On this day, the day of my birth, I can think of nothing better than to offer up to you all another installment of my adventures in northern Argentina. It has been a few weeks since the last--this coming sunday marking one full month of time here at Yacu Yura.

When I last left off, we (Susan, myself, James, and Gabby) were preparing for a sweat lodge to celebrate the winter solstice and the full moon. A few days before this was to happen, we traveled with a local friend to a Zen retreat center hidden in a valley below Uritorco, the local mountain. We arrived planning to stay for some hours, enjoy the environment, meditate, and return to Yacu Yura. We found a nice spot towards the end of the day and built a fire. We took time in silence and we shared circle dances. On inspiration, we agreed to spend the whole night at that spot--though we had no sleeping bags or sufficient provisions. We tended the fire all night, shifting organically between resting and tending. The full moon kept the sky lit as it passed through a cloudless sky. The temperature reached at least freezing as we witnessed a beautiful pre-morning frost. When morning came, we said our goodbyes, hiked down, and returned home for a good shower and some food.



So the day after returning from Uritorco, we prepared for the sweat lodge. And now we were 4 larger, as Niki, Halley, Andrew, and Mark arrived together from North Carolina. This was quite nice to watch our small community grow. So with our willing group, we participated in a traditional sweat lodge from the Lakota tradition. For those that may not know, the sweat lodge itself is not just a physical detox, it is a ceremony incorporating song, dance, prayer, herbs, and rebirth. The lodge itself is completely dark, rounded, and insulating--it is a symbolic womb. Rocks are heated to glowing in a large fire preceding the sweat. Invocations and dances are shared, as we prepare to enter the lodge. We enter ceremoniously, one by one on all fours, leaving our humanness behind for the time being. I was designated as the fire tender, so i entered last, and left to collect more rocks from the fire to bring into the lodge. This re-supplying of rocks happened 4 times, using about 9 rocks each time. Each of the four sessions was somewhere between 20-50 minutes, and we filled the time with song, prayers, invocations, and of course sweating.

The first session's prayers are dedicated to all those loved-ones farthest away from us, geographically or otherwise. The second session is dedicated to all those near loved-ones, including our own selves. The third session is dedicated to current issues, situations, energies, movements, etc. planet-wide that are in need of healing. And the fourth is dedicated to all yet unsaid issues. In this way mental, emotional, and physical detox unfolded together.


During the sweat i received a strong inspiration to make the coming month of July a personal experiment in raw fooding. So for the past 13 days now I have been eating about 90% raw, fruit, dried fruit, nuts and seeds (and sometimes p-butter) for breakfast, fresh veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds for lunch, and usually some fruit for an early dinner. This has been really nice, teaching me a lot about my eating habits, my body, and this particular diet. I am set to continue through this month and possibly longer.

As the days following the sweat passed by, our community again expanded, welcoming Lila (world traveler and dancer from Portugal), Molly from Massachusetts, Mat and Amanda from Cali, Sarah from England, Sophia from Vermont, and just today Ariel from Argentina. Having so many come and share very deeply in the context of spiritual-ecological community has been a wonderful gift and a wonderful challenge. What is true service other than maintaining an attitude of giving joyful and skillful help to all that need it within your environment? Living here has helped to further clarify this practice of Karma Yoga, Selfless Service.






We sing, dance, work, play, eat, rest, and share the many aspects of ourselves; we support eachother when we have fallen sick or are low, and we celebrate together when we are high. I have included some pictures of various moments over the days to give an idea of this living community.



The following weekend, many of the community members went into town to join in a group demonstration protesting large-scale explosive mining that is set to occur in a secluded valley under Uritorco, a once-sacred site for indigenous groups here. The site, Ongamira, has been mined for some time for gold on a small scale, but now the multi-national mining corporation wants to explode large parts of the area for the same purpose. This is an ill situation for almost all involved, including the unspoiled ecosystem and the many beings depending on its clean water, soil, and air. The 'manifestacion' had the large group spread information, walking around the town in a big show, talking to all that were around. Pics of this are included.



During the next week, the soft winter weather we have been enjoying took a surprising turn, and for several days we had freezing weather overnight, and it even snowed for a morning. This is the first time it has snowed here in over a decade. I later learned that during this storm it also snowed in Buenos Aires, the first in over 90 years.


To give another take on my time here so far, I have included my Yacu Yura vocab list.

mop~trapa......................broom~escoba shovel~pala..........................hose~mangera bucket~valde.......................wall~pared stove~estufa........................oven~horno
hammer~matillo....................to sweep~barrer
to plug in~enchufar................to water~regar
to harvest~cosechar...............to sow~sembrar
to return something~devolverlo
to exhaust/wear out~agotar/agotarse
to support~apoyar.................to share~compartir
to heal~sanar.......................to grow~crecer
to dig~cavar........................to cut~cortar
to sprout~brotar...................sprout~brote garden~huerta.....................beet~remolacha chard~acelga.......................chicory~achicoria cashews~castanas.................chamomile~manzanilla avacado~palta.....................peanut~mani parsley~perejil....................girisol~sunflower raw~crudo.........................soul~alma
heavy~pesado.....................light~ligero

And to finish where I began, I have included some pictures from my birthday. During the actual day, I woke up, worked, and played as usual. The day was fulfilling as normal, but even more so on this day from all the big hugs and love that i received in special. Beyond this, Susan made a raw pie/cake in secret for me...everyone sang happy birthday and we shared the tasty creation washed down with mango juice. The raw pie was incredible, with a crust of seeds and nuts, a filling of fresh fruit, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, and a top of dried fruits. Yes.


The saturday following, 10 of us went out to celebrate, both my birthday, and the departure of Halley, Mark, Matt, and Amanda. We certainly enjoyed ourselves, with much good food, good cheap wine, and a great group of friends.


So as my 5th week here comes to a warm and loving close, I simply feel so much gratitude for all my supports: those here with me at Yacu Yura, those far away, and all in between. Who I am and what I am doing would not be possible without the selfless care of so many beings in my life. I am certainly blessed, and I am trying my best to share this with all I meet.


LuzVidaAmor~
Eka