* machu picchu * choquequirao * sacred sites * PERU 2005

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News for the Soul and Life Changing TV were on location in Peru with Former CIA Remote Viewer Dr David Morehouse and Shaman-"bridge" Jorge Ruiz Delgado May 19-31, 2005! Look for our upcoming audio documentary on News for the Soul, as well as visual footage on !

BEYOND THE SPIRITUALITY, CULTURE SHOCK & PHYSICAL CHALLENGE LAY SURPRISES BEYOND MY IMAGINATION IN THE WILDERNESS OF PERU!! A personal account from NFTS host Nicole ->

Hi everybody! We're baa-aack and boy do we have tales to tell!! . In the weeks to come, we'll be compiling the amazing footage gathered on our 2 week 'adventure' in Peru with Former CIA Remote Viewer DR David Morehouse and Shaman-"bridge" Jorge Ruiz Delgado. . [Life Changing TV] . In the meantime, here's my personal account of highlights from our Peruvian pursuits including a shocking climactic event that surprised us all!

Miracles Before Peru
I wasn't planning on going to Peru. I'd given up on the idea of making it there this year and was moving forward with other plans for alternative Spring coverage on News for the Soul and Life Changing TV. But suddenly just two weeks prior to David Morehouse's May 2005 Peru excursion, I felt absolutely compelled to revisit "the Peru thing" because I knew I was meant to go.

But it was too late.. It was impossible. . In view of the fact that I didn't have funding for this trip, nor had I ordered my passport, not to mention my replacement birth certificate from Government officials (that alone would take over 2 weeks normally!) ... in view of all this and the fact that I was not in adequate physical shape for a trip of this nature, battling a debilitating case of sciatica that made walking to the bathroom or car challenging, not to mention climbing a mountain or two - it was clearly out of the question.. Thus, this was a perfect setting for an experiment: putting all we talk about to the test in our 3D world. . Since it was SO impossible, my mind wasn't even able to try to "figure it out".. That paved the way for me to set the intention - making it to the Peru trip to capture footage - and then let go. . I could truly let go in this case because it really was beyond 'possibility'. . Then, I took any steps I could take to get things moving and acted as if I was indeed going to go.. I found that last step to be the most challenging because, as my mind continuously pointed out, it really was totally impossible. . Nonetheless, I limped around on my siatica-inflicted-hips packing and preparing. I took a crash course in filming with Life Changing TV camera man Peter Williams, seeing as only one of us would be able to go on this impromptu trip (if we were 'lucky'). . Miracles happened moment to moment in the two weeks that followed. . Days before my flight left my sciatica was "mysteriously healed". . The funding showed up and the documentation arrived as though attached to giant invisible wings.. And by the morning of May 19th, 2005, I was on my way! ....

Arrival In Peru
After traveling all day I arrived very late in Lima Peru. . I was whisked off to enjoy a one hour and forty minute "sleep" at one of the poshier hotels in town (where they keep their remote controls in zip lock baggies at the front desk). . Then feeling "refreshed" (not!) I was whooshed back to the airport. . The plan was to fly over to Juliaca (pronounced HOO-LEE-AH-KA) where I'd be driven onward to catch up with the Morehouse group later that day. . This is also an excellent time to point out that I'd also had no time to study Spanish before this trip. . So when the plane made an unscheduled stop at another high altitude city on the way to Juliaca, it is really no surprise that I got off the plane, thinking we'd arrived at our destination.. That's when I noticed it. . There's no friggin' air. . My feet were moving but I felt more like I was floating, sort of like the way you feel in those first few seconds when you walk after doing 20 minutes on a treadmill. . So I wandered about the tarmac and entered the remote looking airport in search of my luggage - and a ride. . Neither were there of course and eventually someone figured out that an English-speaking passenger had wandered astray. . An airport employee hunted me down and using demonstrative arm flapping charade like motions, communicated the situation to me and I was sent running back across the tarmac to re-board the plane that was now powering up to take off again. I tell this part of the tale so anyone out there planning to travel to a high altitude location knows - don't run, especially fresh upon arrival. . By the time I'd climbed back into the plane and reached my seat, it felt as though both my lungs were flat as pancakes, seemingly unable to refill with air.. I sat in my seat and wheezed my way through the next 20 minutes or so, hoping that there would be 'a little more air' at the next place we landed in. . About half an hour later we landed in Juliaca (which did not have more air) and for the next 3 hours I was handed off from one Spanish speaking person to the next, whizzing along toward Puno nearby Lake Titicaca, the world's highest lake navigable to large vessels, lying at 12,500 feet (3,810 m) above sea level (so there's even less air up there). Two guys handed me over to another two guys and so on.. I was never entirely sure I was even with the right guys until we caught up with David Morehouse and the gang at the Aramu Muru temple site that afternoon. The human relay continued until an hour or so past Puno - or 'tall Puno" as my guide was calling it. , Then the latest pair of guys finally pulled over to the side of a "highway" seemingly in the middle of nowhere (although much of Peru looks like it's in the middle of 'nowhere') and the guide who spoke a little bit of English pointed to the top of a small mountain on our right and said "there ... you are go there".

