La Pachamama", or Mother Earth, "Pacha" in Aymara and Quechua means earth, and "Mama" is a mother. We honor her for Earth Day!
Use Palo Santo to cleanse your home, work space and loved ones to remove the bad energies and give blessings to start a new cycle.
On top of the offerings, a clay pot is placed with a specially cooked meal for Pachamama. Also included as an offering is chicha (apple cider), Pisco and wine..
In South America, faith centered on Pachamama coexists with Christianity– for example, in Bolivia, Pachamama is identified with La Virgen de Copacabana and in Peru, Pachamama is identified with the Virgen de la Candelaria, here August 1 is a National Holiday for Pachamama whose celebration is honored as a ritual of ancestral origin.
Pachamama Ritual at home
– You can do this outside in your yard, of inside.
If inside: Fill a glass jar or Clay pot (do not use plastic) with soil.
– Make a hole in the center using your bare hands. This is the “well” that connects to the center of Pachamama- to her belly where all begins, and all ends. This well can be of whatever size is convenient to your space.
– Bury food and pour drinks into the well as you thank Pachamama for her offerings, for her resilience, for her mothering of us even as we have hurt her, of her constant loving care for us. Flora and fauna, we love and appreciate all she gifts us. You can think about all those things that you love in nature and say them out loud in an attitude of gratitude: (thunder, ocean, dogs, apples, calla lilies and on and on….)
– The food option will depend on the size of your well. Remember your intention and symbolism is very important- the size and quantity don’t matter. If you are doing it inside a small receptacle you can add drops of wine, Pisco, chicha, natural juices, honey, laurel and coca leaves, small candies (sprinkles), etc.
– Cover with soil and leave where it will receive the energy of the Sun
– Plant something in the soil at the time of the next Full Moon.