The Dance of the Condor

The Dance of the Condor

     Since my early childhood I have a deep connection to the Andean Condor (Vultur Gryphus). The bird appeared to me at the age of three and returned later in my life with great power after I survived my initiatory crisis. Having a vulture as Tiergeist is very rare in shamanism, and I know of only three other "vulture-shamans" except myself in europe (who are all registered at my german discussion board, BTW). The question about the reasons why a bavarian practitioner has such a deep relationship to an Andean Condor reveals that the person asking has little or no practical experiences in shamanistic technics. I don´t reply to such queries.

     Since 1990 I have known that I would sometimes in the future dance the Spirit of the Condor. 1992 the Spirit of the Condor gave me exact informations about details of creating the dancing costume. The Spirit was very accurate, indeed. Three years later Apu Kuntur gave me the feathers which are being required for the costume. 1997, after two years of work, I completed the dancing costume. 127 feathers of the Andean Condor were needed for its completion. It is unique in the world. The spirit of the Condor gave me the honour to be the only one who can manifest the Spirit of the Condor in its dance - the vision of the year 1992 have become reality. The spirit of the Condor gave me the Quechua name - Apu Kuntur - which I am being called since then by many people.

     In contrast to the "Eagle-dance" of some tribes of the North American Natives, nearly nothing is recorded about the Condor-dance in ethnologic sources (at least, as far as I know). There was a Condor-dance in southern California, during the times of the Kuxu-Cult of certain tribes there. Recently I discovered several Websites of East-Coast Native American Indian Tribes which also have the Condor Dance in their traditions. In South America a Condor-dance exists, too. But then I saw a Video of the Aymara, showing a traditional Condor Dance. Well, I was really shocked, because they used complete, but deteriorated, wings of the Andean Condor. I felt the rage and sorrow of Apu Kuntur during watching this Video. Although I know and respect the folcloristic traditions of the Indigenos in South America I do not have to love them: I am no friend of those, who slaughteres the Andean Condor for show-effects, even if they are Indigenos of South America.

     The Condor-dance I conduct symbolizes the mysteries of Life and Death. The Condor as a messenger of the deities, circling high above the Andes and bringing the souls of the deceased into the Realm of the Dead. Another aspect emphasizes the role of the Condor as a messenger to the gods. During this dance Apu Kuntur carries the wishes up into the sky and deliveres them to the gods. The vulture per se is the dark, typhonic brother of the solar bird: The twins (Marassa, Seth - Horus). Recently I realized this connection in its deepest meanings. One other aspect of the dance is the actual invocation of any one apu. According to the Natives of the Q´ero village the Apu are benevolent mountain-spirits, so there exist for each mountain one Apu. These apus appear as Condors or as humans, or in a rather abstract, energetic form. Another aspect is the plain animal-dance, where Condor is appearing and acting according to his nature. However, Apu Kuntur is himself of course an Apu, so the last dance is strictly spoken an invocatory dance of Apu Kuntur. The most important aspect of the Condordance is unique and personal: During the dance I am manifesting my own Inner Alchemy by uniting and melting my female part (being the Andean Condor) and the male part (being the Dragon) into my true magical and spiritual personality. Another extremely important aspect of this inner Alchemy is mentioned by the prophecy of the Natives of both Americas which says that when the Condor and the Eagle unites there is going to begin a new time. This unity is also the unity of the mind and the heart, symbolized by the Eagle and the Condor. The Eagle also is a symbol for the Heaven and the Condor for Mother Earth. So you can imagine a bit of the tremendous manifestation, actually happening when I am dancing and which is being pointed at in these prophecies I found. The dance manifest all this aspects at once and many people, who had the opportunity to attend one of my rare dances, can feel and see how the spirit of the Condor manifest herself through my soul and body. Watching the B/W photography reveals to you an archetypical image of an Angel, spreading wings.

     Some facts, regarding the feathers: No Condor had to pay with its life for granting me this large amount of feathers. The feathers were being collected during a long time from three Andean Condors, which moulted them in the course of many years. 80% of the collected feathers could not be used for the costume: many were in a really desolate state and could not being used anymore. Other feathers were Duplets. Only with luck I could combine a complete tail, normally tailfeathers are extremely damaged and seldom intact. So the three Condors (and of course the spirit of the Condor, acting through them) Simon, Bolivare and Pablo could give their feathers in deep love to me. Whether a bird gave its feathers by its own will or not can easily be seen at the location, where the feather was attached to the body: If it is clear (perhaps a little milky in colour) it was given away naturally by moulding. If pieces of flesh remained or fine blood vessels (red ones) can be seen in the shaft, the bird surely is no longer alife, and was killed for its feathers (most of the time). Some try to conceal the origins of their bloodstained feathers. Note that only an intact shaft is a clear and obvious sign for the way of achieving.

     Until autumn 2006 photographs and other media-recordings had not been allowed to be taken. To show some nice position, the spirits allowed some photographics to be taken and to be shown at this place. The photos shown here were shot at the end of July 2000 at the Yellow Mountain - a sacred prehistoric site. The positions were extracted out from the normal dance (which happens in deep trance states) for the purpose of publication in the WWW - the spirits finally agreed in this actions. It was a fine weather. But it seems to be a typical effect in real magical/shamanic actions that it is quite difficult to take some good shots by camera or video. We made over 70 photos, but more then sixty percent were spoiled by unknown influences. Personally I think there is a connection with the flowing energies during such times and on such places that it is nearly impossible to control the results. Some friends of mine encountered the same phenomenon in a tibetan monastery with a video-cam. I have to mention here that even if I only wear the costume I experience various deep trance states, and my consciousness changed into shamanic trance very often during the session. I managed to safe some photos by transforming them into B/W photos - with an amazing atmospheric effect! At this point I have to express my thanks to Jasra for her efforts in shooting these snapshots.

    Since autumn 2006 I detected a new orientation of Condor's thoughts on photographs and videos. Since then she actually wants the dances to be documented somehow. So I am in the situation to show some photos and materials to each dance I conducted since 2006. Because of the fact that each dance is quite unique in motivation and performance I have addded some comments on each of them. Since the dances are revealed to the public in 2006 I am trying to find an Eagle-Dancer. Why this is so and what I am experiencing so far during this search I am describing here.