Mamo Lorenzo, by M Hurwich Winding through Colombia’s Sierra Nevadas, my mule clambered up a steep trail. I was entranced--and scared, especially when the mule's hoof slipped and I lurched to balance my weight in the saddle.
Why make this journey? To stay the evening in a Kogi village. To make offerings. And to learn from elders of this indigenous people. People who, centuries ago, fled our world to preserve their own—and only recently renewed contact with us.
Kogi “mamos” reinforced what I’d learned from shamans on prior journeys. And brought new perspective on why we're on the planet.
Why make this journey? To stay the evening in a Kogi village. To make offerings. And to learn from elders of this indigenous people. People who, centuries ago, fled our world to preserve their own—and only recently renewed contact with us.
Kogi “mamos” reinforced what I’d learned from shamans on prior journeys. And brought new perspective on why we're on the planet.
It's not a Divine Job Description...or Death from Consumption
So much of today’s dialog about path and purpose is an ego-centric version of the corporate planning I led for years. What’s the right destination? How do we get there ASAP?
There’s some “thing” we should be doing, with associated goals and deadlines. But it ain’t happening, despite a plethora of skills and information. So begins a failure-based internal dialog: “What’s wrong with me that I can’t try harder? And barely have the energy to explore why?”
To the Kogi, this way of being sets us on a course that exhausts ourselves at the same time as we deplete scarce resources in our world. And, it puts us in a false center of the universe in a way that separates us from it and the true joy of being.
There’s some “thing” we should be doing, with associated goals and deadlines. But it ain’t happening, despite a plethora of skills and information. So begins a failure-based internal dialog: “What’s wrong with me that I can’t try harder? And barely have the energy to explore why?”
To the Kogi, this way of being sets us on a course that exhausts ourselves at the same time as we deplete scarce resources in our world. And, it puts us in a false center of the universe in a way that separates us from it and the true joy of being.
An Alternative: Playful Exchange
Seed Pod, by M Hurwich The world is constantly presenting opportunities for interaction, most of which we ignore. What about playful exchange as an alternative way to look at why we're here on the planet?
The Kogi believe an essential human function is simply noticing special objects around us, and helping them go from one place to another in a heart-oriented way. As if we're bees carrying pollen. Or weavers connecting spots on the planet we don't even know are sacred.
For example, after the Kogi shared this practice with us, I spent some time each day with the intention of being aware of my surroundings. Sometimes I’d see a stone that felt like it might want to travel. If so, I’d pick it up, stand with it a moment with the intention of getting permission. Sometimes it felt like a “yes.” Sometimes a “no.” If it was a yes, I’d thank the stone for letting me be a conduit, and hold it thoughtfully...also adding my wishes to it, making this an intentional offering process.
A friend pointed out that we do a practice like this often with ideas. Someone shares an interesting thought--and we're a vehicle for it to get from the person who shared it to others. He liked the notion of holding ourselves as a simple conduit for such ideas. It makes the transmission easier, and involves the ego less.
The Kogi believe an essential human function is simply noticing special objects around us, and helping them go from one place to another in a heart-oriented way. As if we're bees carrying pollen. Or weavers connecting spots on the planet we don't even know are sacred.
For example, after the Kogi shared this practice with us, I spent some time each day with the intention of being aware of my surroundings. Sometimes I’d see a stone that felt like it might want to travel. If so, I’d pick it up, stand with it a moment with the intention of getting permission. Sometimes it felt like a “yes.” Sometimes a “no.” If it was a yes, I’d thank the stone for letting me be a conduit, and hold it thoughtfully...also adding my wishes to it, making this an intentional offering process.
A friend pointed out that we do a practice like this often with ideas. Someone shares an interesting thought--and we're a vehicle for it to get from the person who shared it to others. He liked the notion of holding ourselves as a simple conduit for such ideas. It makes the transmission easier, and involves the ego less.
I Still Have My Calendar
That doesn’t mean abandoning calendars and our traditional jobs. But it might mean relaxing, and opening up to additional possibilities.
I planned to write this blog last week, but my partner Gale invited me to go to the woods to make offerings…I checked in. It felt right to shift.
I brought a tiny stone with me that I’d picked up working with the Kogi. As I walked in woods, I checked every now and then to sense if the stone wanted to be deposited. I found a small stream, and left it there. Gale left offerings too.
Shortly after, I saw a stag with enormous antlers. And then a deer came to us and licked Gale’s hand. Neither of those ever happened before. Coincidence?
What other marvels might happen, if we allowed them?
Experiment. Try this out for yourself. Notice not just what occurs, but any change of feeling you experience about yourself, and your connection to the world. It might be a small shift…yet a powerful one.
Let me know what you discover!
I planned to write this blog last week, but my partner Gale invited me to go to the woods to make offerings…I checked in. It felt right to shift.
I brought a tiny stone with me that I’d picked up working with the Kogi. As I walked in woods, I checked every now and then to sense if the stone wanted to be deposited. I found a small stream, and left it there. Gale left offerings too.
Shortly after, I saw a stag with enormous antlers. And then a deer came to us and licked Gale’s hand. Neither of those ever happened before. Coincidence?
What other marvels might happen, if we allowed them?
Experiment. Try this out for yourself. Notice not just what occurs, but any change of feeling you experience about yourself, and your connection to the world. It might be a small shift…yet a powerful one.
Let me know what you discover!
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