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sacaca: (n) A
comet. AEAA
saccropa,
salvagina, millmahina, cotataura, Spanish moss: (n) Tillandsia
usneoides. In warm baths, this plant is valued as an antinervine to
rebuild physical strength and to aid in inducing sleep. The Indians
fill mattresses with it to repel flies. It is likewise appreciably
valued by those with backache and kidney trouble. Crushed and mixed
with fat, it is applied to treat hemorrhoids. REPC Spanish
moss is a natural insulating material. It is not a real moss: it's what
is known as an epiphyte. Epiphytes don't rely on their host
plants for nutrients. It has the ability to act as a natural form of
insulation. After being processed (dried), Spanish moss was quite often
used to stuff mattresses because the natural insulating properties of
Spanish moss made the mattresses cooler and more comfortable to use. It
was even used as packing material and its primary use today is as a
mulching agent for plants. SSB
Saccropa,
also called salvagina.
SSB
sacramachaco: (n)
Literally, bad
snake. This
animal has the head of a deer, with horns and large ears. It is called
upon to strengthen the mareación with
its magnetic arc, which surrounds the ceremonial house, and to see the
different mariris as well. AYV
Sacsahuaman, Sacsayhuaman:
(n) Literally, satisfied falcon. If the city of Cusco is considered to be in the shape of a
puma, then the mighty fortress of Sacsahuaman would be located at the
head, and its sharply zig-zagged outer walls could represent the fierce
teeth of the animal. This was the real House of the Sun during
Inca times. Sacsahuaman figured prominently during the Spanish
Conquest, with a fierce battle taking place there between conquistadors
and natives during the Great Rebellion of 1536. (See,
Cahuide and Muyuq Marca for more information about
this battle.) WIA
Sacsahuaman is also noted for an extensive system of chincanas which connect the fortress
to other Inca ruins within Cusco. Several
people have died after becoming lost while seeking a supposed treasure
buried along the passages. This has led the city of Cusco to block off
the main entrance to the chincanas in Sacsahuaman. WIKI
In the final days of the battle for Cusco, Sacsahuaman served as a
fortification against the Spaniards. At the time of the Incas,
Sacsahuaman was an immense ceremonial complex and observatory. It lies
less than two miles from the Plaza de Armas, which formed the
ceremonial center of Cusco. At one place, Incan stoneworkers carved
seats in the rocks. The site contains seven windows that the Incan
priest used for ceremonies to see the future. The seven stone shrines
are carved directly from solid rock or made from slabs evenly spaced
around a circle. The construction is arranged in a circle and set well
below ground level. ACAI (See,
Appendix D.)
sacha:
(adj) Wild. RS
sacha
ajo:
See, ajosacha.
sach'a,
sach'a sach'a: (n) Forest, jungle. PSL
RS
Sach'amama:
(n) In mythology, the mother of the forests, is a two headed serpent.
When she surfaces she becomes the tree of life: one head eats its tail
and the other points to the sky. Mistaken for the Yakumama, the two are similar in strength,
length and thickness. Sach'amama lives exclusively on the ground. THIM
Sach'amama means Mother Tree [or Mother Jungle]. She was a goddess in
the shape of a snake with two heads. When she passed on to the heavenly
world she transformed into K'uychi.
MJO
Literally, spirit mother of the jungle, the Sach'amama is a
huge eared boa believed to dwell in the same place for a very long
time. Vegetation grows on her body and makes the snake easily mistaken
as a fallen tree. She may devour the unaware hunter who has
accidentally stepped on her body. EMM
This big snake rarely moves, remaining perhaps hundreds of years in the
same place. One can even climb on top of her without realizing one is
on this dangerous animal. If prey passes by, the Sach'amama hypnotizes
it, draws it in with its powerful magnet and swallows it. When a person
recognizes it, he must leave right away to avoid being crushed by a
tree or struck by lightning, because she produces great storms. When
the Sach'amama moves to another place, she throws down the trees
growing on her back and makes a path by knocking down other trees. She
can make people sleep in order to devour them. She is used as a mariri by marupa
sorcerers. AYV
Had two heads, walked upright, and was like an aged tree. Upon reaching
the Hanaqpacha, Sach'amama turned
into the rainbow god K'uychi. The
three worlds were united by these serpent gods of water and fertility. WOFW The
giant trees of the Amazon forest. ACAI (See, Yakumama, Wayramama
[for definition and another picture], mama,
boa.)
Sach'amama. AYV
sacharuna: (n)
Another name for the ch'ullan
chaki. [The term
sacharuna literally could mean wild man or
forest man, depending on the original
spelling/pronunciation (sach'a or sacha).]
sach'a
supay: (n)
Jungle demon. AYV
(See,
supay.)
sach'a
warmi: (n)
Literally, woman
of the forest.
In the Amazon these plants are generally found near large rocks. They
are very difficult to locate and recognize. AYV
She is used as a mariri by marupa sorcerers.
sagra:
See,
saqra.
saiwa,
saywa: (n) (1) A column of energy that unites the three worlds (hanaqpacha, kaypacha,
ukhupacha), the three energy centers. JLH
AVO RS
Pillar; shaft of light; a column of energy mediated by siwar q'enti that descends from the
hanaqpacha to create a bridge between the spiritual and physical
realms. PSPM A column
of living energy or shaft of light from the heavens connecting the
sublime, purely spiritual realm (the hanaqpacha) to the physical realm
(the kaypacha). ANON1
(2) A tall
column of stones built by an Andean priest to represent his/her power,
or a column of living energy. RS
QNO A specific
type of apacheta or altar that consists
of a tall, thin, vertical stack of stones representing and embodying a
healer or priest's divinely ordained power. ANON1
(3) One of the organizing principles. JLH
AVO
(See,
munay, nuna, chekak,
yuya, ch'ulla, kallari,
kawsay.) (4) Boundary;
limit. RS
(4) Can refer to the etheric template of a shrine or altar which is
embedded into that shrine from the heavens. ANON1 (See,
itu.)
saiwa
state:
(n) Energy column created by priests by intention and that extends from
the middle world to the upper world. WMG
Just being, not doing. The three energy
centers are in a synchronistic state. AVO
(See,
saiwa.)
saladera:
(n) A run of bad luck, inertia, sense of not living to the full (sp). SCU
salka,
salqa, sallqa: (adj.) Wild, undomesticated. JLH
Uncivilized.
CSCR
(n)
(1) Wild animal. RS
(2)
A synonym for the puna areas. RS
Salkantay:
(n) The name of one of the sacred mountains. The gateway to enter Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba. Salkantay's mystical
significance is to enter a place, a sacred plane where you are in tune
with all realities, when you can see the multiplicity of realities.
Salkantay is chaos, domain of the unmanifested, inspiration,
formless. Shamans simply must chart
this domain of (salka medicine). JLH
salvagina: See, saccropa,
above.
samai:
(n) Spirits.
Samaipata:
The
ruins of Samaipata are located in the remote mountains of central
Bolivia and are one of the most enigmatic ancient sites in all of South
America. Archaeologists no longer believe in the military use of the
site but consider that it had religious significance. The ruins consist
of two parts: 1) the stone hill with many fascinating carvings of jaguars, snakes, other zoomorphic and
geometrical figures, a water tank with conduits, and a curious seating
arrangement, and 2) an area to the south of the stone hill that seems
to have been the administrative and residential district. The seating
arrangement at the top of the stone hill was designed with 12 seats
carved into the hilltop facing toward each other in a circle. Within
this circle of 12 seats is another set of three seats facing outward
toward the 12 seats. These three seats are back-to-back, so that each
seat faces four of the seats of the 12. WSS
In 2002, an archaeological expedition worked cleaning and excavating
the chincana beneath Samaipata,
which is approximately 30 meters deep, to investigate the existence of
a communication link between the site and other major Inca settlements such as Cusco. This link has been described in
legends and oral traditions. The labyrinth has not been properly
investigated before. Several attempts have been made to examine it and
depths of 20 meters have been reached without touching the bottom of
the shaft. WKC
(See, samay.)
The
ruins at Samaipata.
WSS
samana
(AYM): (n) Breath. ASD
samariy:
(v) To breathe. QP
samay:
(n) (1) A strong breath into a k'intu
giving an energizing influence to the object of the ceremony. (See,
phukuy and sopla,
below..)
