Hello Everyone! I have been on quite a journey in the past few months! I spent nearly 2 months with my partner Erika in the volcanic cradle of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala! This lake rests high up in the highlands of Southwestern Guatemala, completely surrounded by three volcanoes! What I experienced there was one of the most potent energy centers in all of my worldly travels! Resting in the small village of San Marcos on the north shore of the lake is a high vibrational bubble of spiritual community, an oasis of conscious, cosmic humans living, singing, teaching and sharing with each other nearly every wisdom tradition of the world! Hippies, yogis, mystics, and travelers from all over the globe converge in San Marcos for a celebration of life, a place to learn, grow, and expand, and a journey away from the massive illusions of mainstream society. San Marcos is a "Universe-city"- a city in which people come to learn about themselves and the universe.
*Below is a photo from the Golden Kundalini Temple, resting high above the village of San Marcos, with our Rainbow Cloud Kombucha jugs present! :) Visit www.rainbowcloudkombucha.com for the full photo shoot on our home page!
The power of this lake is something tangibly felt; the locals say when people come into the presence of Lake Atitlan, they are faced with their fears, their shadows, and their greatest opportunities to heal old wounds. It is a container of great alchemy and healing! Many people say the lake offers a clear ultimatum for newcomers: face your darkness and rise to a higher frequency or be chewed up and spit out! I can attest, the energy here is that powerful! After the shadows are cleared, the lake allows powerful ascensions into deep meditation, abundant creativity, manifestation and unity consciousness! Over the two months, I experienced such a transformation in myself, most of which was quite uncomfortable to face, ultimately leading to a more integrated, more light, more whole Me.
We began the journey with a Geometric Configuration workshop taught by our friend Bee Inspiral. She has created a method of incorporating contemporary dance with sacred geometry forms and intentional movement, and channeling light language to create a master prayer through a merging of movement, voice, and intuition. It was a great way to integrate into the energy of the land. Bee's website is www.inspiraldance.com. She does dance workshops and retreats in the USA during festival season! I highly recommend checking her out if you love to dance!
One thing about San Marcos that struck me was the amount of self actualized people sharing their gifts with the community: Nearly every message board in the village is covered with homemade posters advertising retreats, classes, and workshops, ranging from meditation, silent retreats, every type of yoga, thai massage, reiki and other healing/energy arts, shamanic ceremonies, as well as community song and drum circles, gong baths, crystal healings and more! It was an interactive metaphysical library at our daily reach!
One of the most profound experiences I had during my time at the lake was the experience of the Cacao Ceremony! Cacao is the origin plant of cocoa, and was used ceremonially during the times of the Mayan empire. After the fall of the Mayan empire by the Spanish, chocolate made it's way back to Europe and the Americas and ceremonial cacao faded into tiny remote villages in the rainforest. Cacao and it's power as a plant medicine has recently seen a revival in the last 10 years, owing much of the sharing of lost knowledge to Keith the Chocolate Shaman, who lives in San Marcos, and holds weekly ceremonies, therapy sessions, and works as a psychic channel and spirit guide. My first ceremony was held by one of his students, Lea Thorning, AKA Miss GreenDream high up in the hills at the Golden Kundalini Temple during a retreat. We all drank a very thick, quite bitter ceremonial dose and waited for the effects as we sat in silence. Lea sang beautiful songs of healing, viewable below! :)
I left the ceremony that night, feeling a buzz unlike I'd felt before. Upon getting into bed, I realized how high I was, and sat up in meditation posture. I ended up sitting quietly in one of the most profound meditation experiences of my entire life! My mind felt completely quiet, centered, still, and my body warm and tingly. I sat nearly two hours, and finally went to sleep. I awoke the next morning, feeling a heaviness if my heart, felt a dam of emotions ready to break, and opened to a flood of tears! I realized an inner child of mine was still hurting and needed love, and my tears soon turned to immense joy! What a release I was experiencing! I felt a rock in my gut dissolve into warmth and an energy rise to my heart, permeating my whole being with Love. I released tears for nearly an hour, and began to feel incredibly light and whole! It was as if I had been immersed in a river of Grace. I felt immense gratitude for this connection with Source and today I feel more integrated within myself than I have in my entire life! I've been sold on Cacao as a plant medicine ever since! We ended up having ceremonies with the Chocolate Shaman himself, and came home with 50 lbs. of his ceremonial grade Cacao, with the intention of sharing this medicine with our community here in Tacoma and Olympia! Stay tuned for more news regarding Cacao ceremonies! It is a wonderful medicine and experience to open the heart; it is profound and it is gentle, and as Keith says "Brings you to the Door, but doesn't push you through."
I left San Marcos with love in my heart, and immense gratitude for the experiences I shared with so many amazing activated people. Little to say, I experienced a unique type of culture shock upon arrival back into the USA. After passing 3 strip malls I began to feel a bit out of place! San Marcos is a perfect microcosm of the potential of human consciousness to expand and to live in harmony with the Earth and with each other. I only hope to share my healing experiences with this world, and do my part to make my dreams of a brighter future, a more connected culture, and the healing of mankind and planet a reality! I believe that Rainbow Cloud Kombucha is a huge step in that direction! Thank you all for listening to my story and feeling the essence of the things I've felt! I can't wait to share Cacao ceremonies in the area, coupled with Songs, Yoga, Dance and Community!
-Matthew G. Eklund
Rainbow Cloud Kombucha
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