(This is the second installment of a series of posts describing my experiences in San Marcos, Guatemala from November 7th up to the present time. Subsequent posts will follow very soon.)
Peace and calm presence vibrate through my soul. My eyes are closed, but I can occasionally feel the warm touch of Nadia’s hands as she gently places her fingers in my palms or on my third eye. I can feel the quiet tingling energy running up and down my spine. The faint image of a large eye fades in and out of my visualization as swirls of violet and orange dazzle my imagination.
Minutes later, I discuss today’s Reiki 1 attunement experience with Nadia. She excitedly tells me that the ancient Mayan spirits often communicate via the symbolism of eyes. “Hmmm” I think to myself as I remember my first powerful energy experience nearly three years ago – an impromptu 3:00 a.m. meditation where a pair of eyes appeared in a black star-filled sky, simultaneously accompanied by a powerful rush of Kundalini energy in my spine. “Could it be?”
I am not preoccupied with the thought – I simply bask in the glow of peace as I joyfully reminisce back to my first Reiki 1 initiation – one given to me by my friend Sam during the Moon Course last May. That joyful memory feels like a lifetime ago. Back then, I had no desire to ever use Reiki – I had no idea why I even felt an inner desire to be initiated – but I intuitively knew in my heart that receiving the Reiki attunements was an important step in my path.
Today, Monday Nov 8, 2010, I have a completely different intuition. “I don’t know in what way,” I think silently to myself, “but Reiki and other types of intuitive energy work will definitely be a part of my future.”
I am half way through Nadia’s holistic healing class – loving every minute of the experience. I giggle as I remember my staunch resistance just five weeks ago. So far I have learned basic routines for Neuro-Lymphatic massage, Reflexology, Shiatsu Massage, and Auricular (ear points) therapy. While I am still not sure if I will ever incorporate such therapies into my exterior life, a deep sense of internal knowing reminds me that I have consistently been doing things that I never ever imagined could or would be a part of my path.
“Brenda, lower your defenses and keep your mind open,” I silently remind myself.
Tummy Bliss
How do you define awkward? Well for me, one way would be the idea of performing a deep therapeutic massage on someone’s tummy.
Beginning on Tuesday, and lasting for the remainder of the week, that is exactly what we begin to learn in class – a practice called Chi Nei Tsung. I quickly learn that Chi Nei Tsung is a form of massage designed to energize and assist the many digestive organs of our body – beginning with the large intestines and their two main valves, continuing with the small intestines, and then focusing on the liver, gall bladder, stomach, pancreas, spleen, and psoas muscles.
As Nadia performs a full massage on my intestinal area, I am quite eager to see how the treatment helps me with my own digestive dilemmas. I feel as if I have been partially blocked for a very long time. Pressing on my intestines has long revealed a tender-to-the-touch hardness. “Could a simple massage help relieve the blockages?” I ask myself.
As Nadia finishes her treatment on me, deep relaxation permeates my whole body. My abdomen feels amazingly tranquil – almost blissful. I quickly commit to myself that I will learn the massage techniques well – that on a periodic as-needed basis, I will perform them on myself to promote my own well-being.
I giggle the next morning when I step into the shower. As I look down at my belly button, the little “inny” is surrounded by swollen red skin rashes for a couple of inches in all directions. Nadia had taught us that abdominal toxicity, when released, often manifests itself as red blotchy skin around the belly button.
“Wow,” I think to myself. “The tummy massage really did release a lot of toxins.”
The toxic redness is so pronounced that it does not fully disappear for another 24 hours.
As we practice on each other in class, I quickly overcome my awkward feelings. I realize that I have absolutely no qualms about letting someone else work on my own abdomen – in fact I appreciate and enjoy having the work done. This awareness allows me to recognize that any clients or friends who request such a massage would likely feel the same way.
While I am still unsure as to whether I will ever be a hands-on body healer, I am thrilled to have a much greater understanding of my own physical wonder. It is actually quite fun to know where each of my major organs is located.
“Empowerment” would be a great word to describe how I feel when I think about the increased awareness regarding my own health.
Bee Consciousness
Thursday evening, as Sandra and I are enjoying an after-dinner chat, she casually mentions her confused surprise at having earlier discovered four or five bees buzzing around in our apartment during lunch time.
