Munay-ki
Encyclopedia
The Munay-Ki are a series of nine rites brought to western society by Dr Alberto Villoldo
Alberto Villoldo
Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., is a Cuban-born psychologist and anthropologist who has studied the shamanic healing practices of the Amazon and Inca shamans for over 25 years.-Formal Education:...

, an american anthropologist who has studied the shamanic healing practices of the Amazon and Inca shamans for over 25 years. "Munay" means "love and will" together "ki" is from the Chinese word for energy. The Munay-Ki is not a traditional initiation ceremony from the Incas.

Origin

Dr Villoldo learned and studied the rites of the Inca
Inca civilization
The Andean civilizations made up a loose patchwork of different cultures that developed from the highlands of Colombia to the Atacama Desert. The Andean civilizations are mainly based on the cultures of Ancient Peru and some others such as Tiahuanaco. The Inca Empire was the last sovereign...

 Shamans
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...

 with a number of mentors over a period of years living with them in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

 Mountains of Peru. As he describes in his book Shaman Healer Sage, he travelled for more than ten years with his first mentor Don Antonio Morales throughout the Andes and the Amazon to accumulate and distill the shamanic knowledge of these peoples. From this distilled knowledge, Dr Villoldo assembled the Munay-Ki as a series of fabricated rites Dr. Villoldo states are derived from Inca traditions.

Dr Villoldo writes that the rites derive from the great initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...

s from the Hindus Valley
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...

 that were brought to the Americas by the first medicine men and women
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...

 who crossed the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...

 from Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...

 during the glacial period
Glacial period
A glacial period is an interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate within an ice age...

some 30,000 years ago, and who were known as the Laika, the Earthkeepers of old
The Laika are currently the most serious of the black magicians found in Peru and particularly in the village of Wasao and are known locally as the spiritual mercenaries, black magicians who are willing to perform any spell or ceremony if you pay them enough. In Cuzco one of the worst insults you can call someone is Laika Machu which means "old black magician". The Laika are particularly disliked by the Q'ero because of their acts of working with "hoochas" heavy energies. The Q'ero say that there are no Laika in the Q'ero Community but sometimes the Laika come to Q'ero seeking power. They are turned away.
The nine rites of the Munay-Ki were first given in 2006. Many of Dr. Villoldo's senior teaching staff resigned due to the fabrication of these rites.

Purpose

The Munay-Ki rites are initiations, which Dr Villoldo says are intended to help the initiate become a person of wisdom and power. Dr Villoldo's reasoning is that it is possible to remove the external cultural aspects of traditional initiations and transmit the inner essence without any associated ritual or teaching. This is a controversial position within neo-shamanic circles. Some believe it is an evolution of traditional shamanic practice, while others hold it represents a "fast food" version of high commercial appeal but of little value. People who have received the Munay Ki rites generally report satisfaction with the results (source?).
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