THE SPIRIT OF THE GLACIER SPEAKS

A Peruvian ceremonial healer/leader details Indigenous Andean-Amazonian culture and the ways it can address modern problems.

Lushwala describes the engineers and economists who think they can “repair” today’s world as “well-meaning,” but he wonders if “they think their intelligence can be the door from which the solution will emerge, as if they could be mothers.” What’s really needed, the author asserts, is to tap into the teachings of the ancient Andean-Amazonian people, who lived in greater union with nature. The bulk of this book focuses on leading readers through various “doors” of these ancient ideas and practices, starting with the emphasis placed on cultivating Munay, or “will of the heart,” and being “conscious of belonging to the Earth and the Universe in such a way that each of us can have a direct relationship with the sources of energy that feed our will.” Lushwala discusses how sacred rituals honor all elements of the Earth, including the “black light” of night. Another door, or key point, is the concept of “complementarity,” or pairings; for example, he uses male-female spiritual figures to reflect the importance of counterbalance when making decisions or taking action. There’s a lot to unpack in Lushwala’s book; he provides a helpful glossary, along with summaries of his topics. The author notes that the titular ice caps are a key element of nature. One wishes, however, that he said more about the global effects of the melting glaciers, described here in marvelous detail (“the ice where no life can exist becomes warmer fluid water that runs down to inhabit lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans”). The book is better at outlining age-old teachings than providing clear-cut solutions, but the cumulative effect of reading Lushwala’s passionate prose is one of consciousness-raising. Of course, there is much to learn from Andean-Amazonian cultural practices, particularly its valuing of complementary perspectives in making decisions.

An enlightening overview and argument highlighting the value of ancient wisdoms.