Over the last few years, I have been working intensively with my teacher, Pampamesayoq Don Agustin from the High Andes in Peru, to provide Karpay workshops and Despacho ceremonies online, as well as retreats in person, both in the UK and in Peru. During this time, I have had the chance to ask Don Agustin about his sacred objects and the healing tools that he uses with his clients. In this article, I want to share some of his lineage, his ceremonial hat and poncho, his mesa or misha, and the cleansing and healing practices that lie at the heart of his work.
How Did Don Agustin Become a Pampamesayoq?
Don Agustin told me that his father was also a Pampamesayoq, and his grandfather was an Altomesayoq. Even at 16 years old, he was curious to see how Despachos were made and asked a lot of questions. His father noticed this curiosity, and then his grandfather had a dream about Don Agustin continuing the lineage of paqos in their family.
Lineage of Don Agustin Machacca Florez
Great Grandfather: Manuel Machacca Zamata
Grandfather: Don Francisco Machacca Zamata
Don Agustin: Pampamesayoq
Son: Santos Machacca Apaza
Don Agustin also received special dreams himself. His vision of becoming a Pampamesayoq was confirmed by coca leaf readings, carried out by his father and grandfather, which affirmed the continuation of his path. He received karpay (initiations) from his father and other masters in the Q’ero community, and his training lasted four years, after which he was put into service for Pachamama, Mother Earth.
Don Agustin started healing at 16 years old, offering energy work and coca leaf readings in the mountains. He now works between Cusco and Q’eros and travels to Europe each summer to share these powerful transmissions. He is passing on his knowledge to his son Santos, who is taking this step by step.
My own experience of Don Agustin is that he channels the energy of the nature beings around him and his allies. He directs this powerful energy into whatever he is focused on at the time — whether a despacho, a healing, a blessing, or an initiation. His work has transformed my life.
Don Agustin giving a Karpay or energy transmission in the High Andes.
The Ceremonial Hat
Don Agustin doesn’t go anywhere without his colourfully woven Pampamesayoq hat and ceremonial poncho. His hat connects him to Pachamama, his sacred mountain, the masculine and feminine aspect (yanantin), and the three worlds. The white beads sewn onto the hat in different patterns represent paths of sami or sweetness and light available to us at all times when we ask for them to be shown to us.
Yanantin describes a relationship of two dissimilar but complementary energies. All Pampamesayoq hats have the same function: to help the paqo connect to nature beings and enter into right relationship with the energies that guide their work.
Don Agustin calling in Sacred Space
The Ceremonial Poncho
Instead of writing with words, the Q’ero ancestors wove the sounds of the Andes — wind, water, and every spoken word — into cloth. They wove the brightness of the sun, the braids of Mother Earth, and the mystery of Wiracocha, the Creator. They believed that weavings are the world, and through weaving, they recorded memories so that nothing would be lost.
Ceremonial ponchos can take a year to make. Don Agustin’s was woven by his Mother, many years ago, using hand-spun, hand-dyed alpaca wool. Each poncho is unique, its motifs telling stories and carrying ancestral energies.
Don Agustin’s poncho includes images of Inti, the sun, and the Chuncho, the pre-Incan wild ones from the Amazon. These ancient beings, so sensitive to light, are said to have become trees in the jungle. When he wears his poncho, Don Agustin is wrapped in a living story, carried forward through generations.
The Mesa or Misha
Central to a paqo’s practice is the mesa (or misha in Quechua). This is a ritual bundle containing sacred stones and objects that embody the healer’s personal power.
Don Agustin’s mesa holds:
A splendid black khuya stone from the river, once his father’s, connected to the Lower World.
A white khuya from Huaman Lipa, his holy mountain, balancing the black stone in yanantin.
An eagle stone, connecting him to the Upper World.
Several chunpi stones, used to weave energetic belts that connect the body with the sun, moon, stars, wind, water, and Pachamama.
Khuyas representing mountains such as Apu Ausangate and Salkantay.
