Walking With Ancestral Whispers & Light: My Journey To Healing Through The Munay-Ki
The Munay-Ki are a set of nine sacred rites rooted in the spiritual traditions of the Q’ero people, direct descendants of the Inka in the Andes of Peru. The term comes from the Quechua words munay (love) and ki (energy), which together can be translated as “energy of love” or “power of love.” At their core, these rites are a path of initiation, healing, and transformation—designed to help individuals step into a deeper relationship with themselves, the earth, and spirit.
Historical And Cultural Background
The origins of the Munay-Ki trace back to the ancient shamanic traditions of the Andes. The Q’ero, often referred to as the “keepers of the wisdom,” maintained their practices for centuries in remote mountain villages after the Spanish conquest. Their teachings were largely preserved orally, passed from elder shamans (paqos) to apprentices.
In the late 20th century, anthropologists and spiritual seekers began connecting with the Q’ero. One of the most influential figures in bringing the Munay-Ki to a wider audience was Dr. Alberto Villoldo, who studied with Andean and Amazonian shamans and helped translate their initiatory practices into a form accessible for the modern world.
While some see the Munay-Ki as an ancient legacy of the Inka, others note that the formalized set of “nine rites” as taught today is a contemporary synthesis, blending Andean traditions with elements made more approachable for global practitioners.
The Medicine Wheel And The Munay-Ki
The Medicine Wheel, or Sacred Hoop, is an ancient symbol of balance, wholeness, and the eternal cycle of life. It represents the interconnectedness of all beings and the harmony between the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realms. In the Munay-Ki tradition, the Medicine Wheel becomes the map of our personal transformation — a sacred compass guiding us back to our true nature.
The Three Worlds
Andean cosmology teaches that reality is woven from three great realms:
- Ukhu Pacha – the Lower World: the roots, the underworld, where we meet the ancestral line, the buried stories, the seeds waiting in darkness to be reborn.
- Kay Pacha – the Middle World: our present reality, the land of breath and community, where we live, love, and learn in reciprocity with all beings.
- Hanan Pacha – the Upper World: the celestial realm of spirits, guides, and destiny, where the great winged ones soar and where the Star Nations shine their wisdom.
The Munay-Ki rites help us walk these three worlds in balance, connecting the roots of our ancestors, the heart of our present lives, and the visions of our future selves.
The Nine Rites
Each rite of the Munay-Ki is intended to seed the recipient with energetic codes of healing, wisdom, and transformation. They are transmitted in ceremony, often alongside fire rituals, and are said to upgrade the luminous energy field—the aura or energetic body that surrounds each person.
Here is an overview of the nine rites:
- Healer’s Rite (Hampe Karpay) – Connects you to a lineage of Earth keepers and awakens your capacity to heal yourself and others.
- Bands of Power – Energetic protection bands woven into your luminous field, shielding you from harmful forces.
- Harmony Rite (Ayni Karpay) – Instills archetypes from Andean cosmology (such as serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, and condor) into your chakras for balance and harmony.
- Seer’s Rite – Activates pathways of perception, opening the ability to see into the invisible world of energy and spirit.
- Daykeeper’s Rite – Connects you to a lineage of healers who honor the feminine, keepers of altars, sacred sites, and cycles of the sun and moon.
- Wisdomkeeper’s Rite – Aligns you with the high mountain shamans, bearers of ancient knowledge and wisdom.
- Earthkeeper’s Rite – Links you to the stewards of the planet, those who dream the world into being and care for all life.
- Starkeeper’s Rite – Seeds your luminous body with the energy of the stars, aligning you with cosmic destiny and universal cycles.
- Creator Rite – Awakened last, this rite connects you directly to the source of creation, empowering you to manifest reality with clarity and love.
Living The Rites
To receive the Munay-Ki is to stand at the threshold of transformation. But it is not enough to be given the seeds—you must water them with practice. Fire ceremonies, meditation, connection to the natural world, and the daily act of living in ayni—sacred reciprocity with all that is.
The Q’ero reminds us: you are not separate from earth or sky. You are part of the great weaving. When you live with an awakened heart, you help heal not only yourself, but also the seven generations before you and the seven yet to come.
The Four Directions: The Sacred Circle Of The Munay-Ki
The Munay-Ki are always called in ceremony through the Four Directions, each one embodied by an animal guide and a way of walking the path:
- South – Serpent: Keeper of the earth and the body, the one who teaches us to shed the past as the serpent sheds its skin. In the South, we release old stories and remember the wisdom of simplicity and presence.
- West – Jaguar: Guardian of the jungle and of fearless transformation. Jaguar walks us through the dark forests of our fears and into the courage of rebirth. Here, death is not an ending but a passage into new life.
