Fire in the Belly

I love affirmations and synchronicities, especially when they occur in the midst of quotidian activities like taking out the trash! I had been contemplating this intense Texas heat along with the fiery Leo energy that we have been experiencing, bringing attention to our inner fire, our solar plexus...our ability to burn bright. I recalled an incredible healing experience I had in my first ayahuasca ceremony in the darkness of the Peruvian rainforest and was thinking about how to make it relatable and tangible for others.

It was my first experience with plant medicine, and it took awhile to take effect...not much was happening. Then, a warming sensation began in my belly as if a fire were being gently stoked. There was no pain or burning, just a glow. In my mind’s eye, I saw yellow, growing bigger and I felt as if I had an umbilical cord connecting me to a universal womb. A steady stream of beautiful, nourishing, relaxing, warming light poured into me for several minutes. It was breathtaking and unfathomable, however as undeniable as feeling the heat from a campfire when roasting marshmallows. It also had a very practical feeling, like stopping at the gas station to fill up your tank. As this extraordinary bliss came to an end, I saw a “vehicle” disconnect from me and slowly drift off into space. I wanted to reach out and say, “No, don’t go.” It was so powerful, yet I knew it was leaving because it had done its job.

At the time, I remember thinking this “prana refill” was a boost to make up for an intense school year as a speech pathologist working with lots preschoolers and some intense parents. Six years later, I firmly believe that the universe was preparing me for the tumultuous years that were to come, which have stretched and pulled me in so many directions of beauty, heartache, sadness, love, loneliness, faith and growth through creating a new life, dismantling relationships, forming new ones, pursuing spiritual studies, and changing careers while staying aligned with my soul’s path. I have thoroughly drawn upon that reserve of golden prana, that I know was “source energy”. The plant medicine remains within as a teacher and healer.

So, back to synchronicity. I was thinking, how do I make this out of body yet in my body journey relatable? As I was taking out the trash, I remembered the intention that I had put into the plant medicine for the ceremony and began chanting it in my head as I walked out the front door, and exactly at that moment, an owl began chattering away. Share the intention, share the journey. I smiled and laughed to myself.

“You are on the right track,” he appeared to hoot.
“Yes, yes,” affirmed a second owl with a different sort of call.

(By the way, our English translation of owl doesn’t do it justice. It’s a beautiful, enchanting sound.)

I couldn’t believe that there were two owls and that they were so close. I looked up to see if I could spot them. There, silhouetted with the branches and leaves against the dusky blue sky, the two wise beings were perched peacefully on a limb of the grandmother tree in my backyard. Right there above my house. We looked at each other, and I offered them gratitude. They flew silently away together. Magical, fleeting moments that sometimes cannot be captured anywhere except in the heart.

All of the beautiful, spiritual, and esoteric experiences one may have are tools to make the most of our opportunity to learn, heal and grow on this precious Earth. This is what the owls wanted me to share. This was my intention with the medicine. May you open to grace and allow the light to pour in!


Angel's Prayer by Ty Burhoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNxa7qLX6_U

https://itun.es/us/p-Cwu?i=341430180





Sanskrit
Om Namah Shivaya Gurave
Saccidananda Murtaye
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Niralambaya Tejase
Om

English translation taken from anusarayoga.com (There are various translations.)
I open my heart to the power of Grace
That lives in us as goodness
That never is absent and radiates peace
And lights the way to transformation

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