The Ley of the Land

My journey through the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley is an exploration of the land but, most important, an exploration of my Self. The mountains, rivers, altitude, and Quechua people set a backdrop for the richness of the history embedded in the archaeological sites throughout the area. But what truly calls me is “within the stones” of the ruins and in the trees and rocks along the Inca Trail. They draw me in to meditate and receive messages. As I journey along ley lines of Earth, I am gently guided to heal imbalances associated with my chakra energies.

My Peru trip leads me to integrate into my life the lessons that I had been receiving in my meditations over the past year, of internalizing them so that I no longer separate my life into “when I am meditating” and “when I am not”. In the spring of 2001, I spontaneously had my first vision during my initial Reiki treatment. My meditations grew in depth, complexity, and impact on me; I felt such peace and happiness when I was connected with Source. But I was unable to maintain my inner peace when outside meditation. My understanding of my Self was more intellectual than internal: I knew the first layers of my meditations’ meanings, I knew the “right” words, and was reading the “right” spiritual books but I had not incorporated these teachings into my life.

Unlike my spontaneous entry into the world of meditation, my journey to living with inner peace has taken time. The Led by Grace series chronicles this process.

Led by Grace, the first book in the series, reveals meditations that show I am connected to Source. In the first year of my “schooling”, I am taught both to trust that I am indeed receiving guidance from Source but also to follow this guidance. My spiritual guides take the form of monks, Jesus, eagles, and wise women and men.

The Ley of the Land, the second book in the series, begins my process to apply these lessons. Peru becomes an extension of the classroom I have been in. My tour leaders—Shera, Chidakash, Puma, and Humberto—are my human guides while Inca priests become my spirit guides. But I also begin to receive guidance without form—a voice in my head, a knowing. My Peru trip is a series of mystical experiences along my path of Self-discovery.

The Led by Grace series spans an eight-year period concluding with my 925-kilometre pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in the fall of 2009. I make significant progress to living with inner peace during this time. But my journey did not end then. It is wonderfully ongoing.