Ñust'a

In June 2024, a friend and I traveled to the Lama Foundation in the mountains above Taos, New Mexico to participate in a Sufi retreat led by Pir Shabda Kahn. The retreat took place in the open-air Dargah - Persian for the burial shrine of Sufi saints and masters - of mystic Samuel Lewis. On the first day as I entered the Dargah, I felt energy pulling my attention to the landscape beyond, settling on one specific mountain a distance away. The draw was so intense that, during our periodic meditation time, I was compelled to sit on the ledge and face toward that mountain and closed my eyes, letting its force engulf me. It was consistent every time. On the last day, I decided to meditate eyes open. That's when the female figure in outline over the top was apparent to me. Excitedly, I later mentioned it to the local retreatant sitting beside me in circle. No surprise on her face, she said, "Yeah, Woman Mountain..."

And I immeditately revisited my years in the Peruvian Andes where I sponsored spiritual travel journeys between 2000-2024 working with Q'ero and Quechua mystics and healers. During despacho ceremonies, the traditional prayer ritual, the men created the bundle dedicated to the Apus, male guardian mountain spirits, while the women devoted themselves to creating bundles for Pachamama and Ñust'as - Mother Earth deity and the feminine protector spirits, respectively.

Woman Mountain validated the Ñust'a as a living presence true for me.

Elements: Oil and cold wax on cradled wood panel.