Spiritual searching

The days crash into weeks like waves on the sand.  Many people have come and gone at La Fruta, each with his/her own lessons to offer and receive from the place, and the other wise and searching souls who have drifted there.  An Austrian couple, named Helmut and Carolina, have come to live at the Finca.  In fact, Helmi met Santiago more than a year ago, and purchased the plot of land immediately adjacent to La Fruta.  The two plan to be partners in the formation of the transformative spiritual community at the finca.  

Helmi and Carol, an amazing duo full of love, inspiration, patience, and laughter

Helmi and Carolina have added an emphasis on meditation and yoga that are always welcomed by the group.  This has been further helped by Simon, a deep, enlighted soul who spent years in India practicing Hinduism and meditation, and Deborah – a Swiss/ Chilean yoga teacher who has offered love to La Fruta. The positivity and love of these wonderful people has definitely helped to brighten the place.  Furthermore, ambitious artists - including Valentina – who has been traveling the world making murals for hostels in exchange for free room and board – has offered a depth and integrity to the place it had not known before.

Santiago and his poporro, with art by Valentina in the background

Santiago’s dream is to combine his spiritual work with the Kogi people and Mamo Augustine with progressive technologies from ‘contemporary society’ to form a community in which indigenous peoples and westerners live in harmony – both with one another and with the mother earth which supports them. 

Of course, this is a daunting task.  The Kogi people have fought bravely for generations to preserve their cultural and religious heritage, as well as their land and practices.  Against the storm of colonial religions, governments, diseases, substances, and material temptations, the Kogi people have used their spiritual power – rooted in practices such as the poporo and the weaving of mochilas, and strengthened by the mystic and ancestoral power of the Sierra Nevada Mountains – to withstand the onslaught.  Necessarily, this means that the Kogi culture is closely guarded, and that outsiders are not warmly welcomed into their lives.  

The meeting of contemporary and ancestor traditions is the clash of two disparate worlds.  Yet the further broader society expands in the never-ending quest for new resources, new frontiers, new consumers, the more rapidly ancient cultures - who hold the key to human happiness and tranquility, and arguably the very survival of all life on this planet – are engulfed.  Thus, La Fruta stands on the edge of a knife, and with Santiago’s vigilance, Mamo Augustine’s guidance, and the persistence of those living in the community, it will hopefully offer a classroom for the ‘modern’ world to start learning some of the lessons it so desperately needs.  The same lessons that generations of conquistadors sought to erase through prosthelytization, murder, and deceit.

The family learning how to make coconut baskets.

Before La Fruta can teach these lessons as a community, it has to become sustainable – and a large part of this process involves generating an income.  In this effort, a storefront has been constructed near the roadside to sell goods to the masses of (mostly Colombian) tourists who pass through Quebrada Valencia to view the spectacular waterfall which stands approximately 30 minutes walk from the road.  As we have begun to shift focus at La Fruta towards selling these products, we have begun to harvest Cacao (chocolate), Cocos, and other fruits in order to process them for selling.  This includes the baking of chocolate and coconut treats, as well as the preparation of the storefront (which is actually a two-story bamboo house).

creative Yerit and the loveable Bernie, an adventure in collecting coconuts

We woke one morning to a wonderful oatmeal and coconut breakfast, and were beginning to discuss what work should be done for the day.  Santiago, who has begun an intense 4-month cleansing process during which he will not smoke, drink coffee, or eat meat or salt, came into the camp with his often fiery intensity, in an (ironically) salty mood.  He told everyone in the camp (at this time, about 15 of us) that we would all be going down to the storefront to work on a cleansing process for that area. 
 The Mamo had decreed it, he said, and so we all must go.  As we had already prepared other work for the day, this came as something of a shock.  Furthermore, as it was an order and not a question, and it was broadcasted so aggressively that I was immediately apprehensive and defensive.  It was clear that anyone who did not go would probably not be welcome much longer at La Fruta.  We were to spend the night there, celebrating and cleaning the energy of the place through love and happiness – it sure didn’t feel like an appropriate start.

