My Midwifery Muse in the Sacred Valley - Peru
By Lauren Williams
Have you ever found yourself in a place or in the presence of someone you have felt has permanently imprinted on you?
Last month, I embarked on a tour to Peru, to tick off a bucket list to visit Machu Picchu, a place that calls to many souls. Once experienced, you are never quite the same... but this blog is not dedicated to my extraordinary experience of this wonder of the world, there was another day, more humble that preceded, that had me musing.
August, 9th 2025 .. a day on the itinerary of my midwifery tour, one I knew I was excited by, to listen and learn about traditional rites of passage, but unexpectedly became a personal highlight of my entire trip…
….on this day I sat in circle with other midwives of all generations in a little town called Pisca in the Sacred Valley of Peru in the presence of Cynthia Ingar – an Andean woman, mother, birth guardian, anthropologist, and teacher of ancestral woman medicine & tradition.
Here, I felt myself crack open…
Surrounded and held by the Andean mountains, tears spilled and dripped off my chin uncontrollably for an hour as I felt an enormous sense of gratitude and blessings for this moment, her teachings and the journey I had manifested for over two decades was about to begin.
At first embarrassed by my sudden and uncontrollable release of emotion amongst a group I had only just met days prior, quickly turned to surrender as Cynthia spoke of honouring our internal waters, and allowing everything to keep flowing, rather than stay stagnant, that all emotions are allowed for they are clarity and purification.
On deep reflection I have asked myself, was it by chance, it was a full moon and the month of mother earth, when she renews herself and is open to receive?
Had all the incremental changes I had made in both my personal and professional worlds led me to this very moment in time, feeling a profound home coming to myself and my path with women?
I listened intently and made notes as Cynthia graciously gave us her time, explaining the Andean connection to the natural world, their spiritual beliefs and importance of reconnecting with the sacredness of our female bodies and honouring rites of passage. From pregnancy to postpartum, she shared her Andean birth wisdom, firstly talking about having a process to connect to the womb space – our energetic/emotional centre that stores all of our experiences, through to the closing of the bones ceremony ~ ‘Waltaska’
She demonstrated setting up an alter as birth preparation. This practice invites new mothers to see their living space as a temple, and to connect with their ancestors through symbols of the elements, and to bring in their spirit baby.
The right side of the alter honours the elder male ancestors:
· Father (Air) Symbol: Feather ~ to honour the relationship with grandfathers – the winged ones who fly more lightly and have a wider view of life keeping balance
· Father (Fire) Symbol: Candle ~ serves as a reminder of creation, coming back to the place of living in the physical body, balance & play, finding joy and connection with our inner child (girl)
The left side of the alter honours the elder female ancestors:
· Mother (water) Symbol: Jar of water ~ all of life is sacred, all of our internal fluids, bleeding, tears, everything keeps flowing, reminding us to move through with our emotions.
· Mother (earth) Symbol: Corn – symbol of fertility: of our dreams, of our relationships or our projects - giving thanks for all the blessings and teachings of our daily lives – and connecting with our spirit baby
At the heart of Andean culture, are three symbolic realms of consciousness based on Inca cosmology.
· Hanan Pacha (the spiritual world, above, stars and cosmic beings – a belief this is where babies come from and where we return afterlife).
· Kay Pacha (the present/material world – embodied; feeling all the senses),
· Uku Pacha (the underworld, or world within – mysteries, and connection to ancestors)… we come here when we have deep emotional experiences, and when transitioning between our feminine seasons.
Cynthia talked us through how women enter these different ‘pacha’ (time/space/reality) during their moon time, birth and menopause. Hearing her describe how women transcend to other realms during birth and in the postpartum period as they transition through this rite of passage was beautiful. Something I am so passionate about and have been bringing into my practice. Now in knowing this from the source, I feel gives me a new perspective on how I can in practice better accompany women during these phases of their lives.
Birth was always a ceremony in traditional Andean culture, and babies deeply respected as fully conscious beings, worthy of the same respect from interference, be it word, touch or technology as the mothers holding them.
Western cultures have a way to go to embrace this belief and language, even with so many women describing having an out of body experience or don’t identify with the new version of themselves as they transverse motherhood.
We learned from our guides over the days that followed as we explored the Andes, that these realms have shaped the spiritual and everyday lives of the Incas, influencing everything from their sacred temples to their advanced engineering and agricultural techniques. Animals symbolised the interconnectedness of these realms, with three totem Andean animals representing each level.
The Upper World (Hanan Pacha) was symbolised by the condor, the largest flying bird in the world – who was seen as a sacred messenger, and was believed to transport the dead to the afterlife.
The Present World (Kay Pacha) – the world of the living. Where humans and nature co-exist – The Inca’s saw the puma, a large mountain lion as the embodiment of strength, wisdom and resilience. A guardian of balance, and a spiritual guide who ruled over the earthy realm urging humans to walk their path with courage, and an unbreakable connection to the earth.
The Underworld (Uka Pacha) - the mysterious and ever transforming inner world represented by the snake, a wise creature, embodies the infinite cycle of life and rebirth. In Incan belief, life does not end with death; it merely transitions into a new state. Even today, the snake remains a powerful symbol of transformation, renewal, and the endless cycle of existence, reminding us that every ending is simply the beginning of something new.
Cynthia closed our circle, with drumming, holding space, asking each of us to connect to our womb space, to sit with the keeper of our emotions and experiences, to remember there is always a place in our bodies that feels safe and at home…and in this moment, eyes closed, my internal waters flowed again!
Listening to her melodic voice and the rhythm of her drum, I felt more connected to my own thread of ancestry, my holistic tribe at Vera Wellness and the extended fabric that connects us all as women no matter our nationality or belief system.
Spirituality is medicine and belongs to us all.. I now own a depth of knowing I did not have before and will weave this into all of my relationships including those women and families within my midwifery care.
You can learn more about Cynthia and her work from her website www.hampiwarmi.org