A year of MAGIC! Also, some realism. Twenty Seventeen allowed me so much introspection and reflection on life – glorious physical, mental, spiritual LIFE! Also, death. Not so glorious physically or mentally, but spiritually: a profundity (RIP to the many souls I knew who departed our physical space in that time).
TIME: what a gift! I was afforded much of it last year… time to explore countries and hop over continents from east to west and north to south; to seek truth and experience growth towards my higher self. Time to spend with beloved family (as I write this, I’m watching over my dad while he exercises in the retirement home’s mini gym, diligently climbing onto each machine in a clockwise direction with the orderly fashion of the civil engineer he used to be and the discipline of the brilliant hockey player he once was). Time to spend with old friends who long ago moved out of South Africa (I arrived armed with boxes of Rooibos tea and Ouma rusks) and time to make new friends around the world (I’ve come a long way from the painfully shy Sub-A girl who used to really not like it when the teacher asked me to bring a note to another classroom for fear of getting lost in the corridors…)
My mind keeps wandering back to Bali, where my travels began. I don’t know why exactly I went there – I just felt drawn to it. And I’ve learnt to trust my inner compass, for what I found on that magical island was LIFE-CHANGING…
Those are bold words, I know, but at a cacao ceremony in a treehouse somewhere (and those are odd words, I know), I discovered a place filled with more love and grace than I think I’ve ever experienced – where a tribe of strangers helped reveal the very essence of this life on Earth.
When I went to seek out the traditional healer Wayan (of Eat, Pray, Love fame), I met a girl in her shop who invited me to a cacao ceremony the following Monday night. I didn’t know what a cacao ceremony was, but my first thought was that it sounds like we get chocolate there so naturally, I’m in! Two days later I made my way through the bustling streets of Ubud, map in hand and curiosity brimming as to what I would discover on this balmy night… (It turned out that my first discovery would be just how much sweat I could produce from climbing up endless stairs and winding pathways, sometimes narrowly missing traffic that rushed past the almost non-existent pavements. And how ridiculous I’d been to pack jeans for this island trip).
As I rounded one of the last corners on the map I must have looked a little lost. A beautiful olive-skinned girl with brown wavy hair arrived on the back of a scooter taxi; a shiny stud adorning her nose and a frangipani tucked behind her ear. She hopped off the bike, smiled at me serenely and asked if I was looking for the cacao ceremony. She had a peaceful radiance about her and seemed to float with the grace and wisdom of someone who knew an ancient secret… I nodded as I scrambled after her, sweaty and disheveled from my long walk; eager to learn of this transformative power that had bestowed her with such presence. She explained that the place we were about to enter was “like church, but for spiritual people.” Oh thank God, I thought.
My long physical journey to get to this place (both the island and the treehouse) was a prelude to the sublime spiritual journey on which I was about to embark…
We arrived at the most beautiful wooden treehouse nestled in a jungle of lush greenery. I watched as she took off her sandals and presented herself at the doorway, arms outstretched so she resembled Jesus on the cross while she received a ceremonial smudge wand. The smoke from the burning sage was waved around her whole body from fingertips to toes, and then mine, to cleanse our auras before we entered the sacred space. This special home made of bamboo and thatch opened out to verdant green vegetation that seemed to overflow with magical life energy; a dense jungle befitting of Mowgli. Two big round gongs stood statuesque in their golden glory and made me think of something you’d find at a Buddhist temple. Behind them a bunch of multi-coloured scatter cushions were strewn across the floor and in the centre of the airy shelter was the most magnificent mandala made of flowers, arranged with intricate detail in the shape of a heart – a burst of intense colour in the literal heart of the room!
Candles and incense added to the dreamy feel of this intimate gathering of around thirty people. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this evening but I felt a curious sense of anticipation. I went to find my seat on one of the scatter cushions and sat cross-legged and wide-eyed as I observed…
I observed the small group of people who would lead this ceremony: two girls in white flowy tasseled dresses that made their tanned skin look even darker; their faces decorated with nose rings and framed by dreamcatcher necklaces and earrings; fine ankle bracelets adorned their bare feet. Real feathers and tattoos of feathers were embedded in the hair and on the bodies of these elegant girls. One held a wooden tambourine with a picture of a dragonfly etched into it and the other sat in Lotus position in front of a mic. Next to her was her friendly-faced fiancé; his long dark hair falling down nearly far enough to reach his guitar; and next to him another bearded man with a box drum between his hands.
