“While in ceremony we step out of linear time, beyond language and reasoning, and into the sacred where true understanding, healing and wisdom reside. We step beyond the limitations of the mind and into the boundless potential where the Heart, Spirit and the forces of creation unite.”
Ritual and Ceremony is an essential aspect to the shaman’s path. Since the beginning of time it has been the creating of sacred space and the art of ceremony that has opened the doors of communication between the indigenous people and the spirit world. The act of ceremony was and remains to this day a space in which the medicine person is able to suspend the mind and enter the domain of the soul and the domain of the Great Mystery. It is in ceremonial space that we create offerings for the Mother Earth, the spirits and Great Spirit, in order to give back, seek guidance, and to bridge the worlds.
Whale pipe blessing
A ceremony of union and a ritual of peace.
The pipe ceremony is performed as way to bring the masculine and feminine aspects of creation into harmony within us. The pipe is also smoked as part of the Star Lodge Ceremony, during sacred union ceremonies and as a divination tool.
The bowl of the pipe represents the Feminine and the stem represents the Masculine. When we bring the bowl and the stem together we are honoring the dance of our internal feminine and masculine qualities, and the need to live in harmony with both. In side the bowl we place a pinch of tobacco for each and every branch of creation and all Our Relations. In doing so, we honor the interconnectedness and sacredness of all life, asking that the essence of every living creation enters us as we smoke.
Chandra is a pipe carrier of the Whale and Blue Star Nation
A magical ceremony for times of transition, starting new projects and bringing community together.
The Despacho is the central ceremony of exchange performed by the Q’ero Shamans of Peru. This ceremony is a gift of love, an act of AYNI, meaning reciprocity, and is most commonly created as a ritualistic offering to the Pachamama (Earth Mother) or Apukuna (mountain spirits). It is an ancient ceremonial practice used as a means to bring harmony within community, to heal, and to align our inner vision with the sacredness of life and the highest expression. Ceremonial ingredients, symbolically representing all aspects of creation, are infused with soulful intent then carefully placed in natural fibers to create a mandala of prayers. The despacho is then wrapped in a tight bundle and then either buried or burned. It is delightful and powerful way to express gratitude and give back to the Earth and the Ancestors for all that we receive.
A powerful ceremony of transmutation and shamanic alchemy.
Fire medicine is the eternal flame of Great Spirit that resides in each of us, as well as all life. It is the fire of Inti (father sun), the fire in Pachamama’s core, the fire of lightening, the fire of lava that forms the stone people and the fire that burns wood. Fire medicine is found in the passion for living, spontaneous creation, the desire to love and be loved, the ability to hold compassion for others, and the fuel that feeds our medicine dreams.
Through the Andean tradition and heart-centered intention we bring to the fire that which needs to be released, purified and transformed. At the fire we cleanse our medicine bodies and connect with spirit, so we can live in Munay (unconditional love) and unbound passion.
The Sweat Lodge, known in Hawaii as the Hale Pulo’ ulo’ u, (House of Purification) is practiced in some form by every culture in the world. Each culture has their own protocol, but all use the sweat lodge ceremony to facilitate healing and purification of the Spirit, body and mind. Participants come with the intention to cleanse negative emotions, heal the physical body, create mental clarity and to align with Mother Earth and Spirit.
The sweat lodge represents the womb of Mother Earth. In our lodge the door faces west direction, the place of the feminine and the grandmothers. Our lodge altar is the Universal Star Altar, thus is a lodge honoring all peoples and all ways. The lodge is a dome like structure made from natural material and then covered with blankets. For hours, stones are heated in a sacred fire that represents the Life Force or Kundalini. The stones are brought into the lodge once the tribe members have entered. Herbs and offerings of sacred plants are placed on the stones to welcome them and water is poured over the stones to create the healing steam. All elements are honored and present in the ceremony.
A ritual to bring vision, luminosity and destiny retrieval.
The condor is the largest bird in South America. Its wingspan can reach 12’ across and it is the one who flies closest to the Sun. The condor is also the archetype of the “upper world” in the Andean cosmo-vision. The upper world is the place of our highest potential, star seeds and the place from which we source in order to connect with our “becoming”. When connected with condor we are reminded to “see” with the eyes of the heart and to soar wing to wing in co-creation with Great Spirit.
The ceremony begins with offerings, calling of the condor and setting intentions. Through a shamanic journey you will then be introduced and connected with the condor and its medicine. During the journey you will have the opportunity to ask questions, seek guidance and receive gifts for your soul’s journey. The journey is followed with integration of the new energy and gifts received, while creating ways to align your daily life with the information received. The ceremony is closed with the song of the condor played on an Andean Condor Flute.
A serene and evocative ceremony for cleansing and reconnecting to the sacred waters of our planet and the sacred waters within.
Our relationship to water is essential to connecting with our inner rhythms, finding our flow with creation and being able to accept change. Spiritually, water represents the emotions, creativity and the ability to connect with the realm of the unknown. Our bodies are 75 – 90% water. Before we are born into the world we begin our physical development within a membrane of fluid. Indigenous people say we are born from the waters and that the very nature of existence is fluid.
Our water ceremonies take place in both fresh water streams that flow from the sacred mountains of Kaua'i and in the salt waters of the oceans that surround her. Offerings and prayers are first made to call on the spirit of the waters, to open “the way” and to ask for permission to perform the ceremony. Then, combining breath, movement, sound, the sand and waters you will cleanse your chakras and energy body, and physical body, releasing the old. More prayers are made as you offer yourself to the light of the sun and receive the eternal, crystalline nature of your true self.
When two people come together to join their hearts and commit to a life long journey it is one of the most sacred moments of their lives. Sonco Via offers commitment and union ceremonies that reflect this sacredness and the individuality of each couple their unique vision. We would be honored to hold space for your special day.
Chandra is non-denominational minister and is licensed in the state of Hawaii to perform marriages. Weaving aspects and rituals of the Andean and Hawaiian traditions, Chandra will work with you through a series of consultations to help you create the union ceremony of your dreams. For example, you may want to have a Kava ceremony or a despacho ceremony performed the night before with family and friends, so they can offer their prayers for your union. You may want to hold the ceremony in a circle or bring elements of fire and water into the day. The possibilities are endless.
Plant medicine is a gift of the Mother Earth that provides all we need to heal, to learn and to discover the inner hidden gifts of the highest potential that we possess.
We offer these ancient ceremonies as a sacred container for deep cleansing of soul wounds, connecting with the spirit realms, seeking guidance and harmonizing the divine and human natures within. All ceremonies require a certain amount of preparation by the individual and must be approached with humility to ensure a positive outcome. Our plant ceremonies are held for individuals and small groups and a thorough introduction of these offerings is made in person once you contact us.
Please contact us for more information about these ceremonies.
