EVENT: Thurs. Oct. 6, 2011, 7pm WHERE: The Ojai Foundation, 9739 Ojai Santa Paula Rd., Ojai. info. www.ushai.com and Tickets $20, available at www.ojaifoundation.org, 646-8343
Don Alverto Taxo, a master shaman from Ecuador, is scheduled to visit Ojai  in early October. While in Ojai, he will be presenting a public talk, "Living Consciously in  a Time of Transformation" on Thursday, Oct. 6th at 7pm at The Ojai Foundation. This event will mark his return to Ojai after presenting a public talk at The Ojai Woman's Center in 2009.
This is a time of a great transformation on many levels in our world. Don Alverto will illuminate how to live consciously in the present moment as a warrior who is ready for anything. He will offer practices from his indigenous culture that cultivate openness, relaxation, and gratitude in the midst of whatever circumstances arise.
Don Alverto Taxo is a master Iachak of the Atis (Kichwa) people from the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador. He was given the highest honor of Master Iachak by the Shamanic Council of South America. Don Alverto has been sharing this wisdom for over seventeen years in the United States and Europe. He was given this responsibility in 1989 at a great gathering of Andean Elders.
This coming together of cultures marks the fulfilling of a five hundred year-old prophecy. The prophecy foretold the coming together of two great powers of life: the power of the Eagle (the power of the mind as exemplified in the industrialized nations of the North) and the power of the Condor (the power of the heart and connection with nature as exemplified in the natives of South America).
The prophecy says that there will come a time when the Eagle and the Condor will fly together in the same sky in harmony. The time for the fulfillment of this prophecy is now. And the harmony which this prophecy refers to lies within each person through the balance of heart and mind - as well as in the world at large.
Don Alverto has been a speaker at schools and universities, at international conferences, political rallies, and native celebrations. He has spoken to audiences of 600 and more, as diverse as South American natives and North American medical professionals, on topics ranging from, "Preparing for Globalization" to "Ancient Andean Practices and their Application to Western Medicine." During a strike that paralyzed Ecuador, he performed an integral role in negotiating a settlement that respected the basic rights of indigenous people.
Don Alverto Taxo shares ancient Andean wisdom and practices with people who seek happiness, balance and fulfillment. In his book, Friendship with the Elements: Opening the Channels of Communication, Don Alverto emphasizes the importance of one's connection with the elements of nature - Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and the 5th balancing element known as the Ushai. Through simple habits and practices in daily life, he teaches how to feel the sacredness of each moment and every place. "I invite you to start creating new habits in your lives. These are habits of connecting, so we can open the channels of communication. It’s necessary for us to create a culture of habits that help us clean and open these channels, a culture that leads us step by step to harmony. We need to open the channels of intimate friendship with the elements, with all of Life."