The Road Less Traveled

I could feel these words ready to burst forth when I climbed into bed last night. I was humming a song called "Take Me Up" from a live performance of a Canadian band called Oliver Swain and the Big Machine that I had just returned from. That particular tune paints an image of going up to space to live life elsewhere with aliens. It's a strangely beautiful symphony. I was feeling uplifted and vibrationally charged with love and music. 

This is one of my life medicines: musical magic.  

Another recent dose of musical medicine from Nahko and Medicine for the People. Amazing.

 

Plant medicines have also been a varying part of my entire life (as for most of us) , though many of us don't even realize this (yet). Now, in the last two years these beautiful beings have taken the honorary copilot seat in my life. (Or maybe I am the copilot with the poorly folded, crumpled maps?!) Either way, we have been having a beautiful journey together so "who is leading who" doesn't feel much like it matters. Back to this topic shortly...

I had been trying to push aside the nagging message that I kept receiving to disentangle myself from the virtual reality of Facebook. It has come and gone many times in the last few years. The idea of being "connected" to those that I love is what has kept me involved. That and the fact that I have been using Facebook heavily to promote our cacao ceremonies and my crafty crystal headband creations that are for sale (and my other businesses prior to that). {Insert business plug} www.etsy.com/ca/shop/OpenAriseCreations is how you can find the magical headbands!!!

Well it's happening! Finally. I have officially announced to the world of Facebook that as of January 1st, 2017, I will be freed of its temptations until it makes sense to use it (if ever). This has punted me into action to find new ways to promote what I'm offering and to go back to basics with my communication techniques. This is a retrain-the-brain exercise and I'm trying to be very patient with my transitioning skills. Old habits can be so tricky to shrug off! (Please subscribe to this blog on the top right of this page if you're interested to keep up with our uncharted adventures. You can also reach us at oneworldwellness@yahoo.CA)

On this road less traveled I am already excited to be discovering what is possible without this cloud of new technology that we have been thoroughly trained to rely on for almost everything in life. I have known that less technology is the key to furthering my personal awareness of self and the endless streams of magic that swirl around us all. If we are focused on screens of all shapes and sizes then our amazing senses are not as trained to the subtleties of the universal play of existence. So many of us have been and are in denial about the way we live and communicate as a culture. I feel it becoming a massive divider, not a true connector. 

Plant medicine is all around us. 

Back to the plants. I'm sitting in a beautiful veggie garden where we are housesitting, soaking up some sunshine, which is not a readily available medicine in this darker, wetter season on Vancouver Island. 

I feel more relaxed and freer by the day. Life has given me so many opportunities to explore the infinite realms that are teetering on the edge of my discomfort. My sphere of comfort and acceptance continues expanding each time that I relax into the flow of the river of Life. Plant medicine journeys of various types have been guiding me to places of awareness that I never imagined possible. Awareness of my self. My thoughts. My words. My actions. My beliefs. My relations. My surroundings. It is a strange seat of awareness to sit in. I feel as though I am walking a winding path between the reality of our "normal" global society as an average collective, and then a wildly magical and beautiful reality that I know is the natural state of being for all of Life. It's wonderful, although at times, challenging. I have only met a few others (so far) who seem to have been navigating a similar path. We happened to cross paths which has given us all reassurance to keep going. It can feel a bit lonely at times, having few people who can relate to me in my current state of awareness. As the days pass, I notice more and more humans past and present (mostly musicians, authors and other artistic types) are revealing themselves as familiar friends of this journey of collective love and cosmic awareness. I am practicing (key word) deep patience and acceptance with myself and all others. I often have no words to describe even the simplest experiences of daily life in this "between the realms" reality. Simple conversations have become a bit challenging for me. The question of "how are you doing today?" has become a funny one.  Being with others together in a collective space of loving intention is what feels pertinent and crucial NOW and always. It's a fun experiment. That much I know.

This guy knows the path that I speak of.

Tanner and I have become the rocks in the river for many friends and acquaintances throughout our parallel journeys together. Wherever we find ourselves, people seem to gravitate toward us to seek shelter and support in our presence. We are not gurus or spiritual teachers or anything you can label. We are just like everyone else but perhaps we just approach life a bit differently. "Human beings on another fucking journey"-Nahko haha. Well said. 

 

*drumroll* The secret Rx for happiness we use is this: 

*Let go of our fears (or prove them to be just-plain-silly), one by one. 

