Giving Back

Giving Back

It seems so much of the world as we know it is striving to “make it”, looking after ourselves and doing what we can to get ahead in the world.  How many people do you know who  actually “give back”?  Yes, people donate to charities, that’s good, but do they ever see where their money is really going?  How do you give back?  

In Peru AYNI means right thought, right love and right action.  Do you share your knowledge with the world?  Do you help strangers?  Do you forgive yourself and others?  A few days ago we went to Urubamba market to buy supplies for the kitchens that we support.  Each group had a list of things they needed to buy: Dawn and I had vegetables, Susie and Cristian had spices, Paivi and Glendi had chicken and pulses and Carlos and David had all the fruits.  

It was great fun perusing the markets for the right ingredients and we had big bags and an envelope of money and the rest was pretty much winging it!  Who knew cauliflowers could be so HUGE!  Dawn and I had the longest list and ended up buying more bags until we finally had eight bags between us.  We also stopped so Dawn could buy some footballs for the schools.

Eventually we all reunited and took all the supplies up to the first school in Rumira where the children sang songs for us.  I have done this a number of times so my tears don’t tend to flow as much as they used to as it is a very moving experience.  We proceeded high up the mountain to T’astayoc where the children still wear their original orange and red ponchos and hats.  They are so loving and greeted us with hugs and kisses and helped us carry all the supplies across the fields to their school.  

They decked us with flowers from the greenhouses and we enjoyed see-sawing and helping prepare the wonderful food that they cook under ground.  I would really love to bring corporate groups here for team-building a greenhouse over two days.  Making a difference first hand is a completely wonderful experience and touches you more deeply than simply writing a cheque.  10% of my trips’ cost goes towards supporting these schools kitchens and greenhouses so I like to bring my groups up to see where their money is going.  Everyone had the most fantastic day.

Later that same day we descended back into Ollantaytambo and climbed up to the temple.  Cristian is by far the best guide I have ever had the pleasure of exploring Ollanta with a group.  I have been there so many times and never heard many of the wonderful stories he shared with us.  He was born and raised there and recounted much of his childhood experiences.  When Cristian speaks, magic happens.  In fact when Roberto speaks, magic happens, and when Freddi speaks, magic happens.  We are so blessed.

We all went to dinner together and then went to our friends bar and stayed there until quite late.  Sacred healing comes in all forms!  The next day we went up the mountain to Antanuca where our San Pedro Shaman Freddi was waiting for us.  San Pedro is a beautiful sacred plant medicine, cactus based and it connects you to all there is.  We made individual despachos (offerings) putting our prayers into them while we waited for the medicine to take effect.  Then we put on our warmies and went outside of the sacred circle to begin the purging process.  It is different every time.  

The moon was high in the sky and there was mostly cloud cover which was surprisingly okay because it made the lighting so cool and gave a background for spirits and Beings to appear where they might not be so visible if all the stars were taking all of our attention.  We saw some stars, but the night was with the mountain.  Four of us had lost our mothers recently so we called in their spirits.  Freddi told us his mother had said, “Love God above all else and you will always be happy in this moment.”

It touched my heart so profoundly because it really is THAT SIMPLE.  We are born connected and knowing this, then somehow we get shut down and some people never get to re-remember this.  Those of us who do, realise we have always known it, always understood there is another way of being; connected to the earth, connected to spirit, always trusting we are part of God, One with the Universe.  

There was drumming and fabulous instruments that made the coolest sounds and because of the cloud cover the night was surprisingly warm, still cold, but not ridiculously freezing as it usually is!  I danced around the circle, and with the fire, and sang a few songs for everyone.  In the morning Carlos and Cristian prepared breakfast for us, wonderful fried egg and cheese sandwiches and fruit and yogurt on a table with a white lace tablecloth!  Perfect.

Now we are in Machu Picchu. 

