Coming back from Planet Colombia

After reading newspaper headlines, watching TV ecovillages and listening to sources that were supposed to have knowledge about Colombia, I was in a quandary as to whether to travel to the ENA meeting this past September or not.

Someone at my ecovillage had even told me that if I traveled to Colombia and did not come back, she would continue the work and accomplish it. I was less than encouraged to travel, but suddenly one morning I woke up and said to myself, “This is a gorgeous day to die” and the choice was made - I was heading for Colombia. At 5am I was at the airport, ready to face my destiny. I was ignorant of how the next 3 moving weeks were about to change my whole view about Colombia, not only as a country, but as a living entity, full of contrasts and diversity, a country that opened its arms to me from the first moment I touched its soil…her soul… Colombia made a difference in me.

I had no idea of the hidden reason of why I was coming to Colombia, although my mission was to aid in the permaculture and ecovillage design courses and participate in the ENA meeting. But, the real reason my spirit was seeking a country with such a reputation, was a mystery. A few minutes before the plane landed I felt an urge to write and the words that came from my pen revealed the secret agenda: A call to the world for peace in Colombia!

‘I invoke the four winds, the transparency of the water and its experience,
I invoke Pachamama (mother earth), the Sun and the stars.
I invoke every mountain - the oldest dressed in white clothing and the younger ones, still naked, trying to grow in order to reach the sky.

I am making a call for peace, for love and for brother and sisterhood,
so the beings that inhabit this country, the continent, the whole world become united
in the strength of their joy, peace and harmony.

I ask the Great Spirit to be with us, so we all can feel togetherness in the work about to happen.

A single cry for faith and humbleness, for unity and compassion to come to us
so we can understand that everything we have dreamed is becoming a reality,
that we can walk together with mountains; that our sacred spirits, miraculous sparks of divinity, can change the course of events in Colombia and the rest of world.

Tonight, while we are all united witnesses of a miracle - a miracle called peace -
the one we call moon, the miracle of the earth and the thousands of stars shout:
Never stop your walk, the whole road is yours. There is nothing impossible to achieve when your shield’s name is wisdom, dressed in silk and colors, barefoot and loving like the clouds.

The Andes talked to me: What a joy, what a warm moment. We affirm the reasons that move beyond your intuition, we join in the call that comes in deep pain, in between tears of frustration, in between a war without love, without feelings and without a cause. I want to shout tonight, to cry in the pureness of your being, filled with energy and love. I want to believe that my tears and yours will clean this land from the pest of terror.

A soft kiss on your skin; cry no more because this war is about to end even before it begins. It brings sad experiences, abominable suffering, but your tears and mine will bring back all the love that ancient spirits held within, the illusion of the rivers, the nakedness of the mountains, the feelings of this forest bellow and the passion from the seas…passion burning inside of me for a better tomorrow, for an “I love you” in the night, for a green rebirth of the land…come with me… let’s run naked into the water and give our souls to the universe, together… we have tonight the strength of a thousand million stars, a thousand million beings of light shouting together with us… We give our peace and our love to Colombia! Omatacuyasi!’

Having gotten the message, I met Liora Adler, ENA Council representative for the Caribe, on the road with La Caravana. She was waiting at the airport with Gabriel from the newly formed “Magic Mountain Ecovillage” outside of Medellin. Montana Mágica produces excellent goat cheeses, marmalades, and flower / berry wines. As we drove from the airport up the mountain, they showed me the beauty of the Medellín surroundings. It was a cooler than I expected, and I was unaware of the Inipi (Temazcal/sweatlodge) ceremony that was awaiting me. Cleansing and rebirth were the key words for that night. All the beautiful people from the Caravan were gathered at the ceremony, also healers, a witch, a couple of shamans and many earth loving beings. The ceremony lasted for hours inside the womb of the earth, the heat and the sweat danced together with beautiful songs and feelings of belonging to the same family. Later I understood that this cleansing ceremony was helpful preparation for arriving at the Sasardí Natural Reserve inside the Colombian jungle.

