The Path of Light

DATE - TBD

Join us in the Valley of the Dawn, a powerful vortex in the heart of Ecuador's sacred Andean volcanoes, for an extraordinary opportunity. Learn the art of finding the path of light from some of the worlds most powerful Master Yachaks (Shaman) of the High Andes. To the Yachaks of the High Andes, the path of light, el camino illuminoso, is the Path of the Shaman. When you find yourself walking in the light of your heart you are doing the work of a shaman. You are leading the way for others to follow.

This journey is unique in design as you step into the training process that the ancients have shared with each other for countless generations. You will walk the apprenticeship road of a shaman; learn the art of shapeshifting your thoughts, emotions and limitations by working with the power, energy and wisdom of the elements. Practice energetic diagnostic methods, fire blowing and journey with volcanoes. Learn the use of huacas (sacred items such as plants, flowers & stones) for healing. The age-old techniques you will experience have been successfully used to heal numerous emotional, psychological and physical afflictions and the training process opens you to levels of yourself long forgotten, bringing you in touch with the shaman within, the path of light that already resides in each one of us.

Enjoy two days of preparation with Yachak healers, Maria Juana and Antonio Yamberla followed by an intensive apprenticeship training designed exclusively for each group by the shamans themselves. Don Esteban and Jorge Tamayo will lead you into the ecstatic world of the Yachaks on the ancient path of initiation and healing. Intimate time with the shamans and their community, amidst the sacred volcanoes that infuse them with their power, will open your own unique path to self-healing and aid your vision for how to facilitate shapeshifts in your own life, family and community. Perform ceremony at sacred springs, learn about sacred plants and medicinals, replenish in natural volcanic fed hot springs, journey into the cloud forests, enjoy Ecuador's most colorful open market place in Otavalo. Open deeply to your own healing process and your ability to serve Pachamama (mother earth).

COST: $2,200 (includes all expenses EXCEPT airfare to Ecuador and $500 shaman exchange) Space is limited register early.

Register with Earth Heart Expeditions

Day 1:
Land in Quito travel by bus to Guachala Hacienda.

Day 2:
Opening circle in the morning at the hacienda then a 2 hour bus ride to Otavalo, check into our hacienda and then meet with Maria Juana and Antonio Yamberla, also Yachaks, for optional healings, this is a preparatory ceremony of cleansing for the intensive training that will follow in the week to come.

Day 3:
Continue with healings if needed in the morning then we enjoy the colorful indigenous marketplace of Otavalo, a chance to get rid of the shopping bug before entering into the intensive. We meet with Tamayos in evening for our opening ceremony, at this time the shaman plan out the week's events based on their sense of the group and what the spirits are guiding for us. With each group we bring to the Tamayos for this training they expand and shift the lessons and program according to their inner guidance.

Day 4:
Intensive Study with the Tamayos in their homes and on their land including various pilgrimages to sacred sites during the week and induction ceremonies. Each evening there is an induction ceremony on the land or in the healing rooms. Most days involve some dream work with the shaman. These days are full and long and require great commitment to the work to stay focused and present.

Days 5-8:
Training and pilgrimages with the Tamayos.

Day 9:
Depart Otavalo for the Cloud Forest Hot Springs of Papallacta where we start the process of integrating the teachings, rest and recover from the immersion of the week. We continue to integrate the experience and may have some group activities to assist in this process.

Day 10:
Termas de Papallacta in the morning then a 2 hour bus ride return to Quito, we rest and prepare for our closing ceremony and dinner that evening. Get ready for our flights out next day.

Day 11:
Transfer Out in the morning.

Each day we return to the Hacienda we are staying at which is a 10min bus ride from the Tamayos' home in the mountains. All accommodations are in hacienda type settings and are double or triple occupancy. Travel within the country on this trip is all by bus. Meals are usually at haciendas and restaurants except for the lunches during the training weeks, which are often boxed lunches enjoyed at the various sacred sites. There are usually two long hikes during the week one to the waterfall on the mountain of Imbabura, which is about a three-hour hike up open terraced farms and along a ridgeline of the mountain. With stops and ceremony and the return hike this is a full day. The other is around the sacred lake of Huarmeraso, Cuicocha, this is about a 5 to 7 hour hike, which is at times steep and strenuous, but has plenty of rests and breaks. All hikes are optional and taken at your own risk. Light hiking boots are recommended for these hikes. (Some prior participants have suggested using a hiking pole/stick and bringing biking gloves or moleskin to prevent blisters).

For Questions – Contact Joyce
More Trip Information
Joyce Kendall Shamanic Bio
View A List of Items to Bring on this Journey
View the Photo Gallery for this Expedition
Contact Past Trip Participants