Earlier we walked to the butterfly house and then to the orchid sanctuary.  Tomorrow is an early start so we can make it to the sunrise in the citadel.  We will be trailing coca leaves with us to leave as offerings for the mountain spirits.  Now it’s time for prayers and sleep.  Praying keeps you in touch with spirit....staying connected with spirit keeps you happy in every moment.

Divine Respect in Pisac

Divine Respect in Pisac 

I don’t know how many times I have actually been to Pisac, all lovely experiences because it is such a beautiful sacred mountain with so many wonderful temples, but today was by far the most profound experience I have ever had there.  It might have even been one of the most important moments I have ever had in Peru!

Every time I come here I say, “This is the best trip ever!” because it just keeps getting better and better and this time is no different.  I have a very small group but it is like travelling with family, and as ever by day three we have all bonded profoundly, shifted incredible amounts, shared laughter, tears, secrets and important realisations.

There are no accidents.  There are no coincidences.  Divine Timing is exactly that; Divine because it is perfect in the timing, deliverance and reception of the ultimate gift that is bestowed.  Whatever challenges have come before are perfect in our preparation for what is to come.  And then THE moment comes; the great “Aha”, the Internal Shift, the Willing Surrender, the Perfect Answer, the Condor Soaring.  Magic.

This morning over breakfast we talked about love.  It is the uniting energy of all life.  We need to surrender to that love force.  People think it is the weak who surrender, but you must be at your greatest strength to fully surrender.  Roberto pointed out that the stones in Pisac and every Incan site are not held together with any cement. They are simply cuddled up next to each other providing a purpose for the other; strength, support, and the adjoining wall mirrors that.  The walls are built to integrate with nature showing respect for the forms that are already there.  These structures have stood for hundreds of years and withstood many earthquakes, yet buildings held together with cement fall apart.  He used this as an analogy for relationships built on attachment (ie: some kind of motivational glue like fear, neediness, loneliness, money, children) but when the grounding is rocked the relationship falls apart.  If people came together with unconditional liberated love, respecting the other person as they already are, they would remain united through every challenge.

Today’s first theme in Pisac was to connect with our ancestors and continue our self healing. This, for me was unlike any experience I have ever had in this process (I connect with my ancestors often).  It was the most profound homecoming at a cellular level, complete with electrical sensations pulsing through my body and absolutely clear images of the faces of my ancestors who were me; who are me because we are all One, and no, I was not experiencing any plant medicine of any kind during this fundamental understanding at a physical level.  Totally WOW.

We then proceeded along the winding path, up and down ancient steps, to arrive at another altar this one seriously edgy!  We didn’t step out onto this one, but sat comfortably back to project our energy out and receive the wind life force into our souls and connect once again with the condor.  I sat as far back as possible with my knees bent over the vertical edge and leaned my torso almost flat against my thighs with my arms open.  I closed my eyes and became the condor....I was flying.  It was so excellent.  Eventually I felt a tug at the back of my trousers.  Roberto had come up behind me to just hold on, protecting me, knowing that the invitation from spirit to fly comes in a breath with the greatest temptation...

Other group members were having their own magical epiphanies.  It was a divine commemorating moment for all of us, each in our own space yet completely connected.

The rest of the day continued with succinct answers, absolute hilarity, delicious food, exquisite shopping and perfect chocolate.  We know our ancestors are celebrating that divinity. Respect! 

Self Healing

We all have the power to heal ourselves, just as we all have the power to attract illness and misfortune into our lives.  What we don’t seem to realise is how unconscious we have become.  Our senses have become dulled and our inner clarity has become distracted.  

Carlos recounted his childhood to us here in Ollantaytambo when there was still no electricity and they lived by candle light.  They always used to go fishing at night with nets and they could easily see in the dark.  Once electricity came to the town and he got used to having lights on, he gradually lost his ability to see in the dark.

Our humanity has lost its ability to connect with the earth and remember who we really are; not just human shells, but an exquisite composition of our physical bodies, our spiritual bodies and our psychological bodies mixed in a potent concoction with the four elements of earth, air, water and fire.