KOAK
(2) Spirit, repose, breathing. RS
Breath,
rest. TLD
(v)
(1) Rest. (2) Exhale deeply. TLD
samcatha
(AYM): (n) Dream. ASD
sami:
(n) (1) High frequency energy that comes from being in harmony with the
universe. In order to receive sami, you must give it to other people,
places, objects. If your relationships are in balance, then you will be
infused with sami. JAR
Animating essence. GOL Sami
energy is generated whenever any change, physical or chemical, occurs
in the universe. For example, the moment a supernova explodes in the
cosmos, or the instant water boils and becomes a gas, sami is being
generated. It is experienced as a subtle effervescence. In physics, the
expressions of sami are comparable to “weak” and “strong” nuclear
energy. (Click here
for a quick course in nuclear forces.) In curanderismo, it is used to heal
clients with mental and emotional conditions. PSPM
(2) Luck. QP
Good
fortune; bliss; destiny. PSPM
(See,
hucha, kawsay.)
sami
and hucha:
(descr. phrase) Contradictory energy.
saminchaska, samiy:
(n) (1) The breath through a k'intu
that brings about an interchange of sami
with the natural world or with spirits. (2) The performer of such a
breath. KOAK
(See,
samay.)
samiyuq:
(adj) Lucky. QP
sanango,
sikta, yacu zanango: (n) (Tabernaemontana
sananho)
Used as a component of ayahuasca by
some vegetalistas. The very name of
this plant in Peru signifies an all-purpose kind of medicinal plant; it
is a panacea in the Upper Amazon, used as a febrifuge, emetic,
diuretic, calmative and for other minor ailments. It is strongly
alkaloid [and seems to be related to ibogaine, an African plant famed
for its ability to cure drug addiction]. AYV
RTR
In Amazonia, the sanango tree, which can grow as tall as 5 meters, is
regarded as a cure-all; the leaves, the root, and the latex-rich bark
are all used in folk medicine. The leaves of the tree are used
psychoactively as an additive to ayahuasca and also are combined with Virola
spp. to produce an orally efficacious hallucinogen. The plant is
also called uch pa huasca sanango and is known as a "memory
plant," a reference to the fact that its inclusion in a psychoactive
preparation causes a person to better remember the experiences he or
she has had while under the influuence of that preparation. It is added
to ayahuasca so that a person can, afterward, more clearly recall the
visions he or she saw. In Ecuador, the plant is known as sikta
and is available in raw form (short branch pieces) at local markets.
The Jíbaro drip the freshly pressed juice into the nostrils of their
dogs so that they may be better able to locate prey; the plant is also
known as yacu zanango. It is rich in alkaloids. EPP
Sanango
San
Cipriano:
(n) (1) San Cipriano is recognized as the patron saint of magicians. He
is particularly venerated in Mexico, where he is part of curanderismo. He is invoked in order
to protect people from evil spells and also to cure them from these.
Cipriano was martyred in the year 272 by order of the Roman emperor,
and his bones were preserved by his followers and later interred in
Constantinople [now Istanbul]. Cipriano is said by his descendents in
Italy to have come originally from Egypt. Before converting to
Christianity he was one of the most famous magicians ever known. He was
born in Antioch to very rich and powerful parents and by 30 years of
age he knew all of the magical arts, at which time he then converted to
Christianity. WWOC
His
intimate knowledge of sorcery, combined with his alignment to the One
God was believed to make Saint Ciprian a powerful shaman. Curanderos of Peru see Saint Ciprian as
embodying the mesa, in that his
life path expressed the dualistic principle of the universe,
representing both the light and dark. PSPM (2)
A school of sorcery based on a book
written by San Cipriano, who was a magician before he converted to
Christianity. San Cipriano is now reclaiming his place in the pantheon
of true curandero saints. He was, in
fact, one of the most powerful magicians who ever lived, and he had in
his possession occult wisdom that was passed down from certain other
powerful magicians who had preceded him in that part of the world. WHAC
sanco, sanguito:
(n) A special
type of dough made of ground, half-cooked corn, used especially in the
Situa ceremonies (see,
situa, below). In some areas in the south of
Chile, the sanco survives as a local gastronomical delicacy. In the
north of Peru, the name sanguito (little sanco) is used for a
type of dessert. DYE See, maize for a little more about the use of corn
ceremonially.
sandialaguén: (n) Verbena
multifida. A decoction is taken in Chile to stimulate menstruation
and to alleviate a condition which causes a burning sensation during
urination. REPC
Sandialaguén.
sangre
de drago (Span): (n)
Croton lechleri. Literally, dragon's blood.
Sangre de drago is a tree that grows in the Amazon. The tree bark and
sap are used to make medicine. One of the chemicals it contains, is
used for diarrhea associated with cholera, AIDS, traveling, or
treatment with antibiotics. Sangre de drago is also used for treating
cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), viral respiratory infections,
fever, hemorrhage, bleeding gums, wounds, broken bones, vaginal
infections, hemorrhoids, a skin condition called eczema, and insect
bites and stings. Other uses include treating ulcers of the mouth,
throat, stomach, or intestine; supporting the body's tissue repair
mechanisms; and as a general tonic. Some people apply sangre de drago
directly to the skin for treating herpes simplex virus (types 1 and 2).
Some women use it for flushing the vagina before childbirth. Sangre de
drago appears to help diarrhea by slowing down the intestines. It might
also prevent the movement of some viruses into cells. WEBMD
The
sap of sangre de drago, often erroneously
transliterated to sangre de grado.
Sanguijuela
Mama
(Span): (n) A giant leech with four antennae on its head and no mouth.
She can make people sleep in order to devour them. AYV
(See, mama.)
Sanguijuela
Mama. AYV
sanguito: See, sanco,
above.
sanitario
(Span): (n) One who heals others of evil (devil things) with offerings
to Pachamama.
San
Martín: Saint
Martin of Porres (1579-1639). Born in Lima to a Spanish nobleman and a
freed daughter of Panamanian slaves, this patron saint of Peru is
revered throughout the Americas for his commitment to racial and social
justice during his lifetime. GOL
San
Martín. AYV
San
Pedro cactus:
See,
huachuma.
sanuyapuy: (v) To
recover, to convalesce; to sure; to become healthy. RS
sapa
/ Sapa :
(adj) Alone, each. QP
Unique, the one and only. QNO
(n)
Capitalized, the Inka ruler (what we call Inka today); means the
one and only. The Sapa was chosen from among candidates of the
twelve Inka noble families (see, panaca, Sapa Inca)
based largely on spiritual prowess, including one's ability to emit
light from the body. ANON1
Sapa
Inca:
(n) (1) Supreme male ruler of the Inca. In
his capacity as the representation of the Sun on earth, his presence
brought warmth and light to make the world habitable. MAN
(2) The male manifestation of the sixth
level of human consciousness in the Inca prophecies. KOAK
(See,
Qoya.)
Actor
at Inti Raymi
portraying the Sapa Inca.
sapanka:
(adj) Each, every. QP
sapaq:
(adj) Different, other. QP
sappa
hihuañana
(AYM): (n) Good death. ASD
saqra:
(n) (1) Devil. QP
(2) Negative and destructive energies under the control of the Incas that had limited power; they were
well-controlled from pre-Inca times to the arrival of the Spaniards
because the people lived in harmony with the laws of the universe. With
the Spanish invasion, saqras were liberated and joined forces with the
Spaniards, thus enabling the latter to destroy the Tawantinsuyu. WMG
(adj) Filthy; nauseating; ugly; bad; rough; mean; evil. RS
Saramama :
See,
Mama Sara, mama.
sarara:
(n) Anhinga anhinga. A bird considered to be one of the darkest
beings of hell that Amazon sorcerers
work with, all of them black animals. AYV
sasa:
(adj) Hard, difficult. QP
sasi: (n)
Ritual fasting which consisted in the abstinence from salt, chili
pepper and sexual pleasure. It was observed for any length of time, and
in some cases for more than one year. Hatun sasi consisted of
eating for weeks and months only raw white corn and water. DYE
sat'iy:
(v) To puncture, to inject. QP
sawa: (n)
Marriage; matrimony. RS
Sawasiras:
See,
Appendix N.
Sawa
Siray:
See,
Pitu Siray.
