The other day at a conference on culture Kallawaya A gentleman told me: " All this affects me much, but one thing that bothers me are the animal sacrifices . I responded too quickly to his question, instead of developing as I should have done: " Life is the price of life . That's why I like to deepen the subject by this small section. We
other Westerners are very strange creatures in the eyes of the natives. We are so unaware of the price of our own existence and the consequences of our actions that we often want to give moral lessons where we could possibly receive. In magic circles, sometimes we even hear of black magic when it comes to blood sacrifices. And when we project all these considerations right-thinking about other cultures than ours, we are not really aware of our underlying inconsistencies and colonialism of our words. Yet even of Solomon example, we talk of sacrifices of animals. It is true that they were written at a time we are not suppressing aspects "nuisance" of life, whereas today, those who wash whiter than white and are intended to teach us the meaning of life are often the first to ignore the cost.
It seems that for some time now we've lost something and are in a sort of step with our own lives. For if the objections to animal sacrifices are understandable for a vegetarian, they are instead highly suspect when it comes from people having a meat-eating and wearing leather shoes.
There is a simple reason for these contradictions unconscious: if once we could see our grandmothers kill the rabbit that we would eat at noon, we can no longer price of our lives that the square of breaded fish or chicken leg served on our plates. The fact that this is life, that we feed in life and that eating is tantamount to killing finally escape us completely. We can fully express our horror of seeing an animal sacrifice as we daily eat meat from animals raised and slaughtered in the cruelest conditions they have ever been before. The natives, meanwhile, eat far less meat than Westerners and sometimes sacrifice some animals in their rituals, it is a fact.
few years ago, I advised my friends once a year, killing themselves they were going to ritually eat the animal, in order to find this connection with the brute fact of life. I think it is very important for a magician to question all his bodily functions and energy into and out of his body and mind. The yogis say that paranormal powers are really just extensions of our ordinary physical powers: see, walk, eat, digest. All this contains some wisdom and can be a source of instruction and inspiration. It is therefore important to begin to listen to these things because by questioning our food and the conditions that make possible is a bit of all of our lives that we question: we tell stories to us we themselves or are we in tune with the movements of life?
Many shamanisms practicing animal sacrifices, yet few Westerners interested in shamanism we talk about it, perhaps because of the very watered-down image our indigenous cultures and shamanism. This fact should not however be a problem in the consciousness of Western neo-shamans who knock on sacred drums made of animal skin and eat meat. But however, we see that all this is not clear and hides a deeper problem of linkage with the reality of life, if not a lie.
In Andean indigenous cultures, animals are much better treated in the West. Pigs roam freely in the streets of the village, with chickens and sheep. Llamas are nurtured all individuals. In Kallawaya, when watapurichej - "he who makes the walk year" and whose role is to perform for one year all collective rituals - chooses to advance the llamas to be sacrificed, it selects the best animals in general, those which enjoy preference and attachment of the population. Throughout the year, these animals will receive special attention and will be accompanied by a young virgin who will have sole responsibility for their care.
The first time I heard of the sacrifices of llamas in Bolivia, I was Sampaya ceremonial center, a fabulous location near Lake Titicaca, a few miles from Copacabana. " is a very special moment in the year, something very mystical atmosphere that creates a very strange ," remarked Don Miguel. Knowing the Western man was slightly embarrassed and afraid of being misunderstood: "We all love our animals! It's very hard. Before the sacrifice, they dance and drink with us. They know perfectly well they will be sacrificed and we are very grateful for the incredible kindness they have for us . I saw that the mere mention of this moment moistened the eyes of Don Miguel. Later, of course I attended and participated in these rituals in my community Kallawaya of Lagunillas and I realized how true Don Miguel said. Before the sacrifice, which is done with such dexterity that the animal appears not to suffer, all take off their hats and Kallawaya their hats and kneel, one by one, before the lama. They embrace and thank him in a conversation that is not my secret to reveal, as it is responsible for this beauty that defies words. It is indeed a time deeply mystical , To borrow the term of Don Miguel.
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