Friday, June 14th, 2013

Maestra Naturaleza

Water falls from the sky pretty much everyday. It feels like its washing my veins and renewing my spirit. When we understand the cycles of nature we realize that as we are part of it, we go through the same processes. Now is the time for getting wet, for having dirty feet with a lot of mud, and watch the clouds refill the earth with the most sacred fluid and in that way make it ready for the next season. Water teaches us to be patient, persistent and nurturing.

When I found out about Inanitah I was looking for a place to learn about permaculture, to do yoga and to celebrate nature and sharing. I went through all the projects I could find in Central America and I could see myself the most at InanItah. I had a small idea how it was from the website, but arriving here I saw that pictures can’t describe how powerful and magical this place really is. The first thing, of course, is the food. It’s such a blessing to be able to eat real, pure, and powerful meals made with so much love. Creating consciousness through the belly and showing where the revolution really starts. Not in the supermarket, but in the garden. And I love the abundance of fruits.

Then the volcano. I think that deep in my intuition, the volcano was calling me. It’s always there, sometimes covered by a sculpture of clouds, other times with a beautiful sunrise by its side, and now in the wet season washed by the rain. The volcano’s energy was transformed into the stones in the eruptions, the stones which are being used in Inanitah to create structures. The stones represent the fire element in a inert state, they teach us to be strong, but to also accept that sometimes it’s better to permit ourselves to surrender to different forms and states of our own selves.

It’s crazy to think that nowadays the “alternative” way is simply the way men used to do things long time a go, before the technology and all the things that distract us. Man always made his shelter using the resources that were available in nature, developing synergy with nature and respect for the land. He wouldn’t use anything that was on the other side of the planet. He couldn’t and he wouldn’t. It did not make sense to him, for he had everything he needed in his surroundings. If it was not there, he would be creative. He would listen to what nature had to teach him. If we lose that connection, we can still find it. It feels good to see walls made out of natural resources, it feels somehow part of the landscape, and not an invasion.

Arriving in a new territory can be very challenging. Setting up a community in a strange place and dealing with a new language, unknown people and absolutely different habits, it’s hard and delicate. I’ve been watching this relationship, as I’m used to seeing foreigners trying to push their ideas down the locals’ throats, without respect and any sense of the others’ needs. Here, I see a two-way channel. A flowing exchange, where the locals come to work with their abilities and wisdom of the place, and they also come when they need help for anything. Slowly we learn from each other, improving our lives from mutual respect that creates an atmosphere of trust

Inanitah sits at the foot of a volcano, Maderas, and faces another, Concepcion. The island of Ometepe is made up of both volcanoes and a handful of small villages, in the middle of a lake, huge lake, the biggest one in Nicaragua, which is the biggest country in this part of the world known as Central America. You can actually walk up north or down south and you will reach Alaska or Ushuaia without crossing oceans; it’s all part of the same big piece of land. Land is what connects us. Borders and nationalities are just an illusion. We are human beings, each one with a pulsing heart saying to us, “I just want to be happy”. Earth is always supporting us, feeding us, showing us how to be grateful, humble and tolerant.

Right now while I write these words the breeze whispers in my ears. The wind comes from somewhere far and brings a message. Only to those who can hear it.

Good vibes…
Chi
(Picture by Milly)

 

Comments are closed.