Month: July 2016

The Tawantinsuyu

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Andean Cosmology is organized around the concept of inclusion. The Inka built their famous roads to bring peoples of the Andes together. They believed that with full participation there is the greatest, inherent strength.

The Inka civilization, and its smaller, component parts, were each based on four-section, equally important areas: the Tawantinsuyu. In Quechua, the language of the Inka, “Tawantin” refers to four and “Suyu” is portion or section of the whole. The entirety of Inka realm, itself referred to as the Tawantinsuyu, connotes the essence of this principle of inclusivity and fullness.

The Suyus are named, Anti, Colla, Cunti, and Chinchay. They are each referred to in reference to Cusco, the center or umbilical cord of the civilization. This is the place that feeds and receives its own nourishment from all the others.

Antisuyu – The Wild
Located in the northeast the jungle area, this Suyu represents wildness and nature in its all its glorious, untamed forms.

Collasuyu – Emergence
To the southeast, this is the place of Lake Titicaca and of the origin myths of the great Inka civilization. This is the place, by legend, that the sun, moon,and stars were born. It’s the place of emergence of a new, inclusive civilization.

Cuntisuyu – Lifting/Perspective
Located to the southwest, this Suyu is the place of the Nasca Lines, where gigantic forms were traced in the sand that could only be perceived from the air. This is the place of lifting and perspective.

Chinchaysuyu – Mastery
This is the place, to the northwest, of the Inka’s final signature; it embodies the pinnacle of Inka civilization. This is the location of the Sacred Valley, of Machu Picchu, and Choquequirao. Here were left the final imprint of the Tawantinsuyu and the one least touched by the Spanish invasion.

With these Suyus as the embodiment of the Inka Experience, these people of energy,  have left a lasting impression on subsequent civilizations of the world; not in isolation, but inclusion, not dismissing differences, but bringing them to the belly of the world.

Taking the Reins in Your Own Hands, by Kinlen Wheeler

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So we have started down the path of the Journey of Enlightenment.

Let’s take the next step, into Empowerment. It has multiple aspects, and will be worth spending a few posts on.

As we come through the portal of growth into Empowerment, we begin to really understand that the world isn’t just happening to us. We are making choices about partners, parenting style, jobs, how busy we will be, how we treat friends, and more. Everything really.

Many of us would have been following the shoulds we learned growing up to make those decisions. The rationale is, “If I follow the shoulds I should be happy”, or “if nothing else, no one can blame me if I’m not happy”.

Taking the reins in your own hands, making your own decisions can be intense. Some of your choices may not be popular with your friends and family. Some of your choices will certainly impact others. For example, if I make a choice to find a new job, my partner may also be impacted by having less money around until I figure it out. Or if I start reading about another parenting style, my family may not be supportive.

You might be asking, “What if I don’t like what I choose?” My answer to that is

You can always choose again

In my household we call it do-overs. We make room to try on something new, and see how it works. It can even work in talking with each other. If something comes out of my mouth that is not as kind as I would have liked, I will say, “That didn’t come out right. Let me have a do over”. Then I can recalibrate my message and my manor, and try it again.

Look at the choices you are making today. Ask yourself, “What do I want to see happen here?”. “What do I want for myself?” Then take baby steps: one decision, one choice at a time.

If you’d like to see my film, The Journey of Enlightenment, it is on our website here. Currently, I am writing a book about the Journey, which is even more in depth and interactive.

The Journey of Enlightenment, by Kinlen Wheeler

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The new website is up! And with it I am happily sharing insights about the Journey of Enlightenment.

What an amazing unfolding of personal growth we are all on. And while it is personal and unique for each person, there are also milestones or portals of growth that each of us must master in order to continue.

In the first portal of growth, we begin to move from thinking the world is happening to us, to recognizing that we are making decisions that impact what comes into our life. Taking responsibility for those decisions sets us on an exciting path. If we choose, we can continue on that path, to discover our personal freedom and power in the world.

You can recognize that you are in a portal when you know what you are currently doing is not working, or not a big enough a way of understanding, that you must look for something new, bigger.

If you have been through some of the portals, you may have also experienced some uncertainty as you leave the comfort of a known way of being; to taking steps in a whole new way.

Often, as we leave old patterns behind and begin to step through the portal, we do not know where we will find ground on the other side.

Many of you have probably already taken this first step, and come into empowerment in your lives. Hopefully putting it into words helps solidify your understanding of it, and gives you language to share the experience with others.