South America
South America
What a wild journey, and in more ways than one..
It all began with a broken down car 4 days before departure.
Then an engine malfunction that delayed my flight from Brisbane to Melbourne, which lead to me missing my connecting flights to Santiago and then Lima..
As soon as I heard the first announcement come over the speakers informing us all that there may be a delay in take off, I dropped straight into prayer, and asked for and envisioned a clear passage all the way to the Jungle (Which was my final destination)
Sure enough 15 mins later, we were told that we needed to get off the plane, as the mechanical issues were going to prevent us from taking off.
10 minutes later, I was met by what I could only describe as an angel at the boarding desk. After sharing with her that I had a number of connecting flights to catch, she began going through her system and calling up each airline in an attempt to find me an alternative route.
And soon enough, with meals and accommodation all provided, I was put on a flight to Sydney, then into a hotel for the night and then off to Aukland before flying to Santiago, Lima and then finally landing in Iquitos a couple days later.
No real adventure or initiation comes without trial and or challenge, right?
I then spent the next couple days exploring the markets and night life of Iquitos, before jumping on a 6 hour boat ride down the Amazon river deep into the heart of the Jungle.
The journey there was quite a dream really; a small boat with 30 excited people traveling down the river, en route to 3 weeks of deep journeying with ourselves and the Jungle.
Settling into the camp was a trip in of itself, no electricity, no showers, hot water, or phone signal or wifi, and hundreds and hundreds of mosquitos..
We were stripped right back to the basics; a humble two person casita, with hammocks, a soccer field, a large dome temple space for our ceremonies and daily discourses, and a little dining hut where we shared our meals and candle lit card games together.
Over the course of the next 3 weeks, we were lucky enough to journey with a number of plant medicines that supported nervous system recalibration, blood and bone purification, as well as organ detoxification.
And of course, Mother Ayuaschsa, Chacruna, Harpé and Noya Rao (The Tree of Light)
The combination of each of these different medicines together, with the power of the jungle around us, energy healers, Shipibo maestros and their profound Icaros, was something I'm still yet to find words for..
It was a deep deep rinse and cleanse of toxins, emotions, fear and childhood and ancestral imprints. Leaving many of us, opened and softened in ways that none of us could have really anticipated or imagined prior to being there.
After 3.5 weeks of deep work, many vomits, poos, and tears, we were on the boat again, and on our way back to Iquitos before heading to Cusco, for our next trip through the Sacred Valley. The river back looked familiar, but of course the people around us completely different.
As soon as I landed in Cusco, I immediately fell in love. There was something about the richness of culture that surrounded me, that had me wanting to lay down roots there for an extended period of time.
I think that with its blend of beautiful people, sacred sites, nourishing food, art, music and medicine, it drew me into a depth of presence that I often find hard to experience in western cultures.
The blend of creativity, nature and the connection to traditional ways brought about a deep grounded richness that was palpable in the land and its local people.
It was as if their roots were going deeper into the earth, and their connection to their ancestors and lineages before them.
In turn, bringing about a greater depth and fullness in their expression and embodiment of their magic and traditional ways.
What ever it was, I could feel a very clear and strong invitation to spend more time there in the coming future.
And then with a blink of an eye, it was time to go.
My journey back home was as if I had teleported, no jet lag, no come down, just a quick little hop from cloud 9 to another cloud 9. I was high as a kite, feeling super clear, expansive and excited to implement and integrate all that I had accessed and opened into.
And then the real ceremony began..
A completely new version of me came back, but nothing quite seemed to fit..
Everything around me began to break, literally.
I had to get 3 different cars all towed to the mechanic within the first month of being back, and that isn't even counting the one that broke down on the way to me giving it a test drive.
My phone then got crushed in a car door, and a handful of work clients all suddenly moved away.
A big shedding and reshuffle seemed to be taking place, in order for me to find my new equilibrium and baseline.
Sure enough, as the old breaks down and begins to compost around us, and a new soil and space begins to get nourished for the next cycle to take birth.
As does the new growth always then follow.
New clients then popped up, as well as new work projects, a new car, phone, and then an epic new beachside & riverfront studio, all with a home dojo for sparing and wrestling
All of which, just dropped into my lap
And just like that, the outside catches up, and oh how I love the new view.
I’m excited to see what pops up next.
