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Published: September 15th 2009
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My real reason for rushing back to Guatemala was the start of the Moon course in San Marcos La Laguna. Far more hippy and low-key than San Pedro, the lakeside lanes are home to crystal healers, massage therapists and herbal remedies as well as the locals selling fruit, veg and cake.
The village is also home to a meditation and yoga centre called Las Pyramides; here I will make my home for a month and try to get to the bottom of who I really am. This is the objective of the Moon Course; to give you time, space and exercises designed to help you think about your own reality. It teaches you the techniques for lucid dreaming and meditation, stretches your body into balance and gives you the lowdown on sorting your chakras from your Kabbalah. Without being at all pushy or pretentious, the guru Chaty teaches and guides through knowledge, personal experience and utter genuineness.
The centre was started by Guatemalan psychologist Chaty after receiving a message in an out-of-body experience in 1977. She was told that her mission in life would be to start a centre to teach, people from all four cardinal points of the
Inside the pyramid...
This was sucha cosy little space, I loved living here, Just enough room to stash your bag, a comfy bed and a little desk with palm mat flooring. The best bit was the glass pointed roof where you could lie and bask in the moonlight on a clear night! world would come. The place would be built by a body of water and three natural pyramids (the lake and the volcanoes), and so her quest began, first to learn, then to pass on her knowledge. Despite how it sounds it's not about conversion to a cult but essentially about realising the power that we all have in our own minds.
The weeks are themed by the elements of earth, water, air and fire; relating to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the self. The final week is a retreat, which means absolute silence (no books, internet or hand signals), fasting on a liquid only diet, sweating it out in the sauna and self-reflection for five days, culminating in the full moon ceremony.
So, if you can believe it, I have been a vegetarian, tee-totaller and a good little Moonie for a month! It's been made much easier by the location, it's such a beautiful place with a back-drop of volcanoes and the inviting waters of the lake. After our 7am yoga class we relax over breakfast, prepare for our 10am class, swim in the lake, return for meditation at 5pm, cook a healthy dinner and
get ready for an early night!
For the retreat were given a task to delve deep and could write about ourselves, and of course lie in the garden, meditate, and swim in the beautiful lake of lago Atitlan. I thought this would be hard since I love to make a noise and sing a lot but it was surprisingly easy!! Of course, you are always talking, it's just in your head instead! I felt very happy the whole way through but I couldn't hang my head and avoid smiling like others did, I still smiled at my friends and waved at people. We ate only liquid fruit smoothies and soups, but no starchy fruit or veg like potatoes or bananas and definitely no fat like coconut or avocados, no salt or sugar or garlic, herbs or onions. Never before have I stuck to a diet either but I did this time, it helps having so many tropical fruits on your doorstep though. Fasting helps the body to rid itself of toxins as it's not wasting energy on digestion, it also clears the mind and promotes clarity for thought...and this works too...I wrote so much and had great clarity with
no mental blocks. We also had fresh herbs teas and herbal saunas to help detox...my skin looks great!
The only hardship about living here are the daily rantings from the local aho braodcast their sermons on loud speakers every night and morning accompanied by the most atrocious, out of tune singing I have ever heard. Apparently all this is to keep the hurricanes away!
I feared it might be a bit hippy but the people here are all totally normal, of the eight of us who have stayed the whole course, two are English, two are Australian and the other three are Israeli, French and Spanish. We've bonded really well and shared tales of toilet troubles, a liver cleanse diet, cooking tips and finally, silence...
This is a very short account of what has been a long journey - suffice to say it has been an enlightening experience and has made a big impact on my life. Now, that does not mean I am now dreadlocked, wearing orange robes and chiming bells but that I've had time to think and clear some issues in my mind, what it's all about really is finding the real you. I'm here, where I always have been but can see things a little clearer and have a whole lot of peace (man)!
Las Pyramides
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