We both brush the occurrence off as a fun and interesting story. Neither of us has even the slightest clue as to the adventure into which we are about to be immersed.
An hour or two later, long after cool darkness has consumed the surrounding neighborhood, Sandra and I are quite surprised to observe Keith walking up to our front door. With pronounced excitement, one of the first things he shares with us is his enthusiasm about having seen a large swarm of bees gathering in a tree along the road between his home and the center of town.
Keith eagerly tells us that bee swarms are one of the symbolisms relating to the movement of Christ Consciousness in the earth. It is obvious that Keith is deeply energized by his “bee” sighting. Electricity fills the air as he continues to share the wonder of his experience. Sandra and I grow equally excited as we listen to Keith’s animated and mesmerizing story.
Later, as I perform a little internet research of my own, I find a small web site that further elaborates, stating that “Bee Consciousness” is the consciousness of love, and that the “Queen Bee” is the holder of the Christ Consciousness and sacred love embedded within the earth.
But I don’t need such outside research to confirm what I feel inside as Keith shares his magical story. Deep inner peace vibrates within my soul as I energetically recognize the symbolic connections in my own life.
Could it be that increased Christ Consciousness is on the move?
Early Friday morning, I take note of the fact that a few honey bees are flying around in my bedroom. It seems quite strange that the little buzzers would still be here, especially so close to sunrise. Our windows and shutters are not air-tight, so there are plenty of openings where the little honey-makers could have easily escaped – allowing them to return to their hive.
Then, as I step out into the living room/kitchen area, I am quite surprised to observe at least six more of the little winged-wonders exploring the large tree-trunk-like wooden beams of the ceiling area.
“Why are they hanging out around here?” I begin to question with curious awe. “What could all of this mean? What are these bees trying to communicate?”
I briefly step out to a small store just up the path and around the corner. When I return, my arms are full with a heavy five-gallon water bottle as I pass under the closed shutters of my second-story bedroom window. With a quick intuitive upward glance, I notice that a small group of bees seem to be flying around just outside my bedroom window.
“What’s with all of this bee attention?” I again ponder with fascination. I begin to suspect that a swarm may have established a nearby hive, possibly in the roof – but the thought quickly fades as I scurry about the process of making a quick bowl of oatmeal topped with honey and fresh papaya.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m., as I again walk down the steps on my way to my final Chi Nei Tsung class at Nadia’s, I bump into Miguel – a sweet young Mayan man who is the caretaker for our property. Getting his attention, I casually point toward my window shutters high above the path. I giggle as we both observe the continued flurry of bee activity around my window.
Left Brain Disconnect
Friday afternoon, after completing a short half-day class at Nadia’s, I set my sights on another passionate quest. Too much time has passed since my last private session with Keith. Strong internal guidance tells me that today will be the day in which I remedy that situation.
For several days now, I have intuitively felt an internal longing telling me that now is the time to explore the possibilities of a deeper right brain experience. All the talk about bees and an expansion of Christ Consciousness has only served to heighten my desires to pursue a more profound oneness connection with the divine.
As usual, my session with Keith is quite different and unique. After trying several methods of guided meditations that seem to be taking me nowhere fast, Keith suggests that we try something else – something that his guides are showing him might work with me.
As I close my eyes and make my usual intuitive connections with Higher Self, Keith instructs me to imagine that my left and right brains are like large computers, each controlling certain functions of my consciousness.
“Brenda,” Keith begins to guide me, “I want you to ask your Higher Self to assist you by unplugging one of the circuit boards in your left brain’s computer.”
When Keith asks how I am doing, I inform him that I feel no difference whatsoever. Keith surprises me by telling me that this is exactly the answer that he was looking for.
“The fact that nothing happened, and that everything still feels perfectly normal, will help your rational mind have the courage and trust to continue with this experiment.” Keith tells me with confidence.
Keith’s display of self-assurance is exactly what I need to get out of my head – to stop resisting what seems to be a silly imaginary process.
“Go back into meditation,” Keith continues, “and ask your Higher Self to pull some more of those left-brain circuit boards.”
Again, I do as Keith instructs. I visualize a constant stream of circuit boards being disengaged from my left brain, one after another after another. I cannot actually see the process with my inner eyes, but I can imagine and feel it happening just the same. At first I sense no difference whatsoever. Keith continues to guide me into pulling more and more boards.
