The C.G. Jung Society of Colorado presents Deconstructing P’aqo: On the Origins of Andean Shamanism

a lecture by Deborah Bryon

May 11^th, 2018 at 7:15 p.m.

Archeological evidence confirms that shamanism appeared roughly 20,000 years ago in Siberia. Preeminently a phenomenon of the Central Asian Steppe, the word shaman is not Peruvian in origin, but comes from the Tungus language and refers to the “priest of the Ural-Altaic people.” From the Tungus word ‘saman,’ it literally means “one who is excited, moved, or raised.” The role of shaman can be found throughout ancient indigenous cultures including among the extant healers practicing in the Peruvian Andes. Like the shaman, the p’aqo is a specialist in ecstatic trance, a technician of the sacred. In altered states of consciousness, he or she communes with powers animating the world in order to address specific problems of the community.  Dr Bryon will focus on the origins of this unique calling, its provenance within the Central Asian Steppe, and its direct impact on the practices and traditions of the Peruvian p’aqo

(a workshop on May 12 will be open to the public. More information is to come.) 

Deborah Bryon, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and senior Jungian Analyst in Denver, CO. She is also an artist member of Spark Gallery. Deborah has written books on the Inca Shamans, receives ongoing in-depth training with Q’ero shamans in Peru and has undergone a series of sacred initiations with them.