#BLESSED
I feel blessed most days. Right now I have strep, so #NotBlessed. Just keeding (Mexican-American accent).
Today I was actually blessed, by Dr. Carlos Gomez, a shaman (o, Chaman en español) of Mexican Natural Medicine, and it was one of the most fascinating experiences I've ever been a part of. To start, we sat in a circle on bamboo mats as he described ancient medicine and its connection to astrology. He spoke to living in touch with oneself, but that most of us actually become accustomed to a disoriented life. He explained that our internal energy can be felt and seen- when we're happy, it grows outward and beyond us, when we're sick or sad, it shrinks into ourselves. He also said it grows when you visit la discoteca and do ecstasy (he was a funny shaman), but then you pay for it the next day and the hangover takes your internal energy to a darker place.
A few people in our small group asked fantastic and relevant questions to which our shaman provided some pretty gripping answers to. One question centered around feeling cosmic dimensions while here in Mexico, particularly near the pyramids, a totally different feeling than she was used to experiencing through her meditations back home. The shaman explained there are certain sites, all over the world, which hold ancient dimensions that can provide an opening into the past and/or other dimensions. The shaman's own assistant, present at our ritual, had an experience while at an Aztec museum. She laid down on a stone sculpture, not knowing that it used to be a slab on which people were executed. As if in a dream, she completely fell into another dimension, experiencing vividly horrific scenes and people. This lasted about 20 minutes, and, being the good shaman he is, Dr. Gomez was able to slowly bring her back to reality (if not done slowly, the doorway may stay open for some individuals). The same ordeal happened to two others that day.
~*Trippy*~
The shaman also told us of his visit to a native jungle tribe where they live deep in the forest and only wear small strings and loin cloths. There, it is customary to use different strains of Mexican mushrooms to help them become in tune with their surroundings. One particular substance used by hunters, allows them to hear the flap of a bird's wing 300 meters away, or become an ant on the forest floor.
These mushrooms and substances are not for everyone, he warned. Some people are extra sensitive and certain substances will only open a doorway to psychosis or schizophrenia. Some people have bad trips or bad reactions, in which case you must go back to normal, everyday life habits to rebalance yourself. He also explained that he knows people who use these substances recreationally and they will never learn anything, or may even become mas estupido (I told you he was funny)!
On to the blessing part.
One is supposed to complete this particular ritual a few times per year, at each solstice, or before certain events to rebalance yourself and start anew from a cleansed state. We all moved out from under the shade and were handed bouquets of different aromatic herbs. I recognized one as rosemary, but couldn't name the other two. With our right hand on our heart and herbs overtop, we faced east to thank the sun for the joy it brings. We turned west to thank the moon and ask that in our darkest times we would be protected. We turned north and south, thanked the mountains and the spirit of warmth and love. We thanked the air and the cosmos, and finally the earth, for allowing us to walk on her, and apologized for the trash and destruction we have brought.
We then spread back into a circle and each waited for our turn to be personally cleansed by the shaman. He took our bouquets of herbs, snapped them in half and essentially wiped us down with them (our foreheads, necks, arms, backs, stomachs, chests). He chanted a special blessing in spanish, something to do with our hearts, minds, what we speak, what we do, etc. His assistant blew burning incense in our direction and after the shaman cracked our necks, spritzed us with lavender oil (I smelled damn good after all of this).
Post-ritual, we went back to sit under the shade to talk more. I couldn't possibly share all of the incredible insights he held, nor all of the spiritual afterlife wisdom he spoke to. I will say that he was genuine, truthful, surprisingly funny, and I wish we had more time with him (and no language barrier).
Next week our small group has a Temazcal (sweat-lodge) evening, hosted by one of Dr. Gomez's former students. Another purifying and healing experience- let's hope this will all keep me from getting sick for the rest of the year!
Side note: Although I have strep, I feel the most balanced and energized I've felt since arriving here. All the Airborne I've been taking, or the shaman breathed new life into me? The world may never know...
#NowPlaying: Aubade - Wanderflux