Sayhuite, Saywite:
(n) An archaeological site 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of the city
Abancay in the province Abancay in the region Apurímac in Peru. The
site is regarded as a centre of religious worship focusing on water. An
important feature on the site is the Sayhuite monolith, a rock with
more than 200 geometric and zoomorphic figures. In Monuments
of the Incas, by John Hemming, Hemming points to a colonial
narrative that describes the interior of the Sayhuite temple. The
temple featured larger columns draped in fabrics with gold bands the
"thickness of one's hand." The temple was also under the care of the
priestess Asarpay who jumped to her death in the nearby 400 metre gorge
to avoid capture by Spanish forces.
WIKI Compare,
Cahuide. Click here for a video
of the monolith.
Drawing
of the Sayhuite monolith.
sayk'usqa:
(adj) Tired. QP
Fatigued. PSL
sayk'uy:
(n) Fatigue. QP
sayri
(AYM): (n) Tobacco. ASD
Tobacco reduced to a powder and snuffed up the nose in order to clear
the nasal passages. ACA
sayu:
(n) (1) The four quarters of the celestial sphere. (See,
mayu.) (2) Andean
principles of dual organization often entails quadrapartition and
the subdivision of paired moiety into four sayu subgroups of kindred. RFRC
saywachakuy:
See,
saiwa. JNP
scarification (Eng): (n)
Scarifying (also scarification modification) involves scratching,
etching, burning / branding, or superficially cutting designs,
pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification. In
the process of body scarification, scars are formed by cutting or
branding the skin by varying methods (sometimes using further
sequential aggravating wound healing methods at timed intervals, like
irritation) to purposely influence wound healing to scar more, not
less. Scarification is sometimes called cicatrization (from the French
equivalent). WIKI
Scarification of the face for ritualistic purposes or as a means
of embellishment is also mentioned by the chroniclers. Cieza tells us
that on the northern coast “the men have their faces scarified from the
ears to the chin in different widths. Some include the greater part of
the face and others less.” Garcilaso states that this scarification was
carefully performed with points of flint. These [see, orejones and tembetá]
are the only ritual surgical acts of which we have a clear notion. DYE
scars (Eng): (n)
Many highland people believe that physical scarring comes from an
internal fear that manifests as a scar as an outward sign of that fear.
IGMP
schacapa,
chacapa, shacapa (Amaz): (n) (1) A tree of the rupha-rupha (selva alta)
region whose dried fruits (nuts) are used as small bells. RS (2) The
rattle of a vegetalista used to take
away illness by means of the wind produced by the rattle, to “seal” a
patient so that he/she will not be subject to subsequent attacks, and
to stimulate visions in ayahuasca
sessions.
PSPM
In an ayahuasca ceremony, for example, a curandero
[def. 3] may shake the chakapa around the patient while singing an icaro (healing song). The sound of the
chakapa is said to comfort patients in an ayahuasca ceremony and
"cleans" the energy surrounding the patient. Shamans
have a large variety of chakapa movements that create different sounds
and energy waves, these movements match the coinciding icaro and
healing that is being done at the time. Some people report seeing
green, blue, and gold ribbons of light form around the chakapa, and
then move in tendrils about the room. The chakapa is also an important
cleansing tool used during venteadas
and arcanas. In the Amazon, once the
shaman catches the bad spirit in a chakapa, it is then blown out of the
leaves into the forest. The spirits are distributed and taken in by all
nature such as trees and plants. A chakapa is made by tying together
the leaves from the bush in a fashion that forms a fan shaped
instrument.
WIKI
A
schacapa nut bracelet.
Don
Julio Gerena Pinedo, master palero, in
ceremony. His
medicine items are ayahuasca, perfume, mapacho, agua de
florida, book of magic and schacapa leaf fan,
essential tools of the ritual. EMM
Another
schacapa, this one tied into a bundle.
WIKI
scrying (Eng): (n)
A magic practice that involves seeing things supernaturally in a
medium, usually for purposes of divination
or fortune-telling. The media used are most commonly reflective,
translucent, or luminescent substances such as crystals, stones, glass,
mirrors, water, fire, or smoke. Scrying has been used in many cultures
as a means of divining the past, present, or future. Depending on the
culture and practice, the visions that come when one stares into the
media are thought to come from God, spirits, the psychic mind, the
devil, or the subconscious. Scrying is actively used by many cultures
and belief systems and is not limited to one tradition or ideology. WIKI
séance (French):
(n) From the French word for seat, session or sitting.
A curandero healing session. PGO
Don
Jorge Merino Brazo and his patients in a séance,
Lambayeque, Peru, 1988. EMA
second
attention:
(n) A term from nagualismo
meaning our ability to perceive the Dreamtime.
That which is knowable but not accessible by the first attention. AVO
(2) The second attention, a larger portion of our consciousness than
the first attention, is the awareness we need in order to perceive our luminous bodies and to act as luminous
beings. The second attention is brought forth through deliberate
training or by an accidental trauma, and it encompasses the awareness
of the luminous body. The battlefield of warriors is the second
attention, which is something like a training ground for reaching the third attention. TEG
(See, luminous warrior.)
second
level of abstraction (Eng): See, level of abstraction.
Second
Sun:
(n) More advanced than the world of the First
Sun, its people practised rudimentary agriculture. They were called
the Wari Runa. This age ended in
cataclysmic deluge [Uñu Pachacuti].
MAN
seeing (Eng): (n)
The act of perceiving energy
directly as it flows in the universe. The capacity to perceive energy
in this manner is one of the culminating points of shamanism. TDJ
(More at vision.)
seguro (Span):
Literally, insurance, assurance, certainty. (1) A place of
safety or protection and balance of power. PSPM (2) The
herb-filled bottles that are said to contain the curandero's shadow-spirit. A bottle of
ritually prepared herbs containing living plants, each of which has a
spirit, that protects against daños and
pulls luck and good fortune to its owner. It consists of a clear glass
bottle (often a discarded rum or perfume bottle) which has not been in
contact with garlic, onion, or other strong seasonings. It is filled
with magical herbs that have been collected from enchanted locations,
especially the sacred lagoons of Las
Huaringas. The bottle is also filled with water from one or more of
the sacred lagoons, perfumes and flowered waters, honey, sugar,
fragrant seeds, and it may contain liquid mercury, small figurines,
crystals and other miniature mesa objects, as well as hair and/or a
picture of the curandero's patient. The spirit powers of all the
objects that it contains are called upon by the maestro. The patient is
instructed to breathe into the bottle three times so that his shadow is
symbolically entrusted to the spirit powers of the herbs, water of the
lagoons, and other ingredients bottled up in the seguro herbs. By thus
activating the seguro, one will have a permanent connection to the
enchanted lagoons from which the plants have been taken, securing that
person's spirit to the power of certain encantos.
GOL A seguro
is considered by the curandero to be his second person, or
alter ego (see, nagual). When he
concentrates on the seguro, some plants indicate to the curer symbols
of his art that are appropriate to the case, as well as the causes of
the patient's ailment. WOFW Glass
bottles containing consecrated herbs and sacred remedies often used for
protection. PSPM
Seguros.
seke
(AYM): (n) Line. ASD
(See, ceke.)
senqa, senq'a,
sinqa, singa: (n) (1) Nose. (2) A nasally ingested remedy from the
northern coastal region of Peru. ANON1
señal
kancha: (n) From
Quechua cancha, a corral, and Spanish señal , a sign,
token. A special corral in which fertility rituals are performed (sp). WOFW
Señor
de Huanca,
Señor de Wanka: (n) Lord of the sacred song is an important
healing sanctuary in the Cusco area. (See,
huanca.)
sepja (AYM): (n)
Stone power object with geometric
incisions. WOFW
Compare, illa (def. 5)
sepka: (n)
(1) A power object. (2) A
container. PSPM Compare, arte.
seqe:See,
ceke.
sexual
activity (Eng): In
the excellent social organization of the Inca
Empire, sexual activities were apparently well balanced within the
cultural context. Complete sexual freedom for boys and girls was the
rule after puberty for the mass of the people. This sexual freedom
ended with marriage. But chastity and virginity was socially enforced
on the nobility. In the lower classes, a woman who was a virgin at the
time of marriage was considered a poor choice by the young men. Trial marriage was a highly accepted
custom and only had a permanent binding effect if it led to pregnancy.
