On a casual Friday morning my good friend Zoë asked Roxanne and I if we wanted to join her on a journey to Santa Marta, Colombia the following day for a little business trip. Spontaneously we both said YES because the price of the flight was hard to neglect. We packed up our backpacks and embarked on my first adventure out of the country with my baby Shakti Luz and my sisters.
I had no idea what was waiting for us in Santa Marta, nor did I really know what it looked like or where we were going. We were Zoë’s travel princesses; she organized everything and had all the connections. It was only 4 hours of traveling from Aruba to Santa Marta. On our first night we were mesmerized by all the artisanal jewelry made by the locals. We found tons of gems there on the streets of the cozy town of Santa Marta.
The following morning we had a wholesome breakfast at Zoë’s favorite café, Icaro. The food was so delicious and high vibrational. They even played live medicine music and I saw the chef singing and dancing while preparing the meals. Then we were off to our adventure to the Sierra Nevada in Tayrona National Park. We took a taxi from Santa Marta to a spot close to the mountain, where we met up with Zoë’s good friend Marcel.
Marcel is one of the founders of Tayorayiná Reserva Natural, an Ecolodge located 800m up in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. He is the sweetest host and guided us to beautiful places within the Sierra. He called the motor taxis to pick us from the bottom of the mountain and they took us to a beautiful local restaurant in the community. We ate the freshest food that came straight from the land. The people of the community were so welcoming and warm.
After a delicious meal at Doña Marta’s restaurant, we went to the posada del amor, a breathtaking river with little pools and baby waterfalls. It’s called the posada del amor because they say "when two enter three come out". After being massaged by the mini waterfalls from the river we went to a temazcal that they hold every Sunday in the community.
A temazcal is an ancient practice were the indigenous would go into a closed off tent with the heat of flaming hot rocks and vapor that is infused with medicinal herbs and plants like eucalyptus. It’s kind of like a sauna but on a deeper level, through several sweat session you purify your body.
The rocks represent the “abuelitas” of previous generations. The fire represents the "abuelito fuego". During the sweat sessions we sang to our ancestors and played the drums. Lots of people also got the chance to pray for someone or something. We did 7 rounds of heat and it was definitely a deep journey within. This experience felt soul cleansing and the smell of the eucalyptus opened my nostril to the point I felt a good burn in my sinuses and lungs.
The frequency of the jungle changed me on a cellular level. One thing the person who hosted the temascal said that stuck with me was:
“la vida no es tan seria, pero tampoco es un juego”
It made me realize how simple the life is in the jungle, but that life is also not something to be played with. After the temascal I felt like I detoxed everything that I was holding in my body, spiritually and physically all the water retention of inflammatory foods. After the temascal a “baño de flores” was waiting for us, which was boiled flowers in water and poured on us. After this experience my soul felt like honey, pure bliss.
Photo by Zoë Loefstok
The next few days we just enjoyed being high up in the jungle surrounded by the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Up in the Ecolodge it was just us, we had lots of moments to journal, meditate and just simply be present. Time did not exist and I felt my whole body and nervous system reset.
Drinking Cacao in ceremony is a potent medicine. The theobromine found in the cacao is known to support blood flow through the body bringing lots of benefits to the heart.
Olgita is the local cacao ceremony space holder in the pueblito. She correlates the cacao fruit with the mother’s placenta. That’s why we call the medicine madrecita cacao, it’s a very feminine medicine. The cacao ceremony had a fire in the middle representing the abuelito fuego, which is highly honored.
Olgita and Marcel held this beautiful space for us under the new moon, bringing in new intentions and fresh flow of creativity to us all. While drinking the cacao we sang and danced to open the heart and to find the song of your soul. We also inhaled pure eucalyptus oil from the Sierra, this felt like being rebirthed. Sipping on the cacao during this “rebirth” felt like tasting my mother’s milk for the first time. This experience went very deep, and I felt so held by madrecita cacao.
Drinking Cacao in ceremony is a potent medicine. The theobromine found in the cacao is known to support blood flow through the body bringing lots of benefits to the heart.
Olgita is the local cacao ceremony space holder in the pueblito. She correlates the cacao fruit with the mother’s placenta. That’s why we call the medicine madrecita cacao, it’s a very feminine medicine. The cacao ceremony had a fire in the middle representing the abuelito fuego, which is highly honored.
Olgita and Marcel held this beautiful space for us under the new moon, bringing in new intentions and fresh flow of creativity to us all. While drinking the cacao we sang and danced to open the heart and to find the song of your soul. We also inhaled pure eucalyptus oil from the Sierra, this felt like being rebirthed. Sipping on the cacao during this “rebirth” felt like tasting my mother’s milk for the first time. This experience went very deep, and I felt so held by madrecita cacao.
Drinking Cacao in ceremony is a potent medicine. The theobromine found in the cacao is known to support blood flow through the body bringing lots of benefits to the heart.
Olgita is the local cacao ceremony space holder in the pueblito. She correlates the cacao fruit with the mother’s placenta. That’s why we call the medicine madrecita cacao, it’s a very feminine medicine. The cacao ceremony had a fire in the middle representing the abuelito fuego, which is highly honored.
Olgita and Marcel held this beautiful space for us under the new moon, bringing in new intentions and fresh flow of creativity to us all. While drinking the cacao we sang and danced to open the heart and to find the song of your soul. We also inhaled pure eucalyptus oil from the Sierra, this felt like being rebirthed. Sipping on the cacao during this “rebirth” felt like tasting my mother’s milk for the first time. This experience went very deep, and I felt so held by madrecita cacao.
That night we all slept in hammocks with the sound of the sound jungle and the angelic voice of a beautiful soul named Maria. She was playing her singing bowls and singing the Devi prayer, a prayer to the Goddess. Best sleep of my life.
My biggest lesson of living in the Sierra Nevada for just a few days is the true meaning of PRESENCE. The world I live in today is full of constant distraction and just quieting the moind to be fully present was the most refreshing thing.
There was no wifi 90% of the time. I was barely on my phone & I didn’t take photos on my camera until the very last day.
Seeing my daughter light up and look her deeply in her eyes is where my true happiness lies. I can only notice these small moments full of richness by being completely present: AQUÍ Y AHORA.
Photo by Zoë Loefstok
