The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations among the Peruvian Shamans [Paperback]

J. E. Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2005

For more than thirty years Dr. J. E. Williams has risked his health and personal safety to journey among shamans in Peru, the place he calls the mystical and spiritual center of our times. In its rain forests, mountains, and environmentally attuned indigenous population, Peru's mystical landscape fosters inner discovery.

The Andean Codex guides the reader step by step through journeys to Andean sacred places like Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and Moray, and in the process uncovers the esoteric meaning of these ruins. Williams recounts his initiation with Peruvian shamans, including shamanic ceremonies he performed at Machu Picchu and his experiences using the mind-expanding, heart-opening ayahuasca and the sacred coca plant.

Throughout these encounters, Williams weaves in practical advice that brings the wisdom of Andean shamans to life. His unforgettable account of their prayers, practices, and ceremonies offers a rare opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a shaman and experience the Andean sacred way.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An exhilarating and aesthetically lovely adventure, an intimate glimpse into a timeless way of life that embodies the ethical, moral, and spiritual principles for which so many in the Western world are searching. J. E. Williams has gifted us with an extraordinarily fine contribution to our understanding of indigenous wisdom, and in the process, he has created very good medicine indeed!" —Hank Wesselman PhD, anthropologist and author of the Spiritwalker Trilogy, The Journey to the Sacred Garden, and Spirit Medicine

"Dr. Williams provides the clarity of a high-altitude mind sharpened by many years in the mountains. This is a sensitive, true-to-life study of native people. The author's photographs are as wondrous and life-affirming as his observations and writing." —Gerald Hausman, author of The Kebra Nagast: The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith from Ethiopia and Jamaica

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing (July 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571743049
• ISBN-13: 978-1571743046
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Andean Wisdom, May 6, 2006

By 

Gerald Hausman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations among the Peruvian Shamans (Paperback)

It's hard to come by real accounts of true teachings these days. There are so many charlatans begging to be known as sages. Then you come upon a book such as this one by Dr. James E. Williams. It transcends the volumes that try to get at experience without really experiencing it. Dr. Williams nearly died in the process of climbing in the Andes while writing his real life experience with a real life shaman, Sebastian. He sacrificed a lot and learned a lot. It's wonderful that he's written this tidy little classic about how he breathed the thin air and ate potato soup at 16,000 feet and suffered from a collapse of the lower back, asthma and an arrhythmic heart and many other complex and nearly fatal exigencies of very high altitude living, in order to put this profound book into our hands. We ought to bow and be thankful, and pass it on...the thanks and the book!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and informative read, November 28, 2005

By 

Kimberly Perkins (Sarasota, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations among the Peruvian Shamans (Paperback)

The book is well written and, even though I have read other books on Peruvian/Inca teachings, I found it most clear and concise. J.E.Williams writing style is very gentle with a beautiful depth and simplicity. There are five main principles to the Andean teachings and, after living among the shamans for 35 years, he is the first person authorized to bring these teachings to the US. Some of the proceeds from the book, as well as the photography, goes back to the indigenous people. As I was reading I could not help thinking that these basic teachings, much like other native peoples worldwide, are so needed now on this planet.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars genuine material, October 13, 2005

By 

kaioatey (Awatovi, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations among the Peruvian Shamans (Paperback)

"My experiences with Sebastian and the energies of the Incan sacred sites form a new way of looking at the world. I am the same, but different. I cannot explain it."

The above words summarize the book quite well. This is basically a travelogue, composed of three parts: the author's jungle experience drinking ayahuasca; afterwards he was exhorted by the ayahuascero (as are so many others) to go learn more in the highland Q'ero region (2) W.s chance meeting with a Q'ero 'shaman' named Sebastian, who initiated him into the tradition in the Incan capital Cuzco and (3) His visit to the Q'ero, culminating with the great annual festival at Mt. Colquepunku.

The book is unpretentious and it is easy to see, how the Q'ero would take to the sincerity, earnestness, commitment and respect that Williams appears to show to people he meets. I liked that too. W. describes a number of key (and simple) Incan concepts and rituals such as reciprocity, life force, offerings and 'munay', the deep, abiding, impersonal love that comes straight from the heart. The Q'ero are masters of munay....."munay also signifies tranquility and beauty and suggests a pleasant experience characterized by harmony, symmetry, correctness, within and without. Beauty is the outer wrapping of munay, inside is kindness and love. It is inherent in nature. When munay becomes an integral part of one's character, it expresses itself spontaneously".

i would recommend this book to anyone who plans to visit Peru and perhaps interact with indigenous people; it is packed with non self-conscious advice and personal experience of an enthusiast who comes for a visit several times a year. This book should especially be read by Westerners who insists on visiting the altiplano without adequate preparation and acclimation. Williams had a pretty rotten time there himself, but endured the misfortunes like a champ. So...

Still, in many ways this is a rather superficial book. If you want to know about the Qero, Catherine Allen's The Hold Life Has can't be beat. It really should be THE reference for all even remotely interested in Peru.