Sunday, January 1, 2017

THE INCA VIEW OF COSMOS.

The Inca belief system were inter-related to their view of the cosmos, in particular that way they observed the motions of the portion of the Milky Way and the planets of the solar system as seen from Cuzco, the city-capital of the empire, whose name means "the centre of the earth."
From this perspective their stories depict the movements of constellations, planets, planetary formations, which are connected to their agricultural cycles for a society that relied on cyclical agricultural seasons, which were not only connected to year cycles but to a much wider cycle of time (every 800 years of time).
Inca cosmology was ordered in 3 different realms or Pachas: the Hanan (Upper world), Kay (Inhabited world), and Ukhu (Inner world). The 3 different planes of existence functioned not solely spatial, but simultaneously interconnected and bridged by both physical and spiritual/mythological elements. Pachas overlaped and interacted presenting both a moral order and a material order. Together, the 3 realms shaped the religion, the concept of cosmos and the day-today view of their World of both Inca nobility and the common man.
Andean philosophy views did not focus on the differences or implications of one thing, instead they focused on the qualities that brought those things together, seeing them not necessarily as opposed, but as complementary and being translating to a definition of "the complement of difference" (Yanantin).
Because the positive relationship of opposites as a harmonious partnership is considered the primary organizing principle of Creation, "Yanatin" infuses all aspects of spiritual and social life within their view of its Andean World.
The relationship between entities or energies is the essential component within their communal life, involving -relationship, -alliance, -meeting, -and unity between two forces, entities, or energies. For example, when drinks are served, first they pour a few drops on the ground as an offering, while at the same time speaking the name of the guardian or receiving entity. This is done twice, and a symbolic explanation for the conjugal pair, the ground and the harvest from the ground. When coca leaves are offered to a participant in a ritual, two handfuls  are offered to each person, who receive them in two cupped hands. Coca leaves, being the most sacred plant of the Andes and an integral part of almost all the Andean ceremonies, has to be addressed first in this way, showing respect for its spirit.
When something is felt as an incomplete thing, then it is referred as "chulla" meaning "the one who is missing its other." In order to be whole, one has to pair up. Whether something is unpaired or unpaired is an important distinction within the Andean cosmological view. "Yanatin"is the act of rendering equal two things that were once unequal -what it is called "the correction of inequalities." It has thus been implied that a perfect Yanatin relationship is achieved when two energies are brought into harmony.
Manco Capac the legendary founder of the Inca Dynasty in Peru and the Cuzco Dynasty at Cuzco came to the World of the living passing through the other two worlds. The legends specified the pach from which he came in order to find the suitable spot to found the empire. One legend says he was the son of Viracocha, the Universal Creator of all things, or the substance from which all things were created, and intimately associated with the sea. Viracocha rose from Lake Titicaca during the time of darkness to bring forth light. In another legend, Manco Capac was brought from the depths of Lake Titicaca, and common people were not allowed to speak the name of the Creator God. Then another legend is about the description of Manco Capac and his coming power. Manco Capac is seen as the brother of Pachacamac, and both were sons of the sun god Inti. Manco Capac himself was worshiped as a fire and sun god. Then Manco Capac is sent with Mama Ocllo to Lake Titicaca where they resurfaced and settled in Isla del Sol. After that episode Manco Capac is sent up to the Middle world with his brothers and emerged from the cave of Puma Orco at Pacari Tambo.
The gods of the Inca themselves were not bound to one particular realm. Viracocha roamed the heavens and he also traveled within the realm of man, Kay Pacha, disguised as a beggar.






















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