An Ancient Portal to the Divine: A Returning Home to the Sacred Heart
27 October – 3 November 2026 – CHAVIN DE HUANTAR, PERU
I invite you to join us on a pilgrimage into the heart of the Andes – to the Temple of Chavín, Chaupin in Ancient times, meaning the ‘Centre of the Centre’ & the birthplace of Huachuma (or Tsunaq), the Ancestral medicine of the Andes.
For thousands of years, pilgrims travelled by foot from across the coast, jungle, and mountains to engage in rituals and seek healing thru the power of the Sacred Cactus at this spiritual & ceremonial heart of ancient Andean civilization – the Great Temple of Universal Consciousness – where the ancient ones left the codes for our awakening.
This is a journey of remembrance & returning to what has always been but has been forgotten – the ancient wisdom of our own heart & our connection to source consciousness – to become stewards of the New Earth.
You will participate in powerful ceremonies guided by Maestra Cecilia, who is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Temple, with decades of devotion to its ancient wisdom and the powerful Sacred Cactus medicine. You will also visit sacred sites, commune with the Apus (mountains spirits) and learn about the Chavin culture & Andean Cosmology.
THE TEMPLE OF CHAVíN
Chavín de Huántar is a powerful sacred site situated high in the Cordillera Blanca mountains in Peru. This sacred temple, over 3000 years old was a water temple & used as a gateway to reach higher states of consciousness, particularly with the sacred medicine, Huachuma (called Tsunaq in this region of Peru).
Its design reflects an intricate understanding of energy & transformation with its many underground chambers & water channels that flow under the temple. Pilgrims & seekers would use the dark chambers & other energetic galleries and plazas with the medicines to open up their senses & journey inwards.
At the heart of the temple rests the Lanzón or Wari Huanca (which means ancient stone) – a granite sculpture 4.5 meters high, carved into a figure with feline and serpentine features. Legends say it fell to Earth from a different world thousands of years ago & that the temple was built up around it. It is an oracle & the main deity or mythical ancestor of the Chavin culture – which symbolizes the union of Heaven and Earth, representing the convergence of divine wisdom and earthly experience.
As the oldest known Huachuma temple, it stands as one of the greatest living tributes to sacred shamanic tradition in the ancient world, a profound symbol of ancestral wisdom, spiritual initiation, and the enduring legacy of Andean consciousness.
HUACHUMA (TSUNAQ)
Huachuma (San Pedro) is a sacred cactus native to the Andean mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. It’s been used for over 4,000 years to heal and expand consciousness & is one of Peru’s most sacred plants. Near Chavín, it’s known as Tsunaq—a name derived from “Tsu,” meaning silence. Tsunaq is “the one who silences the mind”, guiding us into stillness, where we can connect with the subtler planes of existence. In other parts of Peru, it’s called ‘Huachuma’, a Quechua word meaning “without the head” – expanding our cognitive range beyond the conventional, “mental” boundaries – this revered cactus carries profound wisdom.
It also became known as San Pedro, a Spanish word for ‘Saint Peter’, during the Spanish conquest of South America in the 16th century as it was believed to grant a spiritual ‘heavenly’ experience on Earth; much like Saint Peter is believed to hold the keys to heaven in the Christian religion.
The unique variety of Tsunaq found in this region holds a particularly transformative spirit, offering a safe and grounded path to self-exploration and healing. This medicine does not dictate—it walks beside you. It gently pushes you toward your edges, helping you meet what calls for your attention with clarity and presence. In its warm embrace, you may discover new perspectives & a deepened sense of self to enable a more heart-centered way of being. Through purifying and balancing the body, mind, and spirit, it facilitates the expansion of consciousness and makes room for more freedom in our life experience.
ITINERARY
DAY 1 (Oct 27th) – Travel from Lima to Chavin via bus (evening departure) – See Note 1 & 2
DAY 2 (Oct 28th) – Welcome to Chavin. Orientation meeting, of the team & the participants. Visit to the temple.