*Take chances: some little, some BIG. 

*Trust in the MAGIC (thanks Carien). 

*Ask for what we need. 

*Say how we feel.

*Be ourselves. If you don't know who you are, do whatever it takes to get to know the essence of YOU. 

That's it. Perhaps you will try this for 2017...we all have the wisdom within.

I love writing. The space between these blogs has grown uncomfortably huge. I intend to write more often again. I should have more freed up time coming without FB. 

Until the next time the words are bursting forth....I leave you with these two lovely tunes. The lyrics are as lovely as the sounds. EnJOY!

https://yaimamusic.bandcamp.com/album/pellucidity

https://yaimamusic.bandcamp.com/track/gajumaru-2

The Cosmic Highway

While on the Yucatan peninsula, we had read a spectacular book titled A Shaman's Tale. It found us in the UFO museum shop in Roswell, New Mexico. This was back in December on our way to the Mexican border. We enjoyed all of the unique stories and the realness of the writing. We laughed and we cried. When we finished the book we both agreed that it would be amazing to meet the author and/or to possibly listen to him speak at an event or workshop in 2015. 

So, three weeks ago, on the night we crossed back into the USA, we emailed the author, Richard L. Alaniz. We knew that he was in the southwest somewhere, but we weren't sure exactly where.  We had lent the book to three other people and the last time, we passed it on just before we departed from Guatemala. We knew we likely wouldn't get it back, but wanted to spread the wonderful messages that the book contained. Richard emailed us back promptly the next morning inviting us to come and visit him at his ranch in New Mexico. It sounded nice, but it was 5 hours in the opposite direction from which we thought we needed to drive. We had already planned a loose itinerary that would take us west to California and then north up the west coast, eventually back to Vancouver Island.

Well, funnily enough, not one person that we contacted through Couchsurfing or any of the venues that we attempted to organize cacao ceremonies at had responded to us. This was not common for us. So we decided instead to go through the western part of Cali through the mountains for a scenic change. We drove from Tucson north toward Phoenix, then took a wrong turn and ended up heading straight for San Diego afterall. What happened here? We pulled over and reevaluated what we were doing. After realizing that we were being crazy for not heading to New Mexico, we contacted Richard and asked him if the invitation was still open, and he said we were welcome to come on down. So now we were 6 hours in the opposite direction. Jeepers! We drove until sunset and enjoyed the mountains and expansive desert terrain in the pink and orange evening glow. We arrived at the ranch and received a warm southern welcome. 

Richard has had such a diverse and interesting life so far, and so telling his story in the form of a book was a natural fit. From martial arts mastery to Hollywood stunts to a degree in psychology. He's also a hair stylist...and a shaman. His Native American roots shine through his silvery braids and his cowboy lifestyle is mirrored in his shiny belt buckles. His musical and artistic skills reflect his connection with nature and all of it's creations. 

We shared a late supper and lots of wonderful conversation late into the first night. Richard seemed as happy to have us there as we were to be there. We felt so at home.

The next morning, after a coffee and some breakfast, we trekked out to the nearby mountains and Richard showed us some beautiful caves where indigenous remains were dated to around roughly 900AD. Stunning. We enjoyed some of his drumming and singing to the spirits. He blessed us and the cave with sage and prayers and we enjoyed a fruit snack, out of the heat of the midday sun. 

Holes just outside the caves which were once used for collecting water and grinding food. 

He told us about his newest project breeding mustangs. He had four of them on the ranch and they were small and sturdy with wavy flowing manes and tails. Truly, living spirits of the wild west. 

We enjoyed an evening meditation lesson of his Balík yoga style which he developed through his knowledge of various martial sciences and yoga techniques combined. It uses the channeling of chi combined with breath work to create a state of focus and mindful being. 

Richard also took us on a plant tour of the desert. He showed us which plants we could eat for survival there. They were actually very tasty. Many varieties of cacti are nutritious (after the spines are removed). There are edible flowers and roots and even wild bananas on a certain variety of yucca. There are also many medicinal herbs growing in the arid desert climate. He cut up a nopal cactus pad and made us some agua de nopal. It was so refreshing in the dry, hot climate.

We shared several more meals with the group, which included his wonderful wife, his comical cousin and her fun friend who were both visiting from out of state. The conversations we had were profound and expansive. Each one seemed to top the previous ones. We said we wished that we could speak freely about these topics everywhere that we go, but that not everyone we spend our time with is as open to such spiritual, esoteric and shamanic topics. 

