Light of the Andes: In Search of Shamanic Wisdom in Peru

Williams (The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations Among the Peruvian Shamans) comes up short in his attempt to convey %E2%80%9Cthe complex cosmology and ancient spiritual teachings of the Q%E2%80%99ero%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94an ethnic group native to Peru. Instead of clearly summarizing those teacshings and explaining their relevance to the modern world, the author descends into flowery mystical language, e.g. %E2%80%9CAyni is the touchstone of the Q%E2%80%99ero worldview who hold it as the code of life, an innate imprint discoverable in nature and ever present in the universe where it forms the content of every thing%E2%80%94the matrix of all being.%E2%80%9D Williams%E2%80%99s own spiritual quest comes across as platitudinous%E2%80%94%E2%80%9CTo reach the next level... I must release myself to something larger than one lifetime, something more mystical than the literalness of a mountain%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94despite the author%E2%80%99s sincere belief that the shamans have something to offer the modern world.