Our 8 year anniversary rings, made of coconut, simple yet deeply significant. This miracle of nature contains the life-giving essence that can even be used intravenously to restore electrolytes.
We're back in Tarapoto for a few days to celebrate our 8 year anniversary, which also falls upon the Spring Equinox.
We've been living alone and managing the land for about 12 days on a beautiful mountain in Sauce, Peru. There is an abundance of fresh mountain water that we filter through a "life straw," there are compost toilets, beautiful sustainable huts made of earth, bamboo and traditional Peruvian jungle hut materials. There is no electricity yet, and there are plans to create a garden and we’ve already begun work on a plant nursery; for fresh organic food and medicine, and so that a grueling trip down and up the mountain to restock supplies can be avoided more often. When we lay in our tent at the end of the day, bodies sore and mind quiet, we realize again and again that we've been handed a 3 dimensional preview of our dreams: One to be scrutinized, tested and then chosen with utmost intent and clarity.
As beautiful as isolated locations in nature are, they are equally powerful in wildness. While the individual tries to tame nature by cutting a path through the bushy grass, irrigating the water flow towards one's needs, building little shelters to feel at home, taming animals and plants for company and food, nature is subtly ‘wilding’ the individual.
It is a rare moment that one completely gets to “unwind” or “shut off” in nature, as there are always her emissaries (like hungry mosquitos) to bring the unwary back to the present moment. This is a training in itself. There is great benefit in sitting in a completely silent, air conditioned, and perfectly arranged (tamed) environment to meditate and pray. There is also great benefit in spending time in nature where meditation and prayer are the very steps one takes, the air one breathes, the acute presentness of tight goose-pimpled skin in the shady recesses of the jungle, or the open mouthed stare at the unpolluted, bejeweled night sky.
We believe that humanity is and always has been called to experience both ends of this sacred spectrum. Like Tuwe of the Huni Kuin Kaxinawa tribe (click for BBC article and video) who travels from Acre, Brazil to the USA and his partner Juliana Yasa who travels from the USA to his home in the jungle. The Pocahontas archetype is alive and well today. This is the exchange at the cutting edge of history, and in fact transcends the historic tales of humanity.
This IS the evolutionary process of our species.
photo gallery below:
We've been living alone and managing the land for about 12 days on a beautiful mountain in Sauce, Peru. There is an abundance of fresh mountain water that we filter through a "life straw," there are compost toilets, beautiful sustainable huts made of earth, bamboo and traditional Peruvian jungle hut materials. There is no electricity yet, and there are plans to create a garden and we’ve already begun work on a plant nursery; for fresh organic food and medicine, and so that a grueling trip down and up the mountain to restock supplies can be avoided more often. When we lay in our tent at the end of the day, bodies sore and mind quiet, we realize again and again that we've been handed a 3 dimensional preview of our dreams: One to be scrutinized, tested and then chosen with utmost intent and clarity.
As beautiful as isolated locations in nature are, they are equally powerful in wildness. While the individual tries to tame nature by cutting a path through the bushy grass, irrigating the water flow towards one's needs, building little shelters to feel at home, taming animals and plants for company and food, nature is subtly ‘wilding’ the individual.
It is a rare moment that one completely gets to “unwind” or “shut off” in nature, as there are always her emissaries (like hungry mosquitos) to bring the unwary back to the present moment. This is a training in itself. There is great benefit in sitting in a completely silent, air conditioned, and perfectly arranged (tamed) environment to meditate and pray. There is also great benefit in spending time in nature where meditation and prayer are the very steps one takes, the air one breathes, the acute presentness of tight goose-pimpled skin in the shady recesses of the jungle, or the open mouthed stare at the unpolluted, bejeweled night sky.
We believe that humanity is and always has been called to experience both ends of this sacred spectrum. Like Tuwe of the Huni Kuin Kaxinawa tribe (click for BBC article and video) who travels from Acre, Brazil to the USA and his partner Juliana Yasa who travels from the USA to his home in the jungle. The Pocahontas archetype is alive and well today. This is the exchange at the cutting edge of history, and in fact transcends the historic tales of humanity.
This IS the evolutionary process of our species.
photo gallery below:
Meet Cholo, the 3rd of the horse family on the mountain and known as the stud.
Click "read more" for a story.
Click "read more" for a story.
In town with Cholo, March 8, 2016:
We came down the mountain into town with one of our horses to buy and take up some cargo yesterday and send out an email or two at the Internet center. Zahra and I are alone on the mountain for 12 days or so, with 20 acres to tend to, while jimmy and Miska take jimmy's mom to the airport in Lima.