Finally, after what seems like a very long time, I unexpectedly reach a deeply peaceful state in which I feel as if I am simply drifting through outer space. A sense of budding oneness with the Universe brushes against my heart, but I am also fully aware that I continue to feel quite separate. Nevertheless, I do recognize my experience as a deep sensation of connection and participation with all that is.
I describe to Keith that I feel as if I am occasionally being sucked through twisting wormholes, after which I drift by clusters of various nebulas and expansive multi-colored star formations. While my visualization remains quite faint, I actually do see myself floating around, sometimes drifting quite slowly, other times feeling quickly pulled from one place to another.
“Brenda,” Keith interjects, “I just wanted to let you know that your Higher Self has put all of your left-brain circuit boards back in place. Can you feel the difference?”
Surprise fills my awareness as Keith utters those unexpected words. No, I cannot feel any difference whatsoever. What Keith has successfully done is to show me that my left brain can remain fully engaged while allowing me to continue enjoying such a deep right-brain experience.
As I walk home later on that magical afternoon, I am thrilled by the progress that I seem to be making. A feeling of joyful confidence reassures me that perhaps the type of divine connection I seek may be closer than I could possibly imagine. On the other hand, I am peacefully aware that I need not concern myself with such thoughts. All I need to do is to trust and remain present, one precious moment at a time.
Bee Discoveries
Friday evening, the influx of bees is slightly more pronounced. As many as eight to ten of the little love messengers continue to fly around the living room at any given time. Later, I note that several of them are fascinated by the glowing light bulb in my bedroom as I prepare to climb under my warm covers. A few are even rock-climbing on the off-white concrete wall, directly above my fluffy pillow. Peaceful curiosity settles into my tired mind as I drift off to dreamland – joyfully focusing on this afternoon’s amazing right-brain journey.
Saturday morning, as Sandra and I make preparations to take a little trip to Panajachel, I am quite perplexed by the constantly increasing bee traffic – traffic that is now becoming quite pronounced. Even more bees are buzzing around wildly, bumping repeatedly into the 60 watt light bulb above my twin bed.
“Check your window,” a little Jedi voice whispers silently in my inner ear.
I don’t know why this obvious thought had never crossed my mind before this moment.
One of the things that I love about my apartment is the large windows. The window opening in my bedroom is perhaps five feet wide and four feet tall. On the inside are two large sliding glass panes encased in wooden frames. Covering the exterior, large wooden shutters open outward.
When the shutters are opened wide, fresh air and sunlight are free to penetrate my small ten-foot-square bedroom. When closed, the room is quite dark – but in typical Guatemalan style, the window is anything but air-tight. Little gaps around the edges provide ample space for bits of light and airborne critters to come and go as they please.
Following my intuition, I approach my window for the first time in several days, focusing my gaze on the six inches of dead space between the window panes and the currently-closed shutters. After my eyes adjust to the dimness, I begin to giggle as I recognize a large, almost volleyball-size swarm of bees clustered in the upper middle of the window cavity.
“Sandra,” I exclaim with joyful giggles, “come and see what I found.”
Bee Gone
Because I worked with a professional bee keeper for two summers during my last two years of high school, I have absolutely no fear of these little mystical wonders. But I do realize that letting them live where they are would be totally impractical.
“What to do?” I ask myself, thinking about how I might take matters into my own hand.
The bees are thickly clustered in an oblong ball right at the upper middle of the window cavity. There is no way to move any of the windows or shutters without directly agitating their home. Yet a calm peaceful feeling gives me the courage to begin.
Instinctively, I grab a stick of copal incense and light the end, causing a small stream of smoke to float upward. Holding the incense near the base of the crack between the two sliding windows, I wait patiently while the window cavity begins to fill with smoke. But much of the smoke leaks out through the shutters.
When not much happens, I carefully slide the left window pane about one foot to the right. The bees begin to move around, but do not seem particularly agitated. Continuing to feel quite peaceful, I carefully reach into the bottom of the window cavity, release the shutter latch, and slowly push the shutters outward. The majority of the bees stay exactly where they already are, seemingly determined to ignore my attempts to stimulate their flight.
