Prayer in Vilcabamba

ThaHAhank you for all the interest about my upcoming Goddess retreat in Ecuador  - a great question - why Pray in Vilcabamba?

The name of the valley comes from the Quechua language of Inca derivation.  It  is composed of two words, Huilco meaning "sacred" or "Goddess" and Bamba meaning "valley"; hence, "valley of Goddess" or "Sacred Valley."

Hidden away, deep in the Andes Mountains of South America, lies this peaceful valley called Vilcabamba  - an idyllic land of lush, subtropical agriculture where nearly every imaginable grain, fruit, and vegetable grows wild for the picking. It is a veritable paradise on Earth, and by legend, proposed to be the original Garden of Eden.

Over the years the Sacred Valley has been called: "The Isle of Immunity for Heart Disease, The Land of Eternal Youth, The Valley of Peace and Tranquility, and The Lost Paradise."

It has been given these labels because of the valley's solitude, serenity, clean air, dazzling sun, nearly constant blue sky, pure mineral drinking water, medicinal herbs, green fields, towering mountains, friendly people, lack of illness, and a kind of ubiquitous beauty that penetrates to one's soul and provides a sense of well-being.    

It is here that my soul is calling me to nurture and rechaHAharge my batteries and find the STRENGTH to bring peace to my world in 2013.

It is here that my body gets restored and rejuvenated and grounded.  So I can return to South Florida and absorb the electromagnetic force fields and create love.

It is here that my mind is free to rest and become creative and play. And then remember which way to go and flow.

It is here where I can best hear my song so I can shaHAhare it with the world.  

It is here where I will pray and whisper my desires out into the Universe and tap my toes and wrinkle my nose and send my fairy dust out into the World.

WHY Ecuador?

Many peeps wrote in this week asking WHY am I leading a PRAY PAINT & PLAY retreat in Vilcabamba, Ecuador?

Besides being known as the Valley of Longevity, Vilcabamba is listed as a Blue Zone.  A Blue Zone is a region where people live longer, healthier, happier lives.

In Vilcabamba, people live long and healthy lives. I've met some of them. 

The mountain air is clean and the water is abundant with natural minerals.  The perfect year round climate means peeps can be outdoors breathing that air all the time - with windows open, free of air conditioning and synthetic noise.  The good weather also means constant access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  And of course, the laid back valley lifestyle is very stress free.

While doing my research last year on longevity and how haHAhappy people live longer, I came to Ecuador to see what it was all about.

I fell in love - the mountains, the rainbows, the people, the food, the water, the air, the valley, the peaceful easy feeling of living in a place and space that is in accordance with your body.

And so, I bring those Goddesses ready to chaHAhange their lives and relax their bodies and come back to themselves to PRAY, PAINT and PLAY in the Valley of Longevity as we explore and research the haHAhappiness connection further.

Check out the video of MonteSuenos, where we will be staying and playing and painting and praying.  Woohoo!!!

SUPPORTING PEACE

I started Laughter Yoga circles here in South Florida because I saw it as a way to bring peace - to myself and in my life. 

  

I found this simple method of laughing out loud for no reason had a huge impact on me.  Before, I used to be so serious, and get broken up and delirious (Electric Light Orchestra, So Serious) Now, an easy peaceful feeling (Eagles, Peaceful Easy Feeling) permeates my soul, making it child's play to laugh at myself. 

I have been building this muscle for five years now. And it works.

These simple HAHA techniques - deep breathing and Laughing out Loud and cultivating an attitude of gratitude and dancing the Hokey Pokey and affirming our OMazingness makes it easy to be the Peace that I want to see in the world.

It all starts with ME and WE.  Thanks for helping me sing my song.

AWAKENING to my CALLING

This summer I traveled to the Valley of Longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.  I stayed at an OMazing property called MonteSuenos (Dream Mountain).   

I had never expressed an interest in Ecuador before and yet, when I saw the name, MonteSuenos, I knew I had to go.  I had a heart felt yearning to go and see and be.   It was time to explore.

What I found was an OMazing country.  Ecuador lies on the equator and has diversity in topography (coast - Pacific Ocean, Andes mountain -  valleys and basins and rainforest). There are waterfalls, and trees - all sorts of trees,friendly people, pure air, and food  - the most delicious fruits and vegetables - no pesticides, no gmos - straight out of the ground and off the trees and into the kitchen and served to me.

