Shamanic Teachings of the Condor - by Martha Winona Travers (Paperback)

About the Book

"Experience the heart-opening wisdom of Andean shamanism. Presents the teachings of revered Ecuadorian Kichwa elder Taita Alberto Taxo as vivid, experiential journeys. Details how to return to intimacy with Nature and the natural world through communicating with the elements. Shares Andean shamanic practices and ceremonies for opening the heart, expanding consciousness, and shamanic journeying"--

Book Synopsis

Experience the heart-opening wisdom of Andean shamanism

- Presents the teachings of revered Ecuadorian Kichwa elder Taita Alberto Taxo as vivid, experiential journeys

- Details how to return to intimacy with Nature and the natural world through communicating with the elements

- Shares Andean shamanic practices and ceremonies for opening the heart, expanding consciousness, and shamanic journeying

In this deep dive into South American shamanism, Martha Winona Travers shares the teachings and practices she learned during her 22 years as an apprentice to revered Ecuadorian Kichwa elder, Taita Alberto Taxo.

Presenting Taita Alberto's teachings as vivid, experiential journeys, Travers allows you to immerse yourself in his direct, heart-centered wisdom as if you, too, were one of his shamanic apprentices. You will learn the ancient mystical traditions of the Andes, traditions saved by the elders specifically for these times. These traditions of healing invite human beings to return to intimacy with Nature and the natural world through initiating conversations with the elements, including the fifth, spiritual element, the Ushai. You will learn about the delicate dance of the Eagle (the mind) and the Condor (the heart), including how to reestablish the path of the heart to help bring the overactive mind into balance, the key to embarking on powerful shamanic journeys. You will visit sacred waterfalls, travel high up the active volcano Cotopaxi to a mountain lake for ceremony, experience the sounds carried on the wind in the mountains, see the Condor flying, and sit at night around the fire, listening to stories and laughter.

As you journey together with Taita Alberto, you will begin to sense the fifth element Ushai being activated as the potent energy of spiritual transformation awakens within you. By experiencing Taita Alberto's profound mystical realizations through shamanic transmission, you will learn to express gratitude with each of the elements, leave behind those burdens you no longer need to carry, and discover how to fly higher in life.

Review Quotes

"Shamanic Teachings of the Condor is not an outsider attempt at assimilating an indigenous people's beautiful, and ancient, beliefs, but rather, an open-hearted account of decades' experiences with what the Andean kichwa people refer to as an iachak, or medicine person/shaman. The wise one who taught, and developed a positive relationship with Travers, was Taita Alberto. I give Shamanic Teachings of the Condor a 5 on a scale of 1-5. It's worth a read, re-read, and future visits for its warmth and positive teachings alone, but the deeper teachings within make it even more worthwhile."-- "Modern Merlin, PaganPages.org"

"This book holds immense value for me both professionally and personally. As a longtime university teacher and researcher, I aim to comprehend global environmental devastation and contribute to its reversal. Martha Travers's insights from the Kichwa people, particularly with Taita Alberto, offer crucial knowledge often overlooked in the U.S. that is essential for addressing our environmental and social crisis. I eagerly anticipate revisiting this book, viewing it as an ongoing resource to deepen my understanding and expand my nature-focused practices both professionally and personally. Martha Travers's instructions and wisdom are invaluable for this endeavor."-- "James Crowfoot, Ph.D., Emeritus professor of natural resources & environment and urban and regional"

"This book is of utmost importance. Having studied with Andean teachers for more than fifty years, been initiated by iachaks, and counted Taita Alberto Taxo as a friend, I can confidently say that Shamanic Teachings of the Condor is one of the most authentic books on the wisdom, philosophy, and practices of this remarkable man as well as the mystical traditions that date back many centuries. Martha's eloquence, honesty, and humility make this a must-read that's enjoyable for anyone interested in Andean shamanism and provides teachings that are needed today more than ever before."-- "John Perkins, author of Shapeshifting, The World Is As You Dream It, Touching the Jaguar, and Psycho"

About the Author

Martha Winona Travers, Ph.D., is a writer, teacher, and Mama Iachak who apprenticed with Ecuadorian Kichwa elder Taita Alberto Taxo for 22 years, including 10 years visiting the Indigenous Kichwa in the Andes. She holds a doctorate in English literature from the University of Michigan where she teaches contemplative practices as well as teaching at the GilChrist Retreat Center and at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park. The author of The WayCard Oracle, she lives in Manchester, Michigan