The Three Forces That Shape Our Life (And How I Learned to See Them in Myself)

When I first began walking this path of consciousness, I used to believe that people were either “asleep” or “awake,” “good” or “bad,” spiritual or material. With time, with ceremony, with silence, and with a lot of inner work, I realized how limited that way of seeing truly was.

In our ancestral traditions, there is a deeper, more compassionate way to understand human nature. In the Vedic path they are called the Gunas. In the Andean way, we would say these are expressions of Kawsay (living energy) moving through different levels of density and awareness.

All of us carry all of them. No one lives in just one state. What changes is which force we feed with our thoughts, our food, our habits, and our emotions

I want to share these understandings as I have come to understand them in my own body, my own mind, and my own spirit.

1st is Tamas which is the Heavy Earth (Ignorance and Stagnation) Hucha

Tamas is the densest state of energy. In Andean language, this is when Hucha accumulates and movement becomes heavy. It is the state of inertia, confusion, and unconscious living.

Here, life is driven mostly by the search for comfort, pleasure, and survival. The mind is foggy. The vision is shortsighted. The focus is external and material. There is very little awareness of purpose, of sacredness, of inner work.

This state is often reinforced by:

Excessive alcohol

Heavy, greasy trans food

Lack of discipline

Disconnection from nature

Absence of meaning

In this state, desire rules, Kama, the impulse to satisfy immediately. Immediate sex, food or whatever will make the ego feel better. There is no shame in recognizing Tamas. We have all been there (and sometimes are)... There is no sin. Theres only awareness of where we are. simply a stage of consciousness. But if we remain there unconsciously, evolution stops and the heaviness grows

In Andean terms, the person moves far from Ayni (balanced and sacred reciprocity) and from the living intelligence of Pachamama.

The 2nd is Tamas–Rajas: Awakening Through Desire and Effort

This is the point where many people begin their spiritual journey without even realizing it.

This is when a fire ignites inside stagnation. The person is no longer fully asleep. There is ambition, curiosity, movement, hunger for more. But the motivation is still mostly external: money, recognition, control, achievement.

The mind becomes active, restless, studying, comparing, seeking. There is effort, but also confusion. The senses are still not well governed. The will is untrained.

This is where Artha manifests (the search for wealth, security, and structure). In ancient language this aligns with the merchant archetype. In modern life, this is the entrepreneur, the hustler, the one who strives for success without understanding service yet. Only serving him/herself.

In Andean cosmology, this is where the individual is beginning to feel the call of the Apus, but still walks with one foot in fear and the other in desire.

This is not wrong. It is necessary. Fire awakens inside Earth, beneath the surface of your day to day.

The 3rd is Rajas–Sattva (The Warrior of the Inner Path)

Here the energy changes. Desire no longer runs unchecked. It begins to work towards your spiritual directions.

This is where discipline is born. The will is forged. The person chooses a code, a path, a practice. Life is no longer random. There is Dharma or allin kawsay (inner alignment)

In ancient terms, this is the warrior archetype. But not a warrior of violence .. instead becomes a warrior of consciousness. One who confronts their shadows, their addictions, their fears. The one who ends victimhood and all conflicts (inward and outward)

Rajas is still present (fire, passion, energy), but now it moves toward Sattva or Yachay which means clarity and wisdom

In Andean language, this is when a person begins to live in Hatun Ayni, Supreme balance learning to walk in harmoniously between:

Body and Spirit

Masculine and Feminine

Giving and Receiving

The upper world and the underworld

Here, life becomes a ceremony. Not yet liberation but very much on the road to it.

These Samanas (thresholds) are Hampeq, Pampamissayoq and Altomissayoq

The 4th and last is Sattva (the Light of Clear Consciousness) this is the kuraq akulleq or embodied christ consciousness

Sattva is the most refined state of energy. It is clarity, purity, wisdom, and illumination.

Here, there is no more persona. This is pure being where you live from Munay (love, wish and power), Yachay (wisdom), and Llank’ay (conscious action). The diet becomes lighter. The thoughts become clearer. The heart becomes transparent.

This is the initiatic state. The one who seeks not power, not wealth, not recognition. Instead he/she aligns with truth and liberation.

In Hindu language this is Moksha.

In Andean language, this is remembering that we are children of the stars and of the Earth at the same time.

This is the realm of the high priest, the healer, the guardian of knowledge simply because of inner realization.

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Kundalini and the Living Serpent of Consciousness

We know that Kundalini is the mother of all these forces (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas). From the Andean cosmology, this is the Amaru (Serpent energy), the primordial life force that sleeps at the base of our body and slowly ascends as consciousness awakens.

Our physiological state reflects our psychological state. And our psychological state reflects our spiritual stage of evolution. This is why what we eat, how we breathe, how we live, and how we pray are not separate from awakening: they are the awakening.

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Kapalabhati

Clearing the Inner Winds (Stage I)

One of the simplest ways I have learned to begin clearing the heaviness of Tamas and activating conscious Rajas is through breath. Breath is the bridge between all your inner worlds and the pancha kosher (5 layers)

Kapalabhati is a powerful purification practice. It cleanses the internal winds and awakens the fire without aggression. It activates the fire element.

Here is how I teach it in a simple way:

Sit comfortably with your back straight and upright.

Exhale completely.

Inhale briefly and forcefully.

Then expel the air in a quick, vigorous burst.

This completes one movement.

Do between 13 and 15 of these in a row to complete one cycle.

After the cycle, breathe slowly and deeply.

If you feel stable, you can hold the breath slowly-gently for 5 to 8 seconds while activating the root lock (mula bandha).

Then exhale slowly. Finish by letting go.

Repeat this whole sequence 3 times

At the end, take one deep breath and rest in savasana, allowing the energy to integrate.

As your practive develops, the number of repetitions can increase. But the rule is golden:

The moment your breath loses harmony, you stop.

Breath is meant to be listened to, not controlled🙏

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The Path Is Always a Choice

Each Guna offers us a different road. None of them is imposed. We choose them every day with:

What we eat

What we think

What we speak

What we tolerate

What we serve

Free will is real, but so are its consequences.

The path of awakening (and towards enlightenement), is not about jumping directly to Sattva. Youncannot skip the underworld youbcarry to go into divinity right away.. t is about bringing light to whatever state we are in right now. Pachamama never rushes us. The Apus never judge us. They only respond to sincerity.

And so I invite you, gently, without pressure:

Observe yourself. Without guilt, without shame. Without pride. Just transparent. Just with what is

The medicine begins there.

Noccan Kani

Andres Yael Villa