I could see teeny tiny people gathered near the top of the large hill which I assumed to be the Morehouse group. . Considering how light headed and dizzy I felt, I have to admit the idea of climbing a mountain - albeit a small one - was not filling me with eagerness and bliss. . But no other options were offered, so off I went, a few steps at a time and sounded like a giant windbag from hell the entire way up. , (I'm sure they heard me coming before they saw me there). . Once on top, some time later, the effort proved worthwhile.. Aramu Muru is the sacred site where, as my somewhat bilingual guide explained, the "Doorway between this world and the next" lay. . We experienced the 3 energy vortexes at the site and I remember feeling a sense of motion sickness from the intensity of each vortex in the giant reddish rock "door" embedded in the side of the large hill. . Definitely worth the climb, and the wheezing...

That afternoon our group munched on a picnic lunch nearby the Aramu Muru site. On the menu were potatoes, odd smelling cheese, fruit, thick Peruvian flat bread and coca tea (made with coca leaves which help a little with the symptoms of altitude sickness). It was then that I discovered the entire group was moving slowly due to some "San Pedro ritual" they had been through the night before. . They'd ingested some sort of hallucinogenic cactus juice which left some most participants feeling quite ill. In fact some of them hadn't made it to the outing that day.. I have to say I was glad to have missed out on the San Pedro 'party' as I needed what little strength I had to get through what lay ahead in the 2 weeks to come.

Temples & Rituals With Jorge (pronounced HOR-HAY)
The days that followed were a sweaty, dusty blur of coca leaves (chewed &/or drunk as tea to combat altitude sickness), oxygen tanks, blurring migraines, a plethora of piscoe sours (the popular Peruvian drink) and an endless marathon-like parade of temples, sacred sites and heart opening rituals felt first hand as we visited sacred sites not as 'mere tourists' but as remote viewers and 'experiencers' thanks to our Peruvian guide and local Shaman or 'Bridge' as he refers to himself - Jorge (pronounced HOR HAY) Ruiz Delgado. , It was shocking how powerful and emotional some of these sites and seemingly simple rituals were for all of us. , I'll never forget the "rebirth caves" or the heart opening ritual at the "Monkey Temple"... and then there was the sunrise ritual & 'condor flying' atop Machu Picchu where we dangled backwards off the rock cliff ... and 'flew'! I'll be uploading some photos here soon and look for video coverage of many of these experiences on Life Changing TV .