On the other hand, the girls of the Inca
elite were put in seclusion in large monasteries from early youth
in order to protect their virginity. They were called accllas, which means chosen, and were
kept in these houses until they were married to the nobility or chosen
for permanent virginity as spouses of the sun god. Severe punishment
penalized the loss of their chastity. DYE
See, also,
other terminology of sexuality: bestiality,
hermaphrodite, adultery, wausay
(homosexuality), necrophilia, fertility festival, and birth control.
shacapa: See, schacapa.
shadow (Eng): (n)
(1) The shadow, said Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung,
is the unknown dark side of our personality – dark both
because it tends to consist predominantly of the primitive, negative,
socially or religiously depreciated human emotions and impulses like
sexual lust, power strivings, selfishness, greed, envy, anger or rage,
and due to its unenlightened nature, completely obscured from
consciousness. PTO (2) The
soul of the person a sorcerer wants to
kill. (See, soul capture.) In curanderismo the term shadow is often
used interchangeably with spirit to refer to the victim's vital essence
because, like the appurtenance used to summon it, it is also a kind of
image or reflection of the victim [of daño].
GOL
shadow-soul (Eng): (n)
An evil spirit. “As a young girl, she had been pursued by a shadow-soul.
She supposed it belonged to a male sorcerer (see, below)
who had come to her in her dreams to try and rape her.” GOL
shaman
(Tungus): (n) From saman, one who knows. One defining
characteristic of a shaman is the capacity for, and ability to induce,
profound transcendent experiences. These ecstatic trances create a
bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. Shamans are linked to
indigenous healing practices that involve some form of ecstatic trance,
which acts as a catalyst for mediation between the physical and
spiritual realms. The shaman has an uncommon capacity for the mystical.
Shamanism is essentially mysticism in action. It is the role of the
shaman to hold the community in ritual and to be consulted for the
spiritual and healing needs of individuals in that community. PSPM A man or
woman who travels to the parallel worlds where time and space have no
meaning and who uses the powers of those worlds, the subconscious, and
the realities of this world to cause change. Shamans can alter a
person's health, the weather, or the relationship between a community
and its surroundings. GNO A man or
woman, initiated into a lineage, who
enters an altered state of consciousness at will. The shaman does this
to contact and utilize a hidden reality (see, nagual) to acquire knowledge and to help
others. The shaman usually works with one or more spirits. APC The
practice of medicine and other shamanic
activities implies tremendous dangers for the person of the shaman. A
common topic of conversation among them is the account of struggles
they have been forced to have with rival shamans who are jealous of
their powers, or who are trying to prevent the healing of some person
they have harmed. A shaman must protect himself when preparing his
remedies, because even the plants themselves might harm him. That is
why seeking protections against such dangers is an extremely important
part of the process of learning. A shaman must be a strong person
physically and spiritually. MSIN Placing
oneself above worldly oppositions (e.g., life/death, good/evil, social
obligations/individual desires) so as to master or transcend them is
key to becoming a shaman. GOL Shamans
are amoral. AVO
The
shaman is important, primordial, and without substitution
in the field of curing. WPH
shamanic
reality:
See,
nagual, tonal.
shamanism:
(n) The body of knowledge and practices of the shaman.
An ancient, worldwide practice of engaging with spirit helpers and the
forces of the natural world to develop relationships, solve problems,
and perform healing. MBE
Societies
with flourishing shamanism have suffered far fewer cases of neurosis
and psychosis when faced with the pressures of modern technological
civilization than those which had weak shamanism or none at all. WOFW
shaman
sickness (Eng): (n)
Schizophrenia. The path is always lonely and demanding for those called
to shamanism, and doubly so for those who must contend with Western
culture's refusal to accept the overwhelming reality of the disturbing
realms of vision and torment in which shamans dwell. Along with having
to endure the loss of ego stability, hence the frightening blurring of
outer and inner realities, sufferers of schizophrenia are often forced
to contend with psychiatric notions, subdued with medication and
incarceration in mental institutions. The schizophrenic's reason and
senses, like those of the shaman during initiation, are assaulted by
concrete revelations of the heights and depths of the vast Otherworlds
of the collective unconscious. Simultaneously, the schizophrenic is
forced to slot into the routine of daily existence. The invasion of the
ego by archetypal forces transforms the individual profoundly and
irreversibly; no one who has endured such a crisis can confine the
expanded horizons of their consciousness to the tame boundaries of
cultural norms. SEB
The difference between a mystical experience and a psychological
crack-up is: the one who cracks-up is drowning in the water in which
the mystic swims. PSPM
shapeshift
(Eng): (v) To magically assume the physical manifestation of a
different entity. (See,
runauturuncu, double, nagual.)
shapeshifting:
(n) There are two different forms of shapeshifting: (1) changing your luminous body to a power animal, and
(2) changing your physical form on the earth plane into an animal.
Based in the premise that everything is energy, and even though we
shift into the energy pattern of a tree, we are in essence still the
same. JP (See,
saiwa, nagual, double,
and therianthropy.)
shapingo,
shapinku
(possibly Moche): (n) A counterspirit that would oppose the healing or divination ceremony. WOFW The devil.
GOL
See, Supay,
below.
shimbaya
huasca:See,
ayahuasca.
shirimpiáre
(Amaz): (n) A type of katziboréri, a
smoking witch doctor who specializes in sucking
(see,
below) tobacco cure, sending the smoke energies
against disease with spells. THIM
shuco, shuca:
See, jaco.
siempre
viva: (Span):
(n) Triptilion spinosum. Literally, always alive. With
a reputation of excellent diuretic properties, this species is
extensively used in treating urinary ailments. REPC
Siempre
viva.WIKI
siete
mortales (Span):
Literally, seven somersaults. In curanderismo,
a strategy of battling a sorcerer (see,
below) within a healing session by the curandero who executes the seven
somersaults holding a sword horizontally with both hands, blade
outward-facing, the somersaults making the sign of the cross. This
sword battle and somersaults are designed to break a sorcerer's spell
and to shock him. Somersaulting is a practice utilized especially for
purposes of transformation. In Bolivia, shamans of the Tacana perform
somersaults in one direction to turn themselves into jaguars and in the
opposite direction to reassume human form (see, nagual, therianthropy,
and shapeshifting). WOFW
siki: (n) (1)
Base, bottom. (2) Rear end, rump, buttocks. TLD
siki
ñawi: See, chunpi.
simi:
(n) Language, words.
Sinak'ara: (n)
Tutelary mountain spirit [apu] of the Q'oyllor Rit'i festival. RS
The
glacier of Apu Sinak'ara.
sinchi :
(n) (1) Very strong person. QP
(2) Chief or strongman. ACA A
war-chief, strongman, warlord. EOTI Referred
to the Sapa Inca in very early Inca
history, i.e., Sinchi Roca.
sinchi
amarun:
(n) Literally, strong anaconda. This is the jungle Quechua term
for the rainbow. AYV
Sinchi
Roca:
(n) The name of the legendary second Inca
king. He is credited with having commanded the residents of the Cusco valley to grow potatoes,
a staple crop. MAN
Sinchi Roca, drawn by Felipe
Guaman Poma de Ayala.
sinchi
runa:
(n) Strong, powerful men who have acquired not only spirit helpers, but
also the souls of powerful ancestors in their yachay
(def. 2). (See,
banco.) AYV
singa: (n) From senqa,
meaning nose. A nasally ingested remedy from the northern
coastal region of Peru. ANON1
sipas:
(n) (1) Forces of nature ready to mate, reproduce. JLH
(2)
Young girl; adolescent. RS
sipascha:
(n) Young woman. QP
siqsiy:
(n) Itch (sensation). QP
sirena (Span): A mermaid of the Amazon. MSIN
siriy,
sirikuy: (v) To lie down. QP
Situa,
Citua: (n) An annual purification rite done to safeguard the health of
the [Sapa] Inca, which was seen
to indicate the health of the whole body politic. It was held in Cusco just before the start of the rainy
season, when Andeans were particularly susceptible to disease. All
foreigners and people with physical defects had to leave the city as a
prelude to the rite. The illnesses the Inca sought to be rid of
included by physical and social disorders. The ritual was seen to
return Cusco to its original pristine state. ICHB
A four day festival which took place at the beginning of the spring
(during September on the new moon before the equinox) which had a
marked relationship to medicine and health. The celebration was held to
pray for the avoidance of epidemics, and all its rites had as a common
goal to drive all diseases and maladies away from the Earth. Cobo says that it was held at this time of
the year “because the rainy season was about to start, and with the
first rains there came illnesses…” The night before festivities began,
the town had been carefully searched for foreigners and for chronically
sick persons, invalids, congenitally deformed and mentally defective
individuals. All were temporarily banished from the town to avoid their
adverse influence on those praying. Dogs were also evicted. In the
morning, in the Temple of the Sun,
all the gods and important mummies were
gathered for a procession. Four squadrons of heavily armed soldiers –
one for each of the four suyus – converged
towards the main square shouting in unison: “All disease, disasters,
and dangers we will banish from this land!” Whereupon in the center of
the square, a high priest performed a ceremony with chicha, after which the four groups of
soldiers departed toward their respective regions, running as fast as
they could shouting, “Out with disease! Out with illness!” and, upon
reaching the first river in their path, they would take a ceremonial
bath. Meanwhile, all people chanted in the same vein, waving their
mantles, bedcovers and other clothing so as to shake off all evil.