The trip from Medellín to Turbo, was unexpectedly 30 hours long. After one change to a bigger and more comfortable bus, everything was wonderful until a landslide covered the road in front of us. The “Paisas”, beautiful people from the Medellín area, asked all the “real macho men” to help to clear the road so we could continue. Night had settled in and only five minutes past this first landslide, 7 more landslides awaited us; we had to stop for the night…Four in the morning, no air inside the bus, and the ceilings still leaking water from the rain. I stepped outside and went to sleep in the middle of the road, no cars coming or going, just music from mother nature and my old twin spirit that joined my space. At the first light of dawn there was the flight of a bird who came to say good morning. Many more hours passed until a machine cleared the road and we could continue on to Turbo.

All the way from Turbo to the nearest airport in Apartadó, were monocultures of bananas for export, with airstrips to fumigate pesticides from the air. I wondered if those same planes would be used by the U.S. to fumigate coca leaf plantations with the harmful fungus fusarium in order to eradicate coca leafs from the country according to the “Plan Colombia”. I also wondered if the governments involved had thought that fusarium not only would kill coca leafs, but tomatoes and other vegetables, and probably even harm peoples’ health. Would anyone outside this magic and diverse country really care? Did anyone really care about Vietnam? Iraq? Bosnia? Yes, I am positive that there are people out there who really care about what happens to the planet; the question is - How can I stop this destruction? What can I do to prevent multinationals taking over the world, the selling of weapons, the making of wars and earning money, and therefore - controlling my destiny? What can I do as a human being, so a handful of powerful people, or a bank will not decide the fate of the world? A lot of questions dancing in my soul.

Imagine 1.3 million dollars, 80% of it in military aid, being used to harm the environment and tear a jewel like Colombia into pieces? Coca leafs were used as a sacred ritual plant by the natives of America. The coca legend talks very clearly, and so does the Harvard University report on coca leafs, about the nutritious effect of this plant on people using it in the right manner and the harmful effect on people using it with disrespect. How many billions of dollars will be used to clean up the mess?

Colombia, like other 3rd world countries, is a victim of its natural wealth. The areas most harmed by war are also the richest in natural resources. If the interested parties drive away the people living in those areas with terror, they can access those resources. Precious stones, oil, fine wood; there is even a project about an alternative Panama Canal going through the region next to Panama. This channel was going to be built with atomic underground detonations, and would have water from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans running continuously from one side to the other. What would be the effects of that venture? What killed the soul and the spirit of those who can act with so little insight and respect for the Great Spirit’s creation? I could only cry, but I knew my tears of love would be cleansing the mess actual rulers of the world are leaving behind, in the name of progress.

Somehow I know they do not rule over my spirit and the spirits of millions of beings like you. I am free to rule over my destiny and I am free with my will, the clean food I eat, my lifestyle and my actions to counteract destruction on our planet. We are the bringers of life, we are the keepers of life… I kept telling myself…The great irony of our existence is that war gets billions of dollars in aid, while peace has to come from our own pockets. Maybe it’s because peace is not measured in billions of dollars, but in billions of hearts… But, that does not prevent us from going out and getting just as many millions of dollars as the “Plan Colombia” in order to heal the planet, in order to build alternative sustainable communities with like minded people. Imagine how much beauty and peace we could create, how many paradises we could design and inhabit… how many animals and plants would find a home…how we could build a future together for generations to come. First we dream it, then we go out and make it a reality.

It was a day of love and harmony in Turbo; everyone outside in cafes having fun and listening to “ballenatos”, a tropical rhythm that invites you to dance. The next morning, the whole group went on the “panga”, a very fast boat, with a cool captain at the wheel. The boat left the harbor which was filthy with garbage and sewage water. It seemed ironic to have a beach house there, and I was thinking how wonderful it would be to give permaculture design courses to the authorities of the town, so they could have a clean and beautiful harbor, appropriate sewage disposal, and a healthier life. We need more people who want to be owners of their destiny, I thought.