Holding the smoking incense stick directly below the buzzing flurry of activity, I watch as many of the bees begin to scatter. Shock would be an appropriate word to describe my response when I realize that these little construction engineers have already built a section of honey comb, perhaps six inches tall and four inches across. It seems that these little migrant worker bees have literally staked out a new homestead, having been here for some time, and having plans to stay much longer than I had imagined.
At this point I realize that my tiny efforts will not be having any type of long-term effect. Sandra decides to take action into her own hands as she heads downstairs to look for Claudio, our landlord – a very sweet and soft-spoken gentleman from Italy.
Five minutes later, Claudio appears at our door holding a can of bug spray.
“NOOOoooooo,” Sandra calls out with passion as she races to the doorway. “We don’t want to kill them … we just want you to help us get them to leave. Please, please, don’t kill them.”
Claudio honors Sandra’s passionate plea for mercy and disappears back down the stairs to regroup. Minutes later, Miguel shows up with a bucket filled with ripped up newspaper that is covered with large green leaves. Miguel lights the paper and tries to keep the flames in check while pushing the smoking leaves up toward the bees. The bees move from here to there, but mostly remain within the confines of the window. They simply do not want to leave their new home. The window enclosure is dark, private, and has ample space in which to build new honeycomb. Why would the bees want to leave?
Miguel gives up and disappears momentarily to go find Claudio. Meanwhile, Sandra and I simply stand by the window giggling at each other. Suddenly I feel a slight pinch on my left forearm. Looking down, I notice a single lone bee with his tail stuck lightly under my skin. The poor little guy is trying to fly away but his stinger is keeping him anchored to my body. With a smile on my face and compassion in my heart, I gently brush him away, knowing that the act of stinging me has already sealed his fate. Using my right hand, I carefully check my skin to make sure the stinger is not still lodged.
Rather than feeling upset by my solitary bee sting, I actually feel quite honored. I remember Keith’s words regarding the “Christ Consciousness.” My memories also flash back to an experience during the Sun Course where Sandra received her first-ever bee sting. She had seen her own sting as a spiritual experience and that is exactly what I intend to do as well. I will see it as spiritual symbolism, giving me the message that an increase in my spiritual consciousness is on the way.
What happens next is almost comical. Claudio returns holding a broom. I giggle and retreat back by the bedroom door. I have no idea what Claudio is planning, but I instinctively know that I want to make a quick getaway should his actions begin to backfire. In a display of macho courage, Claudio opens the window half way and boldly uses the brush end to dislodge the honey comb, causing it to fall to the cobblestone path about twelve feet below. Bees begin to fly everywhere, but still do not seem excessively inclined to sting anyone.
I run downstairs to warn passers-by to beware as I continue to watch the unfolding scene from below. By now, Claudio is frantically swatting at the bees, trying to get them to leave, but all they do is swirl around in wild circles. Claudio continues to duck and swat at the bees, but still receives no stings. I am amazed by his blind and almost-furious determination.
Finally, Claudio gives up in frustration, realizing that he too is incapable of vanquishing these persistent homesteaders. As Claudio disappears out the front door, Sandra and I regroup in the bedroom near my wide-open window. The poor frightened bees have now formed two smaller clusters, one in each of the upper two corners of my window box. Large swarms are buzzing around frantically – scared and agitated by the life-threatening trauma through which they have just passed.
Reiki to the Rescue
Sandra and I look at the wild frantic bees. We both intuitively sense their feelings of sheer terror and panic.
“Let’s try sending them Reiki energy to help calm them down.” Sandra suggests with deep compassion in her voice.
Seconds later, the two of us are sitting on my bed, perhaps three feet from the window, holding our hands outstretched in loving meditation. With unconditional love in our hearts, we focus on the bees, sending them loving, peaceful, calming, gentle, and relaxing energy.
To my amazement, the bees gradually begin to quiet and relax. Ten minutes later, they have completely stopped their wild and frantic flight patterns. Instead, they have regrouped in the upper right corner of the window, again forming a small ball about the size of a grapefruit.
Bee Keeper Rescues
Within about fifteen more minutes, Claudio returns with an older Mayan man – a man who seems to have considerable experience in working with bee swarms. Showing no fear, the indigenous man casually pours some type of liquid on an old dirty rag and begins wiping the areas where the bees are congregating – gently pushing them away while rubbing the smelly compound all over the wood where they have just been resting.