I observed girls in beads and boho dresses with tie dyed prints; guys wearing harem pants and headbands. One man wore a black shirt with the words ‘VEGAN IS PEACE’ boldly written across his chest in white letters. A mozzie landed on my arm and started to suck my blood so I swatted at it with my right hand, but as I did so I suddenly felt self-conscious and hoped the vegans hadn’t seen me do that… I was relieved to see that I had missed the insect and resolved not to intentionally kill any of them (at least for the rest of the evening).
The quartet welcomed us warmly and introduced themselves as Elah, Ausierra, Sebatierra and Reggie Riverbear. They began the ceremonial singing accompanied by their earthy instruments. The songs were simple and repetitive enough to grasp quickly and I started to sing along with the others, quietly at first. I was acutely aware of what a wacky, hippie crowd this was (by normal societal standards), as Ausierra lifted her hands up to the sky to give thanks to Great Spirit and then bowed down to Mother Earth. With her strong, soothing voice and American accent she furthered her thanksgiving prayers:
“We give thanks to the East, the spiritual yellow fire direction, may you fuel our determination and illuminate our spirit to enlighten our brothers and our sisters…
To the South, the emotional red water direction, show us how to balance the lessons of life and trust in the plan that you have chosen for us…
And to the West, the physical black earth direction, give us the insight to be aware of the sensations of our bodies so that we continuously send positive energy throughout this good Earth…
To the North, the mental white wind direction, we look to you for the logic and the wisdom to create a sustainable existence upon this planet…
To the sacred cosmos of infinite knowing, infinite being, infinite connectedness, we see you; we ARE you. And to our within, may we manifest a path of self-realization and initiation upon the mysteries of life to lead us to the very core of our BEING!”
The people gathered here were humming quietly; their eyes closed and their bodies swaying from side to side. At first I laughed at the thought of others seeing me here at a crazy hippie gathering with this bunch of nutters; next thing I had tears streaming down my face as I felt a deep presence wash over me. It reminded me of a saying in the Christian tradition that goes something like: ‘When two or more are gathered in my name…’
I could feel Great Spirit right here with me. Or Yahweh, Universe, Allah, Being, God, Source…. whatever you want to call the life force that dwells within each of us and every living thing; the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent energy field that is greater than us and also a part of us.
I was handed a glass of the darkest, richest, silkiest cacao that I’ve ever tasted. If there is a NECTAR OF THE GODS, this must be it. I wanted to down it all in one shot and ask for more but instead I allowed the warm velvety liquid to linger on my tongue as my taste buds delighted in their most superlative discovery yet. Bursts of chocolate and orange and cinnamon flavours danced down my throat and warmed my entire body. Not bitter yet not sweet, this magical elixir was pure decadent PERFECTION. Ausierra called on the beautiful benevolent cacao spirit to fill our hearts and to heal our relationships with others, with the land and with ourselves. (I think my relationship with anything and everything had just been healed;)
We continued to sing songs about life and love and healing. Ausierra led the ceremony and declared that we were going on a journey with the soul of this medicine; to align ourselves with original BLISS. We sat with our hands open at our knees and sang about our cups and our hearts and our lives being filled with grace. We released resentments as we sang a slow song about letting go of what no longer serves us; we gave gratitude as we sang: “Thank you for this opportunity to breathe in… thank you for this opportunity to breathe ouuut…”
We clapped our hands to an upbeat tempo and chimed: “Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worryyy, you’re being taken care of by the Univer-er-erse!” I smiled as we sang more lyrics like “open your mind, cultivate your soul”, “say YES to life” and “with the power of intention you create your reality” and I thought about how this stuff should be taught in schools, THIS stuff right here should be mainstream education for kids and accessible to all adults… if everyone were doing this the world would be a better place! (Chocolate and songs and songs about chocolate could literally save us.)
By now we were all humming loudly with the drumbeat and my body felt like it was vibrating. I stood up to dance around the room, oftentimes looking up at a cluster of stars in the dark night sky and thanking Source for leading me to this. THIS! Then closing my eyes again to feel the rich love that was present here. One song ended with whistles and giggles and bird calls as we started to chant into the next one. We all stood in a circle holding hands and I laughed as I wondered if we were about to sing Kumbaya… Instead we sang “I am a song, I am a light, I am a heart, it beats with life…” I was happy to notice that some people were as tone deaf as me; sometimes I heard angels singing but at other times I thought we sounded like a bunch of dying cats. But it was beautiful and I felt euphoric. (Elah did assure us earlier that there were no psychedelics in the elixir we’d imbibed – he said it’s made of pure cacao, water, cinnamon and orange essential oil.) Whatever I’d had, I raised my hands to the Universe and sang “…from the seaaa… to the treeee… to the flower of this life… to the lo-ove, to the lo-ove, to the love that you are…” We were all swaying now, eyes closed, faces and hands up to the sky, drinking in the loving forces that we felt around us. These beautiful melodies filled the air and I stared at the stars above with wonder… so far away and yet part of us all.