A few minutes after leaving the harbor, all the men had to get off the boat at a military post. We were searched and asked the purpose of our visit to that area. There was tension in the air, but it was nothing compared to the rumors I’d heard about Colombia. The water got cleaner and cleaner, as we continued on to Triganá, a beautiful beach, a 40 minute walk from the Reserve.

I was greeted by Claudio, my brother who left a fat job in Europe in order to dedicate his life to take care of the environment in one of the most diverse and conflicted places on earth. The people at this reserve have created a strong network of natural, private reserves, protecting all inhabitants of the jungle. There are more than a 100 natural reserves with different goals and tasks, but covering 192.000 ha. of rainforest, showing how people can interact with the environment without destroying it.

At the reserve one cannot hear planes passing overhead. Instead, a family of monkeys passes a few times a day, jumping from tree to tree, making music and entertaining us. There are 4 species of monkeys living in that area in groups; the “Titis” are in danger of extinction, as many others left with no home by the impacts of civilization, export, greed and war. The amazing blue butterfly , as big as an adult’s hand, called “El caminante” by the locals, includes 4 different species, as well. Over the next days, I enjoyed the company and grace of so many different creatures, lizards, snakes, bats. They were not frightened and shared their beautiful home with all of us. I even had a black scorpion get under my mosquito net and sleep with me all night; it did not hurt me.

The energy of the group was very high; we had a wonderful ENA meeting, everyone eager to give their support to one another. At this meeting, Cuba and the U.S. were not two rival nations, but expressions of the love between Mother Earth and Father Sky, children of one rainbow nation. Decisions were taken with wisdom and patience. A 9th ENA region was created to represent mobile communities. Permaculture works were started to improve the infrastructure of the reserve. Courses were offered in Medellín, Unguía and La Reserva. Albert impressed me with how he set the pace at the courses. My brother Jeff and his wonderful companion Carla brought a pelton wheel to expand the power at the reserve. Clothes never dried, the birds always sang, we all ate food prepared by the Reserva crew - hard working hands, humble, happy, free people who live a life in joy and hope, enduring the heat and humidity.

The houses were built with natural materials fitting perfectly into the contours of the forest, a very steep terrain. The amazingly well equipped office functions on solar energy, as do the phone and computers… modern, but still respecting nature. The office books and materials were filled with knowledge useful to preserving the forest and its species, to giving trainings and imparting this wisdom.

The day before I left for home, we had a party. I was ready to leave, although in many ways my soul was just arriving. A deep respect arose for all present at the meeting. Each one had come to one of the hottest areas of Colombia, beyond the limits of the country’s reputation. For every one of them, the conviction of bringing peace and hope in their hearts to this country had been greater than the fear of losing their lives in so doing. These were people I could trust with my life, and I felt proud to have them as my family. My dear ENA family, all those beings dedicating their lives and curing their souls in order to give future generations a healthier earth to inherit.

Between songs for the earth and toasts, laughing and joy, I could see everyone had changed. The whole family had Indian warrior faces - Giovanni my brother, my sister Lucía, Betty the center pole, wise Alberto, Daniel, Giomar, our visionary Albert, noble Lee, Rodrigo, Silvia the circle dancer, my sister Linda, my brother Kailash, Olga, Julio, Margarita Rosa, Beatriz, Luisa, Jorge, Willy, Pablo, Hugo, and all. It must have been the light in the sky, the scent of the jungle, the grace of Claudio singing “Don Quijote de la Mancha”, the company of so many beautiful and giving human beings, but I can tell anyone who asks me about Colombia, that Colombia is not only about war, terror, gross killings… Colombia was to me a planet sailing in the vast universe, a bridge between the earth and the sky. I was on top of planet Colombia feeling that Colombia is the mother of gorgeous children with multidimensional environments, about deep love, about never ending faith and about… all of us… Edul N´baraeté

Enrique Hidalgo, Bolivia
ENA Council Representative, Northern South America
ecovillas@hotmail.com