There is something magical that happens when you go into the tiny villages of the Yucatan. The quiet lives of the Maya people have a profound effect. The brilliant pinks of the bougainvillea flowers draped over the humble cement block homes complete with palm thatch roofs stirs something deep inside you. The children at play and the dogs napping in the road speak volumes that your soul hears and you mind feels but can’t quite understand.
Something is different. It’s poor but beautiful. There is a quality of freedom that pulls at you. The simple food smells so delicious and you crave handmade corn tortillas spread with oily manteca and sprinkled with salt. You see a group of three rustic wooden crosses, paint peeling from them, with three plastic cupped candles burning before them and you know that you know they are both sacred and powerful.
It is almost as though you are in a sort of trance. Details stand out clearer, time seems to slow, everything feels whole, despite its humble appearances, everything feels beautiful and deeply in rhythm, as if it were all made of water sparkling in different colors and moved by undercurrents, somehow different yet all the same.
You are feeling the connection.
We tend to live in a world that feels disconnected. In the Mayalands, that is not so. And when you spend time there, you feel the magic that the connection brings.
This connection can be better understood and brought into your own life by looking at a core Maya belief.
The power of the Maya Cross.
The Maya cross is ancient, but it has nothing to do with Christianity. It is the four directions. Each direction, East, North, West, and South, has an energy and many things make up that energy. We can talk about colors, winds, deities, and elements when we talk about these 4 energies, but to understand the feeling you have when you step into a Maya village, we need to talk about YOU!
Imagine that you are standing in the center of a diamond with a cardinal direction at each point. Imagine you are the center point, the World Tree. There are beautiful lines of energy running from the center of your heart to each of the four points around you. This connection makes you feel centered, grounded, balanced and safe.
So, what are these sparkling vibrating lines connecting you to?
To the east is yourself.
To the north is spirit…the SUPERnatural
To the west are other people
And to the south is the earth.
In the center is you . . . connected to all.
Now try this:
Close your eyes and imagine your connection to yourself. How do you feel? Are you well connected? Do you live as your authentic self? Do you honor the things you need? As soon as you close your eyes, you will know if you need to strengthen your connection to yourself.
Then imagine your connection to the SUPERnatural. How does that feel? Is it pale or strong? Do you move in harmony with spirit?
Next imagine your connection to the other people in your life. Are your relationships healthy? Do you allow yourself to be open with others? Do you find joy in your connections with others?
And finally, imagine your connection to the earth. Is it strong? Do you often spend time in nature? Do you feel you are in harmony with the cycles of nature?
Don Miguel, the story keeper for a Maya village where we spend a lot of time, once told me that the 4 energies are like the four legs of a table. They must be in balance, or you cannot find your center, you cannot find your place in the Universe.
Are the 4 legs of your table in balance? Which one or ones do you feel you need to work on?
The Maya people may seem to not have much in the way of worldly things, but they are deeply connected.
And that makes all the difference <3
Hugs and butterflies
Laura