What I was blessed with was an OMazing property called MonteSuenos -  a sacred space of peace, sustainability, and creativity.   Overlooking the village of Vilcabamba, there are two houses, art studio, meditation tower, nooks and crannies to relax and take in the views, two modern kitchens, natural trails through lush tropical gardens, tiki huts, ceremonial sites and breathtaking nature all around.

I met OMazing women on this trip. SisterGoddess Meredith, the artist who created and envisioned the details in each and every room and whose art hangs everywhere in the houses. SisterGoddess Meredith's art speaks of the Divine Goddess - the Sacred Feminine.  Her easy gentle manner and warm smile and artistic touch make you feel delicious.  SisterGoddess Sarah, resident guru of juices, websites, rawfood and energy healer.  SisterGoddess Caroline, yogini extraordinaire and holistic coach and my busyness parter in our upcoming retreat. SisterGoddess Virginia, Goddess rest her soul (she passed away last month) who was queen of the busyness of MonteSuenos and dancer of my heart.

While I was there, I was part of a sacred ritual - indigenous tribes walked from the center of town to two mountain peaks where the three rivers meet.  A circle was formed and we witnessed a ceremony honoring YakuMama (MotherWater) - we had a dialogue between the East and West, we danced around the fire, we took tobacco leaves at the convergence of these three rivers and blessed the leaves and released them.

I had a feeling - an Aha MOMent that there was something very important for me here.  An AWAKENING that this sacred space needed me to return and to bring those being called.

I found a safe space here in our World that honors the Sacred Feminine  - the return of the Goddess.  I am called to return and express myself through Play (laughter and drumming and dancing) and Prayer (yoga and dancing and laughter and sacred rituals) and Painting (expression of emotions and freedom of creativity).  I am called to bring SisterGoddesses who want to experience another way of breathing and being and eating.   I am awakened to the call of our EarthMother, PachaMama, who wants me to return and shaHAhare her beauty and sustenance and blessings of food and pure water and pure air.

MonteSuenos, overlooks Vilcabamba, the Valley of Longevity.   Having been there and experienced the peace and quiet and purity and sanctity, I am awakened to the truth of this valley.     While there, we had laughter circles run by SisterGoddess Lourdes.  We laughed HAHA HO HO HEE HEE and our peals rang down into the valley spreading joy.

At this time, I am blessed to be able to offer this experience to those SisterGoddesses called by the Oracle of 2013.   My partner and I have set up a PRAY, PAINT & PLAY retreat - Pleasure for your Body, Mind and Soul - nourishing all parts of you and me and we.

I am so excited to go back and shaHAhare myself and my wisdom and laughter in this sacred space that took my breath away and made me feel like I was home again.  I look forward to the women who are called to join me on this journey.

I ask, that as you read this, if you are not called, pass it forward to another woman who might resonate and be awakened to being in this space at this time and raising the vibration of peace as we Pray, Paint and Play.  Check out the beautiful web page created by SisterGoddess Sarah for this OMazing trip  - PRAY, PAINT & PLAY (click on Pray, Paint & Play)

I made a movie of some of my pictures of my experience.  I shaHAhare it with you here for your enjoyment.

ThaHAhank you for letting me shaHAhare my joy and taking a moment to read it.

PRAYERS ANSWERED

Last week I prayed for HILARITY and shaHAhared with you how it feels to have it in my life.   I immediately got an email from WSM Andrew who shaHAhared Dr. Orloff's blog and her topic Celebrate Laughter.    

As she puts it:

"True laughter is a surrender 

to hilarity; a sound, a smile, 

a heart opening."

This week I pray for lucidity and in my life appears WSM Bob and his dog/God Bogart.  Brother from another mother Bob and Bogart travel on a bus all around the perimeter of the United States.  9,000 miles biking and bussing and shaHAharing their powerful messages.  They stop in different cities to meet peeps and raise awareness to his goal of One Million Acts of Kindness. 

For two evenings, Bob parked his bus under my trees and vibrations of love and good chi were felt in my neighborhood.  It was so enlightening to wake up in the morning and see Bob and Bogart's bus and all these beautiful messages of hope and faith and LOVE and TRUTH and haHAhappiness in front of my house.

I love how we just have to ask and be greatFULL and the Universe showers us in aBUNdance with messages and peeps that remind us of our purpose and the WHY of what we do.

I was so inspired by Bob and his bus, I made a little movie:

Bob and Bogart plan on coming back in 2013 and laugh with us at TY Park.

Until then, check out their website or like them on FaceBook and order their cool stickers or their book or make a donation to keep Bob and Bogart riding on that wonderful bus.