This marks the third vision quest guided and sponsored here in Oaxaca. The Spirits of place on San Pablo Mountain received us with the same care as before. Interesting that each time I ask the spirits of place to be gentle with the people coming to quest and each time they say no, but they will provide the support needed to do the work there.
This time we had a total of 10 out of a maximum of 12 questors that the land there can support. Each time feeling into the space it is clear that the spirits of place prefer to work with smaller groups.
Every time I guide quest it is a unique experience for me. And when you repeat a ceremony in the same place the spirits of place work more strongly with you. And, that was the case once again. The spirits of place brought in the importance of building community, bringing in the old ceremonies the land here wants, working with guides such as jaguar and serpent that are the old guides of this land. In addition the urgency of doing this work keeps increasing (this urgency is increasing for many spiritual leaders that I talk with).
And one questor writes: As I listened to everyone’s stories I wrote down what felt potent and what resonated. This is a poem made of all of our stories. Thank you thank you thank you teachers and friends.
I have never heard the sound of the hummingbird, until now
a poem by us
Sometimes I don’t want to be seen
Sometimes I don’t want to speak in public
Sometimes I work to distract myself from life
Sometimes I project my resentments and hurt people
Sometimes I give more than I am able
Hold and Carry
More than I can
I know I can build my own refuge
I can build fences of black metal to keep the neighbours out
And I lose my heart, lose my rhythm, lose my drum
I am afraid
I am angry
I am tired
exhausted
My body aches
And it is my mind that tells me I’m not enough
Why didn’t I see this before?
My refuge doesn’t serve
Why did I come here?
Why am I here?
I feel overwhelmed listening to myself
I want peace
Permission to lie down, to do nothing
To feel my body
To enjoy my body
My body is important
Just sit down and feel
Listen
See
Smell
Taste
Being is enough
More and more I am feeling home
The pines will protect and take care of me
Come little ones
Come the 7 parts of me of my descent
Come death
Come sadness, grief, fear, anger, uncertainty, spirit keepers, anccestors
Show me your face
Maybe it’s not magic
But this is what it’s going to be about today
And I decide to trust
Wherever I stand there is East, South, West, North
And nothing is more important than watchign the sunrise
Than sitting on this earth
And with the sunset, life lights up
A magestic bird, cow, spider, or storm is a yes
It can be whatever I want it to be as the currents of the earth lay under me
Are me
Every being is here to help me – imagine that
I wish I had made this sooner
I look at my hands and they look new to me
I honor my bones, my skin, my heart
I learn how to sing my song
To bang my drum to the trees
I have everything I need
The healing is always there
Now, I want to be gentle with myself
Let go, let go, let go
Surrender
Trust
To love deeper, I have to open to life
With no refuge or cover to separate me
From all of life, precious life
Speak from poetry
Softness
The story is already there and I am a part of it
Just joy
Everything is in you
It was an honor to sit with each of the questors and witness there willingness to surrender to what spirit is calling on them to do.