Since we’ve been in Lima, I’ve been reading up on the energy practices of the region, playing a bit of that compare-and-contrast game we all learned so well in school.
In Andean Shamanism, there is no positive or negative energy per se, but rather a heavier, disordered energy (called hucha) that is produced by humans, and the more refined energy (Sami ) that suffuses the natural world.
The world is said to be composed entirely of living energy, kawsay pacha, which involves different degrees of these fundamental frequencies of hucha and sami. By tuning into our own energy bodies (kawsay poq’po), we can learn to dance with these energies by a principle known as ayni, or reciprocity.

Paulina and I under the image of Saint Martin of Porres, the Saint of Interracial Harmony and Public Health workers
We’re staying with JC’s family in San Martin de Porres, a working class community that it one of Lima’s oldest pueblos jovenes. Like many Latin American cities, Lima didn’t develop organically or neatly. Since the 1940s, poverty has pushed families from the provincias to the capital. Land invasions were (and are) common; parks and other recreational facilities are few and far between.
Though I grew up in a working-class neighborhood full of factories, hour motels, and more resting places for the deceased than the living, I’m reminded of what I’ve grown accustomed to every time I go out for a stroll. The leaves of the few trees here are dulled by monoxide fumes. The cars are My breath here is labored. I’ve been balancing my environmental sensitivity by eating extremely well, doing yoga daily, trying to be around plants, and overall enjoying myself whenever possible.

Huachipa, just outside of Lima. Nearby is a naturopathic clinic where I soaked in a hot tub until I broke a temporary fever.

Downtown, at the Magical Water Circuit, trying to make D., 15, smile. (I made my best effort, he claimed).
Hucha is not bad. The earth, whose feminine energy is known as pachamama, thrives on offerings of hucha.
A meditative practice for those who wish to work with energy is to go into the qosco, the chakra-like energy belt that is close to the physical belly, and offer the denser energy down deep into the earth, while drawing down sami from the spirits of the cosmos down into the purple energy center that is by your third eye so that we become more like the natural world.
Yet, to be free means tasting all the flavors of energy. You might not vibe with some varieties, but, according to the teachings, there’s no need to close yourself off to them. Protecting yourself from them is like living in a gated community; you’ve got nobody to blame for your glamorous prison but yourself.
I try to remember this as I work to transform how I engage with the legacy of colonialism, intentional deforestation and underdevelopment, the unrelenting belief that a miracle lies waiting around the corner.
I try to listen more and connect to that pissed-off part of me less.
And though my lungs don’t always play along, I simply try to breathe.
Love you and your writing Yael!!!
Love you! Thought of you when we went to a clinic run by a famous naturopathic doctor here (Carlos Casanova) — and all the possibilities that ran through my head. Sending love and will see you soon!
What a beautiful post, Yael. Learning (from your Pueblos jovenes link to coha.org, and its link to Time) of the establishment of the Pachacutec Culinary Institute in the region and its goals makes me happy–such a renewing and wonderful transfer of energy from the earth and from the ancestry of the rich culture. My love to you and JC.
love how things link to one thing and the other. keep eating in rich colors — i’ve been watching and learning too! love!
Sweet!:)
Hi Yael:
Really like your your descriptions, hope you are enjoying exploring. What has been among your favorite foods so far?