One of our horses named Chollo is a crazy playboy stud..he HATES other male horses but will seduce and fornicate with any female horse within his reach.
While we were in the Internet place, he broke free of his bindings upon sight of a female. Thus began a search and chase all around the town of Sauce..we even got a local radio announcement broadcasted!
We asked locals and slowly gathered the clues of people who saw two large brown horses (one with a rope still attached) charging by on the streets in front of their houses..
Finally the sun was setting and we had given up and decided to call it a night...
Down a street we see two big figures turning a corner...
We jump in a mototaxi- and tell the surprised man reclined and eating a snack on his moto- to "follow those horses!" After a moment of hesitation he revs up and speeds down the dusty road. We pull up next to Chollo, who is still in dreamland, on a date with his new girlfriend.. I jump out of the moving taxi and finally grab the rope that is still dangling off him.
Then the problem was that he and the female horse didn't want to separate, so wherever she went- he would follow.. And wherever he went She would follow-
And she didn't have any rope attached to her so we couldn't restrain her.
Finally I tie Chollo to a tree and Zahra and I try to scare off the female. It turned into some kind of Bollywood/Disney movie scene- here we are on a dirt road in a poor town, locals watching us and laughing as if we're performing for them, two horses in love, calling out to each other as they are being separated...forlorn..
Finally a young man who we talked to earlier drove by on his moto and chased the female away with it, and we started walking Chollo back to the little pasture. It was dark now..He cried out for the female and was anxious all the way back. Finally we tied him to a tree and because the land where we live is a grueling hike up a muddy mountain, we went to sleep at the little apartment our friends have in town.
Today we ride him up the mountain- but through town first...let's pray that female doesn't cross our path..
Update March 20, 2016: after we tied him up that night, we found out that someone had untied him and whoever it was did so again. We ended up searching for him the next day and it wasn't funny anymore in the stifling heat and with the knowledge of some really unpleasant person lurking about. He was missing for days until we visited Sauce again and finally caught him. This time we ended up riding him home late in the evening and now he is finally back, safe, on the Medicine of Light property.
We came down the mountain into town with one of our horses to buy and take up some cargo yesterday and send out an email or two at the Internet center. Zahra and I are alone on the mountain for 12 days or so, with 20 acres to tend to, while jimmy and Miska take jimmy's mom to the airport in Lima.
One of our horses named Chollo is a crazy playboy stud..he HATES other male horses but will seduce and fornicate with any female horse within his reach.
While we were in the Internet place, he broke free of his bindings upon sight of a female. Thus began a search and chase all around the town of Sauce..we even got a local radio announcement broadcasted!
We asked locals and slowly gathered the clues of people who saw two large brown horses (one with a rope still attached) charging by on the streets in front of their houses..
Finally the sun was setting and we had given up and decided to call it a night...
Down a street we see two big figures turning a corner...
We jump in a mototaxi- and tell the surprised man reclined and eating a snack on his moto- to "follow those horses!" After a moment of hesitation he revs up and speeds down the dusty road. We pull up next to Chollo, who is still in dreamland, on a date with his new girlfriend.. I jump out of the moving taxi and finally grab the rope that is still dangling off him.
Then the problem was that he and the female horse didn't want to separate, so wherever she went- he would follow.. And wherever he went She would follow-
And she didn't have any rope attached to her so we couldn't restrain her.
Finally I tie Chollo to a tree and Zahra and I try to scare off the female. It turned into some kind of Bollywood/Disney movie scene- here we are on a dirt road in a poor town, locals watching us and laughing as if we're performing for them, two horses in love, calling out to each other as they are being separated...forlorn..
Finally a young man who we talked to earlier drove by on his moto and chased the female away with it, and we started walking Chollo back to the little pasture. It was dark now..He cried out for the female and was anxious all the way back. Finally we tied him to a tree and because the land where we live is a grueling hike up a muddy mountain, we went to sleep at the little apartment our friends have in town.
Today we ride him up the mountain- but through town first...let's pray that female doesn't cross our path..
Update March 20, 2016: after we tied him up that night, we found out that someone had untied him and whoever it was did so again. We ended up searching for him the next day and it wasn't funny anymore in the stifling heat and with the knowledge of some really unpleasant person lurking about. He was missing for days until we visited Sauce again and finally caught him. This time we ended up riding him home late in the evening and now he is finally back, safe, on the Medicine of Light property.
