As a reminder, hucha is the Quechua term for heavy or chaotic energy. Hucha is a natural byproduct of living in a society where we sometimes need to act in ways that don’t fit our own true nature. So far I have shared a couple of meditations for getting rid of hucha in yourself (see the chapters ‘Releasing Hucha‘ and ‘Shedding Hucha‘). Now I would like to share a process for cleaning the hucha from others. As we move to processes that involve working with other people we seem to stray particularly far from the normal use of the term meditation but all of the meditative-processes in the Andean Cosmovision ultimately involve working with energy through intent and meditation is simply the closest term I can come up with in the English language.

Cleaning the hucha from someone is one of the functions of a paqo in Andean society. There are many ways to clean hucha from another person, some involve the use of quyas (special stones), others involve mesas, the process I would like to share now is simply accomplished with your intent and your hands and your relationship with Nature and the Cosmos.

In Preparation. Before cleaning the hucha from another person I first like to get rid of my own hucha using one of the meditations mentioned above. I do this before I work with anyone else’s energy to make sure I don’t pass any hucha I may have on to them.

This process can be done with your waiki (friend) lying on the Pachamama but I will describe it in the context of your waiki standing while you do this.

As you begin invite your waiki to use their intent to connect with the Pachamama through their feet and with the energy of the Cosmos through the top of their head.

Step 1: Ponqos

1. First prepare your energy. While standing raise both your arms above your head with the palms of your hands facing the sky. With intent connect to the energy of the Cosmos with your right hand and let that energy flow into and accumulate in your right hand. When you feel that energy gathered into your right hand slowly bring your two palms together (still over your head) and when they touch let the energy flow through your right hand into your left hand. From your left hand let the energy flow down your left arm and into your heart (munay). When the energy flows into your munay transform that energy into love and let it radiate out from your munay into the rest of your body.
2. Starting at the top of your waiki’s head, using both your hands, lightly tap their body by drumming all of your finger tips. Do it as if you are simulating a light rain shower on their body. Your intent, and this is an important piece, is to have each tap create a whirlpool (ponqo) in their energy body. This loosens up their energy field making it easier for them to release their hucha. Work your way down the front of their body, keeping your taps rapid and light, and raising your fingers so they don’t quite touch the body when you are over areas of the body that you waiki may not want to have touched. When you get down to their toes repeat the process top to bottom on the back of their body.

Step 2: Cleaning the Physical Body:

1. Again prepare your energy. While standing raise both your arms above your head with the palms of your hands facing the sky. With intent connect to the energy of the Cosmos with your right hand and let that energy flow into and accumulate in your right hand. When you feel that energy gathered into your right hand slowly bring your two palms together (still over your head) and when they touch let the energy flow through your right hand into your left hand. From your left hand let the energy flow down your left arm and into your heart (munay). When the energy flows into your heart transform that energy into love and let it radiate out from your munay into the rest of your body.
2. Starting at the top of your waiki’s head, using both your hands, slowly draw your fingers down the front of their body, gently touching their body with your finger tips Your intent, and again this is important, is to gather or collect all of the hucha from their physical body with your hands. Keep this intent during this whole process. Do this slowly enough to maintain a clear intent. Work your way down the front of their body, raising your fingers so they don’t quite touch the body when you are over areas of the body that you waiki may not want to have touched.
3. When you get down to their toes place your hands on the Pachamama and with your intent ask her to take all of the hucha you have gathered in your hands. You may notice that she takes the hucha as you begin to form the intent to give it to her.
4. Repeat the process, this time working down the back of their body.
5. When you get down to their toes place your hands on the Pachamama and with your intent ask her to take all of the hucha you have gathered in your hands.

Step 3: Clearning the Energetic Body

This is performed exactly like Step 2 but this time you keep your fingers an inch or two away from their physical body and you hold the intent of cleaning the energetic body that emanates from the physical body.

1. Again prepare your energy. While standing raise both your arms above your head with the palms of your hands facing the sky. With intent connect to the energy of the Cosmos with your right hand and let that energy flow into and accumulate in your right hand. When you feel that energy gathered into your right hand slowly bring your two palms together (still over your head) and when they touch let the energy flow through your right hand into your left hand. From your left hand let the energy flow down your left arm and into your heart (munay). When the energy flows into your heart transform that energy into love and let it radiate out from your munay into the rest of your body.
2. Starting at the top of your waiki’s head, using both your hands, gently draw your fingers down the front of their body, keeping your finger tips an inch or two from their body. Your intent, and again this is important, is to gather or collect all of the hucha from their energetic body (which emanates from their physical body) with your hands. Do this slowly enough to maintain a clear intent
3. When you get down to their toes place your hands on the Pachamama and with your intent ask her to take all of the hucha you have gathered in your hands.
4. Repeat the process this time working down the back of their body.
5. When you get down to their toes place your hands on the Pachamama and with your intent ask her to take all of the hucha you have gathered in your hands.

Step 4: Welcome (Optional)

Give your waiki a hug and welcome him or her to their new state of being.

Step 5: Take Care of Yourself

In general it is a good idea to take the time after you have worked with someone to rid yourself of any hucha you may have picked up from them. I always keep that in mind as a wise thing to consider. In this particular meditation, however, I have always found that the step of giving their hucha to the Pachamama has taken care of that for me. Still, check out your energy when you are finished.

Options: This can be fun do to in groups of three, one waiki being cleaned of hucha while one waiki works on the front of their body and the other on the back of their body. When finished switch roles.  This can also be done with the waiki laying on the ground and having them turn over as needed to work on their front and back. Actually, there are lots of other ways of doing this as well, some involve the use of quyas or mesas, but this is the one I wanted to share.

Ponqos. Ponqo is an interested term. Like the term apocheta it has several different interpretations. In this meditation ponqos refer to small whirlpools of energy that are set up in the waiki’s body as you tap. Another use of the term is as a name for that place behind large rocks in a creek where the water slowly eddies and provides a still point in the current. If you look you will often see fish taking refuge there, resting from the current. Those spots of stillness and refuge are called ponqos as well. One time when I was in Peru don Americo suggested that when we return to our homes that we serve as ponqos for our friends.