Today was about honouring the Pachamama and healing our physical bodies, the earth element.  We started the day with a lovely breakfast all together at our hotel choosing Medicine Woman cards to help us set our intentions for the day and let the learning begin!  We then went to Urubamba market to buy fruits and flowers for our despacho (offering) the the earth at Moray.

Moray is a series of meteorite created holes in the earth which have been terraced for farming different varieties of corn.  Seven terraces in each with their own eco system due to the brilliant Incan drainage system.  We were not permitted to enter our usual temple because of the high volume of tourists and this made me sad because I felt the guards have lost sight of spirit because of the sickness of money. As per every "trigger" a deep conversation ensued.

We hiked to a less frequented spot and had a beautiful ceremony creating an infinity spiral on the floor with our flowers and fruit offering our prayers to the earth and inviting ourselves to receive healing from her nurturing energy.  There was a giant heart shaped cloud above our circle the whole time.  Once this process was finished we entered the spiral and had a deep meditative healing journey.

This is one of my favourite ceremonies because it is so conscious, moving, healing and connective.  Afterwards we hiked out and had a picnic in a scenic spot on the way to the salt flats.  Before shimmying along the narrow salt path, we connected with the spirit of the condor in a strong windy altar.  This was edgy stuff, standing on a ledge with arms spread allowing the wind to hold us in place, with Roberto’s trusted force right behind us of course!

The hike down the salt flats allowed group members to share personal life stories, as walking does have a tendency to unite people.  Once back at our hotel, our friendly Alicia brought her gorgeous jewellery and now of course my girls are decked in Peruvian silverware!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner out followed by a fire ceremony and a trip to the bar to try some sacred ‘te macho’, a medicinal healing drink in itself.  We’ve had a full day of self healing in a variety of ways, and now for the most essential part, "dulce suenos" sweet dreams.

Soul Home

Peru simply IS the most magical place.  I don’t know why it still continues to amaze me as it truly is like coming home, a sense of place and belonging like I have only felt well, at home!  So it begs the question where is your home?  I am not speaking literally, but rather more profoundly inside yourself.  Where is your comfort, your self nourishment, where do you belong with yourself? What is essential to your soul?

I certainly do not belong in Lima, and despite all the ecological opposition I cannot WAIT for an international airport to be built in Cusco! That would enable us to simply come here, to the ‘Cosco’, the center, and BE in the total splendor of this magnificent energy and these beautiful people.  The transition of sluggish travel detail to embraced with loving energy and emotion was immediate upon being met by our wonderful team, Carlos, Roberto and Cristian at the airport.

After introductions and gifting (already!) we were whisked off to Chinchero to soak up the wool dyeing and weaving demo and revel in the festival of The Native Virgin in front of the gorgeous old church with wall murals hundreds of years old.  There were dancers in full costume and families picnicking, music, flags, and generally fabulous displays in the welcoming atmosphere. What a treat!

We walked down to the stunning huaca (sacred power place) and had an earthing, self healing ceremony laying on the grass in the sunshine under the perfect blue sky.  I thought I might have to leave my group there as no one seemed to be moving for quite some time.

Eventually we made it to Ollantaytambo and had very welcome food and the local cerveza (beer) before arriving at our lovely hotel.  After all the travails of everyone and their bags actually getting to Lima in the first place we were all feeling somewhat sleep deprived so we all said goodnight.  I am guessing my lovely group all unpacked and went to sleep.

I sat out under the stars by the fire talking to Roberto (our wonderful shaman) and Cristian (our group photographer).  Roberto and I walked to Carlos’ brother’s bar to sample the “te macho” and solve all the problems of the world.  Of course, everything is fine now. 

PICK STE!

This is my dear friend Ste Whittaker.  I met him last year in May when he came on my trip to Peru for his 23rd birthday.  We picked him up at the airport and my colleague Carlos asked me how long we had known each other.  I looked at my imaginary watch and replied, "About one minute!"  He had joined the rest of our group a few days late but he immediately fit in as an "old friend".  