The bees quickly leave the window itself, but instead begin to form a new cluster on the outer edges of the shutter, just outside the reach from where the Mayan gentleman is able to gently swat his rag.
“These are some determined and smart bees.” I think to myself as I again watch the scene from below.
It takes nearly another thirty minutes to complete the bee exorcism; but at last the remaining homesteaders give up and fly away to join the others who have now regrouped in the branches of a nearby tree.
Bee Possibilities
Sandra and I quickly return to joyful giggling as we begin to speculate regarding the possible symbolism of our powerful morning adventure.
My mind dances with the music of amazing synchronicities.
What are the chances that Keith would just happen to observe a swarm of bees on Thursday afternoon?
What are the chances that Keith would then feel an internal need to come over later that evening to share his experience with Sandra and I – also letting us know that some people believe that bee swarms represent the movement of Christ Consciousness.
What are the chances that Sandra would begin observing bees in our apartment at noon on exactly the same day – especially since both of us rarely go home during our lunch breaks?
What are the chances that the bees would continue to fly around in our apartment for two full evenings before we discovered that they had most likely been living in my window since Thursday morning?
What are the chances that all of these synchronicities would begin on the day before my right-brain consciousness experience with Keith, and that they would come to a conclusion on the morning after?
I cannot answer any of the above questions, nor could I prove in any way that any of these synchronicities were any more than just pure random acts of chance.
But a little candle in my heart glows warmly, telling me that answers and proof are not necessary. I feel the message loud and clear. The Universe is gently playing with me, letting me know that I am being carefully and joyfully guided – that I need not worry nor concern myself with the future – that my shifts in higher consciousness are in the works and that they will happen with perfect timing, exactly when the time is right.
Bees From the Past
Four weeks after the fact, as I begin to wrap up my words regarding this bee-utiful experience, I unexpectedly find my intuitive thoughts being whisked back to an energizing memory that occurred almost exactly nine months ago. It was the end of a magical Saturday in the tiny Mayan village of Santa Elena situated in the mountains of southwestern Belize. Earlier that morning I had met a man who told me about a flock of Toucan birds that were eating berries up on his cacao farm.
“If you come to my home this afternoon,” Mathias had told me, “I will have my children take you back to my farm to see if the Toucans are still there.”
That magical Saturday was my first exposure to the growing and harvesting of cacao. In the morning, just before meeting Mathias, I had spent time with a young Mayan girl named Brenda, watching in fascination as she spread her wet cacao seeds out on a concrete slab to dry in the hot sun. Then, later that same afternoon, I spent several hours with three of Mathias’s children, walking around the cacao trees on his farm, cutting open the seed pods, sampling the fruit and tasting the seeds – simply having a great time.
As we returned from the farm, arriving back at Mathias’s home, the children and I were quite surprised to be greeted by a large swarm of bees hanging out peacefully in the low branches of a small tree situated just thirty feet from Mathias’s front door. After taking several pictures of the energetic swarm, I had hung out with the bees for several minutes before returning to my guest-house room in preparation for dinner.
A strong sense of internal “knowing” suddenly tells me that my experiences in Belize on March 6 are intimately connected with the experiences about which I have been writing today.
Cacao was in integral part of that special day in Belize; and Keith – my favorite cacao expert – was an integral player in the unfolding events here in Guatemala. The only two bee swarms that I have seen in my entire life were both synchronously connected with cacao.
Could it be that the swarm of bees in Belize was actually a profound spiritual message – a message orchestrated in the past and sent nine months into the future – a message telling me that my raising of consciousness will be intimately connected both to cacao and to the amazing chocolate shaman who has already guided me through so much powerful and unimaginable growth?
As this question leaves my fingertips, the powerful vibrations running up and down my spine are enough of a confirmation for me. I am so intimately grateful for spiritual synchronicities – for the intuitions that continue to guide me in so many ways.
And all I need do is to “bee” – to bee present – to bee joyful – to bee in my heart – and to simply pay attention to the experiences in “bee-ing” that continue to constantly unfold all around me.
Copyright © 2010 by Brenda Larsen, All Rights Reserved