During that night, everyone -- even the [Sapa] Inca himself -- danced
and rejoiced until dawn. With the first light of dawn, everyone would
take a ceremonial bath in nearby bodies of water and would then throw
into the water all their used clothing and don new garments. This bath
was followed by a ritual game called pancunco.
On the second day of feasting, each family prepared sanco (see,
sanco).
With it they smeared their own faces, the doors and walls of their
houses and the deposits of clothing and food. They then collected the
sanco and threw it into a nearby body of water. Once done, they
indulged in eating and drinking, claiming that this was essential for a
good state of health during the rest of the year. During this time,
contention was carefully avoided. During this second night of the
festival, the clergy would perform the ceremony of cleansing with sanco
on the idols and all holy objects and persons, including the Inca and
his wife. A sumptuous banquet for the priesthood and officials
followed, and great amounts of food and drink were burned in honor of
the idols and the cherished mummies present at the feast. On the third
morning, the gods, surrounded by their priests, paraded with their
paraphernalia and then occupied their place in the large square,
receiving the salutation of all the notable persons or groups who,
attired in full regalia, filed off to pay respects to the deities.
Another banquet followed where the guests were entertained with music
and dancing composed for this ceremony. The drinking did not start that
day until the Inca himself would approach the golden image of the Sun
god and make a special offer of the chicha to be consumed. On the
morning of the fourth day all met again in the square. There, camelids were sacrificed in large
quantities to the different deities, specially to the Sun. The blood of the animals was collected
and mixed in large containers with sanco, and the High Priest addressed the people in the
following terms. “Beware of how you partake of this holy sanco and
blood. Because he who would take it in sin, and with two wills and two hearts, the Sun, our
Father, will see and punish. And he who will consume it in good and
honest will, Wiracocha, the Sun and
the Thunderbolt will reward.” Each
partaker made a pledge to live a good life. Then the priest took a
small amount of sanco with three fingers and placed it in the mouth of
everyone of the participants who had sworn. DYE
See, maize.
siwar
q'enti,
siwarkinte: (n) The royal hummingbird. Typically associated with
shamanic journeying, siwar q'enti is a
central mythological figure. He is the supreme psychopomp, having the ability to travel
through all three worlds and
cross-pollinate them. He is the mediator of the shamanic awakening
process. PSPM A
particular mythic hummingbird who is said to be the only creature to
have looked Creator in the eyes; the psychopomp between the hanaqpacha and the kaypacha. ANON1 [There
does not appear to be an actual taxonomically identified species called
“royal hummingbird.” In Ecuador, there is a hummingbird species the
locals call quinde real [translates as royal hummingbird (sp)]
which is classified Colibri lolatus. The appellation royal
could come from the mythology surrounding the hummingbird archetype.--
Patt]
Siwar q'enti
sixth
level: (n) A
level of consciousness characterized by the emergence of the new Sapa Inca, an extraordinary leader and
social engineer of great political skill who will bring about the taripay pacha. IEBJ
siyti
sabiyus: See, qanchis laya. [Siyti sabiyus may
be a Quechua rendition of Spanish siete sabio.]
smoke
signals: (n) A
single reference in the chronicle of Garcilaso
de la Vega describes a visual signaling system he says the Incas
employed to broadcast warnings of insurrection or revolt by means of
smoke by day and fire at night. The stations were staffed by the same
class of young men assigned as chasqi
runners along the road corridors. By perpetual vigilance, they were
able to very rapidly relay an alarm over great distances. The assertion
of the existence of such a system on the ground is supported by the
documentation of a chain of inter-visible stations linking the royal
estates at Choquequirao and Machu Picchu. It is suggested that this
is just a small thread in an empire-wide web, as implied by Garcilaso. CMPSL
Snow
Star:
(n) The English name of one of the sacred festivals, Qoyllor Rit'i.
sobar
con quwi: (n)
Massage with a guinea pig. From Spanish sobar = to massage, and
Quechua quwi = guinea pig (sp). See, kacuni for more definition and description.
socconche, suyumpay,
chinchi: (n) Satureja [conferta].
An infusion of this highly fragrant plant is frequently used to relieve
melancholies, for pains in the side and for nervous breakdowns. It is
taken mixed with wine or with water or spirits. REPC
Solimana:
The name of one of the most important apus.
It towers 19,990 feet above sea level, towering over the Cotahuasi Valley. It is one of the
most important ritual and burial sites. It was of enough significance
to the Inca that they supplied extra camelids and people to serve this and other
apus in the Arequipa range. JAR
sombra (Span):
(n) Shadow. GOL
sonccoqui: See, sonqoqui.
sonqo,
sunqu, sonq'o, soncco: (n) Heart. QP
It is interesting to note that in a medical terminology more based on
functional than anatomical concepts, sonqo could not escape being
included among the words referring to sensations of actions related to
the precordial and epigastric area which actually depend on the gastric
viscera. And, for pre-Columbian Peruvians, the seat of mental functions
was the heart region. Repeatedly and unmistakably, the words for the
cardiac viscera are used to designate the source of intelligence,
reason, memory and the instincts.
DYE Heart,
center. ANON1 (See, q'aymak sonqo. Also, see, sonqo
huanmi, sonqoy raurahuan, sonqoy mayuihuan, sonqo
queuricum, and sonqomillanayoc, below.)
Andean
ethnophysiology. MPA
It
is quite evident that for the old pre-Columbian philosopher, sonqo was
the same sensorium comune which Aristotle independently
visualized. In its texture or inside its cavities, it held or produced
the various functions now studied by psychology and neurophysiology.
The heart of the beasts had its own name, puyhuan, and the word
sonqo was utilized not only to name the cardiac
viscera of man, but to integrate a large series of terms related to
emotional and intellectual functions. It thus became part of the
denomination of different states of mind, of various emotions,
spiritual attitudes and tendencies, characteristics of the personality,
modes of thought, memory, imagination, understanding, etc., as well as
many of the subjective sensations of the cardiac and gastric area. The
terminology which refers to spiritual and intellectual activities had,
in the Inca culture, the imprint of a cardiocentric conception of the
mind, perhaps with a secondary aspect relating to gastric physiology.
This was the site of the superior spiritual functions of man. DYE
sonqochayay:
(phrase) You small treasure of my heart, I surrender to you. JLH
sonqo
chiririyay: (n)
Epilepsy. Etymologically, it means a tremor or shaking of the soul. DYE
sonqo
chunpi: See, chunpi.
sonqo
hapik: (n)
Memory. DYE
sonqo
huanmi, sonqoy
raurahuan: (n) Indigestion with acidity and burning.
DYE
sonqohuarmac: (adj)
Ignorant. DYE
sonqollay: (n) My
own heart; my beloved. THLH
sonqoman
hapini: (v) to
learn by memory. DYE
sonqomillanayoc: (n) A
patient with frequent vomiting.