When I first joined this group I felt like an observant outsider. Now I felt like I’d found myself; like this IS me. I looked at the girl who had told me about this place and chuckled, knowing that she’s a banker back in Denmark and seeing her so far removed from that environment here – wearing a dark green and purple boho dress and singing hippie songs in a treehouse in Bali. This is fantastic, I thought.
Three hours later we were still singing and I realized just how fast time passes when you’re doing something in a state of immense LOVE. I felt like we were all vibrating at a higher frequency; like we could have easily continued for another three hours. We were led into a collective “OHMMM” followed by closing thanks given again to the East, West, North and South. It was now late in the evening and we lay flat on our backs in Shavasana. The flames from four white candles surrounding the flower heart flickered in the darkness as our ears were treated to the soulful sounds of a Native American flute being played over our heads. Someone sounded the golden gongs and their reverberations moved through our cells as we lay still in our spiritual trance.
Some time later we were invited to a vegan feast downstairs. A doorway in the floor was opened to reveal a spiral staircase that descended to a cosy kitchen and lounge area where a light home-cooked meal of delectable plant-based food awaited us. Every now and then some people would break out in song during our meal, as if we hadn’t done enough singing already! Energy was literally overflowing here. I felt so lucky and grateful to have experienced this and I was already looking forward to coming here every Monday night for the rest of my month in Bali. What joy! What catharsis! What mesmerizing magic! (What delicious chocolate!!)
It has made me more aware of veganism – not just the idea, but the type of people who practice this lifestyle. If love and compassion, gentleness and generosity are the cornerstones of such a life, then I want to be a part of it. It has also made me think that vegans may be a largely misunderstood bunch, as I’d personally discovered through my immediate reaction of guilt when I’d tried to kill the mozzie earlier that evening and wondered if “the vegans” would be angry with me. I realized the stigma with which their ideology is perceived – that they can sometimes be seen as critical people who pass judgement from an elevated stance of self righteousness. I think where things may have gone askew are in the ways in which they share their ideas with the world…
Most vegans are vegan for ethical reasons and I’ve observed their intense passion for this cause; and it is this very PASSION that can sometimes be channeled in a way that unwittingly offends the unassuming meat eater. Ultimately the vegan’s attempt at championing their cause may backfire and create a sense of hostility – the antithesis of the very values for which the ideology stands. (If veganism errs it is when it unintentionally parades as a dogmatic religion instead of leading by example through gentleness and kindness.)
MY understanding is that veganism is about conscious living and awareness; being thoughtful about our choices and aware of how they affect others and our Earth. It’s about showing respect and extending kindness to every living being and thereby creating a more compassionate World. It’s about a SPIRITUAL revolution. What I love is that it has made me so much more aware of where my food comes from and what a massive disconnect there has been between what I put in my mouth and the process whereby it has reached my plate. I think most of us don’t even want to give that process any thought – we’d rather turn a blind eye and remain within the comfortable parameters of our habitual tendencies, without questioning it…
But what if we did question it? What if we question everything that has become mainstream in society? What if people who eat animals were the odd ones and we thought the concept of displaying dead flesh in shop refrigerators for people to consume seemed totally bizarre? (Which is the way it’s starting to look to me…) I love the thought of eating of LIFE and not of death. I haven’t managed to make a full transition to veganism (yet), but I feel happy in the knowledge that I’m doing my best right now. It is a process; a very personal journey that should be taken and shared with care.
(I’m proud of my brother who recently started to embrace the lifestyle of a ‘weekday vegetarian.’ What if the successful Meat-free Monday campaign that was started by the McCartney family [of Paul and Stella fame] were even just extended to all weekdays… can you imagine the compound effect worldwide?! And the potential transformation thereafter…)
All I know is that that night in the treehouse (and the subsequent evenings I spent there) gave me an overwhelming sense of love and awe. THIS introduction to veganism was the most beautifully evocative and touching experience. It opened my eyes and mind and heart – literally – the girl who led me to the ceremony told me that raw cacao makes your heart muscle beat forty times faster, making it a powerful heart-opener. It is a healing medicine that assists in our awakening. By channeling the wisdom of cacao spirit we’re able to undergo deep transformative realization; a spiritual alchemy. In gratitude we gathered; and with gratitude I continue my life’s journey with those songs ever-present in my head and their effects permeating my heart.
Now what if the feather-wearing flute-playing vegan hippies who sing happy love songs at cacao ceremonies in treehouses weren’t the weird ones but rather the norm? (What a different world it would BE!!) 🌱
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