Machu Picchu; the city, the site, the magic . . .
Almost a week into our Peruvian adventure, it came time for what I thought would be my highlight of the trip: Machu Picchu. Walkng into Machu Picchu felt oddly like "going home" for many of us in the group. I felt magically grounded there and I didn't want to leave. You really can feel the magic there. It sounds corny but it's true. You really can feel it. , I remember telling David Morehouse as our bus wound down the switchback road on our 2nd day there, "I think this is the most beautiful place I've ever experienced" and he had replied "I felt that when I was here last year too but seeing it again this year it's even more beautiful". Machu Picchu affected us all in a special, personal way. . Jorge and I perched on a ledge overlooking the ruins site for his main interview for Life Changing TV and I remember thinking "wow, I'm interviewing in paradise". .. And I really felt the magic of Machu Picchu in our first moments there. . . in a funny way. After a 20 minute bus ride that would give anyone with height 'issues' a mild coronary, and another 15 minute huffing-puffing hike up solid stone steps, we gathered together to enter Machu Picchu "in a special way" with Jorge. , With eyes closed and hands joined, the group shuffled in sideways in a long line, instructed to not open our eyes until we see Machu Picchu first with their "spiritual eye". , I positioned myself just ahead of the group so I could film our entrance (eyes open all the way or so I thought). With camera rolling, I shuffled along backwards, carefully avoiding rocks and crevices on my path. , Although I was able to dodge many perils I somehow did not see a very large rock behind me and I suddenly was sent tumbling straight backwards head over heels while the video camera careened through the air in the opposite direction. (Yes, new footage for the Life Changing TV outtakes reel.) Anyway, as I lay there momentarily sprawled over this rock with both feet sticking in the air in a rather undignified manner I recall thinking 'wow, that should have hurt!" but there was no pain. My thoughts immediately went to the camera which also turned out to be just fine - and in fact was still recording. , I continued filming as the group found itself on a ledge with a breathtaking view overlooking the site. , We spent two incredible days exploring and experiencing this site with Jorge. Look for highlights of this amazing coverage coming soon to Life Changing TV .

Ayahuasca Night
Until the Shaman actually handed me the cup and I actually lifted it to my lips and drank, I didn't think I was going to go through with it. On the night of the 'Gemini full moon' we sat in a large empty room in a Cusco home, crossed legged on the floor outside a circular 'altar' of crystals, flower petals and fruit surrounded by a circle of white rose petals meant to represent the full moon that hung in the sky outside. , Smoke from the smudge sticks hung heavy in the air in the room where we sat nervously watching the ayahuasca shaman prepare. , He used the smoke to cleanse out negative energies and then dabbed flower water and other mysterious substances on our hands, chakra points, under our noses ... He dragged condor feathers across our bodies, dropped rose petals over our heads and chanted something in Spanish as he prepared us for a sacred journey 'through the veil'. . The group of stalwart journeyers sat quietly and wide eyed - experiencing varying degrees of anxiety and excitement about what was to happen on this night....

After having many conversations with many News for the Soul show guests over the years who have had profound experiences with Ayahuasca - the hallucinogenic plant from the Brazilian rainforest that Stuart Wilde refers to as "consciousness in a cup" - I knew I wanted to investigate the subject further, but I had not planned to do so on this trip. , This "opportunity" was unplanned and came as a surprise to our group, more than half of which declined to partake due to their recent San Pedro cactus juice event.. I decided not to decide. I participated in the 2-day ayahuasca fast (only water, fruits and vegetables) prior to the ceremony and waited for true guidance to speak over and above the voice of fear in my mind. , And I really did not know I was going to step forward into this experience until I lifted the cup and drank. I am still processing the experience and will talk more about it on the show in the future. , Also, I don't want to distract our attention from the Peruvian adventure, so stay tuned for more on our Ayayhuasca adventure later on!

Choquequirao: a tough four day 60km trek with shocking conclusions!
Choquequirao - a site which only a handful of visitors have set foot upon in this century - is being billed as the "new machu picchu"; the enigmatic last refuge of the Incas. Choquequirao (3.103m) is a massive archaeological complex still undergoing restoration located by the Salkantay sacred mountain (6.271m) and the Apurimac river canyon. The trip into this remote site pushed everyone in our group to their limits and beyond - in some cases FAR beyond - no matter what their fitness level. , Personally, I had hoped to do the entire trip on horseback but it proved too treacherous to ride for at least half of the way through the rocky cliff-trails - a fact I'm glad I didn't know until it was too late as I probably would not have gone. , I would strongly advise anyone thinking of going to Choquequirao to allow for at least five or six days (instead of 4) which would also give you more time to actually explore the site once you arrive. , Although we had little time for exploration and footage, I spent most of what time we did have atop what David Morehouse was emphatically referring to as "the landing pad" at Choquequirao - a peak seemingly seared off at the top and ringed with ancient Incan stone. , I will be posting photos, more details of this excursion and video footage of Choquequirao and the mysterious 'landing pad' very soon!