Not Mamo Augustine, but another Kogi Mamo courtesy of morejoyeverywhere.blogspot.com

After some time to reflect and cool, and a conversation with Claire (who was also heated about the conversation, but was – as usual – quicker than I to recover) we decided to go down.  After all, what had we come here for, if not to be guided by Santiago, the Mamo, and the community of La Fruta?

We hiked down the mountain, and when we arrived at the storefront, we met the Mamo Augustine and his wife and family, who had come to join the ceremony.  This was an honor, as it was the first time we were able to meet the Mamo, who was dressed (as was his family) in the traditional Kogi dress of all-white cotton pants and shirts.  The Mamo had a kind, broad face with wise eyes with a youthful glint. 

We began cleaning the surrounding area with machetes and our hands.  We then gathered firewood for the upcoming ceremony (quite a bit, as we were to do an all-night vigil), and gathered some food for the upcoming meal.  The energy of the group was very positive and eager during the minca (group working period).  Each person and the group as a whole worked seamlessly, moving from one task to the next. The Mamo, as any great leader, guided the process effortlessly, without drawing attention to himself or barking orders – tranquilly and beautifully directing the process with his will. 

After working for several hours, we lit the fire and had a group meal.  At this time, we sat around the fire and offered payment to the fire, to the spirits of the place, and to the group gathered together.  During this “confession”, each person told his/her story of how they arrived at the Finca, and gave their thanks for the wonderful experience and group which has formed there.  Then we began dancing around the fire, fueled by the energy of the group and the wonderful guitar of Jerit and Santiago, as well as drum beats provided by many people in the group.

I have never realized how fully energy connects us, how thoroughly it impacts our lives and our everyday movements.  As we danced, the collective energy of the place noticeably grew, and as the drums beat louder, and the guitars strummed with more passion, the group began dancing more freely, more vibrantly.  Soon the group was all singing together, each person adding his/her own rhythm, calling out animal sounds, howling at the moon.  The sweat dripped from our faces and the individual contributions were drowned in the flood of emotion and energy from the collective. Simultaneously, the fire began to grow with no help from anyone, with no additional wind to fuel it, until the flames licked above our heads and lashed at the sky, releasing the energy passing through each one of us and into the heavens.

courtesy of pachamama.blogspot.com

Exhausted from this release, we all rested for a while.  After some hours, when Mamo Augustine could sense the energy becoming less, he would encourage us to dance again, and someone would pick up the drums, and the guitar, and for another time we would join together in song and dance.  This went on for the whole night, as we sat chatting in intervals between dances, and we shared in the profound integrity of each moment together. 

the nests of "mochilero" backpacker birds

The night continued, with the Mamo sharing with each of us a small bit of himself.  I found him incredibly dynamic in character.  As most wise men of spiritual depth, he gave the impression of being years ahead of the rest of us on his path – yet he did so without ego.  He gained respect without having to ask for it, he proved himself noble and wise without flaunting skill or knowledge.  At some points in the night, he was incredibly playful and childlike.  Joking with us, and laughing – his youthful spirit glinting in his eyes and shining on the wrinkles of his skin like water reflecting the shore.  At other moments, he was somber and composed, urging us to reflect on the moments, or join our energy in dance.

At some point, Claire fell asleep on the ground.  The Mamo called her name, and asked to speak with her.  He asked if she was tired. Caught redhanded, in her bashful, innocent way, she playfully lied “no”.  He explained to her that she could sleep in the hammock, but that she would have to wake at 5 and bathe in the river to ensure clean energy for herself and the place. 

As the first light crept onto the woods of Quebrada Valencia, the dull gray luminescence provided a mystical nature to the land. The lack of sleep and sheer exhaustion of the night left me weak and added to the surrealism of the silvery treetops, the bird calls, and the waking of the world.  Claire bathed in the Quebrada, as promised.  So did the rest of us.  We cleansed ourselves after the vigilance of the night.  The Mamo left us at the roadside, after assuring the group that we had done well, and that the energy of the storefront was clean and prepared.

a fungus? stained glass leaf. burning brightly in the sun