We stayed for several days and would have loved to stay even longer, but we knew that we needed to move on. We are currently nomadic people on a long journey across many places to connect with many spirits on their own journeys. The chapter in A Shaman's Tale called Spiritual Webbing describes the way that we all come into each other's consciousness for different reasons. I know that we each have something to learn and something to teach in every interaction every day. We just have to open up our heart's intuitions and our mind's eye to realize when these gift exchanges are taking place. 

We have been invited to return to Comanche Creek Ranch in the future. We can hardly wait. What a magical place. Muchas gracias amigos.

Welcome to Loveland

Lucy the Coon Hound.

The sun finally just broke through the clouds after a chilly morning in the wild, green foothills near Salt Lake City, Utah. We were invited by some new friends to join them and all of their dogs at their rustic getaway cabin for the weekend. It's finally allowed me to take some time to catch up on my writing. Another beautiful place on our earth! More beautiful people to connect with!

Our final days in Mexico were really special. The great people we encountered made it difficult to cross the border and trek back into the "real world" of the USA. The kindness and generosity of the Mexican culture is something we can all take a lesson from. They give and give almost to a fault. We felt like we were treated as family everywhere we went.  On our last night south of the border, in Los Mochis, we Couchsurfed with a wonderful man with whom we shared our final Mexican sunset and a bounty of beautiful conversation. We were sad to part ways, as this has been a common theme for us for many years in many places. It's hard to sever the ties that we create with each special spirit that we cross paths with...though those invisible ties seem to remain forever intertwined within our soul memories.

We crossed into the USA in Nogales, Arizona. We hoped that our huge cacao stash wouldn't cause any issues as we passed on through. We were thoroughly searched and had to surrender our mangos and a half-rotten cacao pod. The guards questioned our boxes of cacao. They informed us that it's necessary to have all food items labeled with contents and point of origin. They then proceeded to shout "CA-CAO! CACAO!" As they made finger guns and pretended to shoot each other. Hilarious. And so very American. We always keep a decorated glass Mason jar with us, for the last couple of years at least. Of course, we brought it on this trip. It contains our positive intentions, affirmations and loving requests to the universe. It really works. As a border officer dug through the trunk of the car, he asked what the jar was. We simply said "it's our good vibes jar." He laughed and said "Cool. That makes sense." I said "I put some good vibes into that jar that would help us get through this border crossing smoothly. Let's see if it works...." Just then, his partner came back from consulting with her supervisor and gave us a packet of papers. She smiled and said we were just getting a warning. Next time, we should follow the rules.

We headed for Tucson, Arizona arriving at nightfall and found a quaint and very affordable motel room. The man behind the desk was not so friendly. Somehow it came up that we just crossed back into the USA after 5 months in Mexico and Central America. I was feeling like I just stepped out of a spaceship onto another planet being back in America. I said "I am glad we found this sweet motel. I feel..." And he interjected with "a lot safer?"  I paused and looked at him with a bewildered stare. I shook my head no. I felt like a fish out of water. On a unicycle.

So this is culture shock.

For the record: Mexico and Guatemala are both beautiful, welcoming countries full of regular people just like you and I. For many decades, North American media has portrayed these places, and much of our planet, as dangerous, violent and "out to get you".  It's simply not true! There was never, ever a single moment in the last 5 months that we felt we were in a hint of danger. The scariest thing is the USA border crossings! The worst thing that happened during our trip was that some of our favorite bumper stickers got peeled off of our car in Guatemala. (So we are replacing them slowly.) 

A bumper sticker from our 2013 USA trip 

We got used to all of the Mexican police and military check stops after passing dozens of them. We often got waved through with a smile. When we did get stopped, we felt like they just wanted to chat for fun. It was fun. We realized quickly that these people are just like us. Only it's their job to look intimidating and ask a lot of questions. It is definitely true that there is some corruption, crime and poverty in every place on the globe. The USA and Canada are no different. The biggest difference that I noticed in the Mexican and Guatemalan people is that they have an inner determination and self-sufficient attitude that many (certainly not all) Americans and Canadians just don't have. They aren't waiting around to be taken care of. Especially in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. I whole-heartedly support the stance that the indigenous (and other) people of that place continue to take. Independence. Freedom. Equality. Respect. Peace. Love. That's all any of us desire. Let's make it happen. Our future can be in our own hands. Grab it by the reins!