Usually a Despacho ceremony is made with a group of people and leaded by the Andean Priest, sitting in front of the Despacho. A Despacho is a sacred ceremony and a party at the same time. With the Despacho we invite our Spirit friends to a celebration with a lot of fun, drinks and food (the sacrafices). As return we may ask the Spirits then also for assistance and help. The reason for making a Despacho and the effects you can reach with it, is very different and again and again amazing.
In Cuzco you can find so-called “Despacho Ladys” on the markets, who are selling components for a lot of different kinds of Despachos and even completely finished Despachos for differnt purpose (“Give me one Despacho for a good harvest and two Despachos for health and another one for love, please!”). The prices can vary very strongly, for example it exist a so-called Despacho Celestino (Stardespacho), which contacts directly the assistance of the stars. This Despachos is accomplished only very rarely and with really very large and important causes. For a Despacho Celestino real gold and silver and other expensive components are used, so the price for a Despacho Celestino lies about over 2000,- US dollar!!! If you ask for large things, you must give something as worthful in return - this is the law of Ayni.
The components of the Despachos are wraped into paper and closed with cotton threads in certain, different colors. So you get a beautiful, small package, like a gift for the spirits. Then the package is loaded with the finest energies of the participants and even their heavy energies. Now it is ready to sacrafice the Despacho. The traditional way is to burn the Despacho, but you could also bury it into the earth or give it to the water.
