Have you ever looked at Mexico on a map? It is a big country. This is our sixth year living in this magical country, we’ve been traveling inside Mexico and there’s still a lot to see, to taste, to learn, to connect with...One of the advantages of being married to an international school teacher is you have a ton of holidays! We counted our trips, and found out that since we’ve met we’ve been travelling like there’s no tomorrow - we are glad we have - because we’re in lock down like the rest of the people on the planet. Like many people on the planet we are also dealing with groundlessness, uncertainty, insecurity and vulnerability. Mexico has published revised figures saying that the number of deaths caused by coronavirus is %60 higher than previously reported. The article I read on BBC news says Mexico now has the second highest number of Covid-related deaths in the world, after the US. We chose not to go anywhere during our two week Easter Break like we did the year before.
As I go through our travel photos, (I have to admit that) I caught myself several times stuck in desire - the desire to “travel”, to “go somewhere”. I think of our first Semana Santa break we spent in Mexico City. Once you get out of Monterrey you start seeing some Mexican culture, where we live is in the north very close to the US border that’s why it’s very different from the rest of the country. Mexico has the second biggest population of Catholics after Brazil. The streets of Mexico City are so festive, every church is decorated with colorful flowers during Easter. There are so many celebrations, ceremonies and rituals throughout the Holy Week. We stayed in Centro Historico at a very close distance to the place where hundreds of people gathered and remembered the crucifixion of Jesus and cried for him till the next morning. My mind at that time was much more judgmental compared to now. I look at that entire thing completely differently now. That was such an unforgettable, deep experience. It was also my first time seeing the Jacarnadá trees. They bloom vibrant purple flowers, the whole city turns purple. The second time I went to the capital, I remember how different the streets looked without the purple flowers of Jacarandas.The Uber driver told us that this tree was a gift from a Japanese immigrant symbol of international friendship between two countries. Speaking of Jacaranda trees, we also have them in Monterrey too, there was one next to our terrace, we would watch it bloom up until this year, this winter because of the drastic drop of the temperature (below zero) many plants, trees died. It’s been a long, cold and dark winter by all means.
Since we’ve been locked inside. I often catch myself dreaming of “outside”. On the other hand however - with the help of this pandemic I started believing that times of chaos can be very powerful - spiritually powerful. At least for me it is...As I nourish my body with good and clean food coming from Mother Earth every day which keeps my immune system strong, I also need to keep my mind clean and my spirit high. When I silence my busy mind and look within, I see, feel and know that the Universe is not outside of me, I am not separate from anything, I am one with everything. I stop feeling small, acting small, I rise up, I feel grounded, supported, safe and loved. Thanks to Covid 19, I am learning to honor the spiritual part of myself on a daily basis. At the end of my daily ritual I either pick up a card or open up a page from one of my dharma books to reflect on throughout the day.
This is the card I picked up today:
SHAMAN: “The Shaman inside you is capable of merging his intuitive perceptiveness with the wisdom of the Elders. Meditate and find out what really motivates you, what your inner core truly desires. Don’t waste time trying to fulfill more superficial desires. They can never satisfy your ancient longing. This is not their task.Shift your attention to what is ESSENTIAL. Most essential in your life is your own being.Without knowing the true essence of your being, your heart will always remain empty and dissatisfied. Without recognition of who you are, without inwardly awakening to that, you stumble like a drunkard through a maze of meaningless limitations. Remember your Self! Take the time and whatever space you need to explore your innermost being. For that you don’t have to go anywhere.”
So here are the three healing medicines which I are helping me:
Meditation helps me so much. It is not always easy to stop struggling, surrendering to what is and to letting go and letting it be. Some days it takes more time to quiet my busy, loud mind and come back to the present moment, and focus on one thing only - my breath. Because I am awake I can immediately see desire rise inside my mind, it stays there for a while then it dissolves. Of course I look with a nonjudgmental attitude.
It is always difficult for me to get on my yoga mat because of my laziness but I am also learning to break those unhealthy, self-destructive habits. Because of the tension and pain in some parts of my sacred temple, my body I cultivated self-discipline, self-love and self respect. I had no other choice, I had to stop ignoring my body which was sending me signs of suffering and discomfort in my mind, so I needed to learn to manage the stress, needed to get in touch with my emotions, look at the root causes of the discomfort created by my mind. I found out that when I stretch my hips my cheeks and jaw relax, sometimes I even cry, I not only stretch my muscles but also my mind during yoga. The yoga instructor whose videos I find very helpful mentioned how stretching the hip muscles causes a release this way stored emotions melt immediately. Daily yoga unites my body, mind and atman. Luckily I was able to overcome my wrong beliefs of not being flexible enough to do yoga. There are so many other self-limiting and false beliefs I’ve been trying to detach myself from. Cleaning, balancing and reactivating the sacred wheels, the chakras in my body help me stay connected with the energy of Oneness and heal me as a whole.
One of my favorite medicines I met in Mexico is music. One of the shamans I met here, told us to bring more music into our lives by listening to it more, singing more, and starting to play an instrument, he also said it is good to keep the music on even when you leave the house, it keeps the joy and the vibration high in the house. I mostly listen to medicine songs anymore. I met so many amazing, inspiring beautiful souls - special, authentic musicians. I often catch myself humming or singing and this makes me so happy I used to sing a lot when I was little, when I wasn’t chosen to the choir at school, I remember getting hurt and stop singing. Now I came to an understanding that you don’t have to have a perfect voice, it’s more than that, we all have a voice and it frees us to express our voice. The healing power of the lyrics, and the vibration of these songs bring me into my emotions, they heal and uplift me, shift my consciousness.
Let this song heal your body, mind and spirit.
Feliz Semana Santa!