- North – Hummingbird: Tiny yet tireless, the hummingbird teaches the joy of the impossible journey—flying across oceans guided only by instinct and trust. The North is the realm of the ancestors, where we sip the nectar of life and draw strength from those who came before us.
- East – Condor/Eagle: The great winged one who soars above the Andes, seeing the vastness of time and the weaving of destiny. The East is the realm of vision, of illumination, of dreaming a new world into being.
Together, the Four Directions form the medicine wheel of the Andes, and in every Munay-Ki rite, we walk their circle, calling their power to guide and protect us.
The Munay-Ki Prayer
When we step into the ceremony, we begin with prayer. Spoken from the heart, it calls in the unseen allies, the ancient ones, and the cosmic family who walk beside us.
You may wish to begin your journey with words such as these:
Munay-Ki Prayer
To the South, I call to Serpent,
Mother of the waters, teacher of shedding.
Help me release the past and walk the path of beauty. Aho.
To the West, I call to Jaguar,
Guardian of the night, fearless one.
Guide me through the shadow into rebirth and courage. Aho.
To the North, I call to Hummingbird,
Joyful traveler, drinker of nectar.
Bring me the wisdom of the ancestors and the sweetness of life. Aho.
To the East, I call to Condor & Eagle,
Great winged one who soars beyond mountains.
Grant me vision, clarity, and the power to dream a new world into being. Aho.
Beneath me, I honor Pachamama, Mother Earth—
all who crawl, swim, stand, and grow.
I thank you for your grounding, your nourishment, your love. Aho.
Above me, I honor Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, and the Star Nations,
Shine your light upon my path and remind me of my place in the cosmos. Aho.
All around me, I call to Great Spirit,
the unseen breath that binds all things.
Fill my heart with love,
that I may walk in harmony with all beings,
and carry the seeds of the Munay-Ki with humility and grace. Aho.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Aho.
Purpose And Practice
The Munay-Ki are often described as rites of passage, calling individuals to step into their highest potential. Practitioners believe that receiving these transmissions helps clear inherited wounds—personal, ancestral, and karmic—while also planting the seeds for a new way of being.
In practice, the Munay-Ki are not only ceremonies but also a commitment. After receiving them, participants are encouraged to nurture their growth through meditation, ritual, connecting with nature, and living in balance with the earth and community.
Ancestral Connection
The Munay-Ki open the pathways to our ancestral line. Each rite heals not only the wounds of this lifetime but also those carried by our forebears, clearing shadows and weaving light through generations past and yet to come.
When I received the rites, I felt the presence of my ancestors gather like silent witnesses around the fire. Some were faces I knew from stories, others were only whispers in the marrow of my bones. Through the Munay-Ki, I realized they walk with me still—guiding, protecting, and reminding me that my life is part of a larger tapestry.
My Journey To Healing With The Munay-Ki
I came to the Munay-Ki through the guidance of my spiritual teacher. At first, I was unsure if I was ready—ready to hold so much lineage, ready to walk with such responsibility. But step by step, rite by rite, I felt myself soften and strengthen at once.
The ceremonies shifted the way I see the world: not as something to be conquered or feared, but as a living, breathing ally. Every stone and stream seemed to hum with presence. Every season became an invitation to listen. Every person I encountered carried a spark of the same luminous fire.
The Munay-Ki did not make me someone new—they helped me remember. Remember the language of the earth. Remember the stories my ancestors had always whispered. Remember that the world is not mine to hold alone, but ours to weave together with love.
Closing Reflections
Walking the path of the Munay-Ki and the Medicine Wheel has been more than a spiritual practice — it has been a homecoming. Each direction, each rite, has peeled back another layer of who I thought I was, revealing the luminous being beneath all fear and story. Through these sacred initiations, I’ve come to understand that healing is not about becoming something new, but about remembering who we have always been.
The serpent taught me to release the past with grace.
The jaguar showed me that courage is born from truth.
The hummingbird reminded me to drink from life’s sweetness, even in uncertainty.
And the eagle lifted me to see my path from the eyes of Spirit.
Together, they have woven my life into a tapestry of balance and reverence — a reminder that we are always held by Pachamama and guided by the Great Spirit.
As I continue this journey as a Usui Reiki Master and an Earth-Based Spiritual Mentor, I carry these teachings in every breath, prayer, and offering. The rites have reshaped not only how I see the world, but how I honor those who came before me — my ancestors, my teachers, and the unseen ones who whisper on the wind.
When we walk the Medicine Wheel with intention and an open heart, we awaken the memory of unity within all things — the sun, the moon, the stars, the stones, and the stories we carry in our bones. It is a lifelong journey of becoming light itself.
By Candlelight,
HN Staples
“The Four Directions remind us that we are woven into every element, every creature, every dream. The Munay-Ki awakens this truth—that we are both seed and sky, love and light, the dreamers of a living Earth.” -HN Staples