UFOs? Dramatic Group Sighting of Strange Lights In Peru Skies
Okay. This is where our story gets "a little weird" by our western culture and conditioning, anyways. , In Peru, UFOs and strange ships and lights in the sky are widely accepted as part of the 'norm'. . In fact our shaman guide Jorge himself even told me he personally has seen many flying saucers as well as a 'large mothership craft' with his own eyes. .. Odd occurrences in the night sky began FOR US on the 2nd evening of our Choquequirao trip. . There were just two of us experiencing the phenomenon at first which later grew to three and then four. . And by the next day, our entire group was involved.

It was about 6pm and I was doing the now-routine 'try not to throw up or fall asleep before dinner is served around 7pm" thing, knowing I'd need the refueling energy to get through the next day. I sat sprawled across a stretch of grass on the edge of the cliff overlooking part of the Choquequirao ruins site. After awhile my tent roommate Sue joined me, offering the latest essential oil with gravol-like properties which I was happy to try.

We sat for awhile and somehow our conversation shifted onto UFOs. .I'm not even sure how. . To make a long story short, she asked me if I was open to conducting an experiment? I said 'yes' and she suggested we put the intention "out there" that we are 'open to contact and communication now'. Dinner wasn't ready yet so I said 'okay'.

The "landing pad" at Choquequirao

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We sat staring silently into the expansive darkness before us for several minutes.
Suddenly a bright light blinked off the supposedly deserted mountain peak before us.
"Oh!! Did you see that!?"
"Yes I did!"
A couple minutes went by before it blinked again.
Was it a camper, I wondered? And if so how could they get onto the opposite peak in this uninhabited area?
The next light blinked from far above the mountain top on the horizon, shooting down my rogue camper with a spotlight theory once and for all. , After watching the light show in the sky for some time we decided to "intend" for the lights to come in closer...and they did! . By the wee hours that night, we had tiny lights blinking from the corners of tents two feet away and from behind a blade of grass just inches in front of our small group which had grown to 3 or 4 by then... (And yes, the it's-just-fire-flies theory fell flat as well upon closer inspection).

While this unusual experience left me with more questions than answers, it was nothing compared to what happened the next night after dark!

By now my fever was in full swing and we'd survived a tough 10 hour on-foot trek over rigorous terrain. . As darkness fell I sat alone somewhere between the makeshift horse stable area and the makeshift showers at our basecamp, staring up again into the night sky. . I decided to see if I could 'instigate' more light blinking by sending out the 'open for contact' intention once more.

Just then some fellow campers concerned for my condition approached me and convinced me to rejoin the main group. , I didn't give the 'experiment' another thought until I heard voices excitedly reporting "UFO lights in the sky" a little while later.

I'd been lying down on a large tarp amidst our 'tent town' but now lurched upward in time to see large orange glowing lights - three of them - bouncing around in the night sky far above the Andean mountains on the horizon before us.

A few of us watched for several minutes and then we were joined by more campers.. Even Jorge dropped what he was doing and watched 'the UFOs' with great interest. . The orange lights were visible for several minutes and then vanished only to return an hour or so later after dinner and again the next morning at 4:15am as we were preparing for an early start on the trail. It was then that I finally thought to try to capture the sighting on camera.

I did manage to capture a bit of footage from the early morning 'ufo' sighting. . And this experience has inspired a closer look, so stay tuned!

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The following is a letter sent to NFTS host Nicole Whitney from DR David Morehouse prior to departure for Peru concerning the adventure that awaited...