The Andean Codex: Adventures and Initiations among the Peruvian Shamans

The Andean Codex is a true adventure story that takes the reader to mysterious isolated areas in the Peruvian Andes.  We accompany the author on his visits with a handful of shaman-priests who preserve the ancient knowledge of how the natural world operates. A codex refers to a classical work of spiritual scripture, and in that spirit, author J. E. Williams has given us a book representing Andean spiritual life that gives the tradition the respect it deserves.

The Andean Codex recounts Williams' adventures with the Q'ero Indians, and guides readers to an understanding of Incan cosmology, Andean ethics, shamanic initiations using the mind-expanding ayahuasca and the sacred coca plant. The author's photographs enhance the book and the Earth-based, heart-centered teachings of the Q'ero foster inner discovery that makes for an authentic introduction to the Andean sacred way.

J. E. Williams is a doctor of Oriental and naturopathic medicine. His shamanic training and experiences with traditional Native American indigenous people span a 40-year period, beginning in 1967 when he lived with the Yupik Eskimo of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. He has conducted fieldwork in Peru and lived among and worked with the Q'ero, a Quechua people of the Peruvian Andes, since 1996.