His presence greatly enhanced our group dynamics and he was always cheerful and asked really intelligent questions.  At times he was quite reflective and would immerse himself in writing brilliant lyrics to his raps about the environment and love.  Oh, and his singing voice in the ayahuasca hut, WOW, just Divine.  He and I decided I must have surely been his mother in some previous lifetime and we stayed up late sharing our lives and bonding over insanely bad games of snooker in the jungle.

Turns out he lives in Manchester where I have been based the past year and he and Leisa got to know each other quite well.  She informed him of the "Best Job in the World", a competition to become the face of tourism for Australia for half a year and win $50,000 in the process.  I believe it is advertised as being a Park Ranger, of sorts.  Anyway, he decided he would not only apply, but win this job!  The entry requirements were a 30 second video as to why they should pick him over anyone else.  To cut a long story short, the very talented Ste was short listed down to the lucky 25 contenders!!

In a minimal amount of time they have to complete all sorts of activities like creating a public stunt and getting lots of people to endorse him as well as celebrities and a bunch of other stuff which very few mere mortals could achieve so spectacularly in such a short space of time....but Ste IS!  

He organised a flash mob in Piccadilly in Manchester which you can view here:  http://tinyurl.com/ch2wfyg and delight in the Drum and Bass Animal Fancy Dress Litter Picking Flash Mob "I'd pick Ste" campaign video.  You can also SHARE this video with as many people as possible of course!  

It's wonderfully inspiring to see how much activity and energy one person can create out of nothing in a such a short amount of time.  The public support has been absolutely beautiful. Leisa (my business partner) is the one in the psychedelic leopard print rainbow tights as the shaman bringing all the animals back to life near the end.  I too would have been there in full shamanic regalia dancing away but was attending a close friend's wedding where I was reading one of my poems about love.

If you want to help Ste get his dream job tweet him an endorsement "I'd pick Ste!"@ste_whittaker.  Better yet, if you know of a celebrity of any kind who would like to join his campaign, he would be ever so grateful for some famous endorsements as well, I think that is one of his tasks.  I think the deadline is literally in a few hours, midnight as Australia is just coming to life down under.

All I know is that I really WOULD pick Ste because he is a loving, down to earth person, extremely intuitive, totally connected to our beautiful Mother Earth and so much fun to be around.  Before he came traveling with Lucid Insight he was intent on staying out of the public eye, preferring to be anonymous.  Leisa and I didn't understand why because his message is definitely one for sharing.  After a certain amount of clearing work in the jungle on ayahuasca and with Leisa's wonderful healing skills we managed to turn him around.  Now he may become a renown public figure with an awesome job and a whole new life!  

How much could your life change if you traveled with us to South America?  We would really like to take you with us and find out! You are worth the investment in your highest and best potential that is out there just waiting for you to show up!  

Sacred Plant Medicine

Here we are with our magical medicine man Edinson Panduro traipsing about in the jungle searching for medicinal plants and tree bark to boil up for our plant bath later that evening. 

 Leisa and I do not usually trek into the Amazon wilderness in sundresses and flip flops, but we had started in the botanical gardens earlier with Edinson, when the sun was still shining.  It is about this time, dusk, when all the creatures "wake up" and come out en masse.  

Along the Madre de Dios tributary of the Amazon lies the beautiful Eco Amazonia Lodge, one of the few Peruvian owned jungle retreats in the area.  In seven days with our pasajeros (passengers) we submerge ourselves in the harmonic world of jungle nature, for total relaxation and/or taking ayahuasca for deep healing on many levels that modern medicine cannot reach. Even if you are not seriously ill, you can heal your spirit and emotions with ayahuasca.

The musicality of the rainforest is part of the healing journey of ayahuasca.  It is a plant concoction designed to help people connect to the plant spirits in the Amazon Jungle in order to have the wisdom as to how to utilise nature's garden most effectively.

