After our journey to Oaxaca, landing at Seatac was a blast of cold air, in more ways than one. I have been integrating our amazing experience so that I can offer a perspective from that magical place that would be meaningful for people here, reeling from the changes in our political landscape.

Our time in Oaxaca gave me a mythic perspective on life. It seems that there are dark forces at work in the world and this darkness is within each of us in some measure. We have to work to cultivate the light, which longs to shine out and overwhelm the darkness. We have to protect ourselves from forces that seek to harm us or stop us. As we are powerful, filled with light, we encounter resistance from the darkness, but we have access to unlimited support, if we cultivate our connection to it.

Finding protection, cultivating our inner light and building support is a deeply personal path of connecting to the elements of nature and of creating simple rituals that enhance our aliveness – baths, candles, altars, special diets, essential oils, the use of color, standing on the earth, bathing in the river, feeling the flames of the fire etc. These are all things that help us know that we are more than we think we are and that, while there is much that we do not understand and many things that we are unaware of, we can find out what we need to know through a deep inner quiet and openness. Some people are more gifted in receiving awareness from this place of connectedness. Healers, curanderos, shamans- we were lucky enough to spend time with these gifted people who were dedicated to helping others cultivate the light within and who could see each persons special needs and considerations.

In a sense we are all healers, as we all are committed to offering the light that we are to the world in a positive way, for the greatest good. I felt that so strongly in Oaxaca, that we all have something to offer and that we are here to support each other in finding and expressing our own unique gifts, and that we all have an intuition we can rely on. And I felt enormous gratitude for Elizabeth and Laurencio, who gifted us with their talents and dedication and shared their insights. They led us in ceremonies and rituals as well as personal sessions, which tapped into our deep ancestral longings to connect, and transported us to places where we could feel a sense of primal aliveness. The earth ceremony, the water ritual, the fire ceremony, the rituals for protection, the gratitude circle- these moving celebrations brought us into alignment with the elements of nature that are alive within us and within all things, so that we could release all blocks to being fully present to what is and to the expression of our full self, as we are meant to be, a light in the world, the light the world needs.

So much of what we experienced in Oaxaca was outside of our norm. It challenged our edges, expanded our worldview, and led us away from our comfort zone into our capacity to feel, know, and understand. It also, hopefully, will help us take action in the name of the light, this desire to be a force for good. It will give us courage, as we can call on unseen forces to support us, it will help us collaborate, as we can admit our own limitations and seek to empower others, it can help us defy authority and work fiercely for what we know to be right, it can help us to stand up for those who need support, those who are the victims of hate, it can help us stay kind and compassionate even in the midst of darkness, it can help us rise up and stay active, defeating our own complacency and inertia, because we can know that we are living in times of opportunity, times when our light is needed as all voices are needed to speak out for our planet and all beings who are threatened. We are connected and we are here now, answering some call that we may not understand, that compels us to be more than we thought we could be, and to know that we are all here together, warriors for the light.

It is now clear to all that we have to defend and protect those things we care about- our freedoms, our democracy, our planet. We cannot expect our political leaders to serve anything but their own interests. We the people have to claim our power and our responsibility. By holding tightly to a vision of what we would like to see in the world, and and finding the courage and strength to share our truth, we can be midwives for a new era.

I hope everyone finds the quality of renewal and support that we found. I was told that I have to continue to bring people to Oaxaca, to sit with the shamans there. It is part of my work in the world. So join me next time….