DYE
sonqoy
mayuihuan: (n)
Nausea and vomiting. DYE [Note the
use of mayu (river). - Patt]
sonqo
nanay: (n)
Literally, heart pain. Translated by Gonzales
Holguin in 1608 as gastric pain, ire and anger. Compare, sonqoy
raurahuan, below. DYE
sonqoqui, sonccoqui: (n) The
ever-flowing joy and abundance that manifests in our lives when we
reach the higher levels of the Third
Inca Law of Yachay (see, tukuy yachayniyoc). The joy and
abundance of the Cosmos. IGMP (See, sonqo.)
sonqo
queuricum: (n)
Epigastric pain accompanied by nausea. DYE
sonqo
raurahuan: (n) The
sensation of burning and acidity in the epigastric area. Compare, sonqo
nanay, above, and raurak sonqo. DYE
sonqosapa: (adj)
Prudent, able. DYE
sonqosua: (n) A
heartbreaker. RMFA
sonqo
ticticnin: (n) The
heartbeat. DYE
sonqoyoa,
sonccocoyoc, soncoyok: (n) An Andean shaman
specializing in the heart. WOFW They
inspired and healed the heart, acquiring their knowledge through
supernatural secrets and methods taught by members of the same family,
practicing their healing arts with the common people. They were men and
women who never tried to cure without making offerings and sacrifices
to the gods. MHP Inspired
ones; healers by heart. DYE They
acquired their knowledge by secret supernatural methods from other
members of the same family. These were men or women who never attempted
cures without offerings and tricks and sacrifices. Many of them claimed
they had been invested with the power to cure by visions or dreams of patients who had had the same
illness, and therefore considered themselves specialists in a
particular kind of ailment. It is only natural, therefore, that most of
the offerings they made before carrying out a medical act were
dedicated to the aforementioned vision. Others of this kind became
initiated in the art of healing through their own private experience
with a given illness. Anyone who had a broken arm or leg or disease in
any part of the body and healed in a shorter period than was apparently
needed became a master to cure similar illnesses. DYE [See, re.
sacrifices, qhapaq hucha and yahuar raymi.]
sonqoyok: (adj)
Intelligent, capable. DYE
sopla (Span):
(n) From soplar, to blow, to puff. SEES A sharp
expulsion of air or gas. WPH
Soq'a: (n)
Twisted female nature spirit. More accurately, a third level initiate's
vision of a powerful female nature spirit. When fear is
conquered, the frightening Soq'a transforms into a beautiful Ñust'a. QNO
sorcerer (Eng): (n)
A practitioner of sorcery.
sorcery
(Eng): (n) Occult and magical practices considered associated with
hostility, evil and darkness, tending to induce illness and death in a
subject, rather than healing. This is a very general definition. More
detailed definitions would be culture-specific or even
teacher-specific. There are exceptions, such as the teachings of Carlos
Castaneda which he calls sorcery, yet the practice of which does not
fit this definition; in Ecuador, shamans
are commonly called brujos [sorcerers].
Sorcerers and shamans study the same occult realm, yet approach
practice with very different intentions. PGO
In the Amazon, a vegetalista is able
to distinguish the type of sorcery his patient is suffering from by
ingesting ayahuasca and observing the
type of lights surrounding the patient. If he sees zig-zagging lights,
it means his patient has been hit by a chontero.
If he sees small waves crossed by dark lines, then the patient has been
hit by a huaní. If the waves are larger,
then hechicería marupa is
involved. AYV Among the
ranks of the shamans were many sorcerers who practiced black magic in
secret and whose malign influence was widely feared. They were
associated with spiders, lizards, snakes, toads and moths, and it was
bad luck to see any of these creatures near someone's home. Even the Inca ruler feared enchantment; women
attendants instantly swallowed any hairs that fell from his head lest
they should fall into the hands of hostile shamans. IAWS
Compare, caveat
about witchcraft here.
soroqch'i:
(n) Mountain sickness. ROR
soul
capture (Eng): (n)
A dominant form of daño in which the brujo calls the victim's shadow to a doll and and sticks it with
spines, wraps it in wool and puts it in a jar, then buries it in a big
hole. When the person sickens and seeks help, this is undone by a curandero who makes another doll and does
magic to it. GOL
soul
contract
(Eng): (n) Your spiritual purpose, agreed upon before you incarnated
into this life. The guided plan for your life. The source of your soul
contracts is in the Divine; you co-created the contract with divine
guidance and it includes many individual agreements (subcontracts) to
meet and work with certain people, in certain places, at certain times.
Your earthly commitments, the tasks you have been assigned, and the
lessons you agreed to learn in this incarnation in order to fulfill
your divine potential.
SCCM
soul
loss
(Eng): (n) A feeling of incompleteness due to trauma. Your connection
to yourself can never be lost; however, you can feel like you are not
connected. The remedy is soul retrieval.
TWR
See, susto.
soul
remembering:
(n) After a soul retrieval is
performed, the remembering work done by the recipient is essential: to
keep and root the soul parts, to learn what qualities have been
returned with the essence, to discover how to use the new energy, and
to release any attitudes that continue to block wholeness. During soul
remembering, we gain knowledge of our soul's purpose in the world. It
returns to us gifts, talents, and strengths. MBE
soul
retrieval (Eng):
(n) A traditional remedy based on the shamanic belief that part of our
essential life energy can split off and become lost in nonordinary
reality (soul loss) due to trauma and
needs to be retrieved in order for the person to be whole again. SR
If you are never disturbed by anything, you will never need soul
retrieval. TWR
south, the (Eng): (n)
One of the four cardinal directions representing the four winds. (See , level of abstraction, def. 2.)
The south contrasts with the power of the north because prevailing
winds and winter come from the south. Mesa objects represent output. WOFW (See, also, west, east and north.)
Southern
Cross: (1) The
Southern Cross is a constellation found in the southern region of the
night sky. It is the most commonly known, and easily identifiable of
all the southern constellations. LTO (Image 1
below) (2) These stars form a bridge (chacana)
over Mayu. IGMP The
Southern Cross (def. 1) is at the center of Mayu, not because of its
revolution around the pole, but because it is the point at which two
celestial rivers collide (called Calvario).
(See, graphic
at Mayu and image 2 below.) (3) The
corresponding terrestrial cross, Crucero, formed by the rising
and setting of the sun on the two solstices (image 3 below). ACES (See, Mayu for an explanation of how this mirrors
the water cycle.)
(1) The astronomical constellation known as the
Southern Cross (Alpha, Beta,
Delta and Gamma Crucis). Alpha and Beta Centauri on the left are the
eyes of
the Llama dark matter formation (yana phuyu).
(2)
The solstices and the seasonal axes of the Milky Way form a celestial
cross
called “Calvario.” ACES
(3) The four quarters of terrestrial space, known as
“Crucero,” show a correlation
with
the four quarters of the sky cross, “Calvario.” ACES
sowing
one's shadow in the lagoon: (Phrase) (Shadow here meaning soul.) The
ritual bath at Las Huaringas. Here
the soul is nurtured just like the many magical herbs that are only
found at the lagoons and at the famous hills of Chaparrí and Yanahuanga. WOFW
spaceships
(Eng): These are common hallucinationatory motifs during ayahuasca experiences. Often the
transportation of guardian spirits and other beings, the vehicles and
the beings are of material more subtle than that of our continuum. Many
of these beings belong to extraterrestrial civilizations that live in
harmony. The ships themselves come in many different shapes and sizes. AYV
A
spaceship in a detail from a painting by vegetalista
Pablo Amaringo. This craft is from one of the moons of Saturn. AYV
Spanish
moss: See, saccropa,
above..
spiral: See, remolino.
spirit
seat (Eng): (n)
Stones or shells of various sizes on which the spirits are supposed to
rest during an Aymara shamanic session. WOFW
See, Aymara mesa for diagram, esp. #7 &
#12.
staff (Eng): (n)
An integral part of a curandero's mesa. The
staffs are like antennae that pull and emit and transmit radiations.