Edinson Panduro, our ‘Medico Vegetalista’ is a brilliant curandero with 46 years of Ayahuasca experience. He has had great success facilitating healings of 1^st stage cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, gastritis, Parkinson’s Disease and a variety of other serious illnesses and addictions.  One of my pasajeros stopped a 3 pack a day smoking habit after only three ayahuasca sessions!

In a surprisingly opulent green tiled candle lit bathroom attached to the aya hut, one by one we stood in the bath tub pouring bowls of the hot liquid plant mixture over our heads. Afterwards Edinson blew the thick rich black tobacco smoke over each of us.  A whole new way of cleansing!  We had to sleep with the plants perfuming our hair.

Here we all are after plant baths.  It was a very bonding experience.  Edinson says he routinely bathes with his family.  I asked him, "Like this?" and he replied, "Of course, how else does one cleanse?"  

You may think that waking up with twigs and leaves in your hair won't give you that feeling of being clean, but it is surprising how well we slept that night and how easy it was to wake at dawn to shower off all the plant bath while watching monkeys leap from tree to tree in the early morning light.  

Different trees, barks and leaves provide various uses like pulling out toxins, relaxation, or healing.  After a week of ayahuasca it is a good idea to be cleansed so we can set off into the world in a more protected and complete state.  There are lots of preparations one is advised to follow before taking ayahuasca but really it is more important after the medicine to be gentle with your body and energies so as to allow the brew to fully work its magic inside of you.  It stays in your system for up to 45 days.  

Usually you take aya at least three times, the first for cleansing, the second for healing and the third time for the learning, then you purify with the plant bath.  We have feedback sessions in-between each journey and there's always lots of time to process and journal when in the jungle.  Here we are hard at work processing!

We want people to understand that they can choose their thoughts, feelings, words and actions to co-create whatever reality they desire.  Our trips help people expand in a safe and loving environment into a state of allowing so that they can receive the endless abundant potential that our Universe supplies.

We look forward to processing the next phase of life with you!

The Long and Winding Road....

Yay!  We're going to Malta!  All we have to do is drive to Brighton, spend the night with a friend, leave our car there and fly out from Gatwick the next morning, no problem.  We set off on our road trip leaving Manchester on time at 11am, music on, food supplies, heat blasting and blue skies. 

What a shock we had at the first rest stop along the way with the freezing wind whipping through our hair and jeans!  We could already see frosting on the ground and cars coming from somewhere snow laden, but as of yet we hadn't seen any falling from the sky.  The second time we stopped the occasional flake was dancing from the heavens, but we weren't worried.  We were heading south, it wouldn't get worse!  As we left the rest stop, traffic was sitting still.  We googled the traffic report which told us that a dangerous lamp post was across the road.  It was pretty windy, but we patiently waited for that little drama to be cleared up and finally we continued down the A23.  

Meanwhile the weather actually was getting progressively worse!  A full blown howling blizzard was throwing snow at the car and coating the roads and countryside remarkably quickly.  I still wasn't particularly concerned, even though it has been literally years since I have driven in the ice and snow having magically avoided the worst of winter's past.  Leisa was kind of enjoying it, coming from Australia blizzards aren't really in her realm of experiences.  But we were still making good time and in about an hour we would be in Brighton.  Or so we thought.

Roadworks didn't help the situation but our flow came to a dead halt.  "Oh good we're moving again," about .1 of a mile.  We inched along until the inches became millimetres.  Day turned into night.  Minutes turned into an hour which turned into five hours.  We rang our friend to see if he could find out what was the hold up.  Apparently there was an accident on the A27 which was making cars back up so none from the A23 could get off and Brighton also was in a gridlock so there simply wasn't anywhere for any of the cars to go.  

