A Despacho is a sacred offering, often in the form of a prayer bundle. The Despacho tradition originated in the high Andes mountains with the wisdomkeepers of the Andean communities of Q’eros. Each element that is placed within the beautiful mandala of the Despacho is offered with prayers from those gathered for the ceremony. Every item holds symbolic meaning, calling for the release of certain energies, welcoming blessings and benevolent forces, and ultimately, prayers to return to balance and alignment with our own highest intentions, as well as with Pachamama. There are many kinds of Despacho, and a wide variety of offerings that can be placed in the mandala, including sweets, grains, flowers, incense, feathers, and leaves, but the most essential offering is an open, grateful heart. Once the mandala is complete, the Despacho is closed and bundled, and gifted to Spirit through ritual burning, burial, or offering to the water. Below is a list of offerings if you choose to bring something to offer Mother Earth. We will have some supplies so it is ok if you forget. https://loveisourmedicine.com Thank you Darrin Davis for being the medicine and leading our prayers back to Pachamama . Please check out his vending booth at MFTP for all things Peru. his website is here. https://www.questperu.com PLANT / TREE OFFERINGS Copal: offering to the lower world, the shadow Frankincense: offering to the upper world, the light Palo Santo: space for our prayers Coca: sacred wisdom of pachamama Tobacco: offering to the sky father Sage: purification, banishment of the negative Anise: celebration, sensuality Berries: rewards, fruits of labour Cedar: wisdom of the forest Corn: a gift of the earth, sustenance Cornmeal: offering to the earth mother Cotton: dreams, clouds, mountain snows Figs: ancient mountain spirits Flowers: the beauty of nature, the power of light, reproduction and fertility Garlic: absorption of the negative Grains: sustenance, abundance Lavender: purity, purification Laurel: sacredness, victory over adversity Leaves: honouring nature spirits Lima Beans: sacred places, huaqas, power spots Liquor: high energy, honoring the spirit world, our ancestors Peanuts: caves, places for elemental spirits Raising: offering to the dead Rice: offerings to the spirit world Sweets: fertility, beginnings, potential Sugar: sweetness, feeding the spirits Vegetable oil: our connection to the nourishing power of nature Red Wine: honouring the mother, menstrual blood White Wine: honouring the moon, fluids of purification MINERAL OFFERINGS Gold: masculine, the sun, insight Silver: feminine, the moon, intuition Agate: acceptance, emotional and physical balance, raises consciousness Amber: protection, memory, calming Amethyst: higher knowledge, insight, grounded psychic growth, courage, self-esteem Aventurine: joy, mental clarity, positive attitudes Bloodstone: blood and heart healing, vitality, courage, higher states of consciousness Calcite: astral projection, balances yin/yang qualities Citrine: successful relationships, letting go of addictions, self confidence Copper: the earth’s gift, conductivity Diamond: removes blockages, balances the mind, sexuality and power Fluorite: practicality, getting things done, ability to perceive higher levels of reality Garnet: circulation, stimulates imagination, self-esteem and willpower, calms anger Hematite: protection, aids astral projection, increases self-esteem Herkimer: cleanses subtle bodies, past life memory, clairvoyance and dream work Iron: strength, persistence, endurance, direction Jade: good luck and prosperity, strong immune system, divine love, protection Loadstone: the power to attract and bind together Moonstone: receptivity, intuition, sensitivity, clairvoyance Obsidian: removal of obstacles and negativity, prophetic vision Opal: protection, cosmic consciousness, intuition, emotional balance Peridot: clarity, patience, clairvoyance, positive emotional outlooks Pyrite: material realization, good fortune, eases anxiety Clear Quartz: purity of perception, purity of intention Rose Quartz: love and romance, purity of feeling, confidence, expression, creativity Smokey Quartz: purification, elimination of shadow aspects, fertility, creativity, joy Rutilate quartz: breaks old patterns, childhood blockages, ease depression Rhodochrosite: cleansing of subconscious, self-identity Ruby: spiritual balance, heart healing, confidence, flexibility, vitality, leadership Salt: protection, boundaries Sapphire: communication with spirit guides, clairvoyance, telepathy, expression Tigers Eye: works on mass consciousness to separates desire from need Tourmaline: dispels fear, negativity and grief, promotes balance, eases compulsiveness Turquoise: fresh starts, offering to the ancestors, strength of entire body, protection ANIMAL OFFERINGS Animal shapes: honouring our relatives in the animal kingdom Fat: purest form of energy Bone: our inner core, structure, connection to animal relatives Coral: the power of the sea, the subconscious Egg shells: the unborn, purity, healing Feathers: connection to the ether and sky Human hair: honouring our connection to the animal world Milk: connection to the mother, honouring trees Pearls: infinite wisdom and purity Shells: depth, faith, flexibility