Each stone is a living ally. They are used to track, draw out, and transmute heavy energy (hucha), to weave protective belts, and to open gateways into the three worlds.
Cleansing and Healing Practices
While the mesa holds the tools, the heart of Don Agustin’s work is his practice of cleansing, illumination, and ritual healing.
Opening Sacred Space
Every session begins with prayers and offerings, often with Florida water, bells, or feathers. The Apus, Pachamama, and ancestors are invited to hold the work. This creates a safe container where transformation can take place.
Illumination
When heavy energies gather in the chakras, Don Agustin performs the Illumination Process. A khuya is placed on the affected energy centre to draw out hucha, which is then offered to the Earth or fire. The energy centre is filled with golden light from the Wiracocha, the great source above, imprinting radiance and wholeness.
Extraction
Sometimes intrusive energies appear as objects — knives, thorns, or cords. Don Agustin removes these carefully, with feathers, breath, or with Jaguar/Serpent/Hummingbird/Eagle as allies. Once removed, the luminous field is sealed so the person is left safe and balanced.
Pichay and Cleansing Rituals
Don Agustin may sweep the body with bracken or feathers, chanting “Lluqsimuy, Lluqsimuy, Lluqsimuy” (cleanse, cleanse, cleanse). Sage, palo santo, and Florida water are also used to purify and rebalance.
Soul-Calling (Animo Wachay)
Through bells and prayers, lost fragments of the soul are invited home. He whispers “Hampuy Ánimo” — calling the spirit back, restoring wholeness.
Despacho Offerings
Despachos are prayer offerings of coca leaves, flowers, seeds, sweets, and natural elements. They bring ayni, or sacred reciprocity, restoring balance between people, community, and the natural world.
The Language of Prayer
Prayer is woven into every part of Don Agustin’s work. In Quechua, prayers are direct invocations:
Hucha Mijuchiy — cleanse this heavy energy.
Hampuy Animo — soul, come home.
Lluqsimuy — cleanse and clear away.
These words are living spoken vibrations, carrying power and love.
Living the Healing
Healing doesn’t end when the ritual is over. Don Agustin often gives homework: prayers, small movements, or rituals to repeat for 28 days, anchoring the healing into daily life. Clients are encouraged to weave light into their routines through gratitude, offerings, or creative practices.
Carrying the Lineage Forward
Don Agustin continues to work with humility and dedication, both in Peru and abroad. His son Santos is now a Pampamesayoq and stepping into the lineage as a healer and a teacher. Together, they remind us that healing is not just personal, but communal and intergenerational.
We are fortunate to have the support and guidance of Don Agustin and Santos for my longer training, The Mystical Path. Don Agustin also works via Zoom to offer karpay (energy transmissions), connecting us with the pure lineage of Q’ero paqos.
In September, they will be joining us in Sussex for a series of Masterclasses, rituals, and healing sessions. A few places remain for those who feel called to join us — and I also hope to return to Peru in 2026 with a small group to continue walking this mystical path.
Final Reflections
My experience of Don Agustin is that he channels the energies of nature beings and directs them with clarity and devotion. His hat, poncho, and mesa are not simply symbolic, but living bridges between the worlds. His healing practices — illumination, cleansing, extraction, despacho — are all ways of restoring balance, light, and wholeness.
In a time when so many of us carry grief, anxiety, or disconnection, these ancient Andean practices offer a way home. They remind us that we are held by the Earth, guided by the ancestors, and capable of profound renewal.
Work with Don Agustin
Don Agustin now also has a limited number of private healing sessions and coca leaf readings available during his stay.
✨ Sessions last around an hour and cost £110.
✨ Healings and readings offer personal guidance, cleansing, and energetic realignment.
If you feel called to work with Don Agustin or join one of the remaining retreats or ceremonies — including our Full Moon Fire and Despacho on 8th September and the Autumn Equinox Celebration — please get in touch soon to reserve your place.
Please contact me for more details.
