30 October 2017

Costa Rica – Clean water and workshops galore



After the relatioship workshop blew up into my face and going to a same festival with this person was no longer an option, plans had to change again. Tribal gathering in Panama was swapped into Envision in Costa Rica, and after crying tears of desperation on the airport after they tried to make me pay 300 $ for checking in my bags only until Costa Rica and not Panama like my ticket stated (the flight went via Costa Rica, so in my mind it would have made total sense to just cancel the connecting flight and check the bags to CR, but apparently not), I managed to get myself and my bags into CR with only 15 $ less to my name. Mental note, never expect airlines to follow logic. Mental note 2, crying always helps. So I did Envision as a road trip with a couple of lovely Florida girls whom I found on the carpooling site. The festival was lovely, but I was still reeling from my relationship crash and was somewhat distracted the whole time. But it was so so lovely to be warm again after the coolness of high altitude San Marcos. And there were beautiful people and wonderful food, so I was happy.




As I hadn't really "done" that much during my time in SM ("intensely being" was the term I used when people asked me what I'd been up to during my three months there), I had booked my Costa Rica month full of things. Envision was followed by Forest dance, an amazing conscious gathering where we danced and made music around the sacred fire for 3 nights and filled our days with workshops and lounging in hammocks or taking dips in the river. I was nursing a cold and battling with my demons of unworthiness which made me keep to myself a lot and retreat to my cancer mode of being the outsider, observer, not feeling like I fit in. I did make a couple of lovely connections when I finally felt brave enough to expose how I really felt, and the nightly rituals were powerful, so it was definitely a worthwhile experience in the end. I will never forget the last night when we danced till sunrise and spooked a pair of toucans from their tree as we hit the last beats on the drum, followed by a victorious cry of pure energy, togetherness and belonging. Those tribal moments are infinitely important for me and this was no exception. So much gratitude for my life and the universe that leads me to such places!





The next stop was volunteering at the Women's equinox gathering at the lovely Finca Amrta near Tinamastes in the middle of Costa Rican jungle. By then my social batteries were totally empty, and I welcomed my work contribution as a respite from having to actually take part in the program. I was in the kitchen a lot, read, decorated the place and tried to not feel like I was wasting a chance to make new friendships. But by now I had become much more comfortable and accepting of this side of me, this somewhat introverted Patience who just needed her own time and space. So it was good practice in listening to myself and not pushing myself to do or be more than it felt good to do. And I did make a couple of lovely connections as well, plus enjoyed so much spending time on Suzanne's amazing Finca. Well done, me!





I did have some time to just be and relax between all the workshops as well. I explored some of Dominical and Uvita and stayed a couple of lovely days in Posada Natura. My last CR adventure was a stay in Pachamama, a beautiful although quite expensive retreat center in the Nosara peninsula. I participated in a mindblowing White night ritual and took a body detox program which I can only highly recommend. I'd been wanting to do a fast or a detox for a while but what with my health history and trust issues with health practitioners, I had not felt comfortable enough to dive into that just yet. The team in Pachamama was so knowledgeable and the program so well done, that I felt really safe and supported, and it was not nearly as taxing or exhausting as I would have thought. I left Pachamama much lighter, in body and spirit, and am really grateful for everything I experienced there. And for the raw chocolates in the Wild treats bar. Oh so much yum <3





All in all, Costa Rica was lovely, although it makes me a little sad how much it is a playground and an amusement park for the rich Americans, which makes the prices skyrocket. But the nature was gorgeous, the fruit absolutely heavenly, public transport easy and affordable. And the biggest plus: you could drink tap water without dying or getting an interesting array of unwanted intestinal company. It took me a week of being there to stop cringing every time I filled my bottle from the tap. San Marcos habits die hard ;). In Costa Rica I also had my first experiences with the more powerful plant medicines, which opened yet another gateway into remembering the love we ultimately all are and the connection or sameness of us all. I can never thank these medicines enough for their lessons and for letting me dive deeper into the divinity of myself and the universe. 



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