They are the foci of the forces at work in the manipulation of the
mesa. The staffs perform input (the north)
and output (the south) functions involving
both negative (the west) and positive (the east) energies. WOFW
Staffs
at the head of a curandero's mesa.
staff
deities (Eng):
Pan-Andean deities of either gender portrayed with arms outstretched
holdling decorated, ritual staffs. MAN
(See,
another image of staff deity Wiracocha
at sunkasapa.)
string
theory: (n)
Shorthand for superstrings. WIKI String
theory postulates that space and time are illusions – primitive notions
that will be replaced by something more sophisticated. According to
string theory, the most basic ingredients in the universe are no longer
point-like particles, the familiar electron and quarks. Instead, they
are unimaginably small vibrating strings of some unknown fundamental
stuff. String theory suggests that different configurations of strings
produce different harmonic chords. The vibrating string gives rise to
the particles, and the way the string vibrates determines each
particle's properties. This all takes place in a convoluted landscape
of 11 dimensions. It appears that space and time aren't essential
ingredients of a universe ruled by strings. Einstein's well-proven
theories showed that the fabric of space-time, with its three
dimensions of space and one of time, is not a passive backdrop for the
events and objects in the universe. Space-time also creates objects and
events. Imagine the universe as a performance on a stage. The stage of
space-time does not act like a static floor; it also pulls and pushes
the actors around. In the subatomic realm, the entire concept of fixed
particles in time and space fuzzes out into an ever-shifting haze of
probabilities [Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle]. Space and time as
fundamental concepts may be about to disappear altogether. String
theory views everything in the universe as the combined harmonies of
strings vibrating in 11 dimensions. The everyday, three-dimensional
universe we live in is trapped on a thin membrane [called brane] --
something like the world inhabited by characters playing out their
lives within the confines of a movie screen. Unknown to these shallow,
two-dimensional players, a larger universe spreads into numerous extra
dimensions. It's as if humans are like water bugs skipping over the
surface of a deep ocean. Everything we know is so much foam and flotsam
stuck to the surface. But there may be a whole undiscovered world
waiting underneath. PGO
notes from a series in LAT2 (See, ceke, and Appendix I.)
Strombo:
A fierce Moche demon who attacked Aia Paec
with its sharp claws. A battle ensued between god and demon, and Aia
Paec won.
Strombus
conch shells (Eng): (n)
These shells have been used as musical instruments in Peru for several
thousand years. VWC
(See, pututu.)
Top:
Strombus shell trumpets. Wear has effaced the engravings on the first
two.
Bottom: Engraved cornice from Chavin de Huantar showing a procession
with priests blowing conch shells.VWC
subtle
energy (Eng):
(n) Subtle energy is difficult to define within the current scientific
paradigm. Ancient and modern wisdom traditions describe human
bioenergies referred to by many names (chi, ki, prana, etheric energy,
fohat, orgone, odic force, mana, homeopathic resonance, e.g. )
that is believed to move throughout the light
energy body and thus is difficult to measure using conventional
instrumentation. In addition, many of the complementary and alternative
therapies that are becoming increasingly popular appear to involve the
flow of these subtle energies through the dense physical body. In
addition, it is traditionally accepted that expansions of consciousness
often are related to changes in subtle energies that cannot be
quantified. These latter "energies", which are said to be associated
with interactions and with transcendence, may not actually be involved
with known physical fields. ISEM
(See,
luminous body.)
sucanca: (n)
Literally, that which is about to be furrowed. They were
shadow-clocks. ACA Solar
pillars were called both sucancas and saiwas.
The word sucanca is no longer in use in Cusco
Quechua, nor is its meaning recorded in the early Quechua-Spanish
dictionaries. The word saiwa was, and continues to be, commonly used
for marker. AEAA Fourteen
universally worshiped shrines came about as a consequence of their Sun
worship. These were the markers or pillars called sucanca that
indicated months of the year. These pillars were considered very
important, and sacrifices were offered to them at the same time as they
were made for the other huacas and in places designated for this
purpose. These sacrifices were made in the following way. After the
sacrifices were taken to the other huacas in the order in which they
were located along the cekes, ... what was left over was offered to
these markers. This was because the markers were not located in the
same order as the other shrines but were distributed according to the
course of the sun, and each [person] came with a sacrifice to the
marker-shrine nearest to his ceke. IRC
sucking (Eng): (n)
Massage and suction, two
essential elements of surgical technique, were used freely in ancient
Peru. Through these procedures they removed foreign bodies, thorns,
arrow points, necrotic tissue, abscesses, and relieved local pain.
Suction of a toxic wound is a logical step to take for any healer. The
ancient Peruvian medicine man resorted to suction of apparently normal
regions of the body in order to extract “the disease” and spit it out
to the ground or into the nearest body of water to be carried away. The
magic element of suction is found also in the description of ancient
Peruvian medicine. Guaman Poma says, “Sorcerers speak with the demons and suck and
they claim that they extract the disease from the body and they extract
silver or stones or sticks or worms or frogs or straws, or corn from
the body of men and women.” DYE See, also, extraction.
sucyay
unccoy: See, chhaque unccoy,
suerte: (n) Luck.
SEES
In curanderismo, bad luck. WPH
suisui (Amaz): Thraupis
episcopus, the blue-grey tanager. A tibe
negro used by marupasorcerers as a mariri.
AYV
sukuacra-warmi:
(n)
Nymphs who live in a city below the surface of the river, a beautiful
city of perfumed air. There one can find the most rapid ships, such as
the supay-lancha. AYV
(See,
warmi.)
sullca
huahua
(AYM): (n) Youngest son. ASD
(Note: wawa or huahua is Quechua for baby.)
sullu:
(n) (1) Abortion. (2) Animal fetus used by curanderos.
RS
sulp'ay
niy:
(v) To thank. QP
sumaq:
(adj) Handsome, beautiful, tasty, nice. QP
sumaq
aklla:
See,
aklla.
sumaq
aklla cataquin:
See,
aklla.
sumaq
kawsay,
sumak kawsay: (n) Literally, beautiful energy. A way of life of
indigenous tribes that use their resources in a way that promotes
regeneration, and regrowth. They embody community and well-being, and a
co-existence with nature. Through living the concept of sumak kawsay,
communities are able to preserve their unique culture and identity, and
care for an environment that they know will provide for generations to
come. Sumak kawsay is embedded in the ethical values of indigenous
cultures. The sumak kawsay way of living has permeated indigenous
cultures for thousands of years. Sumak kawsay has been incorporated
into Ecuadorian and Bolivian governments as a way of granting rights to
nature and ultimately, to ourselves. The concept of sumak kawsay was
incorporated into Ecuador's 2008 Constitution, which was the
first country to legally acknowledge rights of nature. It can be a
powerful global influence for governments and policy makers to initiate
changes that will preserve the precious harmony we need to sustain
ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. Sumak kawsay values
people over profit. It is also a new way of viewing "developing
nations" because it expresses a relationship with nature and
surroundings that epitomizes the opposite of profit and
commodification. A key piece is how development is defined calls for a
decreased emphasis on economic and product development, as well as an
increased focus on human development not in population, but in an
enrichment of core values, spirituality, ethics, and a deepening of our
own connection with Pachamama. PMO
(See,
kawsay.)
sumaq
kawsayniyuq:
(v) Honest. QP
(See,
kawsay.)
sumaq
sunqu:
(adj) Literally, beautiful heart. Humble. RS
(See,
sonqo.)
sume: (n) From
Span. sumergir, to submerge. A shaman who is able to travel
under the water. MSIN
sumi:
(adj) Extensive. RS
(n)
A sumiruna.
sumiruna:
(n) Also called sumi. The highest level of vegetalista, this shaman is able to master all three realms:
jungle, water and air. AYV
sumpuña:
(n) Musical instrument like panpipes. PSL
(See,
zampoñas.)
Sun:
See,
pachacuti.
suni: (n) Land
that is between 3,600 and 3,900 meters above sea level. RDP (See, quechua, puna.)
Sunkasapa:
(n) Bearded ones, from sunka, beard, and sapa, unique.
The mythic soldiers of Wiracocha,
a.k.a. the angelic warriors of Wiracocha. On the Gateway of the Sun, the famous
carved figure on the decorated archway in the ancient pre-Incan city of Tiwanako
most likely represents Wiracocha, flanked by 48 winged effigies -- 32
with human faces and 16 with condor heads. WMO
(See,
Weeping God, staff deities.)
sunqu
phatatatay:
(n) A pounding heart. QP
(See,
sonqo.)
sunqu
tupachiy:
(v) To be in love. QP
(See,
sonqo.)
