Shaman in Saqsaywaman, Peru (June 4, 2026)
My 94-year old father-in-law, Richard Knies is fond of saying, “I’d rather be lucky than smart.” This comes from his days working on Wall Street, but can be applied to many situations, like the one I had last night. Wow. This is the beginning of something truly special.
Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa and daughter Ishinto Grabowski
Tonight, I met with revered Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa and his English speaking daughter, Ishinto Grabowski for an incredible in-home Peruvian ceremony. Yes, we were in Saqsaywaman, Peru. And I was lucky enough to be sitting with Kecizate Atahuallpa’s family.
For context, Incan Shaman Kecizate Atahuallpa is a well-respected leader of the indigenous people in Peru and globally. He has made controversial movies including one that landed him in prison and forced him to leave his home country of Peru to live in exile in Europe.
Privileged to be in the home of Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa
Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa also wrote a book that was just published in November 2025 (i.e. six months ago). He was kind enough to give me a copy and as is my custom when a published author offers me their book, I asked for his autograph. Here’s what he said:
Autographed book from Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa
In case your Spanish is as rusty as mine, here’s what Google Translate says about the inscription in English (and to my friends who speak fluent Spanish, please feel free to correct this version if it’s not correct and I’ll update my blog post with a more accurate version):
Fauna means all the animal life present and Google missed “to all”
Wow. That’s an incredible dedication and honored to be called brother. And that’s exactly how I felt in Inca Shaman Kecizate Atahuallpa’s home. Like I was an extension of his family. Unlike every previous ceremony I’ve been part of, this one was extremely focused and personal. His family was here for me and I felt each of their love and support throughout my experience. Incredible.
Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa cover photo and co-author
Yes, his book left a strong impression on me and I’m committed to reading it. I will start with translating the text to English and also use it as an opportunity to improve upon my nascent Spanish abilities.
The Alter and Room Visuals
Every ceremony I’ve attended has an alter. These are the sacred objects used to connect with the spiritual world. I have seen everything ranging from flowers and jewelry, pictures of deceased family members (or those who are sick in need of healing), and gifts of Sage, complimentary plants and other majestic objects. I love what I saw:
Symbolic of life’s impermanence and history of our ancestors
As a precursor to the ceremony, we chewed Coca leaves while Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa explained the nutritional benefit of the leaves. Consuming 100 grams of these leaves a day provides all the nutritional vitamins and minerals your body needs. I was grateful to know this as prior to tonight, I was drinking a ton of Coca tea to avoid altitude sickness while being at such a high elevation in Cusco.
Huge shout out to Ishinto Grabowski who translated her fathers words
When I first learned about this opportunity, my chief concern was being able to understand Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa as my Spanish is weak (to put it mildly). Ishinto Grabowski, who speaks fluent English and German in addition to Spanish, was there to make sure I understand her father’s instructions and wisdom. What an important addition to this experience. I was able to ask questions in English, and Ishinto would translate to German (which her father also speaks fluently). Sometime he’d reply in Spanish, so we had three distinct languages present in our circle. And everyone understood each other.
Another bonus is that Ishinto is a powerful coach in her own right (just check out here Instagram profile for stunning visuals and videos in German). I lucked out that she was traveling here (from Germany where she lives) and our dates were in synch.
My Incan Name
As part of our work together, Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa asked me if I had previously received an Incan name. When I shared that I hadn’t he asked me a few more clarifying questions about my background and then gave me my Incan name:
Intis Llaya, Pogoy Wuira
Which means, “Sun Priest, Winter Wind.” Pronounced, “In-tees-ya-ya, poh-GOY WHY-rah”
My mom will be thrilled. When I was born, her mom (Nana Mary McLean) nicknamed me “Billy Sunshine” and wrote it in her bible. My mom used to refer back to that name whenever she felt I was bringing sunshine into her life. At the Eulogy for my nana’s funeral, I introduced myself as Billy Sunshine and read off the names of all the grandchildren (and great-grandchildren) she named and recorded.
What’s really special here is that Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa is inviting me in to support his incredible work in the world. At 82 years young, he’s the same age as my father (or will be on September 11th, the day my father was born). Both born in the same year of 1945. What that looks like is still taking shape, but I will start by reading his newly published book and see what fires are sparked within me.
Pachamama Alliance
There may also be an opportunity to partner with my friends Lynne and Bill Twist and Sarah Vetter who have created a wonderful partnership with the indigenous peoples of Ecuador. The more I shared about this incredible organization, the more the family was intrigued. Given his aspirations globally, Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa could help grow and expand much of what Pachamama Alliance is up to these days (and has been for the past 30+ years).
Was that really just 2 years ago that I went to Ecuador? Time flies!
And, of course, the ceremony itself was incredible. How could it not be? I’m with one of the most revered shamans here in Peru with his family. If you’ve sat with a shaman, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, then I’d recommend that you start here with this book: Conscious Medicine. A good friend recommended it to me and this began my journey into transformational healing including support for my sobriety (now more than 1,180 days strong or 38 months or 3 years, and two months).
As always, I got exactly what I needed with the medicine and know the work I need to do from here. I’m looking forward to my continued growth and expansion and feel so privileged to have spent the night in the home of revered Incan Shaman, Kecizate Atahuallpa. There’s no way I could have planned this. I simply got lucky. And, I agree with Ga (a.k.a Richard Knies) that I’d rather be lucky than smart.