DAY 3 (Oct 29th) – First ceremony
DAY 4 (Oct 30th) – Visit to the museum
DAY 5 (Oct 31st) – Walking to Piruru Hirka
DAY 6 (Nov 1st) – Second ceremony
DAY 7 (Nov 2nd) – Meeting around the fire & integration circle
DAY 8 (Nov 3rd) – Closure & Farewell. Optional trip to the hot springs in the afternoon. Travel from Chavin to Lima via bus (evening departure). See Note 3 for Machu Picchu Extension.
**Itinerary subject to change**
Note 1: If you arrive in Lima on Oct 26th, there is an optional day trip available on the morning of Oct 27th to Pachacámac – which is another Wari Wanka (Sacred Stone) & Temple Complex which is located 40kms southeast of Lima.
Note 2: The bus is an overnight bus with comfortable seats that recline 160°. If you do not want to take the bus, there is also a domestic flight you can take to Huaraz, then take a 2.5-hour taxi to Chavin (at your own cost).
Note 3: There is a Machu Picchu Extension trip Nov 5-6th – Click here for details: Machu Picchu Extension
THE INVESTMENT
Cost $2,950 USD (twin share) or $3,150 (single) with $1,000 USD deposit to hold your space. Deposits are non-refundable. Payments made in USD or the Australian equivalent.
Remaining balance is due July 27th (90 days before the start of the retreat).
What is included:
- All program activities, with Spanish translator
- Bus transfers Lima-Chavin (return), all ground transportation while at Chavin
- Accommodation at Maestra Cecilia’s center, Yarpakuti Chawpín, overlooking the Chavin temple
- All ceremonies & activities for the specified program dates
- All meals while at Yarpakuti Chawpin
Does not include:
- Airfares, airport transfers, accommodation before/after the program, travel insurance, additional meals/snacks/incidentals, entrance to the hotsprings
Limited Spaces for 10 participants Maximum
To apply contact info@karihummingbird.com or +61 415379757 (Phone, W/App, Signal) to set up an in-take call to answer any questions and confirm your readiness.
MEET YOUR GUIDES
Maestra Cecilia
Maestra Cecilia is descended from Quechua curandero (traditional healer) grandparents in a village north of Chavin de Huantar in the Andes of Peru. She is dedicated to carrying and reviving the sacred traditions and ancestral wisdom of Chavin, the ancient and revered temple, culture and tradition centred around the San Pedro cactus.
She is a woman of deep integrity, courage & wisdom and guides her unique ancestral practises of prayer & ceremony to meet the Apus (mountain spirits), Tsunaq (the San Pedro in it’s sacred home) and the living technology of consciousness that is Chavin de Huantar. But most profoundly to meet the sacred and the mystery – within and around us – and to emerge like ancient pilgrims transformed.
Cecilia is the founder of Yarpakuti Centre for Ancestral Wisdom, a retreat and learning centre for the maintenance and revival of Indigenous and ancestral knowledge.
Kari Hummingbird
Kari is a modern-day medicine woman who is devoted to awakening the Sacred Heart of humanity and guiding others to remember the truth of who they are. She’s an energetic kinesiologist, sound healer & transformational guide and has been on the spiritual path of self-discovery for over 20 years.
Her medicine path draws from studying with different Masters, Indigenous elders & shamans from North, South & Central America, Bali and Australia – and direct experience. She has worked with sacred healing medicines since 2009 has been running retreats around the globe for the past 14 years. Kari is originally from Canada and resides in the Byron Shire, Australia.
Adrian Anteros
Adrian is the creator of PureHeart Alchemy.
His work draws from decades of engaging with plant teachers across cultures, sitting in ceremony with Indigenous lineages and studying the energetic intelligence of botanicals.
His approach to health is oriented to ancient herbal alchemy, spagyrics, flower remedies, tonics and high vibrational perfumes.
Adrian’s passion and mastery is working with the frequency of our conscious allies, healing humans with plants.