whatever the style, they all share a basic underlying principle. A Mesa is a collection of objects such as stones, relics, holy objects etc. They are earned through work or gifted from a teacher or Nature; they represent/embody the growth, learning, and healing that the student has accomplished.

There are two predominant approaches to building a mesa. One of which is more traditional Peruvian in structure, following the underlying principle of the 3 worlds: the ukkupacha (pronounced uhoo pacha) roughly correlating to what we refer to as the lower world, the kaypacha, which correlates to the middle world in which we live our every day lives, and the hanaqpacha (hanna pacha) or upper world, of angelic beings, or the unmanifest world of undeveloped possibility.

The other more commonly seen Mesa, in this country [USA], is built upon the model that follows through the 4 directions, beginning in the south, west, north and then east. This model also somewhat follows the same principle, as the south works with healing the self and things of this world, addressing the issues of fear, power, and sorrow. The west progresses to the work of the ukku pacha, or lower world which pertains to shadow work, ancestral and karmic healing. After the deep healing of the first two directions, the student is now prepared to take his or her place in a lineage which likely dates back as far as 50,000 years of unbroken teachings and rites of passage. In the North, it is now possible to begin to source from a new place, rather than from the wounds of our past and our histories, as the student has stepped beyond the need for enemies in this world or the next. Rather, the student of this path is now informed directly from the lineage, and masters the art of stillness and invisibility, before stepping into the East work where death rites and visionary work is undertaken.

In the East, the work comes full circle and the vision gained is brought back to the world and embodied in the path the mesa carrier walks - whether that is directly as a healer, or indirectly as a teacher, wellness practitioner or accountant. The mesa becomes the medium that guides engagements and interactions. We no longer enter into engagements and encounters with wounds and agendas; therefore we are not adding to confusion or discord. The metaphor I often use is to think of surroundings like a chorus or band, where everyone is playing, but without a conductor to manage the group. Everyone is slightly off, being thrown further off by the lack of a unifying, grounding element. In Life, the mesa helps to find your own note, and to hold it solidly. In this way, we are not thrown by the confusions around us. And further, by holding our own note strong and clear, it is that much easier for the people around us to catch the solid steady beat and have something to lead from in finding their own place.

Possibly more important than the actual healing and clearing that takes place as the student progresses through his or her mesa, is the mastery of a process. The mesa is the healer’s tool kit, to which he or she learns to turn in addressing the issues which arise in every day interactions. It is a means through which to identify, or track issues and energetics and to remove them from the luminous field or energy body, so that they are no longer guiding influences in their daily life.

In my own work, from the very first day of building my mesa, invariably, many things came up; This is a given when doing mesa work, as its very nature invites healing opportunities on a regular basis, and the universe presents situations that allow us to heal or release old patterns in order to move forward on the path. But with very rare and extreme exceptions, my teachers almost never stepped in to offer assistance. “Take it to your mesa” was the mantra by which I lived for 2 years. They taught very emphatically that all engagements should take place in the mesa; that is the best place to resolve anything - at the energetic level, whether it be a disagreement with a friend or colleague, a bad relationship, financial etc… shift the energy at the higher levels and let that impact the physical level. Too often in our culture we live only in the physical and mental levels, and have all our engagements with our bodies, from fights to illness to depression, and at the mental level, talking about things endlessly, staying stuck in a wound or memory, thinking thinking thinking - as though we could think our ways through everything.

It has not been until the last year or so that I have really begun to live by that philosophy, or rather, that I have begun using my mesa in this way and seeing the more powerful results- well beyond what I could effect in the kaypacha directly.

Setting up a simple private altar somewhere in your home with sacred objects that are meaningful to you, creates a place where you can go to deepen relaxation and receive guidance about things that are troubling you. This is also a
profound form healing and stress relief in one's life. Many indigenous and shamanic traditions include the use of a "mesa" — a portable altar, which is also considered a healer's tool kit — in their ceremonies and daily life. The more you use your mesa, or go to your altar, the stronger the connection grows between you and its wisdom and healing benefits.

Essentially the mesa becomes a powerful tool. Representing the student’s healing and thereby serving as a powerful tool for healing. Wounds and lessons become sources of power and wisdom as the mesa carrier engages the world from a place or wholeness, which brings healing to all engagements, thereby subtly affecting the energies of the people around them.

Copyright 2007 Teri J. Dluznieski M.Ed. Yaguarcita Healing and Bodywork