Sunttiyri
(AYM): (n) God creator of all things. ASD
suntur:
(adj) Round, circular. (n) Cabinet (advisors); congress; convention;
council; court. RS
suntur
paucar,
sundorpauca: (n) A staff covered from top to bottom with small feathers
of different colors, three of the feathers rose from the top. This
staff was one of the royal symbols of the Inca (see, Sapa Inca). IRC
Sunturwasi:
(n) Literally, circular house. A building that had a
cylindrical shape and was used as the emblems' house: the Hatun Kancha, which belonged to Inca Yupanqui. CPO
It was considered the house of the weapons and trophies and had several
floors. When the Spanish arrived, Pizarro ordered that this temple was
meant to be the first Spanish Catholic Church in Cusco. CPC
supay,
supai: (n) (1) A class of demons which threatened humankind with
suffering and disgrace. DYE
Devil,
demon. PSL
Evil spirits. WPO
The original meaning was not negative and could be translated as
shadow, ghost, and associated with death. It can be translated as
spirit, soul, ghost or demon. The vegetalista
can learn to work with these beings in a beneficial way. AYV
(2) A type of sorcery characterized by stagnation, absence of flow.
JLH
Supay,
Shapinku: (n) The name of the Inca god of
death and lord of the underworld. Today the Catholic Indians of Peru
and Bolivia apply the word to the Devil. WPO
See,
Urcaguary, Muki.)
supay-cato:
(n) Literally, ghost bath. This is the weather phenomenon known
in the USA as a dry thunderstorm, when there is wind and thunder and
lightning, but no rain. AYV
PGO
(See,
Wayramama.)
supay
chacra: (n)
Literally, devil's garden. Without human intervention, this is
believed by local people to be a power-spot, and ayahuasca rituals held in this place are
believed to deliver powerful and vivid visions to the participants. EMM
Also called a ch'ullanchaki
garden. AYV
(See,
chacra, supay.)
supay-lancha,
yaku-lancha: (n) Literally, devil launch. One of the
manifestations of Yakumama called upon
by vegetalistas and from whom
benefits can be acquired. Also known as acurun and purahua,
it is a kind of yakumama that can become a spirit steamboat in order to
walk on the water of rivers and lakes. AYV
supayniyoj:
(adj) Possessed. PSL
(See, supay.)
supay-tibe (Amaz): A
bird that flies around the river to attack any sumiruna sorcerer that approaches the shaman. AYV (See, supay.)
superstrings: See, string theory.
supullu
uncuy: (n)
Chicken pox. DYE
suq'a:
(n) Evil spirit. QP
surgical
tools (Eng): (n)
In one of the caverns at Paracas, a package was found containing
obsidian knives provided with their respective handles spotted with
blood, together with a small spoon or curette made of a sperm whale's
tooth. The obsidian knives were of various sizes; some were pointed
instruments which might have been used for bloodletting, others were
true surgical knives which could easily cut the soft parts, and other
larger ones for working on bone. Undoubtedly, the curette was used to
denude the periosteum; the threads are the same as those which appear
in the edges of the wounds. At the Huaca Malena ruin were found a great
variety of tumis of distinct size and shape
which were only for cutting the soft parts. There were also needles of
different sizes and thickness, all metallic, which were probably used
in surgical suturing. The progress of the primitive Peruvian in the
development of copper, which permitted instruments to be made in a
variety of forms, apparently for different steps of the operations, did
not completely displace the obsidian knives, whose hardness and
sharpness were never surpassed. DYE See, Appendix L for photos of some antique surgical
tools.
suruchi:
(n) Altitude sickness. QP
surumpi: (n) A
sort of snow-blindness which could make the most powerful army lose an
easy battle. DYE
susto
(Span), jani (Quechua): (n) (1) A state of terror. ROR
(2) A folk illness with strong psychological overtones defined as
fright sickness and characterized by soul loss. WAN
Spiritual shock. Magical fright that results in soul loss; perpetrated
by spirit entities, not sorcerers. GOLJani is the
Quechua word for a malady produced by the estrangement of the soul. The
body, abandoned by the spirit, loses its balance and illness ensues.
The soul may be stolen by a hill, a ravine, a solitary place, a
lake, the night, a grave, or any other terrestrial feature. And the
estrangement is usually brought about by a scare or may be produced
insidiously. This illness may afflict individuals of all ages, although
it is rare among older people. Usually, the patient starts to lose
weight, looks pale and withered, pays little or no attention to his own
grooming and hygiene, lacks appetite but has a great thirst. He is
seldom confined to bed, except in advanced cases. Sometimes, all this
is accompanied by a low grade fever, with or without vomiting and/or
diarrhea. These somatic symptoms always come together with marked
general nervousness, anxiety, depression, terrifying nightmares,
nocturnal terror and unexplained fear. This is cured by methods which
return the soul to the body and most of these methods correspond in
every single detail to those described four hundred years ago by the
chroniclers and priests who tried to make them disappear in a cruel and
relentless persecution of sorcery and idolatry. DYE A feeling
of incompleteness due to trauma. Your connection to yourself can never
be lost. However, you can feel like you are not connected. The remedy
is soul retrieval. TWR The
inability to integrate the conscious and unconscious parts of the self.
This results from severe energetic imbalances in the physical and luminous body that have intensified as
a result of psychic isolation or spiritual denial, taking the form of
depression, despondency, or dissociation -- sometimes lasting many
years. Aspects of the self can appear fragmented because the conscious
mind is not ready to embrace them. PSPM (See,
manchari.)
Susurpuquio:
(n) The name of a spring outside Cusco
where Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui
found a crystal tablet bearing the image of Wiracocha.
MAN
The
crystal that Pachacuti found had inside it a tiny figure of a bearded
man with three bright rays like those of the sun radiating from his
head. The apparition told Pachacuti that he would conquer many, but
must honor his divine protector, Wiracocha.
The vision then vanished, but Pachacuti kept the crystal and was said
to be able to look into it and see the regions he would later subdue.
He had a gold statue made to capture the appearance of the apparition,
which was the size of a ten year old boy. UNK
(See, Punchau.)
susuwa:
(n) The steep rubble slope where the kukuchi
must struggle their way uphill every night until only their bones are
left. ROR
suti:
(n) Name. QP
sut'i:
(adj) Clear, visible. PSL
sutichay:
(v) So call, to name. QP
Sutic
Toco:
The damp cave at Tambo Toco. NFL
The
cave, represented as a chamber in the Ukhupacha,
where one goes to view all of the different life pachas of the client and to find a vision.
JLH (See,
Maras Toco and Capac Toco.)
sut'imanta:
(adv) Clearly. PSL
sut'inchaj:
(n) Prophet. PSL
Also,
profeta (Span). PSL
sut'inchay:
(v) (1) To explain, to make clear. (2) To prophesy. Also,
profetizay (sp). PSL
sut'i
sonqo:
(adj) Frank, honest; literally, clear hearted. PSL
See,
sonqo.
sut'iyay:
(v) To dawn, to become clear. PSL
suwirti:
(n) Luck (sp). QP
suyay:
(v) To wait. (n) Hope, expectation. PSL
suyu:
(n) Region. QP
Suyu
Apu : A tutelary
mountain spirit (Apu) overseeing an entire
region (suyu). Related to the third level of the Andean Path. NND The sacred
mountain of an entire region. Examples are Ausangate and Salcantay. PSPMSee, ayllu apu and llaqta
apu.
Suyus:
(n) Regions of Cusco and the Inca Empire. (See,
Appendix D.)
synchronicity
(Eng):
(n) The idea of synchronicity is that the conceptual relationship of
minds, defined by the relationship between ideas, is intricately
structured in its own logical way and gives rise to relationships which
have nothing to do with causal relationships in which a cause precedes
an effect. Instead, causal relationships are understood as simultaneous
‹ that is, the cause and effect occur at the same time. Synchronous
events reveal an underlying pattern, a conceptual framework which
encompasses, but is larger than, any of the systems which display the
synchronicity. The suggestion of a larger framework is essential in
order to satisfy the definition of synchronicity as originally
developed by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. Jung coined the word
to describe what he called "temporally coincident occurrences of
acausal events." Jung variously described synchronicity as an "'acausal
connecting principle'" (i.e., a pattern of connection that cannot be
explained by conventional, efficient causality), "meaningful
coincidence" and "acausal parallelism". WIKI
Synchronicity takes place at the junction between Earth-time and
timelessness. ACAI