Plateau – Ceremonial Journeys to the Spiritual Plane
One’s decision to make a journey to the spiritual plane takes self-awareness, courage, and a calling to find the authentic self, one which has been hidden in the shadows by the ego, a journey of healing, love and self-discovery that can be incredibly painful, a place where your heart can overflow with love and gratitude in way you have never experienced. An experience steeped in thousands of years of traditional ceremony with the plant medicines from the indigenous tribes of Amazon River basin, medicine older than humanity itself, even before we climbed out of the primordial ooze, it existed and was of this earth.
Ceremony One - Seeing
Letting go is hard, being grateful for all things, including pain and suffering, which are part of the human condition, pain allows us to fully appreciate all the good and love around and in us. When the spirit is suffering those that made the journey with you, help you, this is a safe place, you feel loved, you are struggling right from the start, not at peace, but in pain, restless, stuck in your head, you resist the urge to purge, your mind unwilling to let go. The medicine man blows tobacco smoke over your restless body, and moves his hands over you, and a quick audible blow of air from his mouth, you can feel the power of his medicine, it is like magic! You know he just freed your spirit into a different plane of consciousness, a world comes into view and is eerily familiar, the restlessness and pain leaves your body and mind, or maybe it is channeled into some new of type energy, you rise up, and place your hands on the earth, once comfortable, you kick off the blanket, and place your bare feet on the cool stone, and begin to figure out how to be yourself on this spiritual plane, a spiritual plateau if you will. For a while you just sit on the stone, right in the middle of everyone, moving your body, hands and arms to the music, humming along occasionally. Eventually you stand and begin to dance, with caution, the ego unsure if it should let go of inhibition fully, later you find yourself sitting at the altar, holding a stick of burning incense, holding space in an effort to show gratitude to the medicine man and medicine women for their powerful medicine, It seems like the least you can do, as your heart is so full of gratitude that you are moved to tears on several occasions. Love for others is the message coming through to your heart, the answer to the question you have carried into this spiritual realm, in the hope it will be answered.
Ceremony Two - Letting go
As you sit legs crossed on the mat, with a blanket over your legs, the air is cool, you are cold, a shiver, you are feeling deep sadness, and your belly is angry. You know that you need to let go, there is an urge to resist, you didn’t let go last night, not really, but after some struggle, you begin to purge all the sadness, pain, and self-hatred from your body. That is what the medicine does, brings all that out, the more you think about all the ways you don’t love yourself, the sicker you feel, each heave more violent than the next, you feel all the emotional pain you have inflicted on yourself over your life, maybe a thousand lifetimes worth, this goes on for a while, you are not sure how long, there is no sense of time here, it is the spiritual world, except for the occasional glance to the position of Orion’s belt in the night sky, it’s your only anchor point to the illusion of time, with each heave into the bucket, you say thank you, giving gratitude to the letting go. You can feel the self doubt, fear, self-loathing and pain leaving your body, you hear the sweet voice of the medicine woman harmonizing with the music, it brings you great comfort, the medicine man, with an audible noise, blows tobacco smoke into your back, right at your heart, and touches the top of your head with his hand, you feel the energy coming through you, it is powerful medicine. When the purging is complete, you feel a great weight lifted, a lightness comes over your spirit, it’s all gone, you place your hands over your heart, it begins to overflow with love, you weep, but now it’s time to dance and hold space, once again you place your hands on the stone ground, the air now feels warmer, you shed the blanket and put your bare feet on the earth. You begin to dance freely, like you have never danced in your life, with passion, unafraid, knowing it will bring joy to your heart and those who also made the journey with you. It is clear to you that your purpose is to love and hold space for others making the same journey, all journeying through different levels of happiness, sadness and pain, souls that are awake or trying to awaken. You love each and every one of them, in a completeness that can’t be described in words, at least not in words that are familiar to you. In the same way you are trying to hold space and provide love for those around you, there are those special humans journeying with you, who are there to be of service to all, occasionally wafting over you some incense, sage, tobacco smoke, or refreshing fragrance spritzes, wafted in the air on feathers, a gentle kiss on your forehead, a rub on the back, all to ease your journey, show love, appreciation, and gratitude for simply being present. It is magical in this place, the best of humanity, the perfection of the masculine and feminine form, human spirits awakening. You know in your heart you will never be the same, the magic of this spiritual world, at least some of it is coming back with you, or just maybe it is what you are leaving behind that matters most?
Ceremony Three - Meeting & Being
Your belly is angry right from the start, it is difficult to purge, but you finally manage to let go, and expel what seems to be some remaining bits of self doubt and self-loathing, nothing like the night before, it is over quicky, and early, you know it is time to move your body, you again touch the cool earth with your hands, then your feet, and begin to stretch and gain your balance for what you know is to be the night of your life, and then meeting your full authentic self for the first time, dancing and singing in this ceremony like you have never done before, showing as much love and gratitude as your heart can muster. You pick a maraca and begin to keep time with the music, as you dance and love, beyond that there is no care, do doubt, just the most authentic version of you for which you have ever known. It was who you were born to be, without the damage to self that human life brings, it is the most freeing and perfect feeling. This plateau is so human and familiar, as if you have been here many times. Once again there is awareness that magic is coming back from this spiritual plane with you, you are certain of it, but more importantly, you are leaving a full bucket of pain behind, it brings joy to your heart and a smile to your face. Your heart is healing, the medicine is working. You sing out and toss in some whistling on occasion, it’s about being human here, the music is you and you are the music, you celebrate with fellow spiritual travelers, a guitar, drums, maracas, and singing, the songs ring out in the night, a celebration of this place, the beauty of the ceremony, the souls that faced fear and made the journey, and the healing that is happening.
For me, finally meeting and being the full authentic version of Joshua, as I was born and named, just as I was intended, with all my love and natural talent, and the flawed perfection of our humanness, that answers the most important question of my life.
Muchos gracias Mamá Aya.
Dedicated to all the souls that made the journey with me, I could never thank each of you enough for the gift I have received. So grateful for each of you.
Joshua
“Nothing on the top but a bucket and a mop, and an illustrated book about birds, you see a lot up there but don’t be scared” Plateau, The Meat Puppets
On the Instagram: Chakrana PV