Those five hours were entertaining to say the least, we discovered Magic Radio station and sang our hearts out recounting stories from our youths related to each song.  We made an executive decision to turn off an on ramp against all the cars facing us, driving precariously down the side narrowly avoiding a muddy ditch.  "Come on Gladys (my car), you can do it!"  We noticed how BMW's and Audi's were getting stuck, slipping and sliding all over the place, but my trusty "new" VW Golf ploughed her way through.  Thanks to the fabulous Tomasina (my sat-nav, Tom-Tom, get it?) we managed to carefully snow plough to the A23 going north and drove for a luscious few miles before hitting yet another wall of cars.  Traffic that already had their motors switched off...not a good sign.  

By this point we were a little concerned as we were down to below a quarter of a tank of petrol.  The blizzard was relentless and well, we really had to pee!  Leisa and I really like our bathroom breaks and we had been holding it in for about six hours by this point.  Stepping out of the car was simply not an option, we would have been soaking wet and cold.  I reached behind me, scrambling in my bags and pulled out some nail scissors.  Water bottles long empty, I held them up presenting my latest creative idea!  We laughed hysterically as I manicured the water bottle into a neat little cup.  "You first, mind the sharp edges!"  It was a particularly bonding moment when Leisa handed me her full to the brim cup of pee.  I sat there not wanting to move with it while she wrestled with her underwear.  There was a guy outside making a video so we are hoping this little episode does not appear on YouTube!  One classic sentence I will never forget was right after when Leisa looked at me solemnly and said, "I'm really sorry I peed in your new car."  I didn't do much better...

We began to prepare a list of essential items to have in your car at all times a "She-Wee" topping the list as we sat on plastic bags and in somewhat dampened blue jeans.  We discussed all the potential drama’s that could have been happening in other cars; screaming babies, childbirth, illness, arguments or not having any supplies what-so-ever!  I read once that having a candle in your car can save your life if you are trapped in severe cold because it can generate enough heat to prevent frostbite.  We watched a woman help another car get unstuck by placing her car mat under their back tyre.  We agreed having one of those aluminium rescue blankets would be a great plan as well as a big bottle of water, hand-wipes and an entire roll of paper towel.  Recently I purchased a dongle when I stayed with a friend with no internet.  Our whole business is run through the internet so that really came in handy too.  I was able to email the people in Malta and find an airport car parking service that would ALSO completely valet our car for us (including shampooing the seats) while we were away.


We ran out of water, put on more layers and waited for information.  Eventually the fire rescue people came, "Did you bring us Starbucks?" we asked, hopeful.  Alas, no, but they did give us more water and told us to get comfortable because we wouldn't be going anywhere for quite some time. 

 I know, I'll do some crocheting!  We dabbled with the idea of making snow angels on the A23, and if we had had proper winter gear we probably would have, but we were packed for Malta!  We cancelled the airport hotel reservation we had made and sang Aya Hut songs, turning the car on sparingly when we had to have some heat.

Finally, only 15 miles outside of Gatwick, as dawn seeped into the snowflakes, we started moving again and at a break-neck speed of 20 miles an hour, once even hitting 30, we arrived at Gatwick.  The SureParking people met us at departures and collected our car with a rushed exit from us and a promise to pay them when we got back, IF we managed to catch our flight.  They were GREAT.  Running as fast as we could lugging bags, we arrived at check-in just as our gate was closing and were not allowed to go through.  There must have been 700 people queueing.  

We were exhausted, but headed to the loo for an actual toilet and change our pee pants!  Then we had some coffee and decided what to do.  We were luckily able to change our flights to the next day before the 700 people who missed their flights showed up in that queue.  We booked an airport hotel, had breakfast, shopped for food and finally got a shuttle bus over to the hotel.  Hot baths and showers later, we crashed until re-boarding the shuttle bus at 4am and finally, FINALLY made it to Malta!

One of our mantras is: "We always get what we want!" We have been laughing about needing to look at our belief systems perhaps re-defining in our minds what KIND of adventures we want to attract!  What we do know is that even in the face of adversity we managed to absolutely make the most of it, enjoying hilarious, bonding moments and never losing our cool.  We were thankful for each other and for focussing on all the good things about our journey.  And now, despite the gale force winds and rain in Malta, we are grateful for the spa.