the new year fluttered in, and i fluttered on.

my journey was blessed from the start to be resplendent with natural beauty, as it began in semuc champy, guatemala. 
..........................
i walked along the well-worn path and came upon an enchanting pool of soft-green water.  the water gently trickled in from the endless lacework of dribbles and burbles and streams rich with bright green vegetation.  i swam to the first spot that caught my eye, and squealed in delight to find the water thermal-spring warm and the small, bright plants strong and firm.  soon, it rained, and in again i jumped, laughing and swimming in this enchanting pool while soft, warm rain blurred my view; its spatters crashed noisily into the faerie pool all around me.

walking along the trail above this first masterpiece of pacha mama, i admired elfin trees amid dark green waters, the colorful spiders dangling patiently in their grand webs amid the trees, and a waterscape of soft-green pools fed by gentle cascades of only eight or ten centimeters in height, fully bursting with green life in all directions.  eventually, i reached the trails' end, and the cautious guide allowed me to cross the fenced area and see the river that had until then evaded my view...the white foaming waters raged with deafening force.  it rumbled down the deep green valley, and plunged...the river plunged 300 meters beneath the surface of the earth.  i sat in awe at the gaping blackness before me, feeling the pull of its force into the black abyss.  the land above the hole dripped and hung with soggy vegetation, suspended precariously by the rockbed carved out from the raging waters.  the streams of water danced and scattered and created intricate designs all about; some trickled around the lush land, joining the roaring river as it plunged beneath the surface, and some curved away, curling and weaving thier individual patterns through and around the vegetation until the land halted briefly, and the waters getnly cascaded down eight or ten centimeters to a soft-green pool.  and below the pool, the waters dispersed again in fanicful rivulets, curving and swaying, joining and parting with one another until another small cascade joined them all again.  a land bridge, it was, and continued in this fashion for perhaps a kilometer or two, until the roaring river reemerged, as a gentle, placid riverbed. it was as if the festival above didn´t exist.

there are a handful of places upon this earth that have captured my heart, my spirit, my imagination, my admiration for the earth mother and her incredible, artistic abilities.  semuc champy joins those special places.

and thus began my journey through the natural wonders of central america.  although the journey through was very rapid-at times shocking me that i was crossing yet another political border, each night i sat along the shores of the sea, a river, or a lake, listening to the lulls, crashes, or rhythms of the waters, gazing at the starry skies, keeping time with the cycle of the moon.  each morning i bathed in pacha mama's artistic glory; her earthly scents, sounds, sights, and sensations...my morning practice, a morning bath, local fruit.

in honduras i spent the nights in anticipation of the rising moon, her warm, orange glow reflecting off the river's surface, her brightness illuminating the sihlouette of great tree behind me...in nicaragua i laughed in delight when i realised the waves were coming from three directions-a phenomenon caused by a hurricaine-created hole in the sea floor offshore...in costa rica i played endlessly in the soft, gentle tide that rose only knee-deep and moved my body about like a water nymph...in panama, i rested lazily in the wooden canoe that drifted slowly down the placid river from coclesito to cocle del norte, the only means of reaching this simple seaside village on the carribbean shores of panama.  i gazed with a familiar longing at the simple homes we passed along the way, yearning for when i can live in this way, sustainably, in union with the rhythms of the earth.

an hour walk along the beach, and i was home with my rainbow family.  creating home-space with kiara, the machete-wielding jungle goddess; speaking spanish with my panamanian brothers, whose patience and persistence-speaking slowly and clearly, repeating words or finding new ones until i understood-helped me realise that finally my spanish is better than my korean; spontaneous, powerful heartsongs with hannah; arroz, yucca, and frijoles for two weeks; persistent skin infections and flesh-eating parasites; rain rain rain rain rain; tarantulas on our tents; storms that washed away our beach and bridges; bountiful days of coconut juice dribbling down my face, coconut meat in my mouth and on my skin, coconut oil on my skin and in our dinner; healing injuries with fire-warmed noni leaves and local clay; witnessing the transformations of brothers and sisters who have just learned the ways of the rainbow family, of the peaceful way of life, and sharing in their joy; re-unions with sarah/guatemala, celia/mexico, caroline/greece, new-unions with hannah, kiara, toby, elsa, swami, and the rest; and so, so much more....

a fond farewell to family,  and back to costa rica and to punta mona, a community dedicated to raising awareness and teaching practical skills to anyone interested in living more in harmony with pacha mama.  and there i was reacquainted with tenasi, a beautiful brother and one of the pillars of stability, vison, and strength of the heaven on mother earth (h.o.m.e.)  community, a rainbow-inspired sustainable community on 300 acres of rolling, lush hillsides, waterfalls, farmland, and simple, community homes in western costa rica, and and home of the art of union manifesto (aum), the primary healing aspect of the community, offering retreats in healthy healing...this a community i stayed with for a week before the journey to panama and had ideas to return...and in those days at punta mona, i realised it was to h.o.m.e. i must return...to help tenasi plant all of the fantastic sprigs he collected from punta mona, to help plant the seeds shared with him by sylvio, and to bring love, healing, and goddess energy to the cave community of h.o.m.e....yes, a cave...a few, actually, large, fantastic caves atop one of the largest waterfalls in central america where tenasi is leading the work and the vision of creating healing space with gardens, kitchen, meditation space, and more.  hannah and toby are with me, and kiara will reunite with us in a month´s time.  please learn more about the place where i will be for the foreseeable future: www.artofunion.com is for tenasi´s work primarily, and if you´re on tribe.net, look at the tribe for h.o.m.e.

so yes...back to costa rica to spend the next months eating fresh fruit, deepening my morning practice and healing practices, creating, learning, growing, and being. 

if you ask the universe for what you truly want to manifest in your life, the universe responds. 

i send my love and blessings to each of you, each and every day.

in love and light,
karin