Four of us meet and travel together, empowering our inner being, a journey to heal and restore what life in the fast lane takes from us all, our peace. The days here began early with the sounds of nature that break our sleep. It’s a gateway into calmness that only appears when you hear nothing but birds and wildlife. These sounds follow you all day, no matter where your journey takes you. With these calming sounds, we each performed our own inner healing, letting go, accepting, and recharging with daily aura cleanses and prayers to awaken that part of you that needs reminding how much these practices should remain a part of our lives.
Every morning, the lake lies still like a sheet of glass. It doesn’t cease from the beauty it encompasses, from the moment day breaks to the minute dusk falls. As I stood at the shore of the lake, I saw no ending; like the ocean, it meets the horizon, but unlike the ocean, it whispers sounds of an unrelenting, enigmatic world.
It’s mystifying, a kind of spiritual awakening when you set foot on this land. Every which way you turn, you see the mountains that at their peak are dressed by clouds. They linger all day, rising and falling, to a rhythm like the water sways in the lake. Except these aren’t mountains, they’re volcanoes. And the lake, it’s the remnant of one of these wonders. An erupted volcano’s crater, which transformed into a beautiful body of water.
The clouds barely shift from the peaks as if they’re hiding a secret and beckoning you to climb and view the wonder from up above. It’s raw; the man-made paths test your perseverance. You become hypnotized and intrigued by how Mother Earth and Mother Nature had once collided.
The four of us stood silent as we watched the fire slowly eat up the most beautiful mandala we had created with flowers and candles. Within this sacred cave, the Mayan people perform a ritual that connects you with your ancestors, nature, and the cosmos. It embodies a deeper understanding of your role as a human, prayers are recited for abundance and protection, and your wisdom to accept and include not only the loved ones you lost but the here and now. Letting go of our egos, practicing detachment, and worshipping nature. As I concentrate on this sacred ancestral ceremony taking place, I am also reminded of the lineage of beautiful people that brought us to this point.
I listen to the faint rumbling from up above. To know you are in the vicinity of an active volcano is to believe in a transcendent being. The higher altitude amongst these volcanoes hits your lungs with a different kind of spirit. Like lava, energy exchange flows freely here. This trip taught me that just as some people and places are governed by a higher spiritual embodiment, there are lands that also hold this symbolic, mysterious experience.
We all need to heal from something. Just like this mountainous region has healed from the many eruptions. The people here, too, have rebuilt their lives many times over. I think about their decisions to stay and to embody their ancestral land with pride, not fear. These small indigenous villages surrounding the lake hold on to deep-rooted ancestral heritage. Just like the community, the calmness in the animals shows how they, too, are connected spiritually. The people are humble and, in a sense, free from Western influences. The change of pace and climate remind you how easy it can be to feel and accept. But just like every other place on this earth, you are also witness to the erosion and the destruction that is slowly entering their sacred space.
It took me a lifetime to walk on volcanic soil, something I had longed to do. To see for myself how nature, in all its natural beauty, can also be feared. I watch the small bursts of smoke spew from the peak and realize why the people here protect and worship nature. The resilience they hold to navigate one of Earth’s most powerful destructors is applaudable. There is a connection that is felt in their warm welcome, to proudly educate us on this fertile land they call home.
Dawn breaks once again, with a heavy heart, the thought of leaving tugs at some strings. For some time, we were able to call this home. We created a bond, we shared a space where time will never pass again. Going back to a normal routine seems hard, but I give thanks to the person who led us here. I paid gratitude to the universe for the deeper understanding of my place in this world, for this invaluable experience. May my friends take away blessings and love from this land, and may they have fulfilled the purpose of our journey here together and healed in their own special way.
Lake Atitlán, Volcano Fuego, Guatemala
