Raices De La Tierra

I was invited to a shaman Encuentro that took place right outside of Casa Blanca not to far from the city. It was a gathering of shaman from Mexico, Columbia, Bolivia, and Chile who all met together to symbolically unite the tribes of the Americas. There were approximately 900 people at the gathering.
I met Andrea and Naty, two girls who I work with at Como Agua Para Chocolate on Friday afternoon and we immediately began to participate in the ceremonies.
That night we all took part in a temescal. Temescal originates from the tribe in Mexico, it is a type of sauna that represents the center of the earth. There were three temescal tents (round and rather low to the ground), each with a hole dug in the center. A giant bonfire is built around a pile of rocks and we one by one place a handful of tobacco along with a positive offering of the mind/spirit into the fire. Then we file into these tents and squeeze all together. They begin to bring in the red hot rocks and place them in the pit and singing commences. There are four doors to the tent that are sequentially opened and as they are opened more rocks are brought in. Water is placed on the rocks and we continue to sing, give thanks, and sweat out all our toxins. Unfortunately no words can describe the beauty and energy of the temescal and all I can recommend is that if you ever get the opportunity to participate in one, please dont hesitate.
The set up of the Encuentro was very well done, we bountifully ate delicious quinoa, salads, and bread. As a whole we produced very little waste as we had a compost area and everyone did their part to pick up trash and respect the land.
On Saturday Nathalie joined us and we participated in a ceremony of love originating from the tribes of Bolivia, we sang and danced and gave thanks. Afterward another temescal took place and we spent the evening working with Shaman from Columbia. Although difficult to explain I was able to let go of fear, fear of the future, fear of love, and come to peace with all the troubles of the past and be open for the future.
The next morning I woke refreshed and our little tribe ate a lovely breakfast of eggs and toast, sweet oatmeal with almonds and later walked out to the bluffs to soak up the sun.
We all participated in the closing ceremony, dancing and singing, and Andrea and I left to head back to the city to work at our cozy restaurant.
Although we were not able to take photos of the ceremonies I have pictures that I will upload of our time on the bluffs as soon as I get them developed (yes, old school style).
I am very thankful for the time at the Encuentro and I hope to participate in the following years. Peace and Love.