"An exhilarating and aesthetically lovely adventure, an intimate glimpse into a timeless way of life that embodies the ethical, moral, and spiritual principles for which so many in the Western world are searching. J. E. Williams has gifted us with an extraordinarily fine contribution to our understanding of indigenous wisdom, and in the process, he has created very good medicine indeed!" -Hank Wesselman Ph.D., anthropologist and author of the Spiritwalker Trilogy, The Journey to the Sacred Garden, and Spirit Medicine
"Dr. Williams provides the clarity of a high-altitude mind sharpened by many years in the mountains. This is a sensitive, true-to-life study of native people. The author's photographs are as wondrous and life-affirming as his observations and writing." -Gerald Hausman, author of The Kebra Nagast: The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith from Ethiopia and Jamaica
Experience a Sacred Way of Life
For more than thirty years Dr. J. E. Williams has risked his health and personal safety to journey among shamans in Peru, the place he calls the mystical and spiritual center of our times. In its rain forests, mountains, and environmentally attuned indigenous population, Peru's mystical landscape fosters inner discovery.
The Andean Codex guides the reader step by step through journeys to Andean sacred places like Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and Moray, and in the process uncovers the esoteric meaning of these ruins. Williams recounts his initiation with Peruvian shamans, including shamanic ceremonies he performed at Machu Picchu and his experiences using the mind-expanding, heart-opening ayahuasca and the sacred coca plant.
Throughout these encounters, Williams weaves in practical advice that brings the wisdom of Andean shamans to life. His unforgettable account of their prayers, practices, and ceremonies offers a rare opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a shaman and experience the Andean sacred way.
In more than twenty-five years of clinical practice with over 100,000 patients, Dr. Williams has earned a well-deserved reputation for his work in integrative medicine. He has served as a professional advisor to national health companies, medical groups, and hospitals including world famous Scripps Health. In addition to his many books, Dr. Williams is an internationally published author of numerous scientific papers, articles on ethnography and biodiversity, and bilingual poetry. His ethnobotanical research has taken him among more than twenty Indian tribes in North and South America in the search for the soul of healing. He spends his time between Peru and Sarasota, Florida.
5 1/2 x 8 1/